You want to set the `caret` style, thats right, and the comment above it says what to set.

But did you remove the `#` which makes it a comment, so whatever you did to the setting was ignored. Also remove the `~` and space which made the "toggle comment" command work, but nobody realises that, so it just confuses everyone.

The git head has, or is about to get, an improvement on this commenting thing that hopefully will make it less confusing.

Which line am I supposed to modify? #~ caret=caret or #~ caret=0x000000;0x000000;false;

Ahh, but those are in separate sections, the first is in `[styling]` and the second is in `[named_styles]`. The first maps the lexical element, or in this case display element, to the named style set in the second one. But the named styles can be redefined in the colour schemes aka [themes](https://www.geany.org/download/themes/) picked by users, in place of the ones set in `filetypes.common`.

So whichever line I choose, it will become:

So edit the named style one.

I've barely finished asking my question and I already have an answer!!!!

You got lucky with the time zones, don't depend on it :smile:

Don't touch the first one, I said edit the named style one, so put it back, and in fact comment it out again. The first is either a name, or a whole style, who knows what the mixture you made does :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

For me just doing `Tools->Configuration Files->filetypes.common` set the `caret` setting in `[named_styles]` to the same as you (false->true, no comment) and save and the caret becomes the block immediately.

Ahh, wait, you havn't said the version you are running, but probably its an olde version where the `[named_styles]` line is commented out too, remove the `#~` space.

Thats weird, try starting Geany with `geany -c /tmp/foo` then `Tools->Configuration Files->filetypes.common` then just remove the `#~`space from the the `[named_styles]` line and the `caret=` line below it, then change the false on that line to true and save.

I totally forgot to mention that I use geany on windows. Maybe that's important

AFAIK only that `/tmp/foo` won't work :-D

Any location that exists (and you can write to) and a name that does __not__ exist should work, just remember you have to delete it manually after. The idea is to have Geany create a new user config to test with in case something else that has been changed is interfering.

I believe that block cursor works on Windows, but I might note that the Scintilla maintainer has pointed out in the past that it was a "drive by" contribution and isn't heavily used or maintained, so it might have issues.

I have absolutely no idea why it doesn't work on Windows, maybe Scintilla doesn't support block cursor there, although google couldn't find it anywhere in the [docs](https://www.scintilla.org/ScintillaDoc.html).

If I change the theme, it no longer works.

Yes, the `[named_styles]` section of filetypes.common is the default colour scheme. So if you change the colour scheme it will be replaced by your selection. If you look at colour scheme files you will find they have a replacement `[named_styles]` section.

The `[styling]` section in `filetypes.xxx` files map those named styles from the colour scheme to lexical entities for the language xxx. For `filetypes.common` the `[styling]` section maps non-language specific settings like caret, so you can edit the `caret=` in the `[styling]` section replacing the style name `caret` with the literal value from the `[named_styles]` section. Don't forget to uncomment it and the `[styling]` line.

It works !!!!!! **In filetypes.common** ``` [named_styles] .../... caret=0x000000;0x000000;true; ```

**In the theme configuration file** ``` [named_styles] .../... caret=#fff;#000;true;false ```

In any case, thank you for your help. Thanks to you, I managed to get what I wanted. Thanks again for your help.