Chinmaya Mission West
Chinmaya Mission West
In Xshell, Highlight Sets allow you to automatically color-code specific keywords or patterns in your terminal output. This is particularly useful for Cisco CLI environments to visually distinguish status messages, interface states, and configuration errors. 1. Creating a Cisco Highlight Set To set up a new highlighting profile: Open the Tools menu and select Terminal Highlight Sets. Click [New] and name your set (e.g., "Cisco_Highlighter").
Select your new set and click [Add] to begin defining keywords. 2. Recommended Cisco Keywords & Rules
Add these common Cisco strings to your set to improve visibility: Keywords / Regular Expressions Recommended Style Critical Errors down, shutdown, err-disable, failed, administratively down Bold Red Active States up, active, established, connected Bold Green IP Addresses \b\d1,3(\.\d1,3)3\b (Enable Regular Expression) Cyan Warnings warning, duplex mismatch, dropped, input errors Yellow or Orange Security permit, deny, access-list, auth-failed Purple 3. Applying the Highlight Set to Sessions
Once created, you must link the set to your Cisco device sessions:
Right-click your session in the Session Manager and select Properties. Navigate to Terminal > Highlight.
Check the box for "Highlight Set" and select your "Cisco_Highlighter" from the dropdown menu. Click OK to save. 4. Advanced Customization Tips
Case Sensitivity: Most Cisco commands are case-insensitive, so you may want to uncheck "Case Sensitive" for general keywords like down.
Regex for Patterns: Use Regular Expressions to match complex patterns like MAC addresses or interface IDs (e.g., GigabitEthernet\d+/\d+).
Global Application: To use this for all current and future Cisco sessions, configure it in the Default Session Properties. Keyword Highlighting in SecureCRT
Xshell processes highlights from top to bottom. If you have a general rule (e.g., "IP Address" = Blue) and a specific rule ("10.0.0.1" = Red), the specific rule must come above the general rule. Use the Move Up/Move Down buttons.
The difference between a junior engineer and a senior is often just pattern recognition. Xshell Highlight Sets train your eyes to see the patterns instantly. By investing 30 minutes to build the Cisco regex patterns listed above, you will save hundreds of hours over your career.
Stop squinting at white text. Start your Xshell, open Tools > Highlight Sets, and build the Cisco-focused terminal of your dreams today. Your eyes—and your on-call team—will thank you.
Action Item: Download the sample Cisco Highlight Set regex table from this article. Configure it during your next maintenance window. Then, run show log on your core router and watch the data transform before your eyes. xshell highlight sets cisco
Xshell's Highlight Sets allow you to create custom keyword colorization to make Cisco CLI output more readable, such as highlighting status words like up or down and identifying IP addresses. How to Create a Cisco Highlight Set
Open Settings: Go to the Tools menu and select Terminal Highlight Sets.
Create New Set: Click New, name it (e.g., "Cisco_IOS"), and click OK.
Add Keywords: Select your new set and click Add to define terms and their colors:
Simple Strings: Enter words like up, down, active, or established.
Regular Expressions: Check the Regular Expression box for complex patterns like IP addresses or MAC addresses.
Assign Styles: Use the Term Color option to change text color without affecting the background.
Apply to Session: Open your Session Properties, navigate to Terminal, and select your new set from the Highlight Set dropdown. Recommended Highlighting for Cisco
Network engineers typically use specific color codes to quickly identify critical information: Red: down, shutdown, err-disabled, administratively down. Green: up, connected, established, active. Yellow/Orange: warning, reconfigured, changed, collision.
Blue/Cyan: Interface types (e.g., GigabitEthernet, Vlan, Tunnel) and protocol names like BGP or OSPF.
Bold/Bright White: IP addresses and MAC addresses (using Regex like \d1,3(\.\d1,3)3). Pro-Tips for Xshell
Exact Matches: To avoid highlighting parts of words (like "down" inside "download"), use word boundaries in regex: \bdown\b. In Xshell, Highlight Sets allow you to automatically
Case Sensitivity: Since Cisco CLI is generally not case-sensitive for commands, you can often leave the Case Sensitive option unchecked to catch both UP and up.
