SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved icon
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is a WordPress plugin used to post code snippets with syntax highlighting. It has support for a variety of languages, is easy to install, and has an intuitive user interface.
What We Think:
86%
Highly recommended!

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved: A Comprehensive Review

WordPress is an incredibly popular content management system, and it powers millions of websites around the world. In order to keep up with the ever-increasing demands of visual content, developers have come up with various plugins to provide different styling options. SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is one such plugin, and it allows users to display code snippets on their WordPress websites in a variety of ways.

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved: Breakdown

Example display of some PHP code.

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is a WordPress plugin that enables users to display code snippets on their websites in a variety of ways. It allows users to easily embed code snippets into their posts and pages, highlight various programming languages, and provide a consistent and professional look to their code. The plugin is based on Alex Gorbatchev’s SyntaxHighlighter script, which provides a wide range of features and options. With SyntaxHighlighter Evolved, users can choose from a wide range of pre-defined styles and templates. The plugin also offers a range of customizable options, such as the ability to select from a variety of brush libraries, or load custom brush scripts.

The plugin also features an easy to use built-in shortcode parser and a powerful, extensible API. This means that users can easily create custom shortcodes for their code snippets. Additionally, it also includes a number of features to help enhance user experience, such as a bookmark feature, which allows the user to easily bookmark specific code snippets. The plugin also offers various extra features, such as support for API-based authorization, support for external files, and a line numbering feature.

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is a user-friendly, easy to use plugin that provides a powerful and comprehensive set of features. It is a very popular plugin, and is used by a wide range of web developers. It offers users the ability to quickly and easily embed code snippets into their pages and posts, and provides a consistent and professional look to their code.

Pros of Using SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

Keeps a secure Codebase: The SyntaxHighlighter Evolved WordPress Plugin helps maintain a safe and secure codebase by providing full visibility to each line of code and letting developers edit and update as needed. Additionally, because the code is stored and highlighted within WordPress, it is quickly and easily updated from one centralized location which can help prevent security risks.

Customization: SyntaxHighlighter Evolved offers a variety of options for customization to meet different uses. These options allow developers to customize the look and feel of their code highlighting. With options for color, font size, font face, and more, developers can customize the way the code displays to better communicate the code structure to users.

Easy to Implement and Use: When adding SyntaxHighlighter Evolved code to a WordPress Page or post, all that is needed is to copy and paste the code into the text editor. SyntaxHighlighter Evolved then automatically highlights that code and makes sure that it looks visually appealing and easily readable. All SyntaxHighlighter Evolved requires is WordPress' built-in TinyMCE editor.

Mobile Friendly: SyntaxHighlighter Evolved was designed with mobile users in mind. Thanks to the responsive web design, it automatically resizes to fit any screen size. As our world increasingly moves to mobile devices, SyntaxHighlighter Evolved ensures that code displayed on WordPress pages and posts continue to look clean and organized, no matter what device it is being viewed on.

SEO-friendly: When content is properly formatted for search engines, it helps to improve the page's overall ranking. With SyntaxHighlighter Evolved, developers can tag code and styling elements with keywords that help the web page become more visible and attract more traffic. This helps to increase traffic and boost the page’s SEO score.

Cons of Using SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

Lack of Gutenberg Support: SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is not designed to work with Gutenberg, the new WordPress editor. This means that any complex code blocks that need to be used will not be supported, as Advanced Gutenberg blocks are not supported.

Limitations on Syntax Highlighting Options: SyntaxHighlighter Evolved does not offer syntax highlighting for all accepted languages. This could be inconvenient for those who need to create code blocks in a language not supported by the plugin.

Installation Difficulties: The installation of SyntaxHighlighter Evolved can be difficult, especially for users who are not familiar with working with code. While the plugin provides some helpful instructions for installing and configuring the plugin, for those who may not be tech-savvy, these instructions can be complex to understand and follow.

No Live Preview: SyntaxHighlighter Evolved does not provide a live previews of the code blocks. Users have to preview the block after they create it, and make any amendments if needed. This may be a problem for those who need to make frequent changes to their code blocks.

Inconsistent Updates: The SyntaxHighlighter Evolved plugin is not updated consistently. This means that there may be times where the plugin does not work as it should. Additionally, this could result in security issues if the plugin is not updated for a long period of time.

86% Highly recommended!

In conclusion

In conclusion, SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is a powerful and comprehensive WordPress plugin that allows users to easily embed code snippets into their posts and pages. It provides a range of pre-defined styles, and offers an easy to use built-in shortcode parser and a powerful, extensible API. Additionally, the plugin offers various extra features, such as support for bookmarking and API-based authorization. SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is an incredibly popular plugin that is used by millions of web developers around the world, and it is an excellent choice for any user looking to add code snippets to their WordPress websites.

Plugin Specifications
  • Version: 3.7.0
  • Last Updated: 1 year ago
  • Installs: 30,000+
  • WP Version: 5.7+
  • Tested Until: 6.4.2
  • PHP Version: 7.0 or higher
Use Case Examples
  • Creating a Documentation Site with SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
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    SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is the perfect plugin for creating a documentation website or blog. It allows you to easily insert source code blocks in multiple programming languages and offer a powerful, lightweight syntax highlighting feature. You can assign the source code to your own styles, and even create customizations with settings. This helps your documentation look professional and easy to read, and can be used to explain code snippets or demonstrate the features of a program.
  • Writing Blog Posts with SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
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  • Syntax Highlighting in Wordpress Themes
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  • Custom Syntax Highlighting for Portfolios
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  • Using SyntaxHighlighter Evolved to Teach
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Tags
  • code
  • php
  • source
  • sourcecode
  • syntax highlighting