The OS/2 API Project

System Colours

System Colours

Dean Roddey - droddey@jagunet.com
SYSCLR_SHADOWHILITEBGND
SYSCLR_SHADOWHILITEFGND These values drive the colors of the text of a WPS Shadow icon when it is 'hilited' i.e., it is the selected WPS object. The foreground color drives the text and the background drives the background color of the text.
SYSCLR_SHADOWTEXT This value drives the foreground of the text of a WPS Shadow icon when it is not the 'hilited' object, i.e. some other object has the selected emphasis.
SYSCLR_ENTRYFIELD This value is kind of overloaded. It controls the background of an entryfield control, as the name would suggest. But is also controls the backgrounds of list boxes and MLEs.
SYSCLR_MENUDISABLEDTEXT As the name would suggest, the foreground color of the text in disabled menu entries is controlled by this value.
SYSCLR_MENUHILITE
SYSCLR_MENUHILITEBGND These values control the foreground and background colors of the text of menu items that are 'depressed', i.e. the one that you've moved the selection to via the keyboard or the submenu item that's depressed when you drop down its submenu. It does not affect disabled menu items.
SYSCLR_PAGEBACKGROUND This value controls the background of notebook pages, but usually this seems to be overridden by pres params.
SYSCLR_FIELDBACKGROUND This value controls the color of the shaft of scroll bars that are disabled because there is not enough data to need them. It is also used as the background color of the frames that WPS settings dialogs are in. It is also used to color that little leftover square at the bottom right of list boxes when they have a horizontal scroll bar.
SYSCLR_BUTTONDARK
SYSCLR_BUTTONLIGHT These values are used to drive the 3D look of controls when they want to do a raised or sunken look. Frame size borders, menus, scroll bars, system menus, disabled title bars, buttons, entry fields, spin boxes, group boxes, and MLEs all use these colors for this purpose. On MLE's, which use two interwoven boxes around them (of different colors) to achieve a sunken look, this controls the color that's usually the lighter color.
SYSCLR_BUTTONMIDDLE This value is often used on the inside of any area that is surrounded by a 3D effect caused by the previous two values. For instance, the middle of the thumb slider on scroll bars and the middle of buttons.
SYSCLR_BUTTONDEFAULT This value is used to control the color of the 'default pushbutton emphasis.' You will notice that a DEFPUSHBUTTON has an extra (usually black) border around it and this border moves to the button that currently has the focus. The color of this extra border is controlled by this value. If you tab such that a non-pushbutton has the focus, the dialog code will find the first push button that has the DEFBUTTON style and put the default emphasis back on it.
SYSCLR_TITLEBOTTOM When a frame is activated, its title bar paints itself in the activated mode. When it paints in this way, it will draw a line of this color along its bottom border to separate it from the menu or client area.
SYSCLR_ICONTEXT This value drives the color of the text in the task list. It also drives the color of the title text in container windows.
SYSCLR_DIALOGBACKGROUND This value is used to color the client area of dialogs, which have no client window. It colors the background of the toolbar and the backgrounds of WPS settings dialogs.
SYSCLR_HILITEFOREGROUND
SYSCLR_HILITEBACKGROUND These values drive the color of the text in any non-disabled, hilited text. So if you drop down a menu, or select some text in an entry field, or select an item in a list box or container, these will control the colors used. Strangely it does not appear to color the selected text of an MLE. These also control the text drawn under non-shadow WPS icons, when they are selected, i.e. you click on them and put the selection emphasis on them. The foreground color drives the text foregroun. The background color drives the block of color that the WPS draws behind the icon to indicate that it is selected. If the icon is also active, then this color is just cross hatched.
SYSCLR_INACTIVETITLETEXTBGND
SYSCLR_ACTIVETITLETEXTBGND These values drive the color used to draw the text of the titlebars of active or inactive frame windows. The background just affects the background of the text itself, it is not the color used to fill the title bar.
SYSCLR_INACTIVETITLETEXT
SYSCLR_ACTIVETITLETEXT Cousins of the previous two values, these control the foreground color of the text of active and inactive title bars.
SYSCLR_OUTPUTTEXT This value drives the foreground color of unselected text in entry fields.
SYSCLR_WINDOWSTATICTEXT As the name would suggest, this value drives the foreground color of text in static controls such as static text and group boxes.
SYSCLR_SCROLLBAR This value drives the background color of the shafts of enabled scroll bars.
SYSCLR_BACKGROUND This value drives the default background color of the desktop.
SYSCLR_ACTIVETITLE
SYSCLR_INACTIVETITLE These values drive the background color used to fill in the titlebars of active and inactive frames. For dialog borders, this color also is used to draw the border of the dialog.
SYSCLR_MENU This value drives the background color of menus, except for the 'depressed' menu items that are clicked on, or keyboarded to, or submenu items whose sub menus are dropped down.
SYSCLR_WINDOW This color is generally used to color the backgrounds of user windows or non-dialog frames that have no client window. It is also used as the disabled background color of the arrow buttons on notebook windows and the background color of containers. Like SYSCLR_FIELDBACKGROUND, discussed above, it also seems to drive the color of that little blank area at the bottom right of list boxes that have a horizontal scroll bar. It controls the color of SS_BKGNDFRAME style static windows.
SYSCLR_WINDOWFRAME This value drives a couple of things. Drop down and popup menus use it as their border. It is also used by buttons and list boxes on their left and bottom sides, in conjuction with the 3D colors discussed above, to provide contrast in case they are placed on a window that has a background color similar to their 'light' 3D color. This avoids having the 3D color just blend into the background and look bad. Pushbuttons draw a single pixel all the way around the button in this color, then do the 3D effect inside of it. The default pushbutton emphasis is done outside of this border. This color is drawn around the outside of a frame with a dialog border. When a dialog border is not active, a single pixel of this color is used as the border. Thin dialog borders are always drawn using this color, whether active or not. On MLE's, which use two interwoven boxes around them (of different colors) to achieve a sunken look, this controls the color that's usually the darker color. In details mode containers, this controls the color of the horizontal and vertical separator lines. It controls the color of SS_FGNDFRAME type static windows.
SYSCLR_MENUTEXT This value drives the foreground color of the text in menus. Only menu items that are not depressed or disabled are affected by this values. This value also controls the foreground color of the text in buttons, whether enabled or disabled.
SYSCLR_WINDOWTEXT This value drives the foreground color of the text in most of the standard controls. In listboxes, it colors the text of the non-selected items. In entry fields, spinboxes, and MLEs, it colors the text when its not selected. It is used by the 'page text' on the pages of a notebook control.
SYSCLR_TITLETEXT The docs say it colors title bars, size box, and and scroll bar arrow boxes, but it does not seem to as far as I can tell.
SYSCLR_ACTIVEBORDER
SYSCLR_INACTIVE These values drive the color of the center part of an active or inactive frame's sizing border, usually a pale yellow and gray, respectively. The outside colors of these borders are driven by other colors in order to make them look 3D. It does not affect dialog or thin borders.
SYSCLR_APPWORKSPACE This value is often used to drive the color of the client areas of windows that implement a 'multi- document interface', i.e. they have a number of child frames within themselves.
SYSCLR_HELPBACKGROUND This value drives the background color of the help panels displayed by OS/2's online help system.
SYSCLR_HELPTEXT This value drives the foreground color of the text displayed in the help panels of OS/2's online help system. It only controls text that is not colored specifically by the help author or which is a hyperlink.
SYSCLR_HELPHILITE This value drives the foreground color of hyperlink text in the OS/2 online help system.

