ColorScheme(1)           AfterStep X11 window manager           ColorScheme(1)



NAME
       ColorScheme - defines color values for standard set of internal color
       names, to be used in other configuration files






CONFIGURATION OPTIONS
       ActiveColor that will be used for background of different focused
       elemets, such as focused window's titlebar, selected menu item, etc.
       This color should be contrasting with Base, Inactive1 and Inactive2 in
       hue, but similar in saturation.  ActiveDarkThis color should have
       slightly lesser value then Active (be 5-10% darker). This is usefull
       when background of focused titlebar is a gradient.  ActiveLightThis
       color should have slightly higher value then Active (be 5-10% lighter).
       This is usefull when background of focused titlebar is a gradient.
       ActiveTextColor of the text on focused titlebars. It should be in high
       value contrast with Active color.  AngleDefines angle on the hue circle
       between Inactive1, Base and Inactive2 colors in color schemes, that are
       automagically calculated by AfterStep. Default angle is 30 degrees. Use
       smaller angle to make Inactive and Base colors more similar.  BaseThis
       color is defining color of the color scheme. It will be used for
       desktop background. When AfterStep is allowed to calculate color scheme
       automagically - it will use this color in conjunction with the Angle
       value as base of calculations.  BaseDarkColor that should be about 10%
       darker then the Base color, but have similar hue and saturation.
       Usefull for drawing gradiented desktop background.  BaseLightColor that
       should be about 10% lighter then the Base color, but have similar hue
       and saturation. Usefull for drawing gradiented desktop background.
       CursorThis color will be used for pmouse pointer, and it should be in
       high contrast with all the other colors.  DisabledTextColor of the text
       of disabled menu items. Should be very similar to menu item's
       background color.  HighActiveUsed for focused menus. Should be similar
       to Active color, but somewhat lighter.  HighActiveBackUsed for current
       menu item's background. Should be similar, but somewhat brighter them
       Active color.  HighActiveBackDarkShould be 10% darker then
       HighActiveBack color. Usefull for gradiented background of selected
       menu item.  HighActiveBackLightShould be 10% lighter then
       HighActiveBack color. Usefull for gradiented background of selected
       menu item.  HighActiveDarkShould be 10% darker then HighActive color.
       Usefull for gradiented background of focused menu titlebar.
       HighActiveLightShould be 10% lighter then HighActive color. Usefull for
       gradiented background of focused menu titlebar.  HighActiveTextColor to
       be used for drawing text on focused menu titlebar. Should be in high
       contrast with HighActive color.  HighInactiveUsed for unfocused menus.
       Should be similar to Inactive1 color, but somewhat lighter.
       HighInactiveBackUsed for inactive menu item's background. Should be
       similar, but somewhat brighter them HighInactive color.
       HighInactiveBackDarkShould be 10% darker then HighInactiveBack color.
       Usefull for gradiented background of inactive menu item.
       HighInactiveBackLightShould be 10% lighter then HighInactiveBack color.
       Usefull for gradiented background of inactive menu item.
       HighInactiveDarkShould be 10% darker then HighInactive color. Usefull
       for gradiented background of inactive menu titlebars.
       HighInactiveLightShould be 10% lighter then HighInactive color. Usefull
       for gradiented background of inactive menu titlebars.
       HighInactiveTextColor of the text on unfocused menu titlebar. Should be
       highly contrasting with HighInactive color.  Inactive1Primary color
       used for unfocused window titlebar's background.  Inactive1DarkShould
       be 10% darker then Inactive1. Usefull for gradiented background of
       unfocused windows.  Inactive1LightShould be 10% lighter then Inactive1.
       Usefull for gradiented background of unfocused windows.
       Inactive2Secondary color used for unfocused window titlebar's
       background. Should be used for unfocused sticky windows.
