1zsh-syntax-highlighting / highlighters / main
2---------------------------------------------
3
4This is the `main` highlighter, that highlights:
5
6* Commands
7* Options
8* Arguments
9* Paths
10* Strings
11
12This highlighter is active by default.
13
14
15### How to tweak it
16
17This highlighter defines the following styles:
18
19* `unknown-token` - unknown tokens / errors
20* `reserved-word` - shell reserved words (`if`, `for`)
21* `alias` - aliases
22* `suffix-alias` - suffix aliases (requires zsh 5.1.1 or newer)
23* `builtin` - shell builtin commands (`shift`, `pwd`, `zstyle`)
24* `function` - function names
25* `command` - command names
26* `precommand` - precommand modifiers (e.g., `noglob`, `builtin`)
27* `commandseparator` - command separation tokens (`;`, `&&`)
28* `hashed-command` - hashed commands
29* `path` - existing filenames
30* `path_pathseparator` - path separators in filenames (`/`); if unset, `path` is used (default)
31* `path_prefix` - prefixes of existing filenames
32* `path_prefix_pathseparator` - path separators in prefixes of existing filenames (`/`); if unset, `path_prefix` is used (default)
33* `globbing` - globbing expressions (`*.txt`)
34* `history-expansion` - history expansion expressions (`!foo` and `^foo^bar`)
35* `command-substitution` - command substitutions (`$(echo foo)`)
36* `command-substitution-unquoted` - an unquoted command substitution (`$(echo foo)`)
37* `command-substitution-quoted` - a quoted command substitution (`"$(echo foo)"`)
38* `command-substitution-delimiter` - command substitution delimiters (`$(` and `)`)
39* `command-substitution-delimiter-unquoted` - an unquoted command substitution delimiters (`$(` and `)`)
40* `command-substitution-delimiter-quoted` - a quoted command substitution delimiters (`"$(` and `)"`)
41* `process-substitution` - process substitutions (`<(echo foo)`)
42* `process-substitution-delimiter` - process substitution delimiters (`<(` and `)`)
43* `single-hyphen-option` - single-hyphen options (`-o`)
44* `double-hyphen-option` - double-hyphen options (`--option`)
45* `back-quoted-argument` - backtick command substitution (`` `foo` ``)
46* `back-quoted-argument-unclosed` - unclosed backtick command substitution (`` `foo ``)
47* `back-quoted-argument-delimiter` - backtick command substitution delimiters (`` ` ``)
48* `single-quoted-argument` - single-quoted arguments (`` 'foo' ``)
49* `single-quoted-argument-unclosed` - unclosed single-quoted arguments (`` 'foo ``)
50* `double-quoted-argument` - double-quoted arguments (`` "foo" ``)
51* `double-quoted-argument-unclosed` - unclosed double-quoted arguments (`` "foo ``)
52* `dollar-quoted-argument` - dollar-quoted arguments (`` $'foo' ``)
53* `dollar-quoted-argument-unclosed` - unclosed dollar-quoted arguments (`` $'foo ``)
54* `rc-quote` - two single quotes inside single quotes when the `RC_QUOTES` option is set (`` 'foo''bar' ``)
55* `dollar-double-quoted-argument` - parameter expansion inside double quotes (`$foo` inside `""`)
56* `back-double-quoted-argument` -  backslash escape sequences inside double-quoted arguments (`\"` in `"foo\"bar"`)
57* `back-dollar-quoted-argument` -  backslash escape sequences inside dollar-quoted arguments (`\x` in `$'\x48'`)
58* `assign` - parameter assignments (`x=foo` and `x=( )`)
59* `redirection` - redirection operators (`<`, `>`, etc)
60* `comment` - comments, when `setopt INTERACTIVE_COMMENTS` is in effect (`echo # foo`)
61* `named-fd` - named file descriptor (`echo foo {fd}>&2`)
62* `arg0` - a command word other than one of those enumerated above (other than a command, precommand, alias, function, or shell builtin command).
63* `default` - everything else
64
65To override one of those styles, change its entry in `ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES`,
66for example in `~/.zshrc`:
67
68```zsh
69# Declare the variable
70typeset -A ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES
71
72# To differentiate aliases from other command types
73ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[alias]='fg=magenta,bold'
74
75# To have paths colored instead of underlined
76ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[path]='fg=cyan'
77
78# To disable highlighting of globbing expressions
79ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[globbing]='none'
80```
81
82The syntax for values is the same as the syntax of "types of highlighting" of
83the zsh builtin `$zle_highlight` array, which is documented in [the `zshzle(1)`
84manual page][zshzle-Character-Highlighting].
85
86#### Parameters
87
88To avoid partial path lookups on a path, add the path to the `ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_DIRS_BLACKLIST` array.
89
90```zsh
91ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_DIRS_BLACKLIST+=(/mnt/slow_share)
92```
93
94### Useless trivia
95
96#### Forward compatibility.
97
98zsh-syntax-highlighting attempts to be forward-compatible with zsh.
99Specifically, we attempt to facilitate highlighting _command word_ types that
100had not yet been invented when this version of zsh-syntax-highlighting was
101released.
102
103A _command word_ is something like a function name, external command name, et
104cetera.  (See
105[Simple Commands & Pipelines in `zshmisc(1)`][zshmisc-Simple-Commands-And-Pipelines]
106for a formal definition.)
107
108If a new _kind_ of command word is ever added to zsh — something conceptually
109different than "function" and "alias" and "external command" — then command words
110of that (new) kind will be highlighted by the style `arg0_$kind`,
111where `$kind` is the output of `type -w` on the new kind of command word.  If that
112style is not defined, then the style `arg0` will be used instead.
113
114[zshmisc-Simple-Commands-And-Pipelines]: http://zsh.sourceforge.net/Doc/Release/Shell-Grammar.html#Simple-Commands-_0026-Pipelines
115
116[zshzle-Character-Highlighting]: http://zsh.sourceforge.net/Doc/Release/Zsh-Line-Editor.html#Character-Highlighting
117