[RFC] Color usability time, take 2

[Matthew Woehlke]

Matthew Woehlke wrote:
> Here's what the API would look like:
> [doc snipped]
> enum ColorSet {
>     View,
>     Window,
>     Button,
>     Selected,
>     Tooltip
> };
> 
> enum ColorRole {
>     bgNormal = 32,
>     bgAlternate = 33,
>     bgFocusTint = 34,
>     bgHoverTint = 35,
> 
>     fgNormal = 0,
>     fgInactive = 1,
>     fgActive = 2,
>     fgLink = 3,
>     fgVisited = 4,
>     fgNegative = 5,
>     fgNeutral = 6,
>     fgPositive = 7,
> };

...and since people like use cases :-), here are some examples of how 
some apps might work:

== kate
normal -> fgNormal
keyword -> fgNormal [bold]
data type -> fgLink
integer -> fgNeutral
floating -> fgNeutral
character -> fgActive
string -> fgNegative
comment -> fgInactive [italic]
others -> fgPositive
alert -> fgError (bg/fg swapped) *
function -> fgVisited
region -> fgActive (bg/fg swapped) *
error -> fgNegative [underlined]

(* yes, bad for accessibility I know, but I'm also balancing against not 
changing the existing colors too radically)

== kdevelop, grepview
command -> fgNormal or fgNeutral
errors -> fgError, fgNeutral or fgInactive*
results -> fgLink
report -> fgNormal

(* usually you aren't interested in the errors)

== kdevelop, makeview
output -> fgNormal
warnings -> fgNeutral
errors -> fgNegative
success -> fgPositive

-- 
Matthew
"In the beginning was the word, and the word was
content-type: text/plain" -- Martin Schulze