Bug 179973

Summary: Wish: Tool to select specific item to change its colour
Product: [Applications] systemsettings Reporter: Jeffrey <eljefedelito>
Component: kcm_colorsAssignee: Matthew Woehlke <mwoehlke.floss>
Status: RESOLVED INTENTIONAL    
Severity: wishlist CC: kde-2011.08
Priority: NOR    
Version: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Debian testing   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Jeffrey 2009-01-07 23:42:47 UTC 
Version:            (using KDE 4.1.3)
OS:                Linux
Installed from:    Debian testing/unstable Packages

There are a lot of options for changing colours, but if I want to change (say) the scroll bar, how do I know what one to pick?  Especially since different themes use these colours differently.

I'd love for there to be a tool which acts like this:
1. Click the tool; mouse cursor changes to a brush or colourwheel or something
2. Use this new cursor to click the item (on ANY kde app) that is the colour that you want to change
3. Colour Settings then highlights the appropriate colour in the list and opens the colour picker dialog for that item.

I wanted to change my scrollbars and the background of Kopete away from a previous green theme to a custom theme, but I've not found which colour from the list affected either of these.  I've eventually changed them all but that is not a good way to do it.

I am not entirely certain that this is even possible.  But it would be great.

Thanks a lot, KDE people, you rock hard all the time!
Comment 1 Christoph Feck 2009-07-30 16:39:33 UTC 
To quote you, "Especially since different themes use these colours differently". This means your request is impossible to solve for the colors KCM, since it does not know how the style uses the palette colors. Color configuration would have to be part of the style's configuration.
Comment 2 Jeffrey 2009-07-30 16:58:04 UTC 
I was hoping for something that would look 'behind the scenes' to see what is being used.  Maybe it's just not possible.
Comment 3 Matthew Woehlke 2009-07-30 18:08:39 UTC 
I think this is an interesting idea, but I also believe it is not possible to implement in a way that would be satisfactory. Besides that I believe it is not technically possible at the moment, I can see where one can argue this feature is only half-baked unless you can click on text in kate, or a window running over remote X.

Sorry.

(That said, if someone comes up with a brilliant patch, I'd be happy to have a look...)
Comment 4 Christoph Feck 2010-01-18 01:56:46 UTC 
*** Bug 222936 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***