Documentation TOC » Features » Syntax Highlighter

Syntax highlighter

Since Tiki7, Tiki is using CodeMirror (http://codemirror.net) as a syntax highlighter and indentation helper, which allows to highlight syntax in real time when the user is typing it.

CodeMirror.net wrote:

CodeMirror is a JavaScript library that can be used to create a relatively pleasant editor interface for code-like content - computer programs, HTML markup, and similar. If a parser has been written for the language you are editing, the code will be coloured, and the editor will help you with indentation.

This way, Tiki becomes a WYSIWYM editor ("What You See Is What You Mean"). This means that Tiki helps the author interpret different aspects of the code (tags, strings, subroutines and so forth) which are highlighted or given different colours. This is comparable to the way code editing software works. So instead of using mark-up during editing to illustrate the end result (WYSIWYG), mark-up is used to illustrate the meaning and functionality of different parts of the code.

It will also help with auto indentation of code (when required in some syntax) while typing it.

1. Enabling the feature

In Tiki7 and Tiki8, codemirror was not enabled by default in new installations, so that it had to be enabled through: "Admin home > Text area ("Editing and plugins") > General Settings > Syntax Highlighter (CodeMirror)"

If you don't see this option, ensure that you have the advanced admin settings displayed (tick the checkbox "advanced" or "experimental" in the admin panels.

2. Where it is used

It is used in PluginCode and deployed in other places as needed. The basic idea is to make it work in text areas while you are editing text, so that it can help you while writing YAML markup when you are creating a configuration Profile, or when you are writing in wiki pages scripts in some programing languages like R (see PluginR), etc.

3. Syntaxes recognized

Although most Tiki syntax is recognized, the following items are known issues:

When using the Autolinks option, links are not highlighted in the editor.

Since Tiki8, users can change highlighting mode (to select other languages, or to display line numbers, etc). Moreover, there is new option to temporarily disable the highlighting in some textarea while typing it, in case for some reason the user prefers to see everything with no colors and no self modifying the display temporarily.

Since Tiki9, many more languages are supported, and a few theme styles are included for codemirror.

See also:
http://doc.tiki.org/PluginCode#Codemirror_-_Supported_Languages