10.3.1.5 Fonts and Colors

The Fonts and Colors page of the Options dialog box lets you establish a custom font and color scheme for various user interface elements in the integrated development environment (IDE). You can access this dialog box by clicking Options on the Tools menu and selecting the Fonts and Colors page in the Environment folder. Select “Show all settings” in the Options dialog box if this page does not appear in the list.

Note: Depending on the active settings or edition, the dialog boxes and menu commands might differ from those described in Help. Choose Import and Export Settings on the Tools menu to change your settings.

Color scheme changes do not take effect during the session in which you make them. You can evaluate color changes by opening another instance of Microchip Studio and producing the conditions under which you expect your changes to apply.

Show Settings For

Lists all of the user interface elements for which you can change font and color schemes. After selecting an item from this list, you can customize color settings for the selected item in Display items.

Text Editor

Changes to font style, size, and color display settings for Text Editor affect the appearance of text in your default text editor. Documents opened in a text editor outside the IDE will not be affected by these settings.

Printer

Changes to font style, size, and color display settings for the Printer affect the appearance of text in printed documents.

Note: As needed, you can select a different default font for printing than that used for display in the text editor, which can be helpful when printing code that contains both single-byte and double-byte characters.

Statement Completion

Changes the font style and size for the text appearing in the statement completion pop-up in the editor.

Editor Tool Tip

Changes the font style and size for the text appearing in ToolTips displayed in the editor.

Environment Font

Changes the font style and size for all IDE user interface elements that do not already have a separate option in “Show settings for”. For example, this option applies to the Start Page but would not affect the Output window.

[All Text Tool Windows]

Changes to font style, size, and color display settings for this item affect the appearance of text in tool windows that have output panes in the IDE. For example, Output window, Command window, Immediate window, etc.

Note: Changes to the text of [All Text Tool Windows] items do not take effect during the session in which you make them. You can evaluate such changes by opening another instance of Microchip Studio.

Use Defaults/Use

Resets the font and color values of the list item selected in “Show settings for”. The Use button appears when other display schemes are available for selection. For example, you can choose from two schemes for the Printer.

Font (bold type indicates fixed-width fonts)

Lists all the fonts installed. When the drop-down menu first appears, the current font for the element selected in the “Show settings for the field” is highlighted. Fixed fonts — which are easier to align in the editor — appear in bold.

Size

Lists available point sizes for the highlighted font. Changing the font size affects all Display items for the “Show settings” for selection.

Display Items

Lists the items for which you can modify the foreground and background color.

Note: PlainText is the default display item. As such, properties assigned to PlainText will be overridden by properties assigned to other display items. For example, if you assign the blue color to PlainText and the green color to Identifier, all identifiers appear green. In this example, Identifier properties override PlainText properties.

Some of the display items include:

Display Items

Description.

Plain Text

Text in the editor.

Selected Text

Text that is included in the current selection when the editor has focused.

Inactive Selected Text

Text included in the current selection when the editor has lost focus.

Indicator Margin

Indicator Margin is the margin at the left of the Code Editor where breakpoints and bookmark icons are displayed.

Line Numbers

Optional numbers appearing next to each line of code.

Visible White Space

Spaces, tabs, and word wrap indicators.

Bookmark

Lines having bookmarks. A bookmark is visible only if the indicator margin is disabled.

Brace Matching (Highlight)

Highlighting that is typically bold formatting for matching braces.

Brace Matching (Rectangle)

Highlighting that is typically a grey rectangle in the background.

Breakpoint (Enabled)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing simple breakpoints. This option is applicable only if statement-level breakpoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Breakpoint (Error)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing breakpoints in an error state. Applicable only if statement-level breakpoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Breakpoint (Warning)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing breakpoints in a warning state. Applicable only if statement-level breakpoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Breakpoint - Advanced (Disabled)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing disabled conditional or hit-counted breakpoints. Applicable only if statement-level breakpoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Breakpoint - Advanced (Enabled)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing conditional or hit-counted breakpoints. Applicable only if statement-level breakpoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Breakpoint - Advanced (Error)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing conditional or hit-counted breakpoints in an error state. Applicable only if statement-level breakpoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Breakpoint - Advanced (Warning)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing conditional or hit-counted breakpoints in a warning state. Applicable only if statement-level breakpoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Code Snippet Dependent Field

A field that will be updated when the current editable field is modified.

Code Snippet Field Editable

A field when a code snippet is active.

Collapsible Text

A block of text or code that can be toggled in and out of view within the Code Editor.

Comment

Code comments.

Compiler Error

Blue squiggles in the editor indicating a compiler error.

Coverage Not Touched Area

Code not covered by a unit test.

Coverage Partially Touched Area

Code partially covered by a unit test.

Coverage Touched Area

Code completely covered by a unit test.

Current List Location

Current line navigated to in a list tool window, such as the Output window or Find Results windows.

Current Statement

Specifies the highlighted color for the source statement or line that indicates the current step position when debugging.

Debugger Data Changed

The color of the text to display changed data inside the Registers and Memory windows.

Definition Window Background

The background color of the Code Definition window.

Definition Window Current Match

The current definition in the Code Definition window.

Disassembly File Name

The color of text used to display filename breaks inside the Disassembly window.

Disassembly Source

The color of text used to display source lines inside the Disassembly window.

Disassembly Symbol

The color of text used to display symbol names inside the Disassembly window.

Disassembly Text

The color of text used to display op-code and data inside the Disassembly window. Excluded Code that is not to be compiled, per a conditional preprocessor directive such as #if.

Identifier

Identifiers in code such as the class names, methods names, and variable names.

Keyword

Keywords for the given language reserved. For example, class and namespace.

