Customizing Robot Framework Highlighting in VS Code

This guide shows how to change the font styles RobotCode uses for Robot Framework files in VS Code.

Editor Style

RobotCode sets font styles for Robot Framework files, independently of your current theme: for example, test case and keyword names are bold and italic, section headers bold and underlined, and imports, embedded arguments, keyword calls inside the arguments of other keywords and documentation italic. You can change these styles or add colors.

How to Change the Styles

1. Open your VS Code user settings:

   • Press Ctrl + Shift + P (Windows/Linux) or CMD + Shift + P (Mac)
   • Type: Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)

2. Add the following code to your settings.json file. It contains RobotCode's default rules; change the fontStyle values or add a foreground color where you like.

Your textMateRules list replaces RobotCode's list, so keep the rules you don't change in it. The rules of editor.semanticTokenColorCustomizations are combined with RobotCode's rules, so there the rules you change are enough.

"editor.tokenColorCustomizations": {
    "textMateRules": [
        {
            "scope": "comment.line.configuration.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "bold"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "entity.name.function.keyword-call.inner.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "italic"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "string.unquoted.embeddedArgument.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "italic"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "entity.name.function.keyword-call.robotframework",
            "settings": {}
        },
        {
            "scope": "entity.name.function.testcase.name.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "bold italic"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "entity.name.function.keyword.name.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "bold italic"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "variable.name.readwrite.robotframework",
            "settings": {}
        },
        {
            "scope": "keyword.control.import.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "italic"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "keyword.other.header.settings.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "bold underline"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "keyword.other.header.variable.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "bold underline"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "keyword.other.header.testcase.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "bold underline"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "keyword.other.header.task.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "bold underline"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "keyword.other.header.keyword.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "bold underline"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "keyword.other.header.comment.robotframework",
            "settings": {
                "fontStyle": "bold italic underline"
            }
        },
        {
            "scope": "string.unquoted.character.escape.robotframework",
            "settings": {}
        }
    ]
},

"editor.semanticTokenColorCustomizations": {
    "rules": {
        "*.documentation:robotframework": {
            "italic": true
            //"foreground": "#aaaaaa"
        },
        "*.embedded:robotframework": {
            "italic": true
        },
        "*.builtin:robotframework": {
            "italic": true
        }
    }
}