Portability: You can export these sets as XML files to share with teammates or move between workstations.
XShell is a powerhouse for network engineers, but its default white-on-black text can make managing complex Cisco configurations a headache. By using highlight sets, you can transform a wall of monotone text into a readable, color-coded dashboard.
This guide will show you how to build, import, and optimize XShell highlight sets specifically for Cisco IOS, ASA, and Nexus devices. Why Use Highlight Sets for Cisco?
When you’re staring at a running-config or a routing table, your eyes naturally hunt for specific patterns. Highlighting automates this by:
Spotting Errors: Make "shutdown" or "administratively down" bright red. Tracking Status: Turn "up/up" or "established" green.
Isolating Variables: Highlight IP addresses, VLAN IDs, and Interface names.
Security Alerts: Flag "permit any any" or "no password" strings immediately. How to Create a Cisco Highlight Set in XShell
XShell doesn't come with a "Cisco" button, but building a custom set is straightforward. Open Highlighting Settings: Go to Tools > Highlight Sets. Create New: Click New and name it "Cisco_IOS". Add Keywords: Click Add to create a new rule.
Define Patterns: Use the "Keyword" field for simple text or "Regular Expression" for patterns. Essential Keywords and Color Schemes
For a professional Cisco set, use these categories to keep your terminal organized: 1. The "Good" Status (Green) Set these to a bold green foreground. up established success active permit 2. The "Bad" Status (Red)
Set these to a red foreground or a red background with white text. down administratively down fail error deny discard 3. Network Identifiers (Cyan or Yellow) This helps you track the "where" and "what." Vlan[0-9]+ (Regex) GigabitEthernet TenGigabitEthernet BGP / OSPF / EIGRP 4. Security Warnings (Bold Yellow/Orange) no password unencrypted password 7 Advanced: Using Regular Expressions (Regex) Choose how you want these highlighted commands to appear
The real power of XShell lies in Regex. Instead of highlighting one specific IP, you can highlight all IPs. IPv4 Address: \b(?:[0-9]1,3\.)3[0-9]1,3\b MAC Address: ([0-9A-Fa-f]4\.)2[0-9A-Fa-f]4 Cisco Interface Shortcuts: (Gi|Te|Fa|Po)[0-9/.]+ How to Apply Your Highlight Set
Once your set is created, you need to tell XShell to use it for your Cisco sessions.
Open the Properties of your specific Cisco session (or the Default Session). Navigate to Appearance.
Under the Highlighting section, check the box for "Highlighting Set." Select Cisco_IOS from the dropdown menu. Click OK. Pro Tip: Sharing and Importing Sets
XShell stores these sets as .xshl files. If you have a colleague with a great color scheme, you can import it: Go to Tools > Highlight Sets. Click Import. Select the .xshl file. It is now available for all your sessions. Summary Checklist for a Clean Cisco View
💡 Keep it minimal: Too many colors create "rainbow fatigue."💡 Bold vs. Dim: Use bold for active statuses and dim colors for descriptions.💡 Test with 'Show' commands: Verify your colors look good against show ip int br and show run. If you’d like, I can:
Write the exact Regex strings for specific Cisco log patterns.
Provide a pre-formatted XML block you can save as a .xshl file. Explain how to link specific colors to alarms.
Here’s a concise write-up on setting up Xshell syntax highlighting for Cisco IOS/IOS-XE configurations.
By default, most terminal sessions treat all text equally. When you type show log or show running-config, your eyes have to scan every single character. This is slow and error-prone. Consider a critical production outage:
show interface status.With a proper Xshell highlight set, "down" instantly turns bright red and bold. "Err-disable" flashes magenta . "BGP neighbor established" glows green. Your brain processes the color before you even read the words.
Switch to the Regular Expression tab, click Add.