Specifies a video attribute or color. In Progress Version 7
and later, the COLOR phrase is superseded by the FGCOLOR and BGCOLOR options
in graphical user interfaces and by the PFCOLOR and DCOLOR options
in character interfaces. The COLOR phrase is supported only for
backward compatibility.
Note: Does not apply to
SpeedScript programming.
Syntax
{ NORMAL
| INPUT
| MESSAGES
| protermcap-attribute
| dos-hex-attribute
| { [ BLINK- ] [ BRIGHT- ]
[ fgnd-color ] [ bgnd-color ]
}
| { [ BLINK- ] [ RVV- ] [ UNDERLINE- ] [ BRIGHT- ]
[ fgnd-color ]
}
| VALUE ( expression )
}
|
- NORMAL, INPUT, MESSAGES
- The three standard colors ABL uses for screen displays. ABL
uses NORMAL to display fields, INPUT to display input fields, and MESSAGES
to display items in the message area.
Following are the NORMAL
defaults:
- Windows — On a color monitor, the default
colors are a blue background and a white foreground. On a monochrome
monitor, the default colors are a standard background and foreground,
depending on the monitor.
- UNIX — The default colors are the normal display mode
of your terminal.
Following are the INPUT defaults:
- Windows — On a color monitor, the default colors are a
light gray background and a blue foreground. On a monochrome monitor,
the default underlines fields that require input.
- UNIX — The default colors depend on the type of terminal and
how INPUT is defined in the protermcap file, but it is usually underlining.
Following
are the MESSAGES defaults:
- Windows — On a color
monitor, the defaults are the same as for INPUT. On a monochrome
monitor, the default is reverse video.
- UNIX — The defaults depend on the type of terminal and how
MESSAGES is defined in the protermcap file, but it is usually reverse video.
(The protermcap file supplied with ABL supplies default attributes for
NORMAL, INPUT, and MESSAGES for all defined terminals.)
-
protermcap-attribute
- You use the protermcap-attribute option only if
you are using UNIX. This is the name assigned to the attribute in
the protermcap file (for example, RED, BLINK,
etc.). See OpenEdge Deployment: Managing ABL Applications for
a description of the protermcap file.
-
dos-hex-attribute
- A hex string with a value of 00 through FF.
- [ BLINK- ][ BRIGHT- ][ fgnd-color ][ bgnd-color ]
- Names specific colors you want to use for the screen foreground
and background. You use this option only if you are using Windows,
and usually only if you use a color monitor. The following table
lists the colors you can use for fgnd-color and bgnd-color.
Windows colorsColor |
Abbreviation |
Black |
Bla, Blk |
Blue |
Blu |
Green |
Gre, Grn |
Cyan |
C |
Red |
Red |
Magenta |
Ma |
Brown |
Bro, Brn |
Gray |
Gra, Gry |
Dark-Gray |
D-Gra |
Light-Blue |
Lt-Blu |
Light-Green |
Lt-Gre |
Light-Cyan |
Lt-C |
Light-Red |
Lt-Red |
Light-Magenta |
Lt-Ma |
Light-Brown |
Lt-Bro |
Yellow |
Y |
White |
W |
If fgnd-color is omitted,
then the system uses the foreground corresponding to NORMAL. If bgnd-color is
omitted, then the system uses the background corresponding to NORMAL.
If NORMAL, INPUT, or MESSAGES is specified for fgnd-color or bgnd-color, then
the system uses the foreground or background color of the specified standard
color.
-
[ BLINK- ][ RVV- ][ UNDERLINE- ][ BRIGHT- ][ fgnd-color ]
- Names specific attributes you want to use for the screen display.
Use this option only if you are using Windows, and usually only
if you use a monochrome monitor. Normally, you would never specify fgnd-color.
- VALUE ( expression )
- An expression with a value that results in one of the options
in the COLOR phrase.
Example
The
following procedure displays a random number of asterisks, in a random
color, column, and row in 10 different occurrences. The COLOR statement
displays the asterisks in one of the three colors stored in the
elements of the hilite array. The COLOR phrase in this example is
VALUE ( hilite[ RANDOM( 1,3 ) ]. The DISPLAY statement uses the
color determined in the COLOR statement to display a random number
of asterisks.
r-colphr.p
DEFINE VARIABLE hilite AS CHARACTER NO-UNDO EXTENT 3.
DEFINE VARIABLE loop AS INTEGER NO-UNDO.
hilite[1] = "NORMAL".
hilite[2] = "INPUT". /* attribute to highlight */
hilite[3] = "MESSAGES".
REPEAT WHILE loop <= 10:
FORM bar AS CHARACTER WITH ROW(RANDOM(3,17))
COLUMN(RANDOM(5,50)) NO-BOX NO-LABELS
FRAME bursts.
COLOR DISPLAY VALUE(hilite[RANDOM(1,3)]) bar
WITH FRAME bursts.
DISPLAY FILL("*",RANDOM(1,8)) @ bar WITH FRAME bursts.
PAUSE 1 NO-MESSAGE.
HIDE FRAME bursts NO-PAUSE.
loop = loop + 1.
END.
|
Notes
- For
an application to use this COLOR phrase, it must use the default
color table in the installed environment.
- The system ignores the color phrase entry for overlay frames
on spacetaking terminals.
- For more information on the protermcap file, see OpenEdge
Deployment: Managing ABL Applications.