SET COLOR*

Define screen colors

Syntax

      SET COLOR | COLOUR TO [[<standard>]
            [,<enhanced>] [,<border>] [,<background>]
            [,<unselected>]] | (<cColorString>)

Arguments

<standard> is the color that paints all console, full-screen, and interface commands and functions when displaying to the screen. This includes commands such as @…PROMPT, @…SAY, and ?; as well as functions such as ACHOICE(), DBEDIT(), and MEMOEDIT().

<enhanced> is the color that paints highlighted displays. This includes GETs with INTENSITY ON, the MENU TO, DBEDIT(), and ACHOICE() selection highlight.

<border> is the color that paints the area around the screen that cannot be written to.

<background> is not currently supported by any machines for which Computer Associates provides drivers. This setting is supplied for compatibility purposes only.

<unselected> is a color pair that provides input focus by displaying the current GET in the enhanced color while other GETs are displayed in this color.

<cColorString> is a character string enclosed in parentheses containing the color settings. This facility lets you specify the color settings as an expression in place of a literal string or macro variable.

SET COLOR TO with no argument restores the default colors to W/N, N/W, N, N, N/W.

Description

SET COLOR, a command synonym for the SETCOLOR() function, defines colors for subsequent screen painting activity. Each SET COLOR command specifies a list of color settings for the five types of screen painting activity. Each setting is a foreground and background color pair separated by the slash (/) character. Foreground defines the color of characters displayed on the screen. Background defines the color displayed behind the character. Spaces and nondisplay characters display as background only.

In addition to color, a foreground setting can have an attribute, high intensity or blinking. With a monochrome display, high intensity enhances brightness of painted text. With a color display, high intensity changes the hue of the specified color making it a different color. For example, N displays foreground text as black where N+ displays the same text as gray. High intensity is denoted by +. The blinking attribute causes the foreground text to flash on and off at a rapid interval. Blinking is denoted with *. An attribute character can occur anywhere in a setting, but is always applied to the foreground color regardless where it occurs.

Each color can be specified using either a letter or a number, but numbers and letters cannot be mixed within a setting. Note that numbers are supplied for compatibility purposes and are not recommended.

All settings are optional. If a setting is skipped, its previous value is retained with only new values set. Skipping a foreground or background color within a setting sets the color to black.

The following colors are supported:

         Color Table
         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
         Color          Letter    Number  Monochrome
         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
         Black          N, Space  0       Black
         Blue           B         1       Underline
         Green          G         2       White
         Cyan           BG        3       White
         Red            R         4       White
         Magenta        RB        5       White
         Brown          GR        6       White
         White          W         7       White
         Gray           N+        8       Black
         Bright Blue    B+        9       Bright Underline
         Bright Green   G+        10      Bright White
         Bright Cyan    BG+       11      Bright White
         Bright Red     R+        12      Bright White
         Bright Magenta RB+       13      Bright White
         Yellow         GR+       14      Bright White
         Bright White   W+        15      Bright White
         Black          U                 Underline
         Inverse Video  I                 Inverse Video
         Blank          X                 Blank
         -----------------------------------------------------------------------

SET COLOR is a compatibility command and is not recommended. It is superseded by the SETCOLOR() function which can return the current color as well as set a new color.

Notes

. Monochrome monitors: Color is not supported on monochrome monitors. Clipper, however, supports the monochrome attributes inverse video (I) and underlining (U).

. Screen drivers: SET COLOR TO, using numbers, may not be supported by screen drivers other than the default screen driver.

Examples

      .  This example uses the unselected setting to make the current
         GET red on white while the rest are black on white:

          cColor:= "W/N,R/W,,,N/W"
          SET COLOR TO (cColor)
          cOne := cTwo := SPACE(10)
          @ 1, 1 SAY "Enter One: " GET cOne
          @ 2, 1 SAY "Enter Two: " GET cTwo
          READ

       .  In this example a user-defined function gets a password from
          the user using the blank (X) enhanced setting to hide the password as
          the user types:

          IF !DialogPassWord(12, 13, "W+/N", "FUNSUN", 3)
             ? "Sorry, your password failed"
             QUIT
          ENDIF

          FUNCTION DialogPassWord( nRow, nCol, ;
                 cStandard, cPassword, nTries )
             LOCAL nCount := 1, cColor := SETCOLOR()
             SET COLOR TO (cStandard + ", X")      // Blank input
             //
             DO WHILE nCount < nTries
                cUserEntry:= SPACE(6)
                @ nRow, nCol SAY  "Enter password: " GET ;
                         cUserEntry
                READ
                //
                IF LASTKEY() == 27
                   SET COLOR TO (cColor)
                   RETURN .F.

                ELSEIF cUserEntry == cPassword
                   SET COLOR TO (cColor)
                   RETURN .T.
                ELSE
                   nCount++
                ENDIF
             ENDDO
             //
             SET COLOR TO (cColor)
             RETURN .F.

Seealso

@…GET, @…SAY, ISCOLOR(), SETCOLOR(), SETBLINK()