---
title: "Introduction"
manual: "TYPO3 Explained"
version: "12.4"
permalink: "https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3coreapi:rte-backend-introduction@12.4"
source: "ApiOverview/Rte/InTheBackend/Introduction.rst"
rendered: "2026-10-21T15:29:37+00:00"
---

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>
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# Introduction {#rte-backend-introduction}

When you configure a table in `$TCA` and add a field of the type "text"
which is edited by a `<textarea>`, you can choose to use a Rich Text
Editor (RTE) instead of the simple form field. An RTE enables the users
to use visual formatting aids to create bold, italic, paragraphs,
tables, etc.

![](../../../Images/AutomaticScreenshots/Rte/RteBackend.png)

For full details about setting up a field to use an RTE, please refer to the
chapter labeled 'special-configuration-options' in older versions of the
TCA Reference.

The short story is that it's enough to set the key `enableRichtext` to true.

```php
'poem' => array(
    'exclude' => 0,
    'label' => 'LLL:EXT:examples/locallang_db.xlf:tx_examples_haiku.poem',
    'config' => array(
        'type' => 'text',
        'cols' => 40,
        'rows' => 6,
        'enableRichtext' => true
    ),
),
```

This works for FlexForms too:

```xml
<poem>
    <exclude>0</exclude>
    <label>LLL:EXT:examples/locallang_db.xlf:tx_examples_haiku.poem</label>
    <config>
        <type>text</type>
        <cols>40</cols>
        <rows>6</rows>
        <enableRichtext>true</enableRichtext>
    </config>
</poem>
```

> [!TIP]
> **Hint**
>
> If the Rich Text Editor is not displayed, it might be turned off in
> **User Settings > Edit and Advanced functions > Enable Rich Text Editor**