Custom Themes To Write Code Faster In Linux Text Editor

Text editors don’t allow users to tinker with text definitively. You can theme your text editor, changing the colors used for the background and special syntax. Doing so may provide the boost you need to write faster and increase how long you’re able to work if you like.

Most Linux text editors can display keywords, boolean, and strings in different colors. These colors are not saved to the document itself but are applied when the editor recognizes certain characters or phrases. How things appear to depend on which theme you’re using.

These highlights help programmers and developers keep track of what’s going on and reduce the likelihood of errors. In Markdown, colors highlight headings and links. You can learn the default colors your text editor provides, but you may remember them more if you designate the colors yourself.

Whether you’re creating an environment you’re able to write in longer or tweaking colors to improve your efficiency, custom themes can be a valuable tool in your toolbox.

Gedit, the default GNOME text editor, uses a backend called GtkSourceView to display text. An example of where to look would be

/usr/share/gnome/gtksourceview-3.0/styles/

Or

~/.local/share/gtksourceview-3.0/styles/.

These locations may change depending on your distro or which version of GtkSourceView your text editor uses.
You can also find a few themes on the project’s websitefrom light to dark options and some even emulating popular paid text editors. An example is Turbo which has themes emulating Dreamweaver, Emacs, and even Visual Studio.

To import the theme you like, simply navigate to:
Preferences -> Font & Colors
Here, you must click on the +.

From here you will be able to adjust the font and colours.

The Scratch app inside of Elementary OS uses the same technology. Its default theme, Solarized Light, is one of the default options in Gedit.
Xfce’s Mousepad editor uses an older version of GtkSourceView, so there may be some differences. But the same themes are compatible.

Popular cross platform text editors tend to have their own way of doing things. Atom is based on Chromium, so installing new themes is as simple as it is in Chrome. You can customize most aspects of Sublime Text using JSON files.

Should you be so inclined, head over to Scribes website and begin creating your own theme. When you’re done, the site will generate an XML file that you can import into a compatible text editor, such as Gedit.

What’s your take? Do you prefer a particular theme over another? Is there any reason for the theme you’ve chosen and are you open to trying new ones out? Share your experiences in the section provided below. Thank you for visiting Base64!