# General preferences

You can customize the appearance of the C/C++ editor on the General page of the Preferences window.

Displayed tab width
  Specifies the width of the tab as a number of characters. For example a value of 4, means that the tab width is 4-characters wide.
Print margin column
  Specifies the width of the print margin as a number of characters. For example a value of 80 means that the print area is 80-characters wide.
Show overview ruler
  Displays the vertical ruler in the editor view.
Show line numbers
  Displays line numbers in the left margin.
Highlight matching brackets
  When the cursor is beside a bracket, the matching bracket is highlighted.
Highlight current line
  Highlights the line that was last selected.
Show print margin
  Displays the print margin in the editor.
Insert space for tabs
  Inserts a space instead of a tab character when you press `Tab`.
Use custom caret
  Select a custom caret (vertical bar icon showing cursor position).
Enable thick caret
  Displays a thicker caret (vertical bar icon showing cursor position).
Appearance color options
  Lists the items for which you can specify a color.
Color
  Changes the color of the item that is selected in the list.

Coding aids

Customizing the C/C++ editor

C/C++ editor preferences