Why We Love Document Editors (And You Should, Too!)

Document editors are the lifeblood of many organizations around the world. From development teams to end-users, they are a part of everyone’s workflow. People love to use a good document editor. But what are the reasons behind an editor’s popularity? Even more importantly, is there a great Document Editor that you can integrate into your web application easily? In this post, you will find out what this editor can do and how to integrate it into your web applications.

What is a document editor?

Document editors are tools for creating and editing documents online. They give you easy access to your document files using web browsers like Chrome or Safari. Most online editors are much like Word or any other offline editor. They let you download and edit files in various formats. These include DOCX, PDF, and TXT. Also, you can print your files with just a few clicks. Because your editor is available online,  you can play with your documents on the go.

Why does everyone love to use the document editor?

There are plenty of reasons why people love to use document editors. Here are three of them:

Hassle-Free Online Editing Experience

Document editors are available online. That means you can write and edit from anywhere. You just need to have a  PC, laptop, or smartphone, to use one.

Using an online document editor is also very easy. They work in the same way as the offline document editor on your PC. You can align and format text effortlessly. You can also insert images and add links with no coding involved. As a result, you get a hassle-free online editing experience.

Export Documents to PDF Quickly

PDF files are very reliable. When you export a document to PDF, all the data, including paragraphs, images, vector graphics, and tables, are displayed in the exact same way, every time on any device.

How many times have you been frustrated with a missing font warning just after opening a Word document? With PDFs, you never have that problem. With an online document editor, you can easily export text to PDF without modifying the structure. So, you can share the information with others in exactly the same way you intend to. Try doing that in Word.

Print Document without Downloading

Just like Google Docs, document editors support printing.  So, you can print your content from anywhere without even downloading it. All you need to do is click the print icon, select the printer and paper size, and hit Print. That’s it! It will print your text instantly. You don’t have to go through the extra steps of downloading the document, opening it in MS Word, and then printing. Online document editors save you time and boost your productivity.

Can you use Froala as a document editor?

Yes, you can. Froala is a WYSIWYG editor. It enables you to add rich text editing capabilities to your web application. But, you can use it as a document editor as well. All you have to do is enable the Document Ready mode. Froala will set all the best options for editing online documents automatically. The document editor looks like this:

As you can see, the document editor of Froala has all the features you need for a hassle-free editing experience. You can change the format, font, and alignment of the text. You can add images and links. It also supports printing. Best of all,  it looks really cool. It has a clean design your web application users will love.

How to Integrate Froala into Your JavaScript Web Application

Froala is compatible with a variety of languages, including JavaScript. The integration process is very simple. It just takes a few minutes if you follow these steps:

Add a Container in Your HTML File

First, you have to create a container for Froala in your HTML file.

<div id="froala-editor"></div>

Add “link rel” Attribute to Your CSS File

Next, head to your CSS file and add the “link rel” attribute to include all the Froala editor plugins.

<link rel="stylesheet" href="../css/froala_editor.pkgd.min.css">

Add Froala on Your JavaScript

Finally, you have to open your JavaScript file and follow these steps:

1. Create a <script> tag and include the Froala editor plugins.

<script type="text/javascript" src="../js/froala_editor.pkgd.min.js"></script>

2. Then you have to include a JavaScript library, called HTML2PDF, for exporting to PDF.

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://raw.githack.com/eKoopmans/html2pdf/master/dist/html2pdf.bundle.js"></script>

3. Now, you have to create another <script> tag. Then create an instance of FroalaEditor and set documentReady property to true.

<script>
  new FroalaEditor('div#froala-editor', {
    documentReady: true
  })
</script>

Overall, the code in your JavaScript file will look like this:

<!-- Include all Editor plugins JS files. -->
<script type="text/javascript" src="../js/froala_editor.pkgd.min.js"></script>

<!-- Include PDF export JS lib. -->
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://raw.githack.com/eKoopmans/html2pdf/master/dist/html2pdf.bundle.js"></script>

<script>
  new FroalaEditor('div#froala-editor', {
    documentReady: true
  })
</script>

Source Code:

You can get the source code right here.

Once you are done, the Froala Editor will be integrated into your web application. With the Document Ready functionality enabled, you will find all the essential editing features on top of the editor. It will look like this:

Should I integrate Froala into my web application?

Froala provides you with all the rich editing capabilities. It allows your users to edit their texts effortlessly. The clean design provides them with a great experience. Just like Google Docs, Froala also allows the users to create and download the documents in PDF format. Even the integration process is very simple. It only takes a few minutes to integrate Froala into your web application without any hassle.

Froala is a powerful WYSIWYG editor. By enabling Document Ready, you can turn it into a document editor. Try it now for free.