fix: refine search highlighting and status line indicators

Use background-only search highlight to preserve syntax colors, add
reverse video fallback for no-colors mode, show mode indicators
always (muted inactive / active fg) on right side with ≋ search icon,
darken default muted and search background colors, fix stale godoc,
update screenshot.

Author: umputun

.claude-plugin/skills/revdiff/references/config.md

@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ All color options accept hex values (`#rrggbb`) and have corresponding `REVDIFF_
 | `--color-accent` | Active pane borders and directory names | `#D5895F` |
 | `--color-border` | Inactive pane borders | `#585858` |
 | `--color-normal` | File entries and context lines | `#d0d0d0` |
-| `--color-muted` | Divider lines and status bar | `#6c6c6c` |
+| `--color-muted` | Divider lines and status bar | `#585858` |
 | `--color-selected-fg` | Selected file text | `#ffffaf` |
 | `--color-selected-bg` | Selected file background | `#D5895F` |
 | `--color-annotation` | Annotation text and markers | `#ffd700` |
@@ -53,10 +53,10 @@ All color options accept hex values (`#rrggbb`) and have corresponding `REVDIFF_
 | `--color-modify-bg` | Modified line background (collapsed mode) | `#3D2E00` |
 | `--color-tree-bg` | File tree pane background | terminal default |
 | `--color-diff-bg` | Diff pane background | terminal default |
-| `--color-status-fg` | Status bar foreground | `#2D2D2D` |
+| `--color-status-fg` | Status bar foreground | `#202020` |
 | `--color-status-bg` | Status bar background | `#C5794F` |
 | `--color-search-fg` | Search match text | `#1a1a1a` |
-| `--color-search-bg` | Search match background | `#d7d700` |
+| `--color-search-bg` | Search match background | `#4a4a00` |
 
