SIL Manager Settings

Owned by Jonathan Muse
Last updated: Nov 20, 2024
5 min read

Theme

The theme setting allows you to select from a list of predefined color schemes. The colors not only change the background of the editor window but the code syntax highlighting as well. User often change themes to make the syntax highlighting similar to other code editing software they are already using or to help ease eye strain.

 

Eclipse Theme
Monokai Theme

File Type Defaults

The SIL Manager tries to automatically detect the file type of every file in the tree. It does this so that users are not confused when they run the Syntax Checker on files that don’t actually contain SIL code.

 

Files in the Tree

Having files that do not contain SIL code is very common. Advanced scripters use a wide variety of file types to build their automation and integration solutions.

Treat files with no extension as

If the file has no extension in the name then the file type will be set to the default setting (SIL). However, this can be changed to a different file type with this setting.

Treat files with unknown extension as

If the file has and unknown extension in the name then the file type will be set to the default setting (Text). However, this can be changed to a different file type with this setting.

To disable the file type tags see the File Type Tag section on this page.

Font Size

This setting controls the size of the font in the scripts within the editing window. Increase or decrease the font size to your liking to make the scripts more readable.

Placeholder

The placeholder setting allows some suggestive text at the top of empty files. This text can have a variety of purposes including reminders to follow scripting standards that might already be defined in the organization. Like, “Please add a description to this file so other users know what it is for!”.

Autocomplete

Autocomplete suggests the names of SIL functions while the script is being written. Pressing enter while a line is highlighted will copy the code into the script. This can be helpful as it serves as a quick reminder which parameters get included with the function.

 

Live Autocomplete

The Live Autocomplete setting enables/disables the setting that pops up the code suggestions while the user is typing. If this setting is disabled the suggestion will only appear when the pressing Ctrl + Space on the keyboard.

For more keyboard shortcuts see this page.

Gutter

The gutter is the gray column located to the left of the script. The gutter contains line numbers (1), error messages (2), and fold widgets (3). If desired, the gutter can be hidden using this setting.

 

Line Numbers

As seen in the setting above, line numbers show in the gutter. The line numbers can be removed from the script view without removing the entire gutter.

Fold Widgets

As seen in the setting above (gutter), fold widgets allow sections of code to be hidden (folding) and then shown again (unfolding) at will by toggling the fold widget. This widget can be removed without removing the entire gutter.

Print Margin

The print margin line represents the right text margin of the code should it be printed. Any text that runs past the margin runs the risk of getting cut off. The margin is arbitrarily set at 80 characters and is not effected by the font-size.

This line servers other practical purposes such as being a visual reminder that a single line of code might be running a bit long and perhaps should be broken into 2 lines for readability purposes.

 

While the print margin placement can not be adjusted the line can be hidden with this setting.

Non-printing Characters

Non-printing characters are things like line breaks or returns (1) and tab marks (2). It may be helpful to turn on this setting to inspect issues with data files that may contain unwanted characters (for example).

 

Line Highlighting

Line highlighting will shade the line where the cursor is positioned. This helps you to quickly see where the cursor is positioned or to help keep your place while reading text.

 

While the color of the highlight can not be configured with this setting it may be disabled.

Line highlight colors are controlled by the color themes.

File Type Tags

As described above, the file type tags are a visible indication to which files are SIL scripts and which are not. This setting can be used to disable those tags.

 

Tabs

These settings control the function of the tab key while editing the code.

Spaces

Enabled by default, this setting will cause multiple spaces (4 by default) to be used to represent a tab indent rather than a tab character (ASCII character #9) itself. Using spaces rather than a tab symbol will allow the file to appear consistent when viewed in different editors since there is not standard definition of a tabs size.

Size

The number of character spaces a tab should represent. The default for this setting is 4 since it is adequate space to discern that the code is indented despite the traditional definition of a tab being 8 spaces. The traditional definition is geared more towards written text/copy and not necessarily code.