How can I make hard-coded strings heinous-looking in VIM?

Question

I was inspired by this (number 2) to make my hard-coded strings ugly.

How can I do this in VIM?

Answer 1

The language-based files are stored in $VIMRUNTIME/syntax, one .vim file per language, so that's where you need to go to change things.

For example, my C file is stored in C:\Program Files\Vim\vim70\syntax\c.vim and, if you add the following line near the end, before the let b:current_syntax = "c", you'll get the exact effect you require:

hi String guifg=#ff0000 guibg=#ffff00

For text-based VIM, the ctermfg and ctermbg options need to be used instead, something like:

hi String ctermfg=Red ctermbg=Yellow

I haven't tested these since I only use gvim nowadays.

Answer 2

In your .vimrc:

highlight String guifg=1 guibg=11