In computing, a full-screen writing program[1] or distraction-free editor[2][3][4] is a text editor that occupies the full display with the purpose of isolating the writer from the operating system (OS) and other applications. In this way one should be able to focus on the writing alone, with no distractions from the OS and a cluttered interface.[5][6][2][7] Often distraction-free editors feature a dark background and a text field, which is only about one third the width of the screen. The font is then in a brighter colour like green. However, most distraction-free editors include customisable user interfaces.[8] Some editors support rich text editing.
Contents |
| Name | Operating system support | Notable aspects, references |
|---|---|---|
| CodeRoom | Linux, Mac OS, Windows | Supports syntax highlighting, written in C++ using Qt[9] |
| FocusWriter | Linux, Mac OS, Windows | Highly customisable[10] |
| KoalaWriter | Linux, Mac OS, Windows | Clone of OmmWriter[11] |
| Marave | Linux | Similar to OmmWriter, CreaWriter; supports syntax highlighting[12] |
| PyRoom | Linux, Mac OS | Written in Python[13] |
| QuiEdit | Linux, Windows | Written in Python; supports spell checking (through Hunspell) and basic text formatting.[14] |
| RubyRoom | Linux | Written in Ruby[15] |
| TextRoom | Linux, Mac OS, Windows | Supports rich text[16] |
| gedit | Cross-platform | |
| LightWrite | Web based | Written in Python/Django. Features save online, export to file and 2 color modes. Free and Open Source.[17][18] |
| Name | Operating system support | Notable aspects, references |
|---|---|---|
| DarkRoom | Windows | Clone of WriteRoom for Windows .NET[19] |
| JDarkRoom | Linux, Mac OS, Windows | Clone of DarkRoom written in Java[20] |
| Q10 | Windows | |
| Writemonkey | Windows | |
| ZenEdit | Windows | Portable, consists of only one binary file[21] |
| Name | Operating system support | Notable aspects, references |
|---|---|---|
| CreaWriter | Windows | Clone of OmmWriter for Windows; has limited free version[22] |
| OmmWriter | Mac OS | Supports images as backgrounds, and a player for ambient music[23] |
| Sublime Text | Linux, Mac OS, Windows | customisable, for programmers,[24][25] has free trial version[26] |
| WriteRoom | Mac OS | Simple[27][28][29] |
| Xiosis Scribe | Windows | |
| ZenWriter | Windows | Simple, with background images and ambient music[30] |
Some distraction-free editors support rich text editing. These include CreaWriter, TextRoom, and WriteRoom.[22][31][16] In some cases, this feature turned off per default and must be set by a user.[31]
Currently, only a few distraction-free editors support syntax highlighting. CodeRoom is an open source project with the purpose of creating a distraction-free code editor with customisable highlighting schemes.[9] The latest version of Marave supports syntax highlighting.[12] Sublime Text supports a distraction-free full-screen view.[24][25]
Word count is a common feature in these editors. Other aids can include spell checkers, auto-corrections and quick text templates.[32]