In
computing,
plain text is the data (e.g. file contents) which represent only
characters of readable material but not its graphical representation nor other objects (images, etc.). It may also include a limited number of characters that control simple arrangement of text, such as line breaks or tabulation characters. Plain text is different from
formatted text, where style information is included, and "binary files" in which some portions must be interpreted as binary objects (encoded integers, real numbers, images, etc.).