 ## Chroma Syntax Highlighting Styles
 

CLAUDE.md

@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ git diff → diff.ParseUnifiedDiff() → []DiffLine
     continuation lines get `↪` gutter marker, cursorViewportY() sums wrapped line counts
   when search is active (`/` to search, `n`/`N` to navigate, `esc` to clear):
     buildSearchMatchSet() converts match indices to O(1) map per render,
-    highlightSearchMatches() inserts raw ANSI fg+bg sequences around matched
-    substrings (character-level, ANSI-aware via ansi.Strip for position mapping)
+    highlightSearchMatches() inserts ANSI bg-only sequence around matched substrings
+    (preserves syntax foreground; falls back to reverse video in --no-colors mode)
   → viewport.SetContent() → terminal
 ```
 

README.md

@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ All color options accept hex values (`#rrggbb`) and have corresponding `REVDIFF_
 | `--color-accent` | Active pane borders and directory names | `#D5895F` |
 | `--color-border` | Inactive pane borders | `#585858` |
 | `--color-normal` | File entries and context lines | `#d0d0d0` |
-| `--color-muted` | Divider lines and status bar | `#6c6c6c` |
+| `--color-muted` | Divider lines and status bar | `#585858` |
 | `--color-selected-fg` | Selected file text | `#ffffaf` |
 | `--color-selected-bg` | Selected file background | `#D5895F` |
 | `--color-annotation` | Annotation text and markers | `#ffd700` |
@@ -173,10 +173,10 @@ All color options accept hex values (`#rrggbb`) and have corresponding `REVDIFF_
 | `--color-modify-bg` | Modified line background (collapsed mode) | `#3D2E00` |
 | `--color-tree-bg` | File tree pane background | terminal default |
 | `--color-diff-bg` | Diff pane background | terminal default |
-| `--color-status-fg` | Status bar foreground | `#2D2D2D` |
+| `--color-status-fg` | Status bar foreground | `#202020` |
 | `--color-status-bg` | Status bar background | `#C5794F` |
 | `--color-search-fg` | Search match text | `#1a1a1a` |
-| `--color-search-bg` | Search match background | `#d7d700` |
+| `--color-search-bg` | Search match background | `#4a4a00` |
 
 </details>
 

cmd/revdiff/main.go

@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ type options struct {
 		Accent     string `long:"color-accent"      ini-name:"color-accent"      env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_ACCENT"      default:"#D5895F" description:"active pane borders and directory names"`
 		Border     string `long:"color-border"      ini-name:"color-border"      env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_BORDER"      default:"#585858" description:"inactive pane borders"`
 		Normal     string `long:"color-normal"      ini-name:"color-normal"      env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_NORMAL"      default:"#d0d0d0" description:"file entries and context lines"`
-		Muted      string `long:"color-muted"       ini-name:"color-muted"       env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_MUTED"       default:"#6c6c6c" description:"line numbers and status bar"`
+		Muted      string `long:"color-muted"       ini-name:"color-muted"       env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_MUTED"       default:"#585858" description:"line numbers and status bar"`
 		SelectedFg string `long:"color-selected-fg" ini-name:"color-selected-fg" env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_SELECTED_FG" default:"#ffffaf" description:"selected file text color"`
 		SelectedBg string `long:"color-selected-bg" ini-name:"color-selected-bg" env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_SELECTED_BG" default:"#D5895F" description:"selected file background color"`
 		Annotation string `long:"color-annotation"  ini-name:"color-annotation"  env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_ANNOTATION"  default:"#ffd700" description:"annotation text and markers"`
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ type options struct {
 		StatusFg   string `long:"color-status-fg"   ini-name:"color-status-fg"   env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_STATUS_FG"   default:"#202020" description:"status bar foreground"`
 		StatusBg   string `long:"color-status-bg"   ini-name:"color-status-bg"   env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_STATUS_BG"   default:"#C5794F" description:"status bar background"`
 		SearchFg   string `long:"color-search-fg"   ini-name:"color-search-fg"   env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_SEARCH_FG"   default:"#1a1a1a" description:"search match foreground"`
-		SearchBg   string `long:"color-search-bg"   ini-name:"color-search-bg"   env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_SEARCH_BG"   default:"#d7d700" description:"search match background"`
+		SearchBg   string `long:"color-search-bg"   ini-name:"color-search-bg"   env:"REVDIFF_COLOR_SEARCH_BG"   default:"#4a4a00" description:"search match background"`
 	} `group:"color options"`
 }
 

cmd/revdiff/main_test.go

@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ func TestParseArgs_ColorDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, "#D5895F", opts.Colors.Accent)
 	assert.Equal(t, "#585858", opts.Colors.Border)
 	assert.Equal(t, "#d0d0d0", opts.Colors.Normal)
-	assert.Equal(t, "#6c6c6c", opts.Colors.Muted)
+	assert.Equal(t, "#585858", opts.Colors.Muted)
 	assert.Equal(t, "#87d787", opts.Colors.AddFg)
 	assert.Equal(t, "#123800", opts.Colors.AddBg)
 	assert.Equal(t, "#ff8787", opts.Colors.RemoveFg)

screenshot.png

@@ -1088,10 +1088,10 @@ func TestModel_StatusBarCollapsedIndicator(t *testing.T) {
 	m.focus = paneDiff
 	m.width = 200
 
-	t.Run("expanded mode has no collapsed indicator", func(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("collapsed indicator always present", func(t *testing.T) {
 		m.collapsed.enabled = false
 		status := m.statusBarText()
-		assert.NotContains(t, status, "▼")
+		assert.Contains(t, status, "▼", "indicator always shown, muted when inactive")
 	})
 
 	t.Run("collapsed mode shows indicator", func(t *testing.T) {

ui/collapsed_test.go

@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/umputun/revdiff/diff"
 )
 
