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FAQ and Common Issues

Potential incompatiblity with things that don't use font-lock

hl-todo-mode uses font-lock but it can also be enabled in buffers whose major-mode does not use font-lock itself. text-mode is such a mode and by default global-hl-todo-mode enables hl-todo-mode in buffers using that major-mode.

If font-lock-mode would not be enabled otherwise, then it is enabled just for the benefit of hl-todo-mode. That in turn can conflict with other things that propertize parts of the buffer without using font-lock, because the first thing that font-lock does is to remove such text properties.

Currently if enriched-mode is enabled in a buffer, then global-hl-todo-mode does not enable hl-todo-mode in that buffer. Similar kludges can be added for other minor-modes but unfortunately this has to be done on a case by case basis when users report issues.

Also see #55, and https://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=42138.

Apparent incompatibility with tex-mode and AucTeX

tex-mode and Tex-latex-mode may discard font-lock keywords that were added by third-party packages like hl-todo. Our keywords therefore have to be forcefully reinstated using:

(add-hook 'TeX-update-style-hook 'hl-todo-mode)

Also see #26, and https://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=37945.

Tweaks to Flymake backend

Add margin icons support

Emacs 30 supports margins indicator instead fringes, this allows indicators to be displayed in TUI/GUI

To enable it, use this code in your configuration:

(put 'hl-todo-flymake 'flymake-margin-string
       (alist-get 'hl-todo-flymake flymake-margin-indicators-string))

(add-to-list 'x '(hl-todo-flymake "*" hl-todo-flymake-type))

(setopt flymake-indicator-type 'margins)

Add multiple keyword types indicators.

In case you want to have a list of all hl-todo keywords of your project you can use magit-todos

On the contrary, if you don't use git you can use this little hack:

;; Example with `nerd-icons`
(defun my/hl-todo-types-icons (locus beg end text _keyword)
  (let ((keyword (string-remove-suffix ":" (substring-no-properties _keyword)))
        type)
    (pcase keyword
      ("TODO" (setq type (intern-soft (concat "hl-todo-flymake-" keyword))))
      ("BUG" (setq type (intern-soft (concat "hl-todo-flymake-" keyword))))
      ("WARNING" (setq type (intern-soft (concat "hl-todo-flymake-" keyword))))
      ("FIXME" (setq type (intern-soft (concat "hl-todo-flymake-" keyword))))
      (_ (setq type 'hl-todo-flymake)))
    (flymake-make-diagnostic locus beg end type text)))

(advice-add 'hl-todo-make-flymake-diagnostic :override #'my/hl-todo-types-icons)

(setopt flymake-indicator-type 'margins
        flymake-margin-indicators-string
        `((error "!!" compilation-error)
          (warning "!" compilation-warning)
          (note "!" compilation-info)
          (hl-todo-flymake ,(nerd-icons-mdicon "nf-md-content_paste") hl-todo-flymake-type)
          (hl-todo-flymake-TODO ,(nerd-icons-sucicon "nf-seti-checkbox_unchecked") nerd-icons-blue)
          (hl-todo-flymake-BUG ,(nerd-icons-faicon "nf-fa-bug") compilation-error)
          (hl-todo-flymake-FIXME ,(nerd-icons-faicon "nf-fa-wrench") compilation-error)
          (hl-todo-flymake-WARNING ,(nerd-icons-faicon "nf-fa-flag") compilation-warning)))

(put 'hl-todo-flymake 'flymake-margin-string
       (alist-get 'hl-todo-flymake flymake-margin-indicators-string))

(put 'hl-todo-flymake-TODO 'flymake-type-name " TODO")
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-TODO 'flymake-margin-string
     (alist-get 'hl-todo-flymake-TODO flymake-margin-indicators-string))
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-TODO 'flymake-category 'flymake-note)
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-TODO 'face nil)
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-TODO 'mode-line-face 'nerd-icons-blue)

(put 'hl-todo-flymake-BUG 'flymake-type-name " BUG")
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-BUG 'flymake-margin-string
     (alist-get 'hl-todo-flymake-BUG flymake-margin-indicators-string))
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-BUG 'flymake-category 'flymake-note)
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-BUG 'face nil)
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-BUG 'mode-line-face 'compilation-error)

(put 'hl-todo-flymake-WARNING 'flymake-type-name " WARNING")
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-WARNING 'flymake-margin-string
     (alist-get 'hl-todo-flymake-WARNING flymake-margin-indicators-string))
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-WARNING 'flymake-category 'flymake-note)
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-WARNING 'face nil)
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-WARNING 'mode-line-face 'compilation-warning)

(put 'hl-todo-flymake-FIXME 'flymake-type-name " FIXME")
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-FIXME 'flymake-margin-string
     (alist-get 'hl-todo-flymake-FIXME flymake-margin-indicators-string))
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-FIXME 'flymake-category 'flymake-note)
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-FIXME 'face nil)
(put 'hl-todo-flymake-FIXME 'mode-line-face 'compilation-error)