Wish List : Syntax HighLight KeyWords groups expansion

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Jose Adriano Baltieri

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Jan 24, 2026, 9:25:14 AM (6 days ago) Jan 24
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Hi !

Are there any plans to expand KeyWord1 .. 9 on Syntax Highlight configuration ?

I like to assign different colours to different libraries, or categories of the language items, while I'm editing source codes. 

Currently I'm working with AutoHotKey source files and it would be very nice to be able to assign a different colour for "A_*" variables , such as A_Now and A_Args. Those are automatic variables (kind of environment variables) created by AHK. Usually they're read-only. Anyway it would be nice to have a different color for them. It also helps, while I'm typing them : if they "get" the color of the group they belong to, I know I'm typing them correctly...

Notice that even other syntax configurations will also occupy one color. For example I like to have directive lines, say # DEFINEs, in a different color. For me they're all GREEN (the whole line)..

Or of course the same situation (or necessity) also occurs in other languages, say Python, etc...

Any plans to expand that ?

BTW I absolutely LOVE to see my source code all "colored", like the example below...

image.png

Thanks in advance for your consideration of the issue !
--


Grato,
Jose Adriano Baltieri

Carlo Hogeveen

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Jan 24, 2026, 11:26:45 AM (6 days ago) Jan 24
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Jose,

I cannot answer your question in general, but I do have an answer for your specific example of hiliting a_* strings in an autohotkey buffer.

In the previous century I wrote the (auto)loadable "hirexp" macro, which you can find here:
https://semware.com/html/tseprofilesd.php

If I add the lines
0E a_[0-9A-Za-z]#
to its hirexp.dat file,
and replace the 3rd and 4th character by control character 3,
save hirexp.dat,
compile and load hirexp.s
open a .ahk file and type "This is a_ok!",
then "a_ok" is colored "bright yellow on black" (hex TSE index color 0E)!

Everywhere in the example hirexp.dat file where you see a control character, and wherever a "heart" character is referenced, it always is/means control character 3 from the Ascii Chart.

To find out what the hexadecimal TSE index color for a color combination is, look in TSE's menu
Options -> Full Configuration -> Display/Color Options -> Set Colors -> Select Editing Colors -> Text Normal,
and without using <Enter> just remember the last 2 hex digits of a color combination you like,
and use those 2 hex digits in hirexp.dat.

I know, this tool is old as rock, but I just tested it, and it worked!
Hope this helps,
Carlo



Jose Adriano Baltieri

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Jan 24, 2026, 12:19:45 PM (6 days ago) Jan 24
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Hi Carlo !

It's pretty old but worked wonderfully ! Bullseye !

I've chosen color 9C, because it fits well with my color scheme. I can see the "repaint" happening (Page Up/Down) but that's ok...

BTW, since you mentioned "old school stuff", I'm using RAMdrive (remember those old DOS days) ?  It's for IPC . Works pretty well and it's so easy to inspect/examine each part working separately. For sharing control I use "renamefile", which is an atomic operation for the OS. Only one process can do it at a time. Anyway, pretty old stuff but still works pretty well !

Thanks again 4 your support ! 

image.png

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Jose Adriano Baltieri

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Jan 25, 2026, 8:02:36 AM (6 days ago) Jan 25
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On Sat, Jan 24, 2026 at 1:26 PM Carlo Hogeveen <t...@ecarlo.nl> wrote:

Jose,

I cannot answer your question in general, but I do have an answer for your specific example of hiliting a_* strings in an autohotkey buffer.

A very, very nice idea would be to combine your HiRexp macro "inside" TSE32 syntax highlight configuration file ! It would make TSE highlight configuration waaaaaaaaaaay more flexible !

Another thing that I don't think it's so difficult to do and I also think would make things more versatile is to have each KeyWordSet color assigned to its own configuration. 

Let me explain : the KeyWords1 set for Python files might be Red on Blue. For Fortran KeyWords1 could be Yellow on Red . And so forth. 

In order to not mess things up that are already configured, this color (of the KeyWords1) might be optional. When I specify it, it overrides the default color scheme....

Just a couple ideas.. 

Sammy listening/observing/wondering ? 

Another thing that I'd love to have is some sort of ToolTips for function typing assistance.... We could optionally function prototype configuration files, assigned to their extensions. I think this ToolTip resource could be done as an "add-on" to Tessie, without disturbing anything else. If implemented, it would first show the ToolTip. When the ToolTip is hovering , we might have some features : a) insert the prototype at the current file b) launch some sort of help for that function - it could be an URL, a cmd line program, etc.. 

Very useful for anyone, the ToolTip, I think !

Thanks ! 


