# Unexpected code highlighting in code block
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [March 6, 2021, 12:15am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267 "2021-03-06T00:15:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Dan\_Eastwood](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Dan_Eastwood)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2021, 12:15am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/1 "2021-03-06T00:15:26Z")
Kind of a low priority question, but I have an example of some Preformatted text unexpectedly displaying in green for no apparent reason. I was not able to replicate this HERE, but the screencap shows what I am seeing on our server. The Preformatted text causing this is pasted below too, but as you can see it displays correctly here.
It has something to do with there being 3 nested preformatted text marks (```), and if I remove one the text displays all black.
Like I said, not too important, just curious as to WHY?
```plaintext
NC_045512.2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 isolate Wuhan-Hu-1, complete genome
ATTAAAGGTTTATACCTTCCCAGGTAACAAACCAACCAACTTTCGATCTCTTGTAGATCTGTTCTCTAAACGAACTTTAA
AATCTGTGTGGCTGTCACTCGGCTGCATGCTTAGTGCACTCACGCAGTATAATTAATAACTAATTACTGTCGTTGACAGG
ACACGAGTAACTCGTCTATCTTCTGCAGGCTGCTTACGGTTTCGTCCGTGTTGCAGCCGATCATCAGCACATCTAGGTTT
CGTCCGGGTGTGACCGAAAGGTAAGATGGAGAGCCTTGTCCCTGGTTTCAACGAGAAAACACACGTCCAACTCAGTTTGC
CTGTTTTACAGGTTCGCGACGTGCTCGTACGTGGCTTTGGAGACTCCGTGGAGGAGGTCTTATCAGAGGCACGTCAACAT
CTTAAAGATGGCACTTGTGGCTTAGTAGAAGTTGAAAAAGGCGTTTTGCCTCAACTTGAACAGCCCTATGTGTTCATCAA
ACGTTCGGATGCTCGAACTGCACCTCATGGTCATGTTATGGTTGAGCTGGTAGCAGAACTCGAAGGCATTCAGTACGGTC
GTAGTGGTGAGACACTTGGTGTCCTTGTCCCTCATGTGGGCGAAATACCAGTGGCTTACCGCAAGGTTCTTCTTCGTAAG
AACGGTAATAAAGGAGCTGGTGGCCATAGTTACGGCGCCGATCTAAAGTCATTTGACTTAGGCGACGAGCTTGGCACTGA
TCCTTATGAAGATTTTCAAGAAAACTGGAACACTAAACATAGCAGTGGTGTTACCCGTGAACTCATGCGTGAGCTTAACG
GAGGGGCATACACTCGCTATGTCGATAACAACTTCTGTGGCCCTGATGGCTACCCTCTTGAGTGCATTAAAGACCTTCTA
GCACGTGCTGGTAAAGCTTCATGCACTTTGTCCGAACAACTGGACTTTATTGACACTAAGAGGGGTGTATACTGCTGCCG
TGAACATGAGCATGAAATTGCTTGGTACACGGAACGTTCTGAAAAGAGCTATGAATTGCAGACACCTTTTGAAATTAAAT
TGGCAAAGAAATTTGACACCTTCAATGGGGAATGTCCAAATTTTGTATTTCCCTTAAATTCCATAATCAAGACTATTCAA
CCAAGGGTTGAAAAGAAAAAGCTTGATGGCTTTATGGGTAGAATTCGATCTGTCTATCCAGTTGCGTCACCAAATGAATG
CAACCAAATGTGCCTTTCAACTCTCATGAAGTGTGATCATTGTGGTGAAACTTCATGGCAGACGGGCGATTTTGTTAAAG
CCACTTGCGAATTTTGTGGCACTGAGAATTTGACTAAAGAAGGTGCCACTACTTGTGGTTACTTACCCCAAAATGCTGTT
GTTAAAATTTATTGTCCAGCATGTCACAATTCAGAAGTAGGACCTGAGCATAGTCTTGCCGAATACCATAATGAATCTGG
CTTGAAAACCATTCTTCGTAAGGGTGGTCGCACTATTGCCTTTGGAGGCTGTGTGTTCTCTTATGTTGGTTGCCATAACA
AGTGTGCCTATTGGGTTCCACGTGCTAGCGCTAACATAGGTTGTAACCATACAGGTGTTGTTGGAGAAGGTTCCGAAGGT
CTTAATGACAACCTTCTTGAAATACTCCAAAAAGAGAAAGTCAACATCAATATTGTTGGTGACTTTAAACTTAATGAAGA
GATCGCCATTATTTTGGCATCTTTTTCTGCTTCCACAAGTGCTTTTGTGGAAACTGTGAAAGGTTTGGATTATAAAGCAT
TCAAACAAATTGTTGAATCCTGTGGTAATTTTAAAGTTACAAAAGGAAAAGCTAAAAAAGGTGCCTGGAATATTGGTGAA
CAGAAATCAATACTGAGTCCTCTTTATGCATTTGCATCAGAGGCTGCTCGTGTTGTACGATCAATTTTCTCCCGCACTCT
TGAAACTGCTCAAAATTCTGTGCGTGTTTTACAGAAGGCCGCTATAACAATACTAGATGGAATTTCACAGTATTCACTGA
GACTCATTGATGCTATGATGTTCACATCTGATTTGGCTACTAACAATCTAGTTGTAATGGCCTACATTACAGGTGGTGTT
GTTCAGTTGACTTCGCAGTGGCTAACTAACATCTTTGGCACTGTTTATGAAAAACTCAAACCCGTCCTTGATTGGCTTGA
AGAGAAGTTTAAGGAAGGTGTAGAGTTTCTTAGAGACGGTTGGGAAATTGTTAAATTTATCTCAACCTGTGCTTGTGAAA
TTGTCGGTGGACAAATTGTCACCTGTGCAAAGGAAATTAAGGAGAGTGTTCAGACATTCTTTAAGCTTGTAAATAAATTT
```
---
