zsh-syntax-highlighting/docs/highlighters/main.md
Ben Boeckel d0794a6f76 main: check for partial paths separately
It's really annoying to have partial paths appear the same as paths to
complete files. However, it is still nice to be able to highlight them.
Full paths are now bold while partial paths use plain underline.
2026-06-13 01:35:29 -04:00

122 lines
5.8 KiB
Markdown

zsh-syntax-highlighting / highlighters / main
---------------------------------------------
This is the `main` highlighter, that highlights:
* Commands
* Options
* Arguments
* Paths
* Strings
This highlighter is active by default.
### How to tweak it
This highlighter defines the following styles:
* `unknown-token` - unknown tokens / errors
* `reserved-word` - shell reserved words (`if`, `for`)
* `alias` - aliases
* `suffix-alias` - suffix aliases (requires zsh 5.1.1 or newer)
* `global-alias` - global aliases
* `builtin` - shell builtin commands (`shift`, `pwd`, `zstyle`)
* `function` - function names
* `command` - command names
* `precommand` - precommand modifiers (e.g., `noglob`, `builtin`)
* `commandseparator` - command separation tokens (`;`, `&&`)
* `hashed-command` - hashed commands
* `autodirectory` - a directory name in command position when the `AUTO_CD` option is set
* `path` - existing filenames
* `partial-path` - partial paths (prefixes of existing files)
* `path_pathseparator` - path separators in filenames (`/`); if unset, `path` is used (default)
* `path_prefix` - prefixes of existing filenames
* `path_prefix_pathseparator` - path separators in prefixes of existing filenames (`/`); if unset, `path_prefix` is used (default)
* `globbing` - globbing expressions (`*.txt`)
* `history-expansion` - history expansion expressions (`!foo` and `^foo^bar`)
* `command-substitution` - command substitutions (`$(echo foo)`)
* `command-substitution-unquoted` - an unquoted command substitution (`$(echo foo)`)
* `command-substitution-quoted` - a quoted command substitution (`"$(echo foo)"`)
* `command-substitution-delimiter` - command substitution delimiters (`$(` and `)`)
* `command-substitution-delimiter-unquoted` - an unquoted command substitution delimiters (`$(` and `)`)
* `command-substitution-delimiter-quoted` - a quoted command substitution delimiters (`"$(` and `)"`)
* `process-substitution` - process substitutions (`<(echo foo)`)
* `process-substitution-delimiter` - process substitution delimiters (`<(` and `)`)
* `arithmetic-expansion` - arithmetic expansion `$(( 42 ))`)
* `single-hyphen-option` - single-hyphen options (`-o`)
* `double-hyphen-option` - double-hyphen options (`--option`)
* `back-quoted-argument` - backtick command substitution (`` `foo` ``)
* `back-quoted-argument-unclosed` - unclosed backtick command substitution (`` `foo ``)
* `back-quoted-argument-delimiter` - backtick command substitution delimiters (`` ` ``)
* `single-quoted-argument` - single-quoted arguments (`` 'foo' ``)
* `single-quoted-argument-unclosed` - unclosed single-quoted arguments (`` 'foo ``)
* `double-quoted-argument` - double-quoted arguments (`` "foo" ``)
* `double-quoted-argument-unclosed` - unclosed double-quoted arguments (`` "foo ``)
* `dollar-quoted-argument` - dollar-quoted arguments (`` $'foo' ``)
* `dollar-quoted-argument-unclosed` - unclosed dollar-quoted arguments (`` $'foo ``)
* `rc-quote` - two single quotes inside single quotes when the `RC_QUOTES` option is set (`` 'foo''bar' ``)
* `dollar-double-quoted-argument` - parameter expansion inside double quotes (`$foo` inside `""`)
* `back-double-quoted-argument` - backslash escape sequences inside double-quoted arguments (`\"` in `"foo\"bar"`)
* `back-dollar-quoted-argument` - backslash escape sequences inside dollar-quoted arguments (`\x` in `$'\x48'`)
* `assign` - parameter assignments (`x=foo` and `x=( )`)
* `redirection` - redirection operators (`<`, `>`, etc)
* `comment` - comments, when `setopt INTERACTIVE_COMMENTS` is in effect (`echo # foo`)
* `comment` - elided parameters in command position (`$x ls` when `$x` is unset or empty)
* `named-fd` - named file descriptor (the `fd` in `echo foo {fd}>&2`)
* `numeric-fd` - numeric file descriptor (the `2` in `echo foo {fd}>&2`)
* `arg0` - a command word other than one of those enumerated above (other than a command, precommand, alias, function, or shell builtin command).
* `default` - everything else
To override one of those styles, change its entry in `ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES`,
for example in `~/.zshrc`:
```zsh
# Declare the variable
typeset -A ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES
# To differentiate aliases from other command types
ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[alias]='fg=magenta,bold'
# To have paths colored instead of underlined
ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[path]='fg=cyan'
# To disable highlighting of globbing expressions
ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[globbing]='none'
```
The syntax for values is the same as the syntax of "types of highlighting" of
the zsh builtin `$zle_highlight` array, which is documented in [the `zshzle(1)`
manual page][zshzle-Character-Highlighting].
#### Parameters
To avoid partial path lookups on a path, add the path to the `ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_DIRS_BLACKLIST` array.
```zsh
ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_DIRS_BLACKLIST+=(/mnt/slow_share)
```
### Useless trivia
#### Forward compatibility.
zsh-syntax-highlighting attempts to be forward-compatible with zsh.
Specifically, we attempt to facilitate highlighting _command word_ types that
had not yet been invented when this version of zsh-syntax-highlighting was
released.
A _command word_ is something like a function name, external command name, et
cetera. (See
[Simple Commands & Pipelines in `zshmisc(1)`][zshmisc-Simple-Commands-And-Pipelines]
for a formal definition.)
If a new _kind_ of command word is ever added to zsh — something conceptually
different than "function" and "alias" and "external command" — then command words
of that (new) kind will be highlighted by the style `arg0_$kind`,
where `$kind` is the output of `type -w` on the new kind of command word. If that
style is not defined, then the style `arg0` will be used instead.
[zshmisc-Simple-Commands-And-Pipelines]: https://zsh.sourceforge.io/Doc/Release/Shell-Grammar.html#Simple-Commands-_0026-Pipelines
[zshzle-Character-Highlighting]: https://zsh.sourceforge.io/Doc/Release/Zsh-Line-Editor.html#Character-Highlighting