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RE: Background Colors in The Format Menu

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg42863] RE: [mg42821] Background Colors in The Format Menu
• From: "David Park" <djmp at earthlink.net>
• Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 19:31:51 -0400 (EDT)
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Thanks John,

I like the second method because then I don't have to update the
MenuSetup.tr file with each Mathematica update. Also it is much nicer not to
change system files.

Now, where do we find things like AddMenuCommands documented? And was the
GraphicsColors folder just a convenient pigeon hole, or is it a neccessity?

David Park
djmp at earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~djmp/

-----Original Message-----
From: John Fultz [mailto:jfultz at wolfram.com]
To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
Subject: [mg42863] Re: [mg42821] Background Colors in The Format Menu


Nice suggestion.  If I may expand upon it...here's another way of doing
this that doesn't involve editing your MenuSetup.tr.  Evaluate the
following command:

LinkWrite[$ParentLink,
  AddMenuCommands[
    "BackgroundDialog", {Delimiter,
      Item["L&inen", Background -> RGBColor[0.980, 0.941, 0.902]],
      Item["A&liceBlue", Background -> RGBColor[0.941, 0.973, 1.0]],
      Item["Min&tCream", Background -> RGBColor[0.961, 1.0, 0.980]],
      Item["Lig&htYellow", Background -> RGBColor[1.0, 1.0, 0.878]],
      Item["Smok&e", Background -> RGBColor[0.961, 0.961, 0.961]],
      Item["Mi&styRose", Background -> RGBColor[1.0, 0.894, 0.882]]}]]


Or another way...

In the AddOns Autoload directory (either $TopDirectory/AddOns/Autoload or
$AddOnsDirectory/Autoload) create the subdirectory
GraphicsColors/FrontEnd.  In that subdirectory, create the file init.m
which contains the following:

AddMenuCommands["BackgroundDialog", {Delimiter,
    Item["L&inen", Background -> RGBColor[0.980, 0.941, 0.902]],
    Item["A&liceBlue", Background -> RGBColor[0.941, 0.973, 1.0]],
    Item["Min&tCream", Background -> RGBColor[0.961, 1.0, 0.980]],
    Item["Lig&htYellow", Background -> RGBColor[1.0, 1.0, 0.878]],
    Item["Smok&e", Background -> RGBColor[0.961, 0.961, 0.961]],
    Item["Mi&styRose", Background -> RGBColor[1.0, 0.894, 0.882]]}]

and restart Mathematica.

Additionally, I would suggest that if you're not running Windows, you
remove the ampersands (&) from the above menu items.

Sincerely,

John Fultz
jfultz at wolfram.com
User Interface Group
Wolfram Research, Inc.


On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 04:07:56 -0400 (EDT), David Park wrote:
>Dear MathGroup,
>
>I have always disliked the choice of background colors in the Format
>menu. I think they are generally too dark, too saturated, or too dull.
>While it is possible to choose Other and then use the color selector to
>set the color, I observe that most people stay with the main choices. If
>you would like some pastel colors to use as cell backgrounds, paste the
>following code in the
>
>SystemFiles\FrontEnd\TextResources\Windows\MenuSetup.tr file.
>
>(I suppose it is in some other place on other operating systems.)
>
>First copy and save the MenuSetup.tr under a different name so that you
>can recover if necessary.
>
>Then open MenuSetup.tr, scroll down and replace the Menu["Back&ground
>Color",...] section with the following code.

>Menu["Back&ground Color",
>        {
>            Item["&Cell Gray Box", "ToggleGrayBox"],
>            Delimiter,
>            Item["&None", Background->None],
>            Item["Inherite&d", Background->Inherited],
>            Delimiter,
>            Item["L&inen", Background->RGBColor[0.980,0.941,0.902]],
>            Item["A&liceBlue", Background->RGBColor[0.941,0.973,1.0]],
>            Item["Min&tCream", Background->RGBColor[0.961,1.0,0.980]],
>            Item["Lig&htYellow", Background->RGBColor[1.0,1.0,0.878]],
>            Item["Smok&e", Background->RGBColor[0.961,0.961,0.961]],
>            Item["Mi&styRose", Background->RGBColor[1.0,0.894,0.882]],
>            Delimiter,
>            Item["Blac&k", Background->GrayLevel[0]],
>            Item["&White", Background->GrayLevel[1]],
>            Item["&10% Gray", Background->GrayLevel[0.1]],
>            Item["&33% Gray", Background->GrayLevel[0.3333333]],
>            Item["&50% Gray", Background->GrayLevel[0.5]],
>            Item["&66% Gray", Background->GrayLevel[0.6666666]],
>            Item["&90% Gray", Background->GrayLevel[0.9]],
>            Item["&Red", Background->RGBColor[1, 0, 0]],
>            Item["&Green", Background->RGBColor[0, 1, 0]],
>            Item["&Blue", Background->RGBColor[0, 0, 1]],
>            Item["C&yan", Background->RGBColor[0, 1, 1]],
>            Item["&Magenta", Background->RGBColor[1, 0, 1]],
>            Item["Yello&w", Background->RGBColor[1, 1, 0]],
>            Delimiter,
>            Item["&Other...", "BackgroundDialog"]
>        }]
>
>Then when you restart Mathematica you will have a better choice of
>background colors.
>
>David Park
>djmp at earthlink.net
>http://home.earthlink.net/~djmp/