colour-coding

name	colour-coding
description	Oxidus true colour system reference. Consult when writing or modifying output strings that use colour codes, or when choosing colours for new content.

Oxidus Colour Code Reference

Oxidus uses a true colour system based on hexadecimal RGB values enclosed in double braces. It supports full 24-bit colour as well as the 256-colour ANSI palette.

Core files:

• adm/daemons/colour.lpc — colour daemon (COLOUR_D)
• adm/simul_efun/colour.lpc — simul_efun utilities (e.g., gradient_hex())
• include/colour.h — regex patterns and system colour constants
• cmds/std/colour.lpc — player colour command
• adm/simul_efun/string.lpc — colourp(), no_ansi()

Basic Syntax

Syntax	Purpose
{{RRGGBB}}	Foreground colour (6-digit hex)
{{RGB}}	Foreground colour (3-digit shorthand)
^^RRGGBB^^	Background colour (6-digit hex)
^^RGB^^	Background colour (3-digit shorthand)
{{res}} or {{RES}}	Reset all formatting and colour to default

Examples:

• {{FF0000}} — red foreground
• {{F00}} — red foreground (shorthand)
• ^^0000FF^^ — blue background
• ^^00F^^ — blue background (shorthand)
• {{FFFFFF}}^^FF0000^^ — white text on red background

Unlike Pinkfish-style codes, you do not need to reset between colour changes — the system simply switches colours. Use {{res}} when you want to return to default. {{res}} resets both foreground and background.

Text Formatting Codes

Formatting attributes use {{XY}} where X is the attribute and Y is 1 (on) or 0 (off):

Code	Function
{{bl0}} / {{bl1}}	Bold off / on
{{di0}} / {{di1}}	Dim off / on
{{it0}} / {{it1}}	Italic off / on
{{ul0}} / {{ul1}}	Underline off / on
{{fl0}} / {{fl1}}	Flash/blink off / on
{{re0}} / {{re1}}	Reverse video off / on
{{st0}} / {{st1}}	Strikethrough off / on
{{ol0}} / {{ol1}}	Overline off / on

System Colour Constants

Defined in include/colour.h for consistent use across game systems:

Constant	Hex	Colour	Use
SYSTEM_OK	{{009966}}	Green	Success messages
SYSTEM_ERROR	{{CC0000}}	Red	Error messages
SYSTEM_WARNING	{{FF9900}}	Orange	Warning messages
SYSTEM_INFO	{{FFFF66}}	Yellow	Informational messages
SYSTEM_QUERY	{{0066FF}}	Blue	Query/prompt messages
SYSTEM_DEBUG	{{CC00CC}}	Magenta	Debug messages

ANSI Escape Sequences

The colour daemon converts hex codes to 24-bit true colour ANSI sequences:

• Foreground: \e[38;2;R;G;Bm (from {{RRGGBB}})
• Background: \e[48;2;R;G;Bm (from ^^RRGGBB^^)

For example, {{FF0000}} becomes \e[38;2;255;0;0m and ^^0000FF^^ becomes \e[48;2;0;0;255m.

Daemon Functions

Key public functions on COLOUR_D:

Function	Purpose
substituteColour(text, mode)	Parse and replace colour codes. Mode "on" converts to ANSI, "plain"/"off" strips them
hexToRgb(hex)	Convert hex string to ({ r, g, b }) array
rgbToHex(rgb)	Convert ({ r, g, b }) array to hex string
rgbToSequence(rgb, mode)	Convert RGB to ANSI escape sequence
hextToSequence(hex, mode)	Convert hex to ANSI escape sequence
colourToRgb(code)	Convert 256-colour code to RGB array
rgbToColour(r, g, b)	Convert RGB to 256-colour code
colourToGreyscale(code)	Convert colour to greyscale
wrap(str, wrap_at, indent_at)	Text wrapping that preserves colour
get_colour_list()	Display all available colours

Simul_efun Functions

Function	Location	Purpose
gradient_hex(hex, step)	adm/simul_efun/colour.lpc	Create colour gradients
colourp(str)	adm/simul_efun/string.lpc	Check if string contains colour codes
no_ansi(str)	adm/simul_efun/string.lpc	Strip all colour codes (uses substituteColour(str, "plain"))

Accessibility

• Luminance checking — getLuminance() and getAccessibleLuminanceMultiplier() ensure minimum readability
• Dark colour substitution — substituteTooDark() brightens colours below readability threshold
• Greyscale conversion — colourToGreyscale() for accessibility needs

User Preferences

Players can configure:

• colour — "on" or "off" to enable/disable colours
• highlight_colour — preferred highlight colour
• highlight — "on" or "off" for keyword highlighting
• combat_hit_colour — colour for combat hit messages
• combat_miss_colour — colour for combat miss messages

Usage Examples

// Simple coloured short description
set_short("a {{fc3}}massive hammer{{res}}");

// 3-digit and 6-digit hex in descriptions
set_short("A little {{070}}green dragon{{RES}}");
set_long("Its scales shimmer with {{0F0}}emerald green light{{RES}}.");

// Background colours
tell(caller, "^^FF0000^^{{FFFFFF}} WARNING {{res}}");  // white on red
tell(caller, "^^003366^^{{FFCC00}}highlighted text{{res}}");

// Combined foreground and background
set_short("a {{FFFFFF}}^^CC0000^^danger sign{{res}}");

// Using system constants
printf("%sError: %s%s\n", SYSTEM_ERROR, message, "{{res}}");

// Dynamic colour building
colour = "{{" + hex_value + "}}";
bg_colour = "^^" + hex_value + "^^";