A newline character is typically used to indicate the end of a line of text. In other words, when a newline character is encountered by the system, it signals the end of the current line and moves on to the next line.
How is newline character different from similar terms?
There are a few terms that are often confused with or used interchangeably with newline character. The first is carriage return (CR). A carriage return is actually just a type of newline character. In fact, CR+LF (carriage return + line feed) is considered to be the standard way to indicate a newline in many systems. However, there are some systems that use LF by itself as a newline character, so it is important to be aware of the differences.
Another term that is often used interchangeably with newline character is line break. A line break is similar to a newline in that it indicates the end of a line of text. However, the two terms are not actually synonymous. A line break can be either a CR or an LF, but it can also be a CR+LF. In other words, a line break is any character or combination of characters that signals the end of a line of text.
Finally, there is the term paragraph break. A paragraph break indicates the end of a paragraph, which is typically denoted by one or more blank lines. However, like line breaks, paragraph breaks can also be CR, LF, or CR+LF characters.
So, to recap, here are the main differences between these terms:
- A newline character is a type of line break that signals the end of a line of text.
- A carriage return is a type of newline character.
- A line break can be any character or combination of characters that signals the end of a line of text.
- A paragraph break indicates the end of a paragraph and is typically denoted by one or more blank lines.