.. _Syntax Coloring:

Syntax Coloring
===============

Source code is colored in the DVT editor.
Some language constructs are colored based on a syntactical analysis of the code, while others require a more elaborate semantic analysis, as detailed in the table below.
Semantic coloring is only performed when the source code is compiled.


.. list-table::
   :header-rows: 1
   :widths: auto

   * - Category
     - Requires compilation
     - Details
   * - Arguments
     - y
     - Function and procedure arguments
   * - Attributes
     - y
     -  
   * - Comment Hyperlinks
     -  
     -  
   * - Comment Pragmas
     - y
     - Compilation is required for Custom Pragmas
   * - Comments
     -  
     -  
   * - Constants
     - y
     -  
   * - Default
     -  
     - Any word which does not belong to other categories
   * - End Labels
     - y
     -  
   * - Enumeration Literals
     - y
     -  
   * - Functions, Procedures
     - y
     -  
   * - Javadoc Tags
     -  
     -  
   * - Keywords
     -  
     -  
   * - Labels
     - y
     -  
   * - Numbers
     -  
     -  
   * - Ports - Input, Inout
     - y
     -  
   * - Ports - Output
     - y
     -  
   * - Record Elements
     - y
     -  
   * - Signals
     - y
     -  
   * - Strings
     -  
     -  
   * - Task Tags
     -  
     -  
   * - Template Identifiers
     -  
     -  
   * - Types
     - y
     - Entities, user defined types, components
   * - Variables
     - y
     -  


You can change the coloring style for each of the categories defined in the table above.
Go to :menuselection:`Window --> Preferences --> DVT --> VHDL --> Editor --> Syntax Coloring`, select the category you wish to modify from the list and set the color and font style.

.. figure:: ../../images/common/vhdl_highlight_prefpage.png
	:align: center




A code sample in the Syntax Coloring preference page helps you preview the changes instantly. The default style is shown below:

.. figure:: ../../images/common/vhdl_highlight_preview.png
	:align: center




