How to Replace Auto-Complete Suggestions in Notepad++

Configuring Notepad++: Replace Auto-Complete Suggestions for XML Files

Notepad++ is a popular, free, and open-source text editor for Windows. It supports a wide range of programming languages, including XML. When editing XML files in Notepad++, you can benefit from various features such as syntax highlighting, code folding, and auto-complete suggestions. Auto-complete suggestions help improve productivity by reducing the amount of typing needed. However, sometimes the suggested keywords might not be desired or relevant. This article covers how to replace auto-complete suggestions for XML files in Notepad++, ensuring your editing environment is tailored to your needs.

User-Defined Languages in Notepad++

Notepad++ allows users to create custom language definitions using the User Defined Language (UDL) feature. With UDL, you can define specific keywords, operators, and other elements. This makes Notepad++ flexible and adaptable to various file formats and programming languages. In our case, we will modify the default XML UDL to replace auto-complete suggestions.

Accessing XML User Defined Language Settings

To open the XML UDL settings, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Notepad++ application.
2. Click on Language > Define Your Language in the menu bar.
3. Select XML from the Language list.
4. Click on the Edit grammar button (pencil icon) next to the Language list.

Replacing Auto-Complete Suggestions for XML

In the XML UDL editor, follow these steps to replace the auto-complete suggestions:

1. In the left pane, locate the Keywords list.
2. Expand it, and then expand the Operators folder.
3. Here is the list of available XML operators, which correspond to the auto-complete suggestions.
4. To replace an operator, double-click on it to edit the text, then enter the desired replacement.

Here are a few examples of XML operators and how to replace them:

• Original: <?xml
  Replacement: [!xml
  Use square brackets to indicate a comment.
• Original: />
  Replacement: //self-closed tag
  Add a description of the tag for clarity.
• Original: =
  Replacement: :=
  Example: use "a:=" for clarity when denoting attribute values in XAML, a specific XML format.

Saving the Updated XML User Defined Language

After you've replaced XML operators with desired suggestions, click Save As. Save the UDL file with a new name and enable the option to overwrite existing lexer files of the same language name. Make sure you've selected the XML language in the LanguageName field before saving.

To start using Notepad++ with the modified XML UDL, restart the application. Now, your new auto-complete suggestions should be available when editing XML files.

Notepad++ provides robust customization options through User Defined Language functionality. Using the XML UDL editor, you can replace default auto-complete suggestions with user-defined suggestions. To use the updated XML UDL in Notepad++, save the modified XML UDL file and restart the application.

References

• Notepad++ User Manual: