Color Scheme Options

HippoEDIT supports several variants of color assignment for your code blocks (styles):

• You may assign explicit color for desired style (on "Fonts & Colors" configuration page). In this case, color stays same independently to the color palette selected. This may be OK, if all other styles in syntax defined using explicit color, but may lead to problems, if some colors are color palette depending (case below), while one can get a situation of “black-on-black”, where text or background will not be distinguishable.
• Reference one of “standard” palette colors. In that way, the color of your syntax style will change as far as you change current color palette (scheme). If in your syntax definition all styles defined using referencing colors, you may ensure that source code display will be all always consistent and visible when using different color palettes.

The last variant, using the palette color referencing is recommended.

There are only several schemes that come preinstalled together with HippoEDIT, but you can always download new ones from the website. Not installed schemes indicated in the drop-down list of the themes with gray color. If you select one such scheme, you will be asked for downloading and installing the schemes. In addition to changing of the current theme, there are options for:

• Save As… copies currently selected scheme with a new name
• Delete of current scheme (can not be undone!)

Normally all color schemes contain the same set of named palette colors - in that way switching between schemes done without any issues, while all referencing from syntax definition colors may be found. If some palette color will be not found, the editor will substitute with a default color for that style (in most cases - window text color). Following actions with colors are possible:

• Add… calls dialog for adding a new color. Take care how it will work in other schemes!
• Edit… calls dialog for editing palette color. See below.
• Delete deletes palette color. Take care how it will work in other schemes!

The Color Edit dialog used when modifiying the color, adding new color or creating/updating of <Custom> color in Fonts & Colors dialog for syntax.

• Name - name of the color. Obligatory parameter
• User-defined. If you select user-defined option, you may select any of known, named colors, create new named color or define Custom color, without giving it explicit name (you can not reuse it than).
• System. If you select System, you may use one of operating system colors. In that way, if you change Windows Theme, all referencing colors will also reflect the change.

For any option above, you may also modify Alpha setting. Alpha percentage controls transparency of the color and influence resulting color which will be produced at the end of style stapling. As higher the alpha percentage, as less the color will reflect in resulting color.

Contrast Ration is scheme dependent setting, that configures minimal contrast ratio, between text and background. It ensures that text is always visible on any background, resulting of style stapling. The option may adopt your configured text Foreground color in runtime.

If you want to keep your colors one-to-one as you have specified them, select “Do not change” option. The default mode is 5:1, ensuring at least 5:1 contrast ratio between text and background.