**System Colours**
Dean Roddey - droddey@jagunet.com
SYSCLR_SHADOWHILITEBGND SYSCLR_SHADOWHILITEFGND	These values drive the colors of the text of a WPS Shadow icon when it is 'hilited' i.e., it is the selected WPS object. The foreground color drives the text and the background drives the background color of the text.
SYSCLR_SHADOWTEXT	This value drives the foreground of the text of a WPS Shadow icon when it is not the 'hilited' object, i.e. some other object has the selected emphasis.
SYSCLR_ENTRYFIELD	This value is kind of overloaded. It controls the background of an entryfield control, as the name would suggest. But is also controls the backgrounds of list boxes and MLEs.
SYSCLR_MENUDISABLEDTEXT	As the name would suggest, the foreground color of the text in disabled menu entries is controlled by this value.
SYSCLR_MENUHILITE SYSCLR_MENUHILITEBGND	These values control the foreground and background colors of the text of menu items that are 'depressed', i.e. the one that you've moved the selection to via the keyboard or the submenu item that's depressed when you drop down its submenu. It does not affect disabled menu items.
SYSCLR_PAGEBACKGROUND	This value controls the background of notebook pages, but usually this seems to be overridden by pres params.
SYSCLR_FIELDBACKGROUND	This value controls the color of the shaft of scroll bars that are disabled because there is not enough data to need them. It is also used as the background color of the frames that WPS settings dialogs are in. It is also used to color that little leftover square at the bottom right of list boxes when they have a horizontal scroll bar.
SYSCLR_BUTTONDARK SYSCLR_BUTTONLIGHT	These values are used to drive the 3D look of controls when they want to do a raised or sunken look. Frame size borders, menus, scroll bars, system menus, disabled title bars, buttons, entry fields, spin boxes, group boxes, and MLEs all use these colors for this purpose. On MLE's, which use two interwoven boxes around them (of different colors) to achieve a sunken look, this controls the color that's usually the lighter color.
SYSCLR_BUTTONMIDDLE	This value is often used on the inside of any area that is surrounded by a 3D effect caused by the previous two values. For instance, the middle of the thumb slider on scroll bars and the middle of buttons.
SYSCLR_BUTTONDEFAULT	This value is used to control the color of the 'default pushbutton emphasis.' You will notice that a DEFPUSHBUTTON has an extra (usually black) border around it and this border moves to the button that currently has the focus. The color of this extra border is controlled by this value. If you tab such that a non-pushbutton has the focus, the dialog code will find the first push button that has the DEFBUTTON style and put the default emphasis back on it.
SYSCLR_TITLEBOTTOM	When a frame is activated, its title bar paints itself in the activated mode. When it paints in this way, it will draw a line of this color along its bottom border to separate it from the menu or client area.
SYSCLR_ICONTEXT	This value drives the color of the text in the task list. It also drives the color of the title text in container windows.
SYSCLR_DIALOGBACKGROUND	This value is used to color the client area of dialogs, which have no client window. It colors the background of the toolbar and the backgrounds of WPS settings dialogs.
SYSCLR_HILITEFOREGROUND SYSCLR_HILITEBACKGROUND	These values drive the color of the text in any non-disabled, hilited text. So if you drop down a menu, or select some text in an entry field, or select an item in a list box or container, these will control the colors used. Strangely it does not appear to color the selected text of an MLE. These also control the text drawn under non-shadow WPS icons, when they are selected, i.e. you click on them and put the selection emphasis on them. The foreground color drives the text foregroun. The background color drives the block of color that the WPS draws behind the icon to indicate that it is selected. If the icon is also active, then this color is just cross hatched.
SYSCLR_INACTIVETITLETEXTBGND SYSCLR_ACTIVETITLETEXTBGND	These values drive the color used to draw the text of the titlebars of active or inactive frame windows. The background just affects the background of the text itself, it is not the color used to fill the title bar.
