Many people don't seem to know any
more what a text file is. Windows kind of "encourages" use of Word
format .doc files, so that's probably the reason. But plain ASCII
text has the advantage of being almost universal. Almost all text
editors and word processors can load and save ASCII text files.
Also, our file library's online file view function can display text
files within your uploads so people can read your docs before
downloading.
Creating a text file is hardly a challenge. Use whatever text
editor you normally use. The file type is determined only when you
save it. For most text editors you will have to use the "Save As"
function in the File menu and then choose the file type. It may be
referred to as "ASCII", "text", "MS-DOS text" or some variation.
You may have to refer to your editor's docs or help file to
determine the correct choice. Here are some of the common ones:
Microsoft Word: "MS-DOS Text (*.txt)"
Word Pad: "Text Document - MS-DOS Format"
Note Pad: "All Files (*.*)"
Warning: Some programs, Note Pad for example, may not
respect the file name you choose! You'll tell it to save under the
name "file_id.diz" but it will ignore you and use something like
"file_id.diz.txt" instead. Because of this you will need to check
the actual name of the file you ended up with, and rename it if
necessary (you can use Windows Explorer to rename files), before
adding it to your zip file to make sure it really got the name you
wanted.
It also sometimes depends on what options you choose. For
example, if you use Note Pad and do a "save as" and choose "Text
Documents" it will always add .txt to the end of your chosen file
name.