Bug 157726

Summary: capability to import KDE3 color schemes
Product: [Applications] systemsettings Reporter: Rafał Rzepecki <divided.mind>
Component: kcm_colorsAssignee: Matthew Woehlke <mwoehlke.floss>
Status: RESOLVED FIXED    
Severity: wishlist CC: angel_blue_co2004, tyrerj
Priority: NOR    
Version: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Gentoo Packages   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Attachments: PATCH made from MW's SVN commit
Test KDE4 color scheme
patch generated without -w

Description Rafał Rzepecki 2008-02-12 15:11:27 UTC
Version:            (using KDE 4.0.1)
Installed from:    Gentoo Packages
Compiler:          i686-pc-linux-gnu-gcc
OS:                Linux (i686) release 2.6.24-gentoo

It would be great if there would be a capability to import KDE3 color schemes. The missing ones should be chosen sane defaults, based on the other ones. (Extending that, perhaps a dialog should be shown where those guesses would be explained.)

That would not only give users a chance to migrate their work environment more seamlessly, but also developers to test if some color-related bugs are still up in KDE4.
Comment 1 Matthew Woehlke 2008-02-13 18:17:20 UTC
My next goal for the kcm is automated setting of extra color roles based on the colors in "Common Colors" (perhaps including setting the extra foregrounds therein from the 'normal' roles). This needs to be done to improve user experience creating new color schemes, but will also allow much better results where a KDE3 importer would have to guess colors. Once this happens, writing an importer should be quite do-able.

> but also developers to test if some color-related bugs are still up in KDE4.

I'm not sure I follow you here; there are already quite a few color schemes in KDE4, including a medium-gray and light-on-dark in kdebase (there are even more from kdeartwork and kdeaccessibility). How does being able to import KDE3 schemes help "to test if some color-related bugs are still up in KDE4"?
Comment 2 Angel Blue01 2009-03-04 21:41:47 UTC
There are so many nice KDE3 color schemes, but they can't be used in KDE4. Please do provide an import option/converter.
Comment 3 Rafał Rzepecki 2009-03-08 20:02:00 UTC
Matthew, replying (I admit, a little late, but they say that it's better late than never ;) ) to your comment #1: I just run into a bug where it needed a very specific (non-default) colorscheme to manifest and the colorscheme was there attached.

While it's true that the transformation an importer applies could make the bug appear fixed, it'd still be a tremendous help when going over old bugs to be able to just import and mark eg. WORKSFORME if it's not there anymore. OTOH perhaps there aren't really many bugs where this would help; but anyways, an importer would be a nice thing to have.

Also, any news on the framework you described?
Comment 4 Matthew Woehlke 2009-07-16 00:17:05 UTC
SVN commit 997517 by mwoehlke:

color kcm: Support KDE3 scheme import.

This is a bit hackish because KDE4 schemes are considerably different from KDE3 schemes. It's not likely to get better, except that drives signals for setting via "Common Colors", so any future changes to auto-fill colors from setting only the "Common Colors" (something long on my TO-DO list) will help out here as well.

BUG: 157726


 M  +58 -3     colorscm.cpp  


WebSVN link: http://websvn.kde.org/?view=rev&revision=997517
Comment 5 Matthew Woehlke 2009-07-16 00:20:10 UTC
Before anyone asks, this will appear in 4.4. It will not be backported to 4.3 (unless, perhaps, you ask your distro very nicely) because it adds strings that would need translation.
Comment 6 James Richard Tyrer 2009-07-18 22:03:05 UTC
I see this as only partially fixed.
Comment 7 James Richard Tyrer 2009-07-18 22:17:26 UTC
Created attachment 35447 [details]
PATCH made from MW's SVN commit
Comment 8 James Richard Tyrer 2009-07-18 22:20:08 UTC
Created attachment 35448 [details]
Test KDE4 color scheme

If you select this color scheme before importing a KDE3 color scheme, you can see what wasn't done -- it will still be Magenta.
Comment 9 Matthew Woehlke 2009-07-20 18:29:34 UTC
Created attachment 35487 [details]
patch generated without -w
Comment 10 Matthew Woehlke 2009-07-20 19:05:31 UTC
> I see this as only partially fixed.
> 
> If you select this color scheme before importing a KDE3 color scheme, you can
> see what wasn't done -- it will still be Magenta.

That's as expected; the code pulls over the KDE3 colors (plus some limited guesses), but most of the KDE4 colors that didn't exist in KDE3 are left alone. Hence the big fat warning message.

Trying to "guess" colors for the remaining text roles is not trivial (especially in the corner cases). And I'm still unconvinced it isn't better done by hand, especially considering there are variables (e.g. color blindness) that cannot be easily addressed via code.

(Some of the others - alternate background, in particular - are easier, but - as stated in the commit - need to be addressed for scheme building in general.)