I'm having an issue with XML and JSP syntax coloring in MyEclipse 3.8.2. I have set up a background color of black, and cannot find a setting to change the attribute equals sign ("=") from the default black color, so they are all invisible to me.

Here's my setup:

- Windows XP Pro SP1
- JDK 1.4.2_03
- Clean eclipse 3.0.1 + myeclipse 3.8.2 .. no other plugins

This is currently an open enhancement sorry for the inconvenience. Because it requires some parser changes and highlighter changes it isn't just a simple quick fix that we can throw in, but I'll add a +1 for you to the issue.

I am having the same issue. Its really bothersome, I've taken to editing html, xml, jsp, etc. outside of myeclipse.

-paddy hannon

Any new news on this?

It that would be the only issue...two month now with a senseless myeclipse subscription, hopefully looking forward on 3.8.3.
December/Januar...jey...

--
André

Update:
On preliminary investigation adding this feature would require a large enough development effort (token parsing code, syntax highlighter adjustments, etc.) with such a small return that it is not a high priority for us right now. Please try and understand the enterprise level features we are developing and trying to get to market along with the corporate pressure to do so. For you 2 or 4 or however many wanted this feature it seems like the "last major thing MyEclipse is missing" before you really like it... as much as we would love to address every request out there, we are a business, we must appease everyone and so far the overall user requests for this feature is absolutely tiny compared to the increasing demand for high impact RAD tooling.

However, I have pointed this thread to the dev and he said he would look into this again and see if we could get a quickfix in such that operators are colored the same as keywords only temporarily until we have a chance to come back and finish implementing this. No promises on a ETA yet, but we are actively looking into it for you.

Please consider this a higher priority, and get the quickfix in as soon as possible. It really affects the usability of the entire package, if one wants to use a color scheme for the editor other than the default.

I understand the business need to add features to keep the product competitive, but you also need to have a robust product in which the "basic" features are bug-free. You can have all the features in the world, but if the standard parts don't work, people won't trust the product.

And, yes, syntax highlighting is considered a standard feature these days.

Just out of curiosity, what do you do with the built-in Eclipse editors? I don't believe they even offer the ability to set the background color at all, do they? If they don't, what settings do you use in the Java editor, for example?

I found a way to change the equal sign color.....

Search the following files:
xmlsourcecolors.xml - For XML
jspsourcecolors.xml - For JSP
htmlsourcecolors.xml - For HTML

Open them in any text editor.

See if there is a line with the tag name like this:
<color name="tagAttributeEquals"/>

All you have to do is add the foreground and the background like the rest of the tags have.

Restart Eclipse and there you go.

BTW, I am using MyEclipse 3.8.2.

I just upgraded to 3.8.4 and the syntax problem still exists. I applied the quick fix suggested by newmyeclipseuser, and it works great.

For clarification, the xml files mentioned above reside in the following folder:
eclipse\workspace\.metadata\.plugins\com.ibm.sse.model

The fact that the fix was posted by a user and not myeclipse support is not very encouraging. Yes, this is a minor issue ... just a very annoying one for those that like to customize their editor syntax highlighting. When basic features like this are not working, like rrjames mentioned, one will likely question the robustness of the product as a whole. Considering the nature of the bug, it is probably noticed by many people, and most just choose to live with the default color scheme and not report the problem. Being a bug it still has an impact in the mind of a potential or current customer.

Using 3.8.4 and M4 and I have used the fix for "tagAttributeEquals" but have another issue. In a jsp using a tag, the value of the tag is black on black. For example, in the line:
<input type="hidden" name="itemPageStartIndex" value="<c:out value="${searchResultsInfo.pageIndex}" />" />
the " after = and before <c:out and the " before the final /> are black on black. Also, the entire value "${searchResultsInfo.pageIndex}" is black on black. Anyone found the the secret property to fix these issues?

I have the same issue as thurin. i have a black background and any EL code is black on black. I too am looking for a secret hack or some way to fix this. BTW, the hack for <color name="tagAttributeEquals"/> worked like a charm.

While I can appreciate the business aspect, I'll have to put my "me, too" here. I can deal with the "=" hack for now, but colorization of black backgrounds is really pretty weak. The current problem I'm having, for example, is that "current line highlight" doesn't seem to be settable for the SQL editor. That means that I'm typing white on white for the current line, or I'm viewing white on white for all the other lines.

So just add the "me, too" for this one for me as well. I am, though, a little tired of hearing justification wars for the black background: I get cluster headaches. If the background is white for eight hours, I can't work. It's that simple. So, my background is going* to be black, even if I have to go back to Emacs.

For something you need stare at all day long to make your mortgage, UI matters.

This should really be given a high priority. If you are color blind like me working with a white background is impossible. I have to have a black background in order for this product to be useable. I'll use the above quick fix but please give this issue a high priorty and put it into the next release.

Has anyone tried this in 4.0? I have to hold off until it supports 3.1 but am hoping the end is in sight.