+// matchRange represents a range of visible character positions for search match highlighting.
+type matchRange struct{ start, end int }
+
 // renderDiff renders the current file's diff lines with styling, cursor highlight,
 // and injected annotation lines.
 func (m Model) renderDiff() string {
@@ -172,8 +175,8 @@ func (m Model) linePrefix(changeType diff.ChangeType) string {
 }
 
 // highlightSearchMatches wraps each occurrence of the search term in the visible text
-// with ANSI fg+bg color sequences. works with both plain text and ANSI-coded content
-// by stripping ANSI to find match positions, then inserting highlights at correct visible-character positions.
+// with ANSI background color sequence (preserving syntax foreground within matches).
+// works with both plain text and ANSI-coded content by stripping ANSI to find match positions.
 func (m Model) highlightSearchMatches(s string) string {
 	if m.searchTerm == "" {
 		return s
@@ -188,7 +191,6 @@ func (m Model) highlightSearchMatches(s string) string {
 	}
 
 	// collect all match ranges in visible-character positions
-	type matchRange struct{ start, end int }
 	var matches []matchRange
 	offset := 0
 	for {
@@ -204,10 +206,21 @@ func (m Model) highlightSearchMatches(s string) string {
 		return s
 	}
 
-	hlOn := m.ansiFg(m.styles.colors.SearchFg) + m.ansiBg(m.styles.colors.SearchBg)
-	hlOff := "\033[39m\033[49m"
+	// background-only highlight preserves syntax foreground colors within matches
+	hlOn := m.ansiBg(m.styles.colors.SearchBg)
+	hlOff := "\033[49m"
+	if hlOn == "" {
+		// no-colors mode: fall back to reverse video so matches remain visible
+		hlOn = "\033[7m"
+		hlOff = "\033[27m"
+	}
+
+	return m.insertHighlightMarkers(s, matches, hlOn, hlOff)
+}
 
-	// walk original string, track visible char position, insert highlights
+// insertHighlightMarkers walks the string inserting hlOn/hlOff ANSI sequences at match positions,
+// skipping over existing ANSI escape sequences to preserve them.
+func (m Model) insertHighlightMarkers(s string, matches []matchRange, hlOn, hlOff string) string {
 	var b strings.Builder
 	visPos := 0   // current position in visible text
 	matchIdx := 0 // current match we're processing
@@ -228,14 +241,13 @@ func (m Model) highlightSearchMatches(s string) string {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		// check if we need to insert highlight start/end at this visible position
+		// insert highlight start/end at match boundaries
 		if matchIdx < len(matches) && visPos == matches[matchIdx].start {
 			b.WriteString(hlOn)
 		}
 		if matchIdx < len(matches) && visPos == matches[matchIdx].end {
 			b.WriteString(hlOff)
 			matchIdx++
-			// check next match start at same position
 			if matchIdx < len(matches) && visPos == matches[matchIdx].start {
 				b.WriteString(hlOn)
 			}

ui/diffview.go

@@ -575,11 +575,6 @@ func (m Model) statusBarText() string {
 		segments = append(segments, ss)
 	}
 
-	// mode indicators (combined into one segment)
-	if modeIcons := m.statusModeIcons(); modeIcons != "" {
-		segments = append(segments, modeIcons)
-	}
-
 	// build right-side segments
 	var rightParts []string
 	if cnt := m.store.Count(); cnt > 0 {
@@ -589,7 +584,7 @@ func (m Model) statusBarText() string {
 		}
 		rightParts = append(rightParts, fmt.Sprintf("%d %s", cnt, suffix))
 	}
-	rightParts = append(rightParts, "? help")
+	rightParts = append(rightParts, m.statusModeIcons(), "? help")
 
 	// build separator with muted foreground using raw ANSI (not lipgloss.Render)
 	// to avoid full reset that would break the status bar background
@@ -605,10 +600,10 @@ func (m Model) statusBarText() string {
 	minRight := lipgloss.Width(right) + 5 // 2 for status bar padding + 3 for separator
 	available := max(m.width-minRight, 0)
 
-	// graceful degradation: drop segments from right to left when too narrow
+	// graceful degradation: drop left segments when too narrow
 	if lipgloss.Width(left) > available {
-		// rebuild without mode icons first
-		segments = m.statusSegmentsNoIcons()
+		// rebuild without search position
+		segments = m.statusSegmentsNoSearch()
 		left = strings.Join(segments, sep)
 	}
 	if lipgloss.Width(left) > available {
@@ -719,33 +714,47 @@ func (m Model) ansiFg(hex string) string { return m.ansiColor(hex, 38) }
 // ansiBg returns an ANSI 24-bit background escape sequence for a hex color.
 func (m Model) ansiBg(hex string) string { return m.ansiColor(hex, 48) }
 
-// statusModeIcons returns combined mode indicator icons (▼ for collapsed, ◉ for filter, ↩ for wrap).
+// statusModeIcons returns combined mode indicator icons (▼ collapsed, ◉ filter, ↩ wrap, ≋ search).
+// all icons are always shown; active modes use status foreground, inactive use muted color.
 func (m Model) statusModeIcons() string {
-	var icons []string
-	if m.collapsed.enabled {
-		icons = append(icons, "▼")
+	type indicator struct {
+		icon   string
+		active bool
 	}
-	if m.tree.filter {
-		icons = append(icons, "◉")
+	indicators := []indicator{
+		{"▼", m.collapsed.enabled},
+		{"◉", m.tree.filter},
+		{"↩", m.wrapMode},
+		{"≋", len(m.searchMatches) > 0},
 	}
-	if m.wrapMode {
-		icons = append(icons, "↩")
+
+	statusFg := m.styles.colors.Muted
+	if m.styles.colors.StatusFg != "" {
+		statusFg = m.styles.colors.StatusFg
 	}
-	return strings.Join(icons, " ")
+	mutedSeq := m.ansiFg(m.styles.colors.Muted)
+	activeSeq := m.ansiFg(statusFg)
+
+	var icons []string
+	for _, ind := range indicators {
+		if ind.active {
+			icons = append(icons, activeSeq+ind.icon)
+		} else {
+			icons = append(icons, mutedSeq+ind.icon)
+		}
+	}
+	return strings.Join(icons, " ") + activeSeq
 }
 
-// statusSegmentsNoIcons returns left segments without mode indicators (▼ ◉ ↩).
-func (m Model) statusSegmentsNoIcons() []string {
+// statusSegmentsNoSearch returns left segments without search position (for narrow terminals).
+func (m Model) statusSegmentsNoSearch() []string {
 	var segments []string
 	if m.currFile != "" {
 		segments = append(segments, m.currFile, fmt.Sprintf("+%d/-%d", m.fileAdds, m.fileRemoves))
 	}
 	if hs := m.hunkSegment(); hs != "" {
 		segments = append(segments, hs)
 	}
-	if ss := m.searchSegment(); ss != "" {
-		segments = append(segments, ss)
-	}
 	return segments
 }