An edit mode is an editor configuration customized to edit a specific type of file. Edit modes can specify syntax highlighting, auto indent and various other settings for editing a file type.
When a file is opened, jEdit first checks the file name against a list of known patterns. For example, files whose names end with ".c" are edited in C mode, and files named Makefile are edited in Makefile mode. If a suitable match based on file name cannot be found, jEdit checks the first line of the file. For example, files whose first line is "#!/bin/sh" are edited in shell script mode.
If automatic mode selection is not appropriate, the edit mode can be specified manually. To set the current buffer's edit mode on a one-time basis, select the edit mode in the Utilities>Buffer Options dialog box. To have a buffer open with a specific edit mode every time, set the "mode" buffer-local property to the name of the desired edit mode by placing the following text in one of the first 10 lines of the buffer, where edit mode is the desired edit mode:
:mode=edit mode: |