Syntax files mostly not working automatically

[doonze]

Seems to be a mixed bag.
micro 2.0.11 installed from the Debian 12 (Bookworm) repo
Syntax files loaded right from here on the GitHub.

apacheconf.yaml works once I modified the code a little. I use Debian so it's not called httpd anywhere, but that now works 100% of the time. Just changed it to open on all .conf files.

php and py never work on their own, even after playing with the file type regex. I can get both working with "set filetype xxx" but get errors when I do. Both throw:
Error parsing syntax file xxx: interface conversion: interface {} is nil, not []interface {}. Press enter to continue

I get that twice, then it works fine. Just noticed html doesn't auto open as html, but I can set it without errors with set filetype.

Can't figure out what in the .yaml files is different with php and py vs. .conf and .html that throw the errors. And not sure why it struggles so to auto open. I thought it was the errors throwing it off, but html doesn't get the errors but doesn't auto fire.

default does seem to fire as I get http:// url highlighitng on any file I open. I suspect it's reading through the yaml's in the syntax dir and is encounting one that chokes it's reader and it stops reading. But I don't know it's reading in sorted order, as html doesn't work, but json SEEMS to (it's text is colored all one color not white, but it's not what I would call correct json highlighting, and in the case of json setting with 'set filetype json' file type doesn't do anything. Just the {} are white and all other text is beigeish (on my system, I turned on simple color scheme troubleshooting)

Anywho, it's just weird. Some work auto (.conf), most do not. Some will work with 'set filetype' fine, some will work but first throw errors, others don't seem to work at all.

Anyone? Ideas? I'm loving micro... but I need highlighting as that's what I use an editor for 99% of the time.

[dmaluka]

Syntax files loaded right from here on the GitHub.

That probably explains it. It is probably caused by #3458 which makes the newest syntax files incompatible with older versions of micro (which currently means any official release so far, including the latest 2.0.14). See also #3488 and #3538.

The solution is simple: use syntax files not from the newest master but from a revision before #3458 was merged, for example from 2.0.14: https://github.com/zyedidia/micro/tree/v2.0.14

default does seem to fire as I get http:// url highlighitng on any file I open.

Heh, I'm not sure this is actually guaranteed to work with 2.0.11. It was implemented in #2933 (much later than 2.0.11) and it was not just a matter of adding default.yaml.

[JoeKar]

Think about reverting a9b513a for the time without new release. 😓

[dmaluka]

And for some time after the release as well (since not everyone is gonna switch to the latest release immediately)? Like, a couple of years? :)

[doonze]

Ha, well, its an easy fix at least! I'd at least put in the README about how if you have an older version before 2.x.x whatever (on mobile and can't look back at the moment while I'm writing this) then use syntax files from a release on or before the version you're running. We all know how long it takes for repos to catch up. Especially Debian LTS.

Highlighting is just such an important part of a terminal editor in my opinion. I've used nano, apt, and htop for years and years and years and just discovered micro, nala, and btop. I love that suitable, easier to read and work, and, well, just downright prettier alternatives are gaining traction and that the community is at least somewhat embracing change for the first time without being dragged kicking the screaming by the distros (systemd).

Micro is such a great leap Forward! I love this project. I just installed Kubuntu on a VM last night for giggles, hadn't used it in like 15 years so was seeing what it was all about these days. Also wanted to see how plasma held up to cinnamon in current instances. I also run Mint on a VM. Micro on both worked fine, just missing some highlighting, but with a lot more working than I have now in bookworm on Debian.

I'm being long-winded to just say great job to the peeps here for a great product and leap forward in CLI editors. Bravo! Everyone has growing pains.

[JoeKar]

And for some time after the release as well (since not everyone is gonna switch to the latest release immediately)? Like, a couple of years? :)

No, I don't like to. 😟
From maintenance point of view it was a good choice to remove these senseless rules: [] expressions. From downward compatibility point of view it wasn't.

So the compromise with the lowest impact is the already mentioned hint inside the documentation.