Скачать или смотреть Understanding highlight.js: Does It Check Syntax?

Discover whether `highlight.js` performs syntax checks in addition to syntax highlighting. Learn how it operates and what alternatives you might consider.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/60455635/ asked by the user 'Manu Chadha' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/6703783/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/64408515/ provided by the user 'Josh Goebel' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/12430243/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: does highlight.js check syntax as well

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Understanding highlight.js: Does It Check Syntax?

When it comes to coding, having a tool that not only highlights syntax but also verifies it can make a significant difference in productivity and accuracy. A popular question among developers making the switch to different syntax highlighters is whether highlight.js, a widely-used library, checks for syntax errors in addition to highlighting the syntax. Let’s explore this question and dive deeper into the capabilities of highlight.js.

The Core Functionality of highlight.js

highlight.js is primarily designed for one main function: syntax highlighting. This process involves highlighting code using color patterns based on the programming language specified. Here's what you should know:

Syntax Highlighting: It focuses on making code visually appealing and easy to read by applying different colors to reserved keywords, variables, and other elements according to the language rules.

Pattern Matching: The highlighting is achieved through pattern matching, not by interpreting the code's structure or semantics.

Errors Ignored: Any incorrect syntax, such as a missing function name in JavaScript code, will usually be ignored or could cause the highlighted output to appear inconsistent or "funny."

Example Scenario

Consider the following JavaScript code example:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In this code, the function name is missing, which makes it syntactically incorrect. However, when processed through highlight.js, you should expect:

No Syntax Error Notification: highlight.js will not alert you to the missing function name.

Visual Highlighting: It will still attempt to highlight the code, but the visualization may not be as expected due to the syntax error.

What About Syntax Checking?

The short answer is no, highlight.js does not perform syntax checking—it strictly highlights code based on patterns. However, there are alternatives and workarounds if you're looking for syntax validation tools:

Alternatives for Syntax Checking

Using ace.js: As mentioned in the question, ace.js is capable of checking syntax and may be a better fit for scenarios where error detection is crucial.

Custom Grammar Development: If you want a unique solution, it is technically possible to write a custom third-party grammar for highlight.js that might allow limited error detection and highlighting for simple string patterns; however, the core library does not support this out of the box, and it requires considerable effort.

Conclusion

In summary, while highlight.js is excellent for syntax highlighting with its user-friendly and visually appealing outputs, it does not function as a syntax checker. For developers needing comprehensive syntax verification alongside highlighting, considering alternatives like ace.js or custom solutions might be the best approach. Keep in mind that the aim of highlight.js is to enhance code readability, not validate its syntax.

Let us know if you have any further questions about highlight.js or if there are other coding tools you would like to explore!