       Inactive2DarkShould be 10% darker then Inactive2. Usefull for
       gradiented background of sticky windows.  Inactive2LightShould be 10%
       lighter then Inactive2. Usefull for gradiented background of sticky
       windows.  InactiveText1Color of the text on unfocused titlebars. Should
       be highly contrasting with Inactive1.  InactiveText2Color of the text
       on sticky titlebars. Should be highly contrasting with Inactive2.
       DESCRIPTIONAfterStep color schemes are supposed to ease the pain of
       assembling set of colors that go well with each other, while providing
       additional flexibility while designing custom looks/themes.AfterStep
       Colorscheme is a standard set of color names, that may have different
       color values assigned to them. This color names are used in defining
       Look and in XML images. By assigning different color values to teh same
       color names it is possible to instantly change colors throughout entire
       Look, without altering any images or configuration files.Not all of the
       Colorscheme colors have to be explicitely defined. Only the Base color
       is important. AfterStep is capable of autogeneration of good-looking
       colorscheme, from this single color. Explicit color definition in
       colorscheme file will override any automatic choice. Example of this is
       the NeXTish colorscheme, where all of the colors are customized. If
       grayscale color is choosen for Base - it will generate grayscale
       colorscheme, where different shades of gray are used for different
       colors.Selected colorscheme file is loaded by all modules and afterstep
       proper. Whenever new colorscheme is selected - it triggers reloading of
       the Look file and all image files.All of the supplied Look files had
       been written to take advantage of the AfterStep colorschemes.Please
       read below for more details on how colorschemes are generated and other
       color-related topics :HARMONIOUS COLORSTask of selecting a set of
       matching colors is a serious matter, and it was studied by artists and
       designers for centuries. AS the result there are certain rules
       developed to simplify this task.Firstly, instead of selecting colors in
       Red/Green/Blue colorspace, matching colors should be selected using
       Hue/Saturation/Value (HSV) colorspace. Color hues are the most
       important characteristic of the color, and is measured in degrees from
       0(red hue) to 60(yellow hue) to 120(green hue) to 180(cyan hue) to
       240(blue hue) to 300(purple hue) and then to 360 which is the same hue
       as 0 - red. Hues could be placed on a so called color circle, making it
       easier to choose matching colors.There are two main approaches to
       selecting color scheme - single hue, or several hues.Single hue colors
       differ in its saturation, and usually allow for a soothing, simple
       theme. Such theme could be pleasant to look at, but it lacks in
       excitement, and makes it difficult to distinguish between different
       elements.Using several hues makes theme a bit more exciting, and adds
       more visual cues to the screen, providing for easier operation, and
       allowing user to relax eye muscles, resulting in better ergonomics.
       Accordingly this is the approach that should be used for user interface
       colors. Now how to select hues that compose harmonious theme? The rule
       of the thumb is that hues that are close to each other on color circle
       go well with each other, while those, located on opposing sides of the
       circle, create contrasting effect.AfterStep addresses the task of
       selecting harmonious colors, by generating a set of colors from a
       single color using designer rules.IMAGE HUESLook of the screen (aka
       Theme), includes numerous images, such as icons, backgrounds, bars,
       etc. Each such image may have one or several dominating hues, which
       brings us back to the task of matching hues, in order to achieve
       harmonious look.The rule of the thumb to follow here is that, each
       image on any particular interface element, such as titlebar, should
       have at least one dominating hue to be the same as the hue of the
       background of this element.There are several way to make sure that hue
       of the image matches that of the background :tintingIf an image has
       single dominating hue, it could be converted to grayscale and then
       tinted with the color of the background.hue rotationIf an image has
       several hues, or a hue and some grayscale parts - its hues could be
       rotated, by converting image into HSV colorspace, changing range of
       hues, and then converting image back into RGB
       colorspace.superimpositionAlso image hues may be altered by
       superimposing it over the background image using allanon composition
       method, where each pixel is substituted with the average of image's
       pixel value and background's pixel value.AfterStep addresses the task
       of changing hues of images using XML image scripting. Seeasimagexmlfor
       more on that.COLOR NAMESAfterStep Colorscheme color names could be
       separated in several categories :Foreground and BackgroundForeground
       colors are used to render text, while background colors make up a
       backdrop for that text. Now there are several constraints on foreground
       colors - they should be contrasting with backgrounds, and it is always
       better to constrain foreground colors to black and white, as colored
       text tends to "bleed" ontop background, making it less eligible.
