Feature Request: Hex color input available in plugins color wheel

[Donna Fontenot]

In the main paint.net Color tool, if you click on the More button, you can use Hex color values if you prefer (and as a web person, I always do). It would be really great if the Hex value field would be available in the plugin color controls as well. The built-in color wheel control for plugins does not allow for hex input, but it would be awesome if it would.

 

[Red ochre]

The colorwheel in the plugin U.I. starts off using the Primary color, so setting this with a hex value before running the plugin may be a work around?

[BoltBait]

Red, that's true of plugins written with CodeLab: The first colorwheel defaults to the primary color and the second defaults to the secondary color. This can be overridden in code, of course. For example, my bevel plugin defaults to White and Black.

But, I agree with the OP. I'd like to see some enhancements to the built-in color wheel control like the ability to enter hex values, hsv values, and perhaps the alpha level of the color.

[Donna Fontenot]

Yeah, starting off with the primary color before using a plugin is a sort of workaround, but my mind thinks in hex rather than rgb, so it would be nice to just use hex while in a plugin's colorwheel. I often try this color and then that color and then another color, but all of them are hex values in my mind. Example: Maybe I want to use my standard #dddddd gray color for a shadow but then decide maybe #333333 would be better against this particular object. Those numbers mean something to me. I know what they look like in my head. I'd love to just drop them into a field (or a client's logo color that I have memorized), and try various things while in the plugin's color wheel area. Since it's already in the main color wheel, seems like a natural extension to include it in the plugin control. I can live without it, but it would be awesome if it was there.

[Red ochre]

Yes, I agree, access to the 'more' inputs from within a plugin would be ideal.

Including the alpha would make the U.I. neater in some of my plugins too. (too much hassle to write custom U.I.s    )
Also, it is good that the last used color is 'remembered' by a plugin within one session, however that is a drawback if you want it to take the Primary color value - perhaps a 'reset to Primary color' button too?
If Donna is working with a number of pre-defined colors it may be useful for the plugin to access a palette file as the colors window can?

[midora]

Including the alpha would make the U.I. neater in some of my plugins too. (too much hassle to write custom U.I.s    )

 

But you could use the OptionBasedEffect class of the OptionBasedLibrary. There is not a big difference to PropertyBasedEffects. I.e. have a look to the Colors Tab of the 'Parallel Lines and Patterns' plugin. The following code:

new OptionEnumRadioButtons<ColorStrokeLinesSourceEnum>(OptionNames.ColorStrokeLinesSource, optContext, ColorStrokeLinesSourceEnum.Primary)
{
    Columns = 3,
},
new OptionColorWheel(OptionNames.ColorStrokeLinesCustom, optContext, Color.Black, true),

creates this:

 

 

So the user may

- choose between Primary and a custom color

- access the alpha channel

- access a color palette

 

BTW: If the developer does not allow alpha then the space in the control is used to show a hex input box

 

Edited December 25, 2014 by midora

[Red ochre]

Thanks for the tip and code example Midora.
I do like your 'PLAP' color tab and will investigate your OptionBasedEffect class when I next write a relevant Effect.

[TechnoRobbo]

This is a possible solution for controls built in Visual Studio

 

http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/31390-hex-color-wheel/?p=421701