Change Color Contrast On Magenta (Console Color)

[Tzadiko]

Description
I use the monero-wallet-cli, and I have trouble reading a lot of the information, simply because the colors do not have enough contrast. For example, you can see here that the magenta blends in with the background.

Even my non-colorblind friend has a hard time reading this.

I looked at the API and noticed that there are better colors that can be used. For example, all these color values would be preferred over the current color scheme.

Have a look at the spent transation.

Before

After

[selsta]

Would it be easier to just change the low contrast colors instead of adding a flag?

[Tzadiko]

Would it be easier to just change the low contrast colors instead of adding a flag?

Im open to it, I just don't know how others would feel about changing the existing colors, so I figured I'd fit a 'high contrast' color mode in. I'd like more people to chime in before I commit to continuing this change. Some more spots where I want to integrate the IMessageWriter.

[monerobby]

As a color blind user I can say I would most likely not remember to or be too lazy to type the flag relative to just struggling through. Therefore, I vote to just change the low contrast colors.

…

On Mar 13, 2025, at 4:33 PM, Tzadiko ***@***.***> wrote: Tzadiko left a comment (monero-project/monero#9831) Would it be easier to just change the low contrast colors instead of adding a flag? Im open to it, I just don't know how others would feel about changing the existing colors, so I figured I'd fit a 'high contrast' color mode in. I'd like more people to chime in before I commit to continuing this change. Some more spots where I want to integrate the IMessageWriter. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. <#9831 (comment)> <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAAUIMIT5GD32JEKGSGCKET2UIITZAVCNFSM6AAAAABY5FF3JOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDOMRSHEZDENRWGQ> Tzadiko left a comment (monero-project/monero#9831) <#9831 (comment)> Would it be easier to just change the low contrast colors instead of adding a flag? Im open to it, I just don't know how others would feel about changing the existing colors, so I figured I'd fit a 'high contrast' color mode in. I'd like more people to chime in before I commit to continuing this change. Some more spots where I want to integrate the IMessageWriter. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#9831 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAAUIMIT5GD32JEKGSGCKET2UIITZAVCNFSM6AAAAABY5FF3JOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDOMRSHEZDENRWGQ>. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.

[Tzadiko]

As a color blind user I can say I would most likely not remember to or be too lazy to type the flag relative to just struggling through. Therefore, I vote to just change the low contrast colors.

That works. Alternatively I can just set --colorblind to true by default. I kind of like the code I wrote so far, haha. I think it makes what's going on clearer and opens the code to extension down the line, if someone wants to implement a different IMessageWriter (e.g. instead of writing to console, write to a database, or file, etc). In other words, it adds value beyond just changing a color.

[Tzadiko]

@selsta @monerobby This MR is no longer a WIP. Please see my reply as to why I believe this change is preferred to just simply changing a color code (here).

I changed --colorblind to --highcontrast and made is true by default.

There are some free functions and macros where I cannot retrieve the --highcontrast argument (as that is a property of simplewallet.h). Those methods call failure_msg_writer and message_writer (methods that existed prior) whose bodies not call MessageWriterFactory to retrieve the high-contrast writer. Placing calls to MessageWriterFactory in these existing methods reduces the changeset (the alternative is to replace each of these methods with calls to MessageWriterFactory).

[iamamyth]

I think it makes what's going on clearer and opens the code to extension down the line, if someone wants to implement a different IMessageWriter (e.g. instead of writing to console, write to a database, or file, etc). In other words, it adds value beyond just changing a color.

I would say that this is a false generalization, and therefore subtracts value: The only consumer of this "interface" is a console application. It does not want to write to a database. Its output may, in fact, end up on the filesystem, if stdout or stderr has been redirected, but the OS does the work in that case. Similarly, if a user really wanted to redirect the output from the CLI to "anywhere other than the console", that's why operating system output redirection exists. Simply put: Console applications should write to stdout/stderr, as appropriate. Do not add complexity without utility.

[Tzadiko]

Do not add complexity without utility.

Okay I'll either amend this MR or open a separate one to just amend the colors, without the IMessageWriter interface and additional code that comes with it.

Edit: Done.