overview.md 3.7 KB


Scope:

* What is it?

* What are the use cases?

* What is the difference with CKEditor 5 Framework?

* What is the difference with CKEditor 4?

title: Overview category: builds-guides

order: 10

CKEditor 5 Builds are a set of ready to use rich-text editors. Every "build" provides a single type of editor with a set of features and a default configuration. Our goal is to provide easy to use solutions that can satisfy a good part of the editing use cases out there.

Builds

Classic editor

The classic "boxed" editing interface, with a toolbar at the top:

[ TODO: Classic editor screenshot or sample ]

Inline editor

The edited content remains a part of the page, with a floating toolbar attached:

[ TODO: Inline editor screenshot ]

Editor with balloon toolbar

The edited content remains a part of the page (like in the inline editor). The toolbar appears in a balloon next to the selection (when the selection is not empty):

[ TODO: Ballon toolbar editor screenshot ]

How builds are designed

Each build was designed to satisfy as many use cases as possible. They differ in their UI, UX and features, and are based on the following approach:

  • Include the set of features proposed by the Editor Recommendations project.
  • Include features that contribute to creating quality content. In other words, features like fonts, colors and alignment are excluded.
  • Provide setups as generic as possible, based on research and community feedback.

Build customization

Every build comes with a default set of features and a default configuration of them. Although the builds try to fit many cases, they may still need to be adjusted in some integrations.

You can override the default configuration of features when creating an instance of the editor. It's also possible to remove some of built-in features through the configuration (if the build comes with too many of them). Read more in the {@link builds/guides/integration/configuration Configuration guide}.

If a build doesn't provide all the necessary features or you want create a highly optimized build of editor which will contain only the necessary features, then you need to customize the build or create a brand new one. Check {@linkTODO Custom builds} for details on how to change the default builds to match your preferences.

Use cases

Each of the builds fits several different use cases. Just think about any possible use for writing rich-text in applications.

The following are some common use cases:

  • In content management systems:
    • Forms for writing articles or website content.
    • Inline writing in a front-end-like editing page.
    • In comments.
  • In marketing and sales automation applications:
    • Composing e-mail campaigns.
    • Creating templates.
  • In forum applications:
    • Creation of topics and their replies.
  • In team collaboration applications:
    • Creation of shared documents.
  • Other uses:
    • User profile editing pages.
    • Book writing applications.
    • Social messaging and content sharing.
    • Creation of ads in recruitment software.

When NOT to use CKEditor 5 Builds?

The {@linkTODO CKEditor 5 Framework} should be used, instead of builds, in the following cases:

  • When you want to create your own text editor and have full control over every aspect of it, from UI to features.
  • When the solution proposed by the builds does not fit your specific use case.

In the following cases {@linkTODO CKEditor 4} should be used instead:

  • When compatibility with old browsers is a requirement.
  • If CKEditor 4 contains features that are essential for you, which are not available in CKEditor 5 yet.
  • If CKEditor 4 is already in use in you application and you are still not ready to replace it with CKEditor 5.