[vim/vim] Selected match in HTML tag is indistinguishable from non-selected matches in dark terminals (Issue #21406)

[acorn931]

acorn931 created an issue (vim/vim#21406)

Steps to reproduce

For this reproduction, I'm using the MDN's basic HTML template.

1. Ensure the terminal emulator is in dark style/mode
   For GNOME Console and Ptyxis, this can be done from the main menu (F10). Ptyxis users should also set the GNOME colour palette in preferences (Ctrl+,), under the 'Appearance' tab.
   For Konsole, ensure your profile's colour scheme is 'Breeze', which is the default for the 'Built-in' profile.
2. Edit the HTML file with Vim using vim --clean index.html
3. Enable hlsearch with :set hlsearch
4. Perform a search for meta with /meta without pressing <Enter>
5. Cycle between the results with CTRL-G/CTRL-T

All matches are visually indistinguishable (black text, yellow highlight), making it impossible to tell which is selected without further configuration.

This is not an issue in light style/mode.

Expected behaviour

When the terminal emulators (Ptyxis, GNOME Console, and Konsole) are in light style/mode, Vim colours the meta text a darker shade of yellow. This distinction is important since the selected match is highlighted by reversing the text and background colour, while the non-selected matches simply use a light shade of yellow.

This means the match highlighting behaviour differs between light/dark terminal emulators:

• In light style/mode: the selected match is a dark shade of yellow, the non-selected matches are a light shade of yellow.

Image: Image (view on web)

• In dark style/mode: all matches (selected, non-selected) share the same light shade of yellow. They're visually indistinguishable.

Image: Image (view on web)

I'd expect the difference to be equally obvious when the terminal emulator is in dark style/mode.

I should note that setting termguicolors does make the selected match distinguishable in dark style/mode, as its background now adopts a slightly darker shade of yellow then the non-selected matches. Though it's certainly not a fix, since it remains difficult to discern the difference.

Version of Vim

9.2.1119

Environment

Operating system: Fedora Linux 43 (Workstation Edition)
Terminal: Ptyxis 49.3 (Fedora Workstation default, primary), GNOME Console 49.2, Konsole 26.08.0
Value of $TERM: xterm-256color
Shell: fish, version 4.2.0

Logs and stack traces

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[Maxim Kim]

habamax left a comment (vim/vim#21406)

1. For set bg=dark incremental search IncSearch is the reverse of foreground and background: hi IncSearch cterm=reverse.
2. HTML tags are highlighted as Statement which is ctermfg=11, bright yellow defined by term palette
3. So the IncSearch over meta would be bright yellow background (=11) and black foreground.
4. Search is defined as ctermbg=11 -- same bright yellow as Statements

Thus no difference between Search and IncSearch when IncSearch is over something that is highlighted as Statement.

For set bg=light the Statement has the color outside 16-palette, =130 that is why it is different.

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