       Another problem with foreground being colorfull is that it increases
       strain on user's eyes, forcing them to adapt to too many different
       contrasting colors.Base, Active and InactiveGeneral color theme of the
       screen is determined by background. Accordingly we term it a Base
       color, and determine the rest of the colors as relation to it. Now at
       any given time there could be one element that is focused and active,
       while other are off focus and should assume lower visibility. We define
       Active colors to be used with focused items (should be contrasting with
       the Base color). We also define Inactive colors to be used with off-
       focus items (its a good idea to make them analogues to the Base color).
       Now as we may have 2 kinds of off-focus windows (sticky and non-sticky
       ), we actually define 2 Inactive colors: Inactive1 and
       Inactive2.Gradient colorsGradients create very appealing look when used
       to color titlebars and other interface elements. Generally its a good
       idea to use colors of the same hue, but having different intensity. To
       denote colors designated for gradients we add Dark/Light postfix to
       color names.COLOR VALUESAfterStep supports extremely flexible and
       extensive ways to define color value. Standard approach is to use
       #RRGGBB notation. In addition to that, AfterStep supports the following
       notations :#RGBSame as #RRGGBB, only using 4bit values for components.
       For example #F84 is the same as #F08040.#ARGBThis is the same as #RGB
       plus Alpha value is added (Alpha value defines opacity of the
       color).#AARRGGBBThis is the same as #RRGGBB plus 8-bit Alpha value is
       added.hsv(hue,saturation,value)Defines color using HSV colorspace hue
       is measured from 0 to 360 degrees, saturation and value are measured
       from 0 to 100.rgb(red,green,blue)Defines color in RGB colorspace.
       Similar to #RRGGBB form, but values are not in hex, but in decimals
       (from 0 to 255). It also allows for nested expressions, such as :
       rgb(128,128,blue(Base)).ahsv(alpha,hue,saturation,value)Same as hsv(),
       but also adds Alpha channel.argb(alpha,red,green,blue)Same as argb(),
       but also adds Alpha channel.hue(hue,color)Alters hue of the given
       predefined color, preserving its saturation and
       value.sat(saturation,color)Alters saturation of the given predefined
       color.val(value,color)Alters value of the given predefined
       color.alpha(alpha,color)Alters alpha of the given predefined color.
       This is usefull to make colors from colorscheme semi-
       transparent.red(red,color)Alters red channel value of the given
       predefined color.green(green,color)Alters green channel value of the
       given predefined color.blue(blue,color)Alters blue channel value of the
       given predefined color.#This could be used in colorscheme definition :
       Inactive1 #FF5C5B66 # or ahsv(255,245,10,40) or argb(255,92,91,102)
       #This could be used in MyStyle definition in the look. #That makes
       Sticky window's titlebar semi-transparent: BackMultiGradient 6
       alpha(50,Inactive2Dark) 0.0 alpha(50,Inactive2Light) 1.0

       Actuall usage of colors is defined in AfterStep look file, in MyStyle
       definitions. Also all ColorScheme colors could be used in AfterStep XML
       images, similarly to standard X color aliases. It is also possible to
       use different aspects of each color - red, green, blue and alpha, hue,
       saturation and value individualy. For each color there are 6 variables
       defined using following sytax: $ascs.colorname.component . For example
       $ascs.Active.hue represents hue of the Active color. This is usefull
       while doing transformations (tinting, hsv, etc ) in AfterStep XML
       images.



3rd Berkeley Distribution      AfterStep v.2.2.9                ColorScheme(1)
