ColorSieve is a utility that will display the color information for any pixel on the screen. There have been many utilities in the past that perform this function. ColorSieve combines the best of each into a single, compact package. If you are a Photoshop user; a C, Pascal, or HTML programmer; you will find ColorSieve and invaluable tool.
ColorSieve supports displaying color information in RGB, HSL, HSV, and CMY color models. The information can be shown as a short number (0-65535), byte number (0-255), or a percentage. For programmers, ColorSieve supports hexadecimal format as well. Once you have the color information you want, it can be copied to the clipboard in a customizable string. Once on the clipboard, you can paste it into your favorite text or HTML editor.
Version 1.1 fixes some bugs, includes an easy to use preference dialog, and adds support for displaying the mouse location and the depth of the monitor on which the mouse is located.
ColorSieve requires System 7.1 or greater to run. The application is 'FAT', which means that it takes advantage of the speed increase for the PowerPC machines while still running on the older 68K machines.
ColorSieve is Emailware. If you like it, drop me a line at markwomack@aol.com and let me know! I'd really appreciate the feedback, plus as an added bonus I'll include you on a mailing list to inform you of future updates.
If you want to distribute ColorSieve, please see the Distribution section for details and limitations.
Getting Started
Before launching ColorSieve you should place the 'TSM Fix 1.03' file in your Extensions folder and restart your computer. There is a bug in System 7 where sometimes Text Service windows (the type of window used for ColorSieve) don't recognize mouse clicks inside of them. The TSM Fix extension fixes this problem. If you have an earlier version of TSM Fix, be sure to remove it.
Once you have installed TSM Fix and restarted your computer, go ahead and launch ColorSieve. If this is the first time you have launched version 1.1 (which it probably is), you will be presented with the Preference dialog. This is done the first time you launch because I want you to be aware that there is an easy way to change the various settings in ColorSieve. On subsequent launches, the Preference dialog will not immediately appear, but it is always available in the File menu.
Right now, let's close the Preference dialog by clicking on 'OK'. Next you will see the Sieve window appear. Inside the Sieve window are two display areas. On top is the 'zoom area' which displays a zoomed in area around the current location of the cursor. It is zoomed larger so that you can easily place the cursor over the pixel you want color information on. The circle you see in the center is the pixel the cursor is currently over. The color information for that pixel is displayed in the bottom portion of the Sieve window. The color model is displayed down the left (ie RGB, HSL, etc) and the value for each is displayed to the right. As you move the cursor around, you will see the zoom area and the color values update and change.
If you decide to display the mouse location or the screen depth (setting available in the Preference dialog), those values will be displayed below the color values.
You can position the Sieve window anywhere on the screen. You can even switch to other applications. The Sieve window will always stay on top of all the windows. That makes it easy to see the values at all times.
To quit ColorSieve, use the Quit item under the File menu or close the Sieve window at any time. When you quit, ColorSieve writes the preferences plus the current location of the Sieve window to a preference file. So, the next time you launch it will appear in the same location with the same settings.
Let's go back and review the Preference dialog. Choose Preferences under the File menu.
Preferences
The Preference dialog is new to version 1.1 and it lets you set the display and behaviors for ColorSieve. There are four tabs that contain preferences for different areas. These are described in more detail below. There is also a 'Default' button. Pressing this button changes all of the settings in the tab to their 'factory' or default settings. Use it if you get confused or think you broke something. It only changes the settings for the current tab.
Display
This tab lets you change what information is displayed and how it is displayed in the Sieve window.
Zoom Size Popup: Use this popup to choose the size of the 'zoom area' that will be displayed.
Color Model Popup: Use this popup to choose the model used to display the color information. The choices are: Red, Green, Blue (RGB); Hue, Saturation, Lightness (HSL); Hue, Saturation, Value (HSV); and Cyan, Magenta, Yellow (CMY).
Color Format Popup: Use this popup to choose the format in which the color information will be displayed. The choices are short number (0-65535), byte number (0-255), and as a percentage. Each is useful for different applications. Short number is useful for programmers, byte numbers are useful for Photoshop users and HTML programmers, and percentages are useful for the new Apple color picker.
Display format in hexadecimal checkbox: Some applications need hexadecimal values, such as C programming and HTML. When you choose either the short or byte number format, you will be able to check this control to have hexadecimal output. It does not apply to the percentage format, and will be grayed out when it is chosen.
Display '0x' prefix: When displaying as hexadecimal, some applications require the '0x' prefix, like C programming, and others are better off without it, like HTML programming. This control is only enabled when the 'Display format in hexadecimal' control is also enabled.
Display mouse location: When this control is checked, the current mouse location is displayed in global coordinates.
Display screen depth: When this control is checked, the depth of the monitor the cursor is over is displayed.
