Help : Color
Color can be added to your community in a variety of places. For example, you can use the theme designer to customize your wiki’s color palette. Or you can add more specific color via your community’s templates and CSS.
Hexadecimal codes [ ]
Just about every color imaginable can be represented by a six-digit hexadecimal code — a numerical representation of the amount of red, green, and blue present in that particular color. RGBA is another color model that is frequently used on the web. It includes not only the red, green, and blue but also the “alpha” or transparency channels. Therefore, hex and RGB/RGBA codes are more precise – though less user-friendly – than color names.
In the charts below are some hex codes for a few colors. If you want to use any of these, just add them where appropriate. For example, if you wish to make your button color white in the theme designer, copy the hex code of that color (#FFFFFF). Then, add it to the input field on the customize tab.
Note: Hex codes are not case-sensitive, so #ffffff and #FFFFFF represent the same thing.
Color names [ ]
There are two main types of color names that are preferred, HTML and web colors.
HTML color names [ ]
For ease of use, some colors have color keywords — (case-insensitive) names, like red and YELLOW . The HTML 4.01 specification [1] defined sixteen “basic” color keywords:
| Name | Hex code |
|---|---|
| cyan | #00FFFF |
| navy | #000080 |
| black | #000000 |
| olive | #808000 |
| blue | #0000FF |
| purple | #800080 |
| fuchsia | #FF00FF |
| red | #FF0000 |
| Name | Hex code |
|---|---|
| green | #008000 |
| silver | #C0C0C0 |
| gray | #808080 |
| teal | #008080 |
| lime | #00FF00 |
| white | #FFFFFF |
| maroon | #800000 |
| yellow | #FFFF00 |
RGBA color names [ ]
Note: You may also find RGB codes that are the same as the RGBA codes but without the alpha channel. This makes them functionally equivalent to the HTML color codes listed above.
The color channels range in value from 0 to 255, while the alpha or transparency channel is always a value between 0 and 1, with 0 denoting full transparency and 1 denoting full opacity, or no transparency.
The first of the four numbers represents the red channel, the second represents the green channel, the third represents the blue channel, and the fourth, the alpha channel.
| Name | RGBA code |
|---|---|
| cyan | rgba(0, 255, 255, 1) |
| navy | rgba(0, 0, 128, 1) |
| black | rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) |
| olive | rgba(128, 128, 0, 1) |
| blue | rgba(0, 0, 255, 1) |
| purple | rgba(128, 0, 128, 1) |
| fuchsia | rgba(255, 0, 255, 1) |
| red | rgba(255, 0, 0, 1) |
| Name | RGBA code |
|---|---|
| green | rgba(0, 128, 0, 1) |
| silver | rgba(192, 192, 192, 1) |
| gray | rgba(128, 128, 128, 1) |
| teal | rgba(0, 128, 128, 1) |
| lime | rgba(0, 255, 0, 1) |
| white | rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) |
| maroon | rgba(128, 0, 0, 1) |
| yellow | rgba(255, 255, 0, 1) |
Web color names [ ]
If you’ve spent any time coding, though, you know there are other color names, like cornflowerblue and linen . These extended color keywords are X11 color names, defined by web browsers.
The first version of the X Window system determined color keywords by X11 color names. Today, web colors, X11’s descendant system, provides available colors.
A large, helpful list of usable color names and equivalent hex codes can be found on Wikipedia. [2] [3]
Fluorescent colors [ ]
Fluorescent or neon colors can appear to glow on your wiki’s pages, depending on how you’ve set up your base colors in the theme designer. The effect can be arresting and effective. So, play around with the following: But remember, a little neon goes a long way!
| Name | Hex code |
|---|---|
| Rainshower | #C9FFE5 |
| Blizzard Blue | #A3E3ED |
| Psychedelic Purple | #FA00FF |
| Harlequin | #3FFF00 |
| Bubbles | #E7FEFF |
| Razzle Dazzle Rose | #FF33CC |
| Electric Purple | #BF00FF |
| Hot Magenta | #FF00CC |
| Neon Carrot | #FFA343 |
| Chartreuse Yellow | #DFFF00 |
| Shocking Pink | #FC0FC0 |
| Name | Hex code |
|---|---|
| Screamin’ Green | #66FF66 |
| Purple Pizzazz | #FE4EDA |
| Electric Violet | #8B00FF |
| Sunglow | #FFCC33 |
| Electric Lime | #CCFF00 |
| Snowy Mint | #D6FFDB |
| Flamingo Pink | #FF66FF |
| Infra Red | #FF496C |
| Laser Lemon | #FFFF66 |
| Phlox | #DF00FF |
| Veronica | #A020F0 |
Several online tools are available which can assist you in choosing the right color.
Color and accessibility [ ]
While being creative with color can greatly enhance the look of your wiki, it is important to remain mindful that not everyone perceives color in the same way. Keeping your wiki accessible to the colorblind, seeing-impaired, or disabled is also important.
Sharp contrasts can also be considered “hard on the eyes” and should be avoided. Two helpful sites are Contrast Checker and Link Contrast Checker.
References [ ]
- ↑HTML 4.01 Specification section 6.5 “Colors”
- ↑W3C TR CSS3 Color Module, SVG color keywords
- ↑W3C TR SVG 1.0, recognized color keyword names
- Web colors on Wikipedia, upon which this page was based on
- 4096 Color Wheel
- Color Names and Hue by Colblindor on Color-blindness website.
- The Do’s and Don’ts of Designing with Neon Colors
- Color Blindness & Web Design
- An overview of how contrast affects color choices on your wiki
- List of 1000 Colors with Names, Hex, RGB on The Colors meaning website.
- RGB and Hex code Color chart converting website
- Contrast color searcher on Scheme color website.
- Editing your wiki’s look with the Theme Designer
Chart of purple color names
A special color values: transparent can be used, synonym of transparent black ( #00000000 ).
Copied!
@startgantt [Activity1] lasts 5 days [Activity2] lasts 5 days [Activity1] is colored in White/Red [Activity2] is colored in Silver/SeaGreen [Activity1] -> [Activity2] @endgantt
Copied!
@startuml actor Bob #Red/Yellow actor Alice #FF0000/FFFF00 Alice -> Bob : hello @enduml
This uses Color Gradient, see next section. See also skinparam.
Color gradient
You can also use color gradient in background, with the following syntax: two colors names separated either by:
depending the direction of the gradient.
Automatic font color
The special value automatic can be used for font (text foreground) color. In that case, the color is either black or white, depending on the current background.
Copied!
@startuml skinparam classFontColor automatic skinparam classHeaderBackgroundColor #444 class classA < testMethodCode() >class classB #fff < testMethodCode() >@enduml
Color with preprocessing
You can manipulate color with Preprocessing, and the Builtin functions:
| Name | Description | Example | Return |
| %darken | Return a darken color of a given color with some ratio | %darken(“red”, 20) | #CC0000 |
| %is_dark | Check if a color is a dark one | %is_dark(“#000000”) | true |
| %is_light | Check if a color is a light one | %is_light(“#000000”) | false |
| %lighten | Return a lighten color of a given color with some ratio | %lighten(“red”, 20) | #CC3333 |
| %reverse_color | Reverse a color using RGB | %reverse_color(“#FF7700”) | #0088FF |
| %reverse_hsluv_color | Reverse a color using HSLuv | %reverse_hsluv_color(“#FF7700”) | #602800 |
View colors in PlantUML
A user has recently created an image to display all names colors used by PlantUML. (We thank him by the way!)
So a new feature has been added to print all those colors using a special diagram description:
Copied!
@startuml colors @enduml
It is also possible to print a palette of colors close to some other color (using its name or HEX value).
Copied!
@startuml colors chocolate @enduml
