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Code Highlighting in Hugo Blox Websites

Code Highlighting in Hugo Blox Websites

Hugo Blox websites offer robust support for code highlighting, a feature that is especially useful for technical content creators, educators, and developers who need to share code snippets in their articles, tutorials, or documentation. Whether you’re highlighting a block of code or embedding inline code within a paragraph, Hugo Blox leverages Markdown’s capabilities to ensure that your code is presented clearly and attractively, with syntax highlighting that enhances readability.

Code Highlighting with Markdown

Markdown is widely used for writing content because of its simplicity and readability. When combined with Hugo Blox’s built-in support for syntax highlighting, it becomes a powerful tool for presenting code in a way that is both accessible and visually appealing.

  1. Block Code Highlighting: To highlight a block of code, you can use the leading and trailing triple backtick syntax (```) in Markdown. Hugo Blox automatically applies syntax highlighting based on the language specified after the backticks.

    Example:

    ```python
def greet(name):
    return "Hello, {name}!"
```

    This Markdown snippet highlights a Python function, displaying it with appropriate syntax highlighting for Python code (Hugo Blox Docs).

If you intend to place an example code block inside of code block highlighting as I’ve done throughout this series, use quadruple leading and trailing backticks (````) to ensure that Hugo parses them correctly.
If you intend to place an example shortcode inside of code block highlighting as I’ve done throughout this series, use the appropriate leaading and trailing Escape syntax (/* */ and /* */) just inside the two % symbols of the shortcode code to ensure that Hugo parses them correctly.

  1. Inline Code Highlighting: Inline code snippets can be highlighted using leading and trailing single backticks (`) within a sentence. This is useful for referencing code or commands within the flow of your text.

    Example:

    To print a message in Python, use the `print()` function.

    This will render with the print() function highlighted inline within the paragraph.

  2. Specifying Languages: Hugo Blox supports a wide range of programming languages for syntax highlighting. By specifying the language after the triple backticks, you ensure that the code is highlighted correctly according to the language’s syntax.

    Example for JavaScript:

    ```javascript
console.log("Hello, World!");
```

Use Cases for Code Highlighting

Code highlighting in Hugo Blox websites can be utilized in various contexts, depending on your content’s purpose and audience. Here are some common use cases:

  1. Technical Tutorials: If you’re writing tutorials that involve coding, syntax highlighting helps learners understand the structure and syntax of the code you’re teaching. Highlighted code blocks make it easier for readers to follow along and replicate the steps in their development environment.

  2. API Documentation: When documenting APIs or software libraries, clear and readable code snippets are essential. Code highlighting ensures that the examples you provide are easy to read and understand, reducing the likelihood of errors when your audience implements the code.

  3. Educational Content: In educational settings, such as coding courses or textbooks, code highlighting helps students differentiate between different parts of the code, such as keywords, variables, and comments. This visual distinction aids in learning and comprehension.

  4. Blog Posts and Articles: For bloggers and content creators who write about technology, embedding code snippets with syntax highlighting adds professionalism and clarity to the content. Whether discussing a specific coding technique or analyzing a piece of software, highlighted code blocks enhance the overall quality of the article.

  5. Configuration Files: Hugo Blox also supports highlighting for configuration files, such as YAML, JSON, or TOML. This is particularly useful when sharing configuration snippets for tools, frameworks, or deployment setups.

    Example for YAML:

    title: "My Hugo Site"
baseURL: "https://example.com"
languageCode: "en-us"

Customizing Code Highlighting

Hugo Blox allows for further customization of code highlighting, enabling you to tailor the appearance of code snippets to match the overall design of your website.

  1. Themes and Styles: You can choose from various syntax highlighting themes, such as “dracula,” “monokai,” or “solarized,” to match the aesthetic of your site. This customization can be done in your site’s configuration file.

  2. Line Numbers: For lengthy code blocks, you can enable line numbers to make it easier for readers to reference specific lines of code. This is particularly useful in tutorials or documentation where specific lines of code are discussed in detail.

  3. Highlight Specific Lines: In some cases, you may want to draw attention to specific lines within a code block. Hugo Blox allows you to highlight specific lines, making it clear which parts of the code are being emphasized.

    Example:

    ```python {hl_lines=["2"]}
def greet(name):
    return "Hello, {name}!"
```