Clipboard
This tab lets you customize the clipboard strings that are used to copy the color information to the clipboard. There is a string for each color model, so you can have a different string for each.
Each string contains 'caret symbols' (^) that represent locations the color values will be substituted in the string. For example, in the RGB string the caret symbol '^R' will be replaced with whatever the Red value is when the information is copied to the clipboard. Likewise, the '^G' symbol will be replaced with the Green value, and the '^B' symbol will be replaced with the Blue value. Each string has its own unique set of caret symbols, so be sure to enter them into your customized version. Don't worry, if you forget them, ColorSieve will warn you before you leave the tab. And you can always use the 'Default' button to get bring back a strings that work.
An advanced feature is the case of the caret symbol. When displaying the color information in hexadecimal, if the caret symbol is lower case ('^r' vs '^R') then the hexadecimal value will be displayed in lower case as well. This is provided primarily to support different programming/editing styles. The values remain the same.
Keys
This tab lets you customize the command keys used in ColorSieve. You may need to do this if you don't like the default command keys, or they conflict with other applications or extensions.
Key to copy color values to clipboard using clipboard strings: When you type this command sequence, whatever is currently displayed as the color values in the Sieve window is substituted into the clipboard string you defined in the Clipboard tab and copied into the clipboard. Once that is done, you can paste the string anywhere you want. The command sequence displayed is the current setting. Use the 'Set' button to the right of it to customize it to your own value.
Key to toggle the display of delta between mouse locations: If the mouse location is currently being displayed (you can set this in the Display tab), then when you type this command sequence the current mouse location becomes the 'anchor'. As you move the mouse around, the difference between the current mouse location and the anchor (or the delta) is displayed to the right of the mouse location. If you type the command sequence again the anchor is cleared and the delta is erased. This is useful if you are trying to measure the size of items on the screen. The command sequence displayed is the current setting. Use the 'Set' button to the right of it to customize it to your own value.
Shortcuts
All of the preferences can be found in the Preference dialog. However, some of the preferences can be changed by clicking in the Sieve window. These 'shortcuts' can be useful when you need to quickly change a setting. They are all listed here so you can learn them over time, if you want to.
Neat Settings
Here are some examples of some useful settings.
C Programming - Color Model Popup: RGB, Color Format Popup: short number, Display as Hexadecimal checkbox: checked, Display '0x' prefix checkbox:checked, RGB string:"= { ^R,^G,^B }". This will format the colors into a form that can be assigned to an RGBColor inside a C program. Sample output looks like "= { 0xFFFF,0xCCCC,0x4356 }".
HTML Programming - Color Model Popup: RGB, Color Format Popup: byte number, Display as Hexadecimal checkbox: checked, Display '0x' prefix checkbox: not checked, RGB string: "= ^R^G^B".
This will format the colors into a form suitable for defining background or text colors in HTML. Sample output looks like "= FFCC43".
If you change the RGB string to "= ^r^g^b", the sample output will look like this: "= ffcc43".
Suggestions, Questions, & Bugs
I hope that you enjoy ColorSieve as much as I have in creating it. If you have any suggestions or find any bugs, please feel free to email me at markwomack@aol.com. I want to continue improving ColorSieve and I'd really love to hear from you.
The Future
Here's a quick list of some features (in no particular order) that I am considering for the future. Let me know if you like them or have some suggestions of your own!
- Substitute color values into the color picker.
- Display mouse location and delta in inches, cm, mm, etc.
- Display mouse location relative to front window of front most application.
- Remember a list of 'favorite' colors.
- Copy the zoom area to the clipboard as a PICT.
- Give more options for zoom area such as size and zoom ratio.
Distribution
The ColorSieve package can be freely distributed in electronic form on computer networks. It cannot, however, be distributed by other means (such as printed form, on magnetic media, or on CD-ROM) without permission from the author. Special permission is granted to the following companies for including the ColorSieve 1.1 package in their CD collections:
Pacific HiTech, Inc. Info-Mac CD-ROM
AMUG, Inc. BBS In a Box
Celestin Company Apprentice
The ColorSieve 1.1 package contains the following files:
The latest version of ColorSieve can be downloaded from an Info-Mac archives near you.
Special Thanks
Special Thanks! go to Matt Slot for creating the 'appe Windows' example upon which I created ColorSieve. If you are a programmer and want to mess with some neat code, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of it. It is available from InfoMac on Internet and most likely any online service.
Thanks to Troy Gaul for creating the Infinity Windoid WDEF that is used for the Sieve window.
Thanks to Jim Stout for creating the Jim's CDEFs which are used for all the controls in the Preference dialog.
And BIG thanks to the intrepid beta testers whose feedback has been immeasurable: Tim Anderson, Gilles Berkovitch, William A. Chesney, Roland Gustafsson, Alex Kasprzyk, Reinhold