Semantic Colors

Every color in SilkCircuit carries consistent meaning across all contexts.

Code Syntax Mapping

Element	Color	Style
Keywords	Purple	Bold
Functions	Cyan	Bold + Italic
Strings	Pink Soft	Italic
Numbers	Coral	Normal
Booleans	Pink	Normal
Types/Classes	Yellow	Normal
Comments	Purple Muted	Italic
Operators	Foreground Dark	Normal
Properties	Cyan Bright	Normal

Why Semantic Colors Matter

When colors have consistent meanings, you can read any codebase faster:

• See purple? That's a keyword or control flow.
• See cyan? That's a function or method call.
• See pink? That's a string or boolean value.
• See yellow? That's a type or class name.

This consistency reduces cognitive load and accelerates comprehension.

Language Examples

JavaScript

// Purple: const, if, return, function
const greeting = "Hello" // Pink soft: string

// Cyan: function name
function sayHello(name) {
  // Yellow: template literal type expression
  return `Hello, ${name}!`
}

// Pink: true/false
const isValid = true

// Coral: numbers
const count = 42

Python

# Purple: def, class, import, if, for
def calculate_total(items):
    # Coral: number
    total = 0

    # Purple: for, in
    for item in items:
        total += item.price

    # Purple: return
    return total

# Yellow: class name
class Product:
    # Cyan: method
    def __init__(self, name, price):
        # Pink soft: string
        self.name = name

Lua

-- Purple: local, function, if, then, end
local function setup(opts)
  -- Purple muted: comment
  -- Merge with defaults

  -- Cyan: function calls
  local config = vim.tbl_deep_extend("force", defaults, opts)

  -- Pink: boolean
  if config.transparent == true then
    -- Cyan: apply_transparency function
    apply_transparency()
  end
end

UI Color Mapping

Status Colors

Status	Color	Usage
Success	Green	Confirmations, git additions, valid states
Warning	Yellow	Caution, modifications, pending actions
Error	Red	Errors, deletions, invalid states
Info	Cyan	Informational, links, interactive

Git Colors

Action	Color	Meaning
Added	Green	New content, insertions
Modified	Blue/Cyan	Changed content
Deleted	Red	Removed content
Renamed	Yellow	Moved/renamed files

Diagnostic Colors

Level	Color	Usage
Error	Red	Compilation errors, crashes
Warning	Yellow	Potential issues, deprecations
Info	Blue	Informational notes
Hint	Cyan	Suggestions, improvements

Consistency Rules

1. Never change semantic meaning: Keywords are always purple, functions always cyan.

2. Maintain across variants: The meaning stays constant; only intensity changes.

3. Apply to plugins: All 39 integrations follow the same color semantics.

4. Extend thoughtfully: New elements should map to existing semantic colors.

Neovim Highlight Groups

-- Access semantic colors in custom highlights
require("silkcircuit").setup({
  on_highlights = function(hl, colors)
    -- Use semantic colors
    hl.Function = { fg = colors.cyan, bold = true, italic = true }
    hl.Keyword = { fg = colors.purple, bold = true }
    hl.String = { fg = colors.pink_soft, italic = true }
    hl.Number = { fg = colors.coral }
    hl.Boolean = { fg = colors.pink }
    hl.Type = { fg = colors.yellow }
    hl.Comment = { fg = colors.comment, italic = true }
  end,
})