5 Open Source Rich Text Editors

5 Open Source Rich Text Editors

August 14th, 2007 Posted by Don Albrecht

Here are 5 open source WYSIWYG editors you might consider for your upcoming development projects. Rich Text Editors are one of the workhorses of modern web applications. Providing simplified wysiwyg formating of content for forms, RTEs have become a favorite among users.

Tiny MCE

Tiny MCE stands out as the most popular of the modern editors. The high flexibility, simplified theming and extreme ease of use the editor provides are highly regarded and well praised. Some key features:

• Microsoft Word Cleanup Filter
• Ability to fine tune available buttons
• Ability to restrict html to certain css styles
• Excellent Media import tools
• Simple API for custom features
• Skinable

Xinha

A venerable successor to HTMLArea, Xinha combines flexibility with a slick interface. Although once relegated primarily to the Zope / Plone universe. Xinha has lately emerged as a powerful stand alone editor. Many developers prefer its media & css tools to those of Tiny MCE

• Microsoft Word Cleanup Filter
• Highly Configurable
• Ability to restrict html to certain css styles
• Powerful Media import tools
• Skinable

FCK Editor

Although still popular, FCK editor doesn’t compete as well against the top tier wysiwyg editors as it once did. The interface seems clunky, especially compared to Xinha or Tiny MCE. And there’s always the issue of the name, I’ve had it shot down from a project spec because of it. The software is included here out of completeness and the fact that it is still widely used and adopted.

• Extensive capabilities
• Established & heavily deployed

Dojo Editor Widget

The Dojo Editor Widget is an integral part of the Dojo Ajax Toolkit. It is included here because of the compelling features that make it unique. Chief among these features is the ability to share one toolbar across multiple editor instances. It is this ability to provide a traditional application toolbar feel when multiple editors are in use that sets the Dojo Editor apart and inspired me to include it here today.

• Skinable
• Shared Toolbar Support
• Powerful API

YUI Rich Text Editor

Finally, an editor that works in Safari. Built on the YUI toolkit, the beta form of the Yahoo Rich Text Editor was designed from the ground up to work in Safari. By coding for Safari first and then modifying the code to create something that worked in Opera, Firefox & Internet Explorer. Dav Glass created a cross platform editor that surpasses every other editor in this list for browser support. The other unique feature of the YUI editor is web 2.0 / Mashup support and integration. By integrating a unique Flickr photo picker & useful insert link tools the YUI RTE has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the WYSIWYG world.

• Flickr Photo Picker
• Link Picker Tools
• Powerful API
• Skinable
• Safari Support

• Dojo Grid Lands in Trunk For Oct 31’st Release.
• YUI Menu: A widget for the masses.
• YUI Color Picker
• Building a Dynamic Form with YUI
• Build a YUI Panel from Content
• Building a Form in a Modal Panel with YUI
• Dojo Gains A Grid
• YUI Calendar Popup from Text Input
• Taking The Web To The Desktop Part 3 Widgets
• YUI 2.4 has landed