File Types

A FileType tells Xed-Editor how to recognize a language and which metadata belongs to it. You will encounter this as soon as you want to add support for a new language.

It is used to implement new syntax highlighting, determine the default file icon for display in the drawer or tabs, and much more.

Registering a FileType

You can create a new class/object that implements the FileType interface:

class MyLanguage(resources: Resources) : FileType {
    override val extensions = listOf("ml", "mylang")
    override val textmateScope = "source.mylang"
    override val icon = Icon.ExternalResourceIcon(R.drawable.ic_language, resources)
    override val name = "mylang"
    override val title = "My language"
}

Then register it during initialization:

override fun onLoad() {
    FileTypeManager.register(MyLanguage)
}

Don't forget to clean up with FileTypeManager.unregister when your extension is disposed.

FileType properties

Property	Description
extensions	File extensions associated with this file type, without the leading ..
names	Optional list of exact file names, such as CMakeLists.txt or Dockerfile.
textmateScope	The TextMate scope used to select the correct grammar (for example source.kt). Set to null if no grammar exists.
icon	Default icon displayed for this file type.
iconOverride	Optional map of file extensions to different icons. Useful when several extensions belong to the same language but should have different icons.
name	Unique identifier of the file type.
title	Human-readable language name shown in the UI.
markdownNames	Additional language identifiers that should match fenced Markdown code blocks. Only include identifiers that are not already present in extensions.

BuiltinFileType

BuiltinFileType is an enum containing all FileTypes built into Xed-Editor.

Use it whenever you want to access information about one of the existing language definitions.

For example:

@Composable
fun KotlinIcon() {
    XedIcon(
        icon = BuiltinFileType.KOTLIN.icon!!,
        modifier = Modifier.size(48.dp)
    )
}