### Author:  [@riking](https://meta.discourse.org/u/riking)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2021, 12:38am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/2 "2021-03-06T00:38:21Z")
This would be due to incorrect code highlighting auto detection. You can disable it by beginning the block with:
````
```text
````
---
### Author:  [@Dan\_Eastwood](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Dan_Eastwood)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2021, 12:48am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/3 "2021-03-06T00:48:23Z")
I didn’t even know that was a thing. 😅
---
### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2021, 1:02am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/4 "2021-03-06T01:02:50Z")
Dan, you also have the `default code lang` site setting, if you want all code blocks to default to text. I imagine that may be useful if you’re not running a coding forum.
---
### Author:  [@Dan\_Eastwood](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Dan_Eastwood)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2021, 1:05am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/5 "2021-03-06T01:05:17Z")
I’m a moderator not an Admin, but I will pass that along. We do occasionally get bits of code though, and the green text isn’t hurting anything, so I think we can leave it alone.
---
### Author:  [@Dan\_Eastwood](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Dan_Eastwood)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2021, 1:10am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/6 "2021-03-06T01:10:40Z")
Thank for your help!
[Camper=Happy]
---
### Author:  [@swamidass](https://meta.discourse.org/u/swamidass)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2021, 1:23am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/7 "2021-03-06T01:23:32Z")
So now we’ve learned discourse doesn’t speak DNA! That’s interesting in its own right 🙂
---
### Author:  [@riking](https://meta.discourse.org/u/riking)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2021, 1:40am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/8 "2021-03-06T01:40:47Z")
It’s definitely not a good fit for the `highlight.js` styling model, as you probably want a different color for each codon. A custom theme component is much more appropriate here 🙂
---
### Author:  [@swamidass](https://meta.discourse.org/u/swamidass)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2021, 1:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/9 "2021-03-06T01:49:54Z")
Well, rather, I think some code in the language detection routine should be able to recognize when it’s encountered DNA, and turn off highlighting…
---
### Author:  [@swamidass](https://meta.discourse.org/u/swamidass)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2021, 4:32pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/10 "2021-03-06T16:32:38Z")
Of course that isn’t a deal breaker 🙂
---
### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2021, 8:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/11 "2021-03-08T20:41:03Z")
> [@swamidass](#):
>
> I think some code in the language detection routine should be able to recognize when it’s encountered DNA, and turn off highlighting…
You’d have to talk to [https://highlightjs.org/](https://highlightjs.org/), we don’t manage the code highlighting code.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 7, 2021, 8:42pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-code-highlighting-in-code-block/182267/12 "2021-04-07T20:42:01Z")
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