Carlo Hogeveen

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Jan 25, 2026, 8:42:26 AM (5 days ago) Jan 25
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Jose,

Your first idea is one of many ways to expand (syntax) coloring, but it is not a way I value, and I doubt its simplicity.
So I me personally myself will not be picking it up.

Likewise I me personally myself am not a tooltip fan (your 2nd idea).
Part of your tooltip description overlaps templates.
You might want to have a look at the TSE help topics "Template Mode" and "TemplateExpansion".

Carlo




Jose Adriano Baltieri

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Jan 25, 2026, 9:04:59 AM (5 days ago) Jan 25
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I know and use templates ! Thank U !

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zhong zhao

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Jan 25, 2026, 8:09:09 PM (5 days ago) Jan 25
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synhi_ui_e.png
palette5.png

    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 0,0x000000 )    // black          0x000000
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 1,0x000080 )    // blue           0x000080
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 2,0x548c54 )    // green          0x008000
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 3,0x548c87 )    // cyan           0x008080
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 4,0x800000 )    // red            0x800000
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 5,0x800080 )    // magenta        0x800080
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 6,0x4c8065 )    // brown          0x808000
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 7,0xa0a0a0 )    // light gray     0xc0c0c0
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 8,0x808080 )    // dark gray      0x808080
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 9,0x0000ff )    // light blue     0x0000ff
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_,10,0x00ff00 )    // light green    0x00ff00
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_,11,0x00ffff )    // light cyan     0x00ffff
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_,12,0xff0000 )    // light red      0xff0000
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_,13,0xff00ff )    // light magenta  0xff00ff
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_,14,0xffff00 )    // yellow         0xffff00
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_,15,0xffffff )    // white          0xffffff

    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_, 0,0x000000 )    // black          0x000000
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_, 1,0x000080 )    // blue           0x000080
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_, 2,0x004000 )    // green          0x008000
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_, 3,0x004040 )    // cyan           0x008080
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_, 4,0x800000 )    // red            0x800000
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_, 5,0x800080 )    // magenta        0x800080
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_, 6,0x804000 )    // brown          0x808000
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_, 7,0xfeddbc )    // light gray     0xc0c0c0
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_, 8,0x404040 )    // dark gray      0x808080
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_, 9,0x0000ff )    // light blue     0x0000ff
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_,10,0x86fc86 )    // light green    0x00ff00
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_,11,0x9ffafa )    // light cyan     0x00ffff
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_,12,0xffbfbf )    // light red      0xff0000
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_,13,0xfecbfe )    // light magenta  0xff00ff
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_,14,0xffffa0 )    // yellow         0xffff00
    SetColorTableValue(_FOREGROUND_,15,0xffffff )    // white          0xffffff

Knud van Eeden

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Jan 26, 2026, 3:47:58 PM (4 days ago) Jan 26
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So what would be your syntax highlight file for .c files?

Thanks
with friendly greetings
Knud van Eeden

zhong zhao

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Jan 26, 2026, 7:54:32 PM (4 days ago) Jan 26
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c.txt
c.syn

knud van eeden

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Jan 27, 2026, 4:19:27 PM (3 days ago) Jan 27
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So how can one reproduce your syntax coloring (as shown in the screenshot below).

1. I did put your lines in a file foobar.s and compiled and did run it.

 ...
 SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 0,0x000000 )    // black          0x000000
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 1,0x000080 )    // blue           0x000080
    SetColorTableValue(_BACKGROUND_, 2,0x548c54 )    // green          0x008000
  ...

2. I did put c.txt in the 'synhi' directory

3. I compiled the file c.txt to c.syn using the TSE macro

    syncfg2

   and saved in the 'synhi' directory

4. Restarted latest TSE 4.50.19 and did also run foobar.mac after that.

5. To test typed some of your keywords used in the .c file like 

    PAINTSTRUCT

6. But the syntax coloring result was not as expected.

So what should be done to get the syntax highlight effect as in the original screenshot below?


Inline image



zhong zhao

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Jan 27, 2026, 8:50:04 PM (3 days ago) Jan 27
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1. Put attached tsestart.s in g32.exe 's folder, and load it in g32.exe,then <Ctrl F9> complie it, generate  tsestart.mac
2. Change ui\tse.ui line 18
//#include ["tse.cfg"]      // config-endconfig definitions
to
#include ["tse.cfg"]      // config-endconfig definitions
3. use attached tse.cfg replace ui/tse.cfg
4. Load ui\tse.ui in g32.exe,then <Ctrl F9> complie it.
5. Restart g32.exe
tmp0.png
tsestart.s
tse.cfg

knud van eeden

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Jan 28, 2026, 5:07:38 AM (3 days ago) Jan 28
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Yes, that works, thanks.

Note: for reproduction purposes, also compile c.txt as c.syn using TSE native macro 'syncfg2' and put it in the TSE 'synhi' directory and restart TSE.

Inline image


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