Choosing Colors for CLI Applications: Testing Across Different Terminal Themes
By
kruuuder
A baker's-dozen of insight crammed into one ring.
Summary
The article discusses the challenges of choosing colors for CLI applications that display syntax-highlighted source code, emphasizing that colors that look good in one terminal theme may not work well in others. It demonstrates this by testing color schemes across different terminal themes including macOS Terminal.app default, Tango themes (Ubuntu default), and the popular Solarized theme, showing how the same colors can appear drastically different and sometimes problematic across various environments.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledLet's say you're creating a CLI tool which has to display syntax highlighted source code.
You begin by choosing some colors which look nice with your chosen terminal theme: Nice!
However, who knows if it'll still look good for people who use a theme different to yours?
It seems sensible to try out the defaults, at least.
Finally, let's try what is likely the most popular custom terminal theme – Solarized: Well then …
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