Color Property Builder dialog box

Choose and set the color or colors for the form or for the current object on the form. You can set both foreground and background colors for those objects that have both. This dialog box appears when you click in the Inspector for a property that references a color.

Some objects have a normal color and a highlight color. For example, an entry field can have one foreground/background color combination when it is not selected (normal) and a different foreground/background color combination when it is selected (highlighted). The normal foreground/background color is one property of the object. The highlight foreground/background color is another property.

Choose a color for the selected object by one of several methods:

Click one of the Basic Colors (in the box on the left) then click OK.

Construct a custom color by using the selectors.

Construct a custom color by typing the color component numbers.

To construct a custom color by using the selectors:

• Click in the color matrix (the multicolored box) on the right to pick the combination of Red, Green, and Blue.

• Move the crosshairs up and down to select the Saturation.

• Move the crosshairs left and right to select the Hue.

• The vertical bar on the right determines the Luminance (brightness/darkness) of the color by the position of the triangular pointer on the right of the bar. The result of your choices is displayed in the Color/Solid box.

• When you get the color you want, click the Add to Custom Colors button. The new color appears in one of the previously white boxes directly above the Add to Custom Colors button. Then click the OK button.

To create a custom color by typing the color component numbers:

1. Type the numbers for Saturation, Hue, Luminance, and Red/Green/Blue directly into the respective boxes. The result of your choices is displayed in the Color/Solid box.

• When you get the color you want, click the Add to Custom Colors button. The new color will appear in one of the previously white boxes directly above the Add to Custom Colors button. Then click the OK button.

Dialog box options

Foreground/Background

Select a radio button to set the colors for the foreground or background color of the object. The selected button applies to everything else you set in the dialog box.

The fields to the right of the radio buttons show the currently selected color for that option (either a common name text string or a hexadecimal code). These settings are automatically entered when you choose a color from the samples in the dialog box. You can also enter these settings directly if you know the number or the code to use. Non-standard colors are expressed as hexadecimal values (for example, 0x8000ff for a deep pink).

Basic Colors

A selection of standard colors. Click a color to apply it to the foreground or background of the current object (depending on whether the Foreground or Background radio button is selected)

Custom Colors/Add to Custom Colors

Custom colors can be set by selecting a color, from the color field on the right side of the dialog box, and clicking Add to Custom Colors. Custom color information is stored in the [CustomColors] section of PLUS.ini. Click one of these colors to apply it to the foreground or background color of the current object.

Sample

A text sample showing the currently selected foreground and background colors.

Color Field

This box shows the spectrum of available colors. The crosshairs indicate the current color. Click anywhere in the color field to select a color. When you select a color here and then click Add to Custom Color, the selected color is added to one of the Custom Color boxes so you can use it again.

Color|Solid

The patch of color in the left half of this box shows the currently selected color. The patch in the right half shows the closest solid color. Double-click the solid color to make it the current color.

Hue

Hue is the "actual" color, for example, red, yellow-green, or purple. Hue refers to the color without regard to saturation or brightness (luminosity).

Sat(uration)

Saturation affects how clear the color is and refers to how much gray is in the color. The Sat(uration) field shows the saturation from 0 (medium gray) to 240 (pure color).

Lum(inosity) and Luminance Slider

Luminosity is the brightness of a color. The Lum(inosity) field shows the luminosity from 0 (black) to 240 (white). The column to the right of the color field shows the range of luminosity for the current color. Slide the arrow to the right of the column up or down to adjust the luminosity. When you change the luminosity, the Red/Green/Blue color values also change.

Red/Green/Blue

The values in these fields show the balance of red, green, and blue in the current color. This is sometimes called the RGB color.

How to get there: In the Inspector, click the wrench tool beside the colorNormal, colorRowHeader or colorRowSelect properties (in the Visual category).