Enables dynamic text and syntax highlighting using regular expressions for text editors, supporting both Compose and View environments, with customizable formatting options. Ideal for code editors.
Cross-platform text highlighting and syntax highlighting for Compose and View, using regular expressions.
Facilitate the creation of dynamic highlights using regular expressions, ideal for code editors or text editors with custom formatting.
| Platform | Support |
|---|---|
| Android with Jetpack Compose | ✅ |
| Android with View | ✅ |
| Compose for Desktop | ✅ |
| Compose for Web | ✅ |
| Compose for iOS | ❌ |
The main class is Highlight, which generates formatted text in types like SpannedString or AnnotatedString, depending on the platform.
You can pass a list of schemes directly through the constructor.
val highlight = Highlight(
TextColorScheme(
regex = "\\bcolor\\b".toRegex(),
matcher = Matcher.fully(UiColor.Black),
),
)
// Jetpack Compose
val annotatedString = highlight.toAnnotatedString("Foreground color example.")
// View-based
val spannedString = highlight.toSpannedString("Foreground color example.")
Or use the builder scope to create patterns:
val highlight = Highlight {
textColor {
"\\bcolor\\b"
.toRegex()
.fully(
UiColor.Black,
)
}
}
// Jetpack Compose
val annotatedString = highlight.toAnnotatedString("Foreground color example.")
// View-based
val spannedString = highlight.toSpannedString("Foreground color example.")
In Compose environments, use rememberAnnotatedString to integrate highlighting into a Text component.
val highlight = rememberHighlight {
spanStyle {
"\\bstyled\\b"
.toRegex()
.fully(
SpanStyle(
color = Color.White,
background = Color.Black,
fontStyle = FontStyle.Italic,
)
)
}
}
Text(text = highlight.rememberAnnotatedString("Example of styled text."))
Or use rememberTextFieldValue for TextFieldValue:
val textFieldValue = rememberSaveable { mutableStateOf(TextFieldValue()) }
BasicTextField(
value = highlight.rememberTextFieldValue(
textFieldValue.value,
).copy(
composition = null,
),
onValueChange = {
textFieldValue.value = it
}
)
In View-based environments, use toSpannedString, or apply to apply highlights.
val highlight = Highlight {
backgroundColor {
"\\bcolor\\b"
.toRegex()
.fully(
UiColor.Blue,
)
}
textColor {
"\\bcolor\\b"
.toRegex()
.fully(
UiColor.White,
)
}
}
// TextView
binding.tvExample.text = highlight.toSpannedString("Background color example.")
// EditText (Editable or Spannable)
highlight.apply(binding.etExample)
Instead of applying the highlight to the entire match using fully(...), you can separate it by groups with groups(...), allowing more complex and specific highlights.
val highlight = rememberHighlight {
textColor {
"(\\w+)\\s*=\\s*(\\w+)"
.toRegex()
.groups(
UiColor.Blue,
UiColor.Green,
)
}
}
Text(text = highlight.rememberAnnotatedString("name = Highlight"))
| Simple example | Code highlight |
|---|---|
 |  |
To integrate the Highlight library into your project, you can add it directly from the Maven Central repository.
Add the following dependencies to your build.gradle.kts file:
dependencies {
// For highlighting in Views
implementation("com.neoutils.highlight:highlight-view:2.3.0")
// For highlighting in Compose
implementation("com.neoutils.highlight:highlight-compose:2.3.0")
}
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