What You See Is All You Get (WYSIAYG)

WYSIAYG illustrates the problematic nature of WYSIWYG interfaces for more advanced users that handle complex tasks or heavier workloads on a routine basis. A WYSIWYG interface may not have the capacity to fulfill these requirements. Thus, WYSIAYG describes the drawbacks of WYSIWYG applications.

For example, because of their varied font and graphics options, applications with WYSIWYG capabilities (such as most word processors and document formatting applications) are ideal for creating documents with text and heavy graphics, like brochures, newsletters and presentations. However, these applications are not suited for lengthy tasks, where formatting consistency is required, such as type-setting for book-length documents where the scale of a task determines its execution. Command-driven formatters, like Unix’s troff and TeX, are sometimes used in such situations.