are an essential tool for any power user working with remote Linux/UNIX systems. By taking the time to configure custom highlighting, you can significantly reduce log analysis time, decrease the risk of missing critical information, and make your terminal experience far more productive and enjoyable.
Unlike a standard , which changes the background and default text colors for the entire terminal, a Highlight Set works like a real-time search and mark tool. It continuously tracks strings in the terminal window and applies pre-defined styling as soon as they appear.
: Spot keywords like ERROR , CRITICAL , or FAILED instantly in a sea of logs.
For the best visual experience, pair your Highlight Sets with an appropriate Color Scheme. Xshell includes several built-in options like and Dracula , which are specifically designed for long-duration terminal work.
To Add a Highlight Set: From the [Tools] menu, select [Terminal Highlight Sets] to open the Highlight Sets dialog box. NetSarang Computer
: Highlight specific syntax for network devices (e.g., Cisco or Juniper) to improve readability. Data Parsing
Warnings, deprecation notices, and high disk/CPU usage alerts.
In the Highlight Sets dialog box, click to create a new set.
A common challenge: you want to highlight the exact word “DOWN” but not longer words containing “DOWN” like “DOWNLOAD” or “DOWNSTREAM”.
: Choose your foreground/background colors or bolding options.