The rich-text format (RTF) standard is a method of encoding formatted text and graphics for easy transfer between different applications and different operations. Generally, it is used by all Microsoft Word applications—Word for Windows, Word for the Macintosh, and Word for MS-DOS—in order to move word-processing documents between different platforms without having to rely on special translation software or conversion utilities. Because the RTF standard provides a format for text and graphics interchange that can be used with different output devices and operating systems, Windows Help also supports this standard. That means you can use any text editor that generates RTF output, including your own custom RTF editor, to create the source files that are built into Help files.
Software that takes a formatted file and turns it into an RTF file is referred to in this appendix as an RTF writer. Software that translates an RTF file into a formatted file is referred to as an RTF reader. An RTF writer separates the application’s control information from the actual text and writes a new file containing the text and RTF groups associated with that text. An RTF reader does the converse of this operation.