IDLE won't highlight my syntax

Question

Using IDLE and Python version 2.7.3. Only when I start a new file it highlights for a few lines and then just stops after I press F5. So all my text becomes plain black.

If there are equally good/better command line and editor combinations out there, you may always suggest them.

Answer 1

I usually have to save the file as .py before IDLE will do any syntax highlighting at all. Not sure why it would highlight for a few and then stop though. I've never had that happen.

Answer 2

Check the key binding for the toggle-auto-coloring option under Options -> Configure IDLE -> Keys -> Custom Key Bindings. The default is Ctrl+/. This should allow you to turn the syntax highlighting back on. (You can't toggle it off though, heh)

Works for me on both IDLE 2.7 and IDLE 3.3.3.

Answer 3

Is this under Windows? Is it possible your file association for Python files have possibly changed? (not quite sure why/how this could happen, but perhaps something worth checking)

Answer 4

This happened to me too. Save it as .py (manually type .py in the document name), and the highlighting will come back.