---
title: Introduction to Attributed String Programming Guide
framework: cocoa
role: article
path: apple-archive/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/AttributedStrings
---

# Introduction to Attributed String Programming Guide

Explains how to use attributed strings, which manage attributes of character strings or individual characters.

## Who Should Read This Document

You should read this document if you need to work directly with attributed string objects.

## Organization of This Document

This programming topic contains the following articles:

- [Attributed Strings](Concepts/AttrStrings.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000160-BAJJGCAI) describes the attributed string objects instantiated from `NSAttributedString`, `NSMutableAttributedString`, CFAttributedString and CFMutableAttributedString. - [Creating Attributed Strings in Cocoa](Tasks/CreatingAttributedStrings.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000714-BBCCGGCC) describes how to create attributed strings with data that you provide. - [Accessing Attributes](Tasks/AccessingAttrs.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000161-BAJBBCBI) describes how to access text attributes. - [Changing an Attributed String](Tasks/ChangingAttrStrings.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000162-BBCBGCDG) describes how to change characters and attributes in an attributed string. - [Drawing Attributed Strings](Tasks/DrawingAttrStrings.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000163-CJBGBIBJ) describes how to draw an attributed string in a view. - [RTF Files and Attributed Strings](Tasks/RTFAndAttrStrings.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000164-BBCBJIBC) explains how to read and write attributed strings to and from files of RTF data, and it describes Apple’s extensions to the RTF language. - [Word and Line Calculations in Attributed Strings](Tasks/WordCalcAttrStrings.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000165-BBCFEHGF) describes how to work with attributed strings in editors. - [Standard Attributes](Articles/standardAttributes.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40004903-SW2) describes global `NSString` constants containing the attribute names.

## See Also

For more information, refer to the following documents:

- *[String Programming Guide](../Strings/introStrings.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/10000035i)* describes the string objects that hold the Unicode character information in attributed strings. - *[Text Attribute Programming Topics](../TextAttributes/TextAttributes.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/10000088i)* explains how the text system handles the various kinds of attributes applied to strings of text.

[Next](Concepts/AttrStrings.html)

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