By default, colorization in VS Code is syntactic/lexical and leverages TextMate grammar to associate named 'scopes' with syntactic elements.

This extension provides two ways of highlighting:

• syntactic/lexical and leverages TextMate grammar to associate named 'scopes' with syntactic elements
• semantic colorization leverages the same system of associating colors with named scopes. But, some tokens that can be colored by semantic colorization in Terraform/HCL do not have existing analogs in VS Code's TextMate grammar. So, new named scopes are required. Because these scopes are new, existing themes do not include colors for them either, so we have created copies of the default VS Code themes with new tokens.

Put this setting into VS Code settings.json file:

"editor.semanticHighlighting.enabled": true

TextMate scopes

• Place this section in your settings.json file to customize styles of Textmate scope (one scope or or a group of scopes): modulestf.punctuation.bracket (all brackets) or modulestf.punctuation (all punctuation symbols).

"editor.tokenColorCustomizations": {
  "textMateRules": [
    {
      "scope": "modulestf.punctuation",
      "settings": {
        "foreground": "#5386b1",
        "fontStyle": "italic bold underline"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Semantic Tokens

• Place this section in your settings.json file to enable semantic token colors customization (globally or per theme).
• Token can be combined with language prefix (terraform, terragrunt, tfvars).

"editor.semanticTokenColorCustomizations": {
  "rules": {
    "block-type": "#FF0",
    "block-name": "#FFA",
    "block-id": "#FFF",
    "value-number:tfvars": "#F0F",
    "property:terraform": {
      "foreground": "#F00",
      "italic": true
    }
  },
  "[Default Dark+]": {
    "enabled": true,
    "rules": {
      "string-quote": {
        "foreground": "#FF0",
        "italic": true
      },
      "variable:terraform": "#F00"
    }
  }
}

Follow this official guide for VS Code for more information.

Semantic Token Types

Semantic Token Modifiers