hex editor
A program that displays every character in a file in hexadecimal notation. Hex editors are used extensively in program development to view the binary contents of files. Regular text editors display alphanumeric text and do not normally display characters below ASCII 32 or above ASCII 127. When it is necessary to inspect a file or a fragment of data for its true contents, only a hex editor will suffice. See text editor and source code editor.
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| The Encyclopedia Content in a Hex Editor |
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| UltraEdit from IDM Computer Solutions (www.idmcomp.com) is a sophisticated, full-featured hex editor. This shows the Encyclopedia text file for the Windows version with the hex on the left representing the text on the right. The arrows point to line feeds, which are 0A's in hex and dots in the text. In a text editor, a line feed creates a blank line. The file uses the Unix convention of single line feed (LF) characters for end of line, in contrast to the DOS/Windows carriage return/line feed pair (CR/LF). |