
One most common example of binary file is image file is. These bits represent custom data and such files can store multiple types of data (images, audio, text, etc) under a single file.īinary file can have custom file formats and the developer, who designs these custom file formats, converts the information, to be stored, in bits and arranges these bits in binary file so that they are well understood by the supporting application and when needed, can easily be read by the supporting application. Rich text files: These files also follow the same schema as the plain text files but may also store text related information like text colour, text style, font style etc.īecause of simple and standard format to store data, text files are one of the most used file formats for storing textual data and are supported in many applications.īinary file are those typical files that store data in the form of sequence of bytes grouped into eight bits or sometimes sixteen bits.

BINARY EDITOR DATA Q FULL
Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.Here you will learn about difference between text file and binary file. Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the comments. On a personal note, though, I would tend to agree that “binary editor” is confusing overall. Neither is technically incorrect, they just come at the naming problem from different angles. Recall that files not readily representable in higher-level text form are called “binary files” or “binaries” for the same reason. In this instance, it appears that the “hex” in “hex editor” refers to the conventional human-readable representation of each byte’s value, whereas the “binary” in “binary editor” refers to the notion that you are indeed editing the file at the byte level (computers store bytes in binary) without consideration for higher-level text encoding and the like. Terminology is hard and different people have all sorts of different names for things. The name “hex” comes from “hexadecimal”, a standard numerical format for representing binary data.įollowed by the answer from BarryTheHatchet: A hex editor (or binary file editor or byte editor) is a type of computer program that allows for manipulation of the fundamental binary data that constitutes a computer file.Binary files typically contain bytes that are intended to be interpreted as something other than text characters.Ī hex editor is a type of binary editor in which binary data is represented in hexadecimal form. Binary files are usually thought of as being a sequence of bytes, which means the binary digits (bits) are grouped in eights. A binary file is a computer file that is not a text file.First up, Steven:Ī binary editor edits a binary file.

SuperUser contributors Steven and BarryTheHatchet have the answer for us. Why are hex editors called or referred to as binary editors? The Answer If you actually search for “binary editors” on Google, you get hex editors. However, I hear quite often that hex editors are binary editors. Hex, as I understand it, is simply an “easier to use” version of binary and more convenient. wants to know why hex editors are called binary editors:
