How to highlite blocks of HTML code in c++ code? - qt-creator

Question

I write web project on c++. In my c++ code has to insert html, for example such
void CPage::putBaseFooter() {
if(m_canRender) {
HTML(
<!++
</main>
<footer>
<f++ composePageFooter(); ++f>
</footer>
</body>
</html>
++!>);
}
}
That is the whole html code is between <!++ and ++!> (Code is processed before compiling its own preprocessor to string)
Just have your own macros preprocessor, such as for example
<f++ composeHead(); ++f>
<v++ ts.tm_year + 1900++v>
<paged_list++ [day_tasks_control] [/tasks/list] [taskListRenderer]>
...
<++paged_list>
<labeled_control++ [Description] [taskDescription]>
<textarea></textarea>
<++labeled_control>
Tell me please, how i can highlite html keywords and own macroses into qt-creator code editor? I tried to write a higlite-xml for Kate (with inheritance c++ highlite), but probably something I do not understand, since the backlight does not work.
Here are my sketches syntax highlighting
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE language SYSTEM "language.dtd"
[
<!ENTITY space " ">
<!ENTITY separators ",;">
<!ENTITY ns_punctuators "!%&space;&()+-/.*<=>?[]{|}~^&separators;">
]>
<!--
Copyright (c) 2012 by Alex Turbov (i.zaufi#gmail.com)
-->
<language
name="C++"
section="Sources"
version="1.0"
kateversion="2.4"
indenter="cstyle"
style="C++"
mimetype="text/x-c++src;text/x-c++hdr;text/x-chdr"
extensions="*.c++;*.cxx;*.cpp;*.cc;*.C;*.h;*.hh;*.H;*.h++;*.hxx;*.hpp;*.hcc;*.moc"
author="Sheridan (gorlov.maxim#gmail.com)"
license="LGPL"
priority="11"
>
<highlighting>
<list name="InplaceHTML">
<item> form </item>
<item> table </item>
<item> div </item>
<item> td </item>
<item> tr </item>
<item> th </item>
<item> span </item>
<item> input </item>
<item> textarea </item>
<item> label </item>
<item> a </item>
<item> head </item>
<item> link </item>
<item> script </item>
</list>
<contexts>
<context attribute="Normal Text" lineEndContext="#stay" name="Normal">
<IncludeRules context="##C++" />
<IncludeRules context="DetectInplaceHTML" />
</context>
<context attribute="Normal Text" lineEndContext="#stay" name="DetectInplaceHTML">
<keyword attribute="Inplace HTML" context="#stay" String="InplaceHTML" />
</context>
</contexts>
<itemDatas>
<itemData name="Normal Text" defStyleNum="dsNormal" spellChecking="false" />
<itemData name="Inplace HTML" defStyleNum="dsKeyword" color="#0095ff" selColor="#ffffff" bold="1" italic="0" spellChecking="false" />
</itemDatas>
</highlighting>
</language>

Answer 1

The Kate C++ highlighting is not used in Qt Creator, changing/extending the Kate configuration file won't have anny affect. You could try to register a separate mime type that's not recognized as C or C++ by Qt Creator and write a Kate highlighter for that, but I don't know whether this would work.

Answer 2

Actually you may have few highlighters for the same language, but w/ different priority!
Take a look to syntax files: there is ISO C++ and C++ (which is a pure C++ syntax plus Qt4 addons). Also here is alternative C++ highlighters where C++ is a pure C++ syntax and C++/Qt4 is a secondary. One may use configuration settings to change priority according needs. Personally I prefer to have a pure C++ over "default" C++/Qt4.
So you may try to add your own C++/Custom syntax and boost its priority. Take a look to C++/Qt4 to get an idea how to "reuse" pure C++ syntax.
And finally, considering your example syntax, you'd better to detect your extension before fall into inherited C++ contexts.