Memory Address

The color of text used to display the address column inside the Memory window.

Memory Changed

The color of text used to display changed data inside the Memory window.

Memory Data

The color of text used to display data inside the Memory window.

Memory Unreadable

The color of text used to display unreadable memory areas within the Memory window.

Number

A number in code that represents an actual numeric value. Operators such as +, -, and !=.

Other Error

Other error types not covered by other error squiggles. Currently, this includes rude edits in <guimenuitem>Edit and Continue</guimenuitem>.

Preprocessor Keyword

Keywords used by the preprocessor such as #include.

Read-Only Region

Uneditable code. For example, code displayed in the Code Definition View window or code that cannot be modified during Edit and Continue.

Register Data

The color of text used to display data inside the Registers window.

Register NAT

The color of text used to display unrecognized data and objects inside the Registers window.

Stale Code

Superseded code awaiting an update. In some cases, Edit and Continue cannot apply code changes immediately but will apply them later as you continue debugging. This occurs if you edit a function that must call the function currently executing or add more than 64 bytes of new variables to a function waiting on the call stack. When this happens, the debugger displays a 'Stale Code Warning' dialog box, and the superseded code continues to execute until the function in question finishes and is called again. Edit and Continue to apply the code changes at that time.

String

String literals.

Syntax Error

Parse errors.

Task List Shortcut

If a Task List shortcut is added to a line and the indicator margin is disabled, the line will be highlighted.

Tracepoint (Enabled)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing simple tracepoints. This option is applicable only if the statement-level tracepoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Tracepoint (Error)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing tracepoints in an error state. This option is applicable only if the statement-level tracepoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Tracepoint (Warning)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing tracepoints in a warning state. This option is applicable only if the statement-level tracepoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Tracepoint - Advanced (Disabled)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing disabled conditional or hit-counted tracepoints. This option is applicable only if the statement-level tracepoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Tracepoint - Advanced (Enabled)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing conditional or hit-counted tracepoints. This option is applicable only if the statement-level tracepoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Tracepoint - Advanced (Error)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing conditional or hit-counted tracepoints in an error state. This option is applicable only if the statement-level tracepoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Tracepoint - Advanced (Warning)

Specifies the highlight color for statements or lines containing conditional or hit-counted tracepoints in a warning state. This option is applicable only if the statement-level tracepoints are active or the Highlight entire source line for breakpoints or current statement option is selected on General, Debugging, and Options Dialog Box.

Track Changes After Save

Lines of code that have been modified since the file was opened but are saved to disk.

Track Changes Before Save

Lines of code that have been modified since the file was opened but are not saved to disk.

User Types

Types defined by users.

User Types (Delegates)

Type color for delegates.

User Types (Enums)

Type color used for enums.

User Types (Interfaces)

Type color for interfaces.

User Types (Value types)

Type color for value types such as structs in C.

Warning

Compiler warnings.

Warning Lines

Path Used for Static Analysis warning lines.

XML Attribute

Attribute names.

XML Attribute Quotes

The quote characters for XML attributes.

XML Attribute Value

Contents of XML attributes.

XML Cdata Section

Contents of <![CDATA[…]]>.

XML Comment

The contents of .

XML Delimiter

XML Syntax delimiters, including <, <?, <!, , ?>, <![, ]]>, and [, ].

XML Doc Attribute

The value of an XML documentation attribute, such as <param name='I'> where the 'I' is colored.

XML Doc Comment

The comments enclosed in the XML documentation comments.

XML Doc Tag

The tags in XML documentation comments, such as /// <summary>.

XML Keyword

DTD keywords such as CDATA, IDREF, and NDATA.

XML Name Element

Names and Processing Instructions target name.

XML Processing Instruction

Contents of Processing Instructions, not including target name.

XML Text Plain

Text element content.

XSLT Keyword

XSLT element names.

Item Foreground

Lists the available colors you can choose for the foreground of the item selected in Display items. Change the foreground color of the text and the defaults for elements such as Compiler Error, Keyword, or Operator because some items are related and, therefore, should maintain a consistent display scheme.

Automatic Items can inherit the foreground color from other display items such as Plain Text. Using this option, when you change the color of an inherited display item, the color of the related display items also changes automatically. For example, if you selected the Automatic value for Compiler Error and later changed the color of Plain Text to Red, the Compiler Error would also automatically inherit the color Red. Default the color appearing for the item the first time you start AVR Studio 5. Clicking the Use Defaults button resets to this color. Custom Displays the Color dialog box to allow you to set a custom color for the item selected in the Display items list.

Note: Your ability to define custom colors may be limited by the color settings for your computer display. For example, the IDE defaults to the closest available Basic color and displays the black color in the Color preview box if setting the computer to display 256 colors and you select a custom color from the Color dialog box.

Item Background

Provides a color palette from which you can choose a background color for the item selected in Display items.

Because some items are related and should, therefore, maintain a consistent display scheme, change the background color of text, and the defaults for elements such as Compiler Error, Keyword, or Operator.

Automatic Items can inherit the background color from other display items such as Plain Text.

Using this option, the color of the related display items changes automatically when you change the color of an inherited display item. For example, if you selected the Automatic value for Compiler Error and later changed the color of Plain Text to Red, Compiler Error would also automatically inherit the color Red.

Clicking the Use Defaults button resets to this color. Custom Displays the Color dialog box to allow you to set a custom color for the item selected in the Display items list. Bold Select this option to display the text of selected Display items in bold text. Bold text is easier to identify in the editor. Sample Displays a sample of the font style, size, and color scheme for the “Show settings for” and “Display items selected”. You can use this box to preview the results as you experiment with different formatting options.