SYSCLR_INACTIVETITLETEXT SYSCLR_ACTIVETITLETEXT	Cousins of the previous two values, these control the foreground color of the text of active and inactive title bars.
SYSCLR_OUTPUTTEXT	This value drives the foreground color of unselected text in entry fields.
SYSCLR_WINDOWSTATICTEXT	As the name would suggest, this value drives the foreground color of text in static controls such as static text and group boxes.
SYSCLR_SCROLLBAR	This value drives the background color of the shafts of enabled scroll bars.
SYSCLR_BACKGROUND	This value drives the default background color of the desktop.
SYSCLR_ACTIVETITLE SYSCLR_INACTIVETITLE	These values drive the background color used to fill in the titlebars of active and inactive frames. For dialog borders, this color also is used to draw the border of the dialog.
SYSCLR_MENU	This value drives the background color of menus, except for the 'depressed' menu items that are clicked on, or keyboarded to, or submenu items whose sub menus are dropped down.
SYSCLR_WINDOW	This color is generally used to color the backgrounds of user windows or non-dialog frames that have no client window. It is also used as the disabled background color of the arrow buttons on notebook windows and the background color of containers. Like SYSCLR_FIELDBACKGROUND, discussed above, it also seems to drive the color of that little blank area at the bottom right of list boxes that have a horizontal scroll bar. It controls the color of SS_BKGNDFRAME style static windows.
SYSCLR_WINDOWFRAME	This value drives a couple of things. Drop down and popup menus use it as their border. It is also used by buttons and list boxes on their left and bottom sides, in conjuction with the 3D colors discussed above, to provide contrast in case they are placed on a window that has a background color similar to their 'light' 3D color. This avoids having the 3D color just blend into the background and look bad. Pushbuttons draw a single pixel all the way around the button in this color, then do the 3D effect inside of it. The default pushbutton emphasis is done outside of this border. This color is drawn around the outside of a frame with a dialog border. When a dialog border is not active, a single pixel of this color is used as the border. Thin dialog borders are always drawn using this color, whether active or not. On MLE's, which use two interwoven boxes around them (of different colors) to achieve a sunken look, this controls the color that's usually the darker color. In details mode containers, this controls the color of the horizontal and vertical separator lines. It controls the color of SS_FGNDFRAME type static windows.
SYSCLR_MENUTEXT	This value drives the foreground color of the text in menus. Only menu items that are not depressed or disabled are affected by this values. This value also controls the foreground color of the text in buttons, whether enabled or disabled.
SYSCLR_WINDOWTEXT	This value drives the foreground color of the text in most of the standard controls. In listboxes, it colors the text of the non-selected items. In entry fields, spinboxes, and MLEs, it colors the text when its not selected. It is used by the 'page text' on the pages of a notebook control.
SYSCLR_TITLETEXT	The docs say it colors title bars, size box, and and scroll bar arrow boxes, but it does not seem to as far as I can tell.
SYSCLR_ACTIVEBORDER SYSCLR_INACTIVE	These values drive the color of the center part of an active or inactive frame's sizing border, usually a pale yellow and gray, respectively. The outside colors of these borders are driven by other colors in order to make them look 3D. It does not affect dialog or thin borders.
SYSCLR_APPWORKSPACE	This value is often used to drive the color of the client areas of windows that implement a 'multi- document interface', i.e. they have a number of child frames within themselves.
SYSCLR_HELPBACKGROUND	This value drives the background color of the help panels displayed by OS/2's online help system.
SYSCLR_HELPTEXT	This value drives the foreground color of the text displayed in the help panels of OS/2's online help system. It only controls text that is not colored specifically by the help author or which is a hyperlink.
SYSCLR_HELPHILITE	This value drives the foreground color of hyperlink text in the OS/2 online help system.

Additions

Last modified March 7/1996
Please send all errors, comments, and suggestions to: timur@vnet.ibm.com