Modes In Text Forge

Text Forge is lightweight and language-agnostic, so there is no default dependency on any language. But how can you work with any file type and have special features like syntax highlighters and linters? This is where modes come in. A mode is a special module designed to adapt to certain types of files and languages. You can install the modes and leave the rest to the editor; everything is automatically managed so you can work with your files seamlessly.

Mode Features

Below is a list of all standard features available for modes. Some modes may have additional custom features, while others might lack one or more features from this list. In short, you can identify optional features with the optional tag. The features of a mode depend on its developers:

• Save & Load

  Modes can encode and decode files. With this customizable encoding system, you can work with a wide variety of files, even those that aren't plain text files!

• Syntax Highlighter optional

  We provide both simple and advanced syntax highlighting capabilities to mode developers, ranging from basic highlighters to fully customized ones. Currently, highlighters support only one theme, and highlighter colors are completely mode-driven.

• Advanced Comment Handling optional

  We offer an easy API for defining comment delimiters and logic. The editor provides line folding and other features based on this information.

• Mode Panels optional

  Modes can have their own panels, allowing you to configure a mode visually according to its features.

• Auto Format & Auto Indent optional

  We provide auto format and auto indent options separately. You can run these actions to clean up your files using the mode's capabilities. These features are available in Format > Indentation > Auto Indent and Format > Auto Format. To see the shortcuts, type Auto Indent or Auto Format in the command palette.

• Initialization Lifecycle

  We maintain high standards for your file safety. A mode will load completely before working with your file, and if initialization fails, the task will be canceled.

• Code Completion optional

  We provide mode-based code completion with a complete API for mode developers. The features and intelligence of this functionality depend on your current mode.

• Preview Rendering optional

  Modes can generate a live preview based on your file, which you can view in the Preview Panel on the right side of the editor.

• File Outline optional

  You can navigate between sections in your file or review them in the Outline Panel on the left side of the editor. This is also a mode-driven feature, so its capabilities are based on your mode.

• Linting optional

  We currently do not support LSP & DAP clients (feature tracking issue↗️) for complete language-based features, but we do offer a simple mode-driven linting feature. You can view your file's problems in the Problems Panel at the bottom of the editor. In this panel, all errors and warnings provided by the mode are displayed, and you can navigate between them by clicking on an item.

• Indentation Settings optional

Starting with TFM API v2.2 (Text Forge v0.2), modes can provide indentation settings. This allows you to use multiple modes and be confident that indentation options will be set automatically when you switch modes. For example, YAML requires spaces for indentation, but GDScript recommends tabs. A YAML mode can provide 2 spaces as indentation, while a GDScript mode can provide a single tab with a width of 4, so you don't need to change the indentation type and size each time you open a new file.

To customize this feature for each mode, use the Indentation Settings menu in the bottom-right corner of the editor (a button with text like Tabs (4)). Open a file with the target mode and use this button to set custom settings. You can also use Format > Indentation > Reset To Mode Indentation Settings to restore the original settings. If you want to disable this feature and use the editor's indentation settings for all files, enable Format > Indentation > Lock Indentation Settings.

Mode Kits

In the programming world, there are many types of programmers. For example, if you are a web developer, your basic workflow requires working with files like .html, .css, and .js. To accommodate this, we provide mode kits—a mode kit is a collection of related modes created for a specific type of user.

Installing

You can install modes in different ways. This section explains the standard methods.

From Marketplace

The Marketplace is a useful feature for installing modes in the simplest way. This method also protects you from incompatible modes and limits associated risks.

To install a mode or mode kit from the Marketplace, go to Settings > Marketplace, select the Modes category, and click on a mode to view its details. Use the Install button to download and install the mode. If this button is disabled, your editor is not compatible with that mode; you can find another mode or try alternative installation methods.

After clicking the Install button, wait until you see the Package Installed! notification. You can then use your new mode without restarting the editor.

From Mode Manager

You can download mode installation files, which are .zip or .tfmode files, from mode providers. Open the Mode Manager (Settings > Mode Manager in menus) and select the file using Import Mode / Mode Kit. After loading, you’ll receive a completion info notification. You can then use your new modes without restarting the editor.

From Mode Source

Modes work in an isolated environment, so you can transfer their files to another editor's data folder and use them there. For this installation method, you need the mode's source code, which you can obtain from GitHub or another source. To install one or more modes from source, use Settings > Open Data Folder and paste the mode folder into the modes/ directory. After restarting your editor, the new mode will be available.