Just so I have a clear understanding: What you and Janys prefer is that an HTML document might use blue for elements, green for attribute values; an XHTML document might use red for elements, green for attributes, and purple for attribute values; and a HTML5 document might use green for elements, blue for attributes, and green for attribute values. See these previews of the *exact same markup*.

HTML
http://blog.coffeecup.com/_sdrive_media/Screenshot2011-05-12at11.04.19AM.png

XHTML
http://blog.coffeecup.com/_sdrive_media/Screenshot2011-05-12at11.05.07AM.png

HTML5
http://blog.coffeecup.com/_sdrive_media/Screenshot2011-05-12at11.05.41AM.png

So even though the actual markup might be exactly the same, changing the DOCTYPE would change the colors used for highlighting. Is that what you want?

Looks ok to me. And the css and css3 similar?

Can you help me to understand how this is useful to you?

Same as Janys said. If I ask a friend, whose site I'm currently doing and maintaining, to do some text updates himself, I could say: 'don't touch anything that isn't black'. It would certainly save me some time if he could do some of the work himself. He would most likely buy a copy of the Editor too.

Adding: Of course, If need be, I can change these colours myself...

This still doesn't answer how having different syntax-highlighting color schemes for different doctypes helps you address that need. If you want to direct them to which areas are safe to change, wouldn't you want that color to be consistent regardless if the document is HTML 4.01, XHTML, or HTML5?

Back briefly...having different colours for the doctypes will slowly impress on the would-be-coder that there are different doctypes. It is a kind of weaning process so that they would gradually understand the difference themselves so that even if they should attempt to create a new page for themselves, they would know that they must always have, for instance - the green and blue code set up. Whilst I am sitting next to this potential "student" it is obvious that I can make my own colour preference changes (assuming that option would still be available). My fear is that my "student" would end up shouting for help after having set up a new page in my absence thus nullifying the whole point of teaching them how to do-it-themselves.

Certainly this is an extreme situation, but I am finding more and more people are asking if they can update their own sites, and as I do not work with VSD, I find that the colour preferences is the best way for me to teach the person how to deal with this. It is easier for me to say...everything in red is...(etc.) rather than try to teach how to recognize actual code...

Well I guess I'll chime in and put in my non professional 10 cents lol.

Although I do see points in Janys's ideas and needs, I personally would rather see a more standard coloring scheme myself. If the code situations are basically the same things (such as the example above by J) then the color schemes should be the same. This would be "less" confusing to the novice is my opionion rather than more. If you have different color schemes for every little change of the same type of markup (such as HTML and HTML5 or CSS and CSS3) people will assume it's an entirely different language and not realize they are basically one and the same.

I would like to see different colors for different (completely different such as HTML, Javascript, PHP, etc.) but same like markup would be easier to be the same colors.

I truly do come from a "look it up and see how it's done" setup many times lol. I don't always remember code so if it's the same colors I'll get the basic ideas at least what language it is (HTML vs. PHP type thing). If HTML and HTML5 are 2 different colors, I'll assume I'm working on 2 different markup languages completely when in fact they are the same language just different versions of it. Hopefully that makes sense.

I would have to agree with J on the colors being more confusing in the end than helpful to your students Janys.

But... if we are still able to make customer coloring setups then that would be the best of both worlds right? Give us the same color scheme setup for like languages, and let us also decide to change one of them if we like? Keep one the default such as HTML and change some things in the HTML5 to customize it? If that's a possibility or what you're planning that would probably help both ways for us old forgetful brains and students and yet keeping it standardized for those that want same color schemes.

I have a question on this also. Will the update you're working on also allow us to "save" our custom settings? That to me would be much more important than what color scheme we are using. If we can save them after we've customized them, it won't matter what color things are because we can put it back how we want it after updates or reinstalls. Just a thought

Don't you wish now that you'd never asked the question in the first place?

Actually, I'm very glad I asked. These types of discussions help us understand our customer's needs, and subsequently, make better products.