zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting

Function definitions: highlight first command word

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#237 opened on Nov 24, 2015

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Featuregood first issuesyntax:command-word

Description

In f() foo bar, highlight foo as a command word.

This should be simpler than #223, which is about highlighting f: that issue requires (arbitrary far) lookahead, this issue does not.

As discussed in #223:

  • f g h() {} works only when MULTI_FUNC_DEF is set.
  • The syntax function f [g h…] { } also exists.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
shell
Domain
developer experience
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
zsh knowledgeshell scripting basics
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
70
Research direction
The issue requires modifying the syntax highlighting logic for function definitions in the zsh syntax highlighting project. The relevant code is likely in the main highlighting script that handles keywords and patterns. Look at how function definitions starting with 'f()' are currently tokenized. The existing issue #223 provides discussion on the related lookahead problem. The goal is to highlight the first word after the function name as a command word, without lookahead. Check the MULTI FUNC DEF option handling and the syntax for 'function f g h() {}'.