Custom colors in VS Code

Custom colors

Since 23.0.6 Ada Language Server provides Semantic token provider. The VS Code extension leverages it to colorize source code by mapping semantic colors to predefined "TextMate scopes". See semanticTokenScope in the package.json. But not all token types and modifier combination are visually distinguishable this way.

Users are welcome to customize colors to visualize more token types and modifier combinations. This guide provides more details for this and a customization example.

In addition to semantic highlighting, users can customize syntax highlighting for keywords, strings, comments or numbers: syntax highlighting will be used for those when the corresponding tokens are not associated with any modifier. Syntax highlighting customization should be made via TextMate rules, which associate scopes and a given style (color, font etc.).

You can use the Developer: Inspect editor tokens and scopes command to know the scope of a given token (see the screenshot below).

You can also find more documentation about TextMat scopes here.

Supported token types

Ada Language Server uses next types of tokens:

Token type	Ada element
namespace	package
class	tagged type
enum	enumeration type
interface	interface type
type	any other type
typeParameter	type discriminant
parameter	subprogram or generic parameter
variable	object declaration
property	component declaration
enumMember	enumeration literal
function	subprogram
modifier	any other identifier
keyword	keyword
comment	comment
string	string literal
number	numeric literal or named number
operator	operator

Supported token modifiers

Ada Language Server uses next modifiers of tokens:

Modifier	Usage
declaration	declaration with completion part
definition	body or completion for a declaration
readonly	constant or parameter with in mode
static	static subtype or function
deprecated	declaration with Obsolescent aspect/pragma
abstract	abstract type or subprogram
modification	write access to a name
documentation	ghost code or aspect
defaultLibrary	predefined name

Example

This example is based on Dark+ color theme. We have:

• bold writing for write access
• italic writing for parameters, type discriminants, abstract entities and interfaces
• strikethrough writing for declaration with Obsolescent aspect/pragma
• constants and read-only names have a brighter color then variables and in out parameters
• ghost code is green as comments

Open settings.json and append next:

    //  Syntax highlighting
    "editor.tokenColorCustomizations": {
        "textMateRules": [
            {
                "scope": "keyword",
                "settings": {
                    "foreground": "#569cd6"
                },
            },
            {
                "scope": "entity.name.operator",
                "settings": {
                    "foreground": "#cebff5",
                },
            },
            {
                "scope": "comment",
                "settings": {
                    "foreground":  "#6A9955"
                },
            },
            {
                "scope": "constant.numeric",
                "settings": {
                    "foreground": "#b5cea8",
                },
            },
            {
                "scope": "string",
                "settings": {
                    "foreground": "#ce9178",
                },
            }
        ]
    }

    //  Semantic highlighting
    "editor.semanticTokenColorCustomizations": {
        "[Default Dark+]": {
            "rules": {
                "namespace": "#C8C8C8",
                "type": "#4EC9B0",
                "class": "#4CD5E0",
                "enum": "#4CE099",
                "interface": {"foreground": "#4CD5E0", "italic": true},
                "struct": "#49D66A",
                "typeParameter": {"foreground": "#3E52EB", "italic": true},
                "parameter": {"foreground": "#9CDCFE", "italic": true},
                "variable": "#9CDCFE",
                "property": "#8F9DFF",
                "enumMember": "#93E6BE",
                "function": "#DCDCAA",
                "keyword": "#569cd6",
                "modifier": "#569cd6",
                "comment": "#6A9955",
                "string": "#ce9178",
                "number": "#b5cea8",
                "operator": "#C586C0",

                "*.abstract": {"italic": true},
                "*.modification": {"bold": true},
                "*.deprecated": {"strikethrough": true},
                "*.readonly": "#4FC1FF",
                "property.readonly": "#3E52EB",
                "typeParameter.readonly": {"foreground": "#3E52EB", "italic": true},
                "*.documentation": "#6A9955",

                "keyword.documentation": {"bold": true},
                "operator.documentation": {"bold": true}
            },
        }
    }