Syntax Highlighting

Problem

Highlighters must classify every token correctly even while the user is mid-keystroke and the code does not parse cleanly.

Why tree-sitter.zig helps

Error recovery keeps a full tree available at all times, and changed ranges say exactly which spans need repainting.

API

Parser.parse → Tree → TreeCursor walk → getChangedRanges per edit.

Architecture

Keystroke → InputEdit → incremental parse → changed ranges
   → re-walk dirty spans → classify by nodeType → repaint

Example

Walk dirty nodes with tree.cursor(); map identifier → variable face, number → constant face, anonymous operators → punctuation face, ERROR nodes → error face.

Output

Only the edited expression re-tokenizes; the rest of the buffer keeps its faces.

Next steps

• Tree Cursors, Changed Ranges
• Code Editor