Colors and fonts
As a developer, you work with a lot of text resources: the source code in the editor, search results, debugger information, console input and output, and so on. Colors and font styles are used to format this text and help you better understand it at a glance.
DataSpell lets you choose between configurable color schemes that define colors and fonts used in IDE text.
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A color scheme is not the same as the , which defines the appearance of windows, dialogs, and controls.
You can use a predefined color scheme or customize it to your liking. It is also possible to share schemes.
Select a color scheme
Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and select Editor | Color Scheme.
Use the Scheme list to select a color scheme.
By default, there are the following predefined color schemes:
Classic Light: designed for the macOS Light and Windows 10 Light interface themes
Darcula: designed for the Darcula interface theme
High contrast: designed for the High contrast interface theme (recommended for users with sight deficiency)
IntelliJ Light: designed for the IntelliJ Light interface theme
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If you install a plugin with a color scheme, that scheme will be added to the list of predefined schemes. For more information, see Share color schemes.
Customize a color scheme
You can customize a predefined color scheme, but it is recommended to create a duplicate for your custom color and font settings:
Duplicate a color scheme
Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and select Editor | Color Scheme.
Select a color scheme, click , and then click Duplicate….
(Optional) To rename your custom scheme, click and select Rename….
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Predefined color schemes are listed in bold font. If you customize a predefined color scheme, it will be displayed in blue. To restore a predefined color scheme to default settings, click and select Restore Defaults. You cannot remove predefined color schemes.
To define color and font settings, open the Editor | Color Scheme page of the IDE settings Ctrl+Alt+S. The settings under Editor | Color Scheme are separated into sections. For example, the General section defines basic editor colors, such as the gutter, line numbers, errors, warnings, popups, hints, and so on. The Language Defaults section contains common syntax highlighting settings, which are applied to all supported programming languages by default. In most cases, it is sufficient to configure Language Defaults and make adjustments for specific languages if necessary. To change inherited color settings for an element, clear the Inherit values from checkbox.
Define custom font and color settings for Python
Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and select Editor | Color Scheme | Python.
Select any code element you want to customize and clear the corresponding Inherit values from checkbox to change inherited color settings for this element; then specify your color and font settings.
For example, you can set a color highlighting for nested functions. From the list of the code elements, select Nested function definitions, clear the Inherit values from checkbox and specify the element foreground and background colors. Click OK to save the changes.
Semantic highlighting
By default, the color scheme defines syntax highlighting for reserved words and other symbols in your source code: operators, keywords, suggestions, string literals, and so on. If you have a function or method with many parameters and local variables, it may be hard to distinguish them from one another at a glance. You can use semantic highlighting to assign a different color to each parameter and local variable.
Enable semantic highlighting
Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and select Editor | Color Scheme | Language Defaults | Semantic highlighting.
Select the Semantic highlighting checkbox and customize the color ranges if necessary.
Share color schemes
If you are used to a specific color scheme, you can export it from one installation and import it to another one. You can also share color schemes with other developers.
Fonts
To customize the default font, open the Editor | Font page of the IDE settings Ctrl+Alt+S. This font is used and inherited in all color schemes by default. For more information, see Font.
Customize the color scheme font
You can set a different font for your current scheme.
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This is not recommended if you are planning to share your scheme or use it on other platforms that may not support the selected font. In such cases, use the default global font settings.
Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and select Editor | Color Scheme | Color Scheme Font.
Select the Use color scheme font instead of the default checkbox.
Customize the console font
By default, text in the console uses the same font as the color scheme. To use a different font in the console:
Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and select Editor | Color Scheme | Console Font.
Select the Use console font instead of the default checkbox.
Productivity tips
See the color scheme settings for the current symbol
Put the caret at the necessary symbol, press Ctrl+Shift+A, find the Jump to Colors and Fonts action, and execute it.
This will open the relevant color scheme settings for the symbol under the caret.
See which fonts are currently used in the editor
Press Ctrl+Shift+A, find the Show Fonts Used by Editor action, and execute it.
This will open the Fonts Used in Editor dialog with a list of fonts.
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Both the Jump to Colors and Fonts and the Show Fonts Used by Editor actions do not have a default shortcut. To assign a shortcut for an action, select it in the Find Action popup and press Alt+Enter.