Tip #7 - COLOR on *NIX systems

Screen color can be activated on Unix/XENIX systems with color monitors. It is only necessary to use the filePro color ansi termcap on a color monitor and add some default colors to the configuration editor and voila your screens are in living color. The screen editor in filePro does not yet have full color definition support but no one will ever know the difference.

Logged in as the system administrator (root), type:

cd /usr/bin

Change the script called "p" using your favorite editor. Add the lines shown below. These can be added selectively to a particular user's .profile, also.

The first line above has spaces which are significant in the following places:

if <space>[<space>"$TERM"<space>=<space>"ansi"<space>]

The configuration variables for color must also be added to the configuration file.

Select "? - filePro Directory" and then select <F6> and add the variables you wish to the list.

The following variables will display reasonable colors. The color code is expressed in HEX after 0x (zero x) on each line.

A list of the colors that can be used for foreground and background are listed in the quick reference guide for 4.1 or Page 22-7 4.0 New features. Or in the HELP displayed from the configuration editor. Select ?, F6, U, F10, then PAGE DOWN to the correct screen.

Sample environment color you can use to start.

pfdropshadow=on

PopupNormal=0x3f

PopupInverse=0x1f

MenuNormal=0x3f

MenuInverse=0x1F

HelpNormal=0x5f

HelpInverse=0x1f

ErrorNormal=0x8f

ErrorInverse=0x70

TextNormal=0x2b

TextInverse=0x1f

Have fun, make the colors your own and pleasant to your eyes.

This tip posted on September 3, 1997 by Nancy Palmquist. Your comments and suggestions are gratefully accepted. If no one is reading this, I will direct my efforts elsewhere, so let me know if you are finding this helpful. I will be looking for topics that can be covered in a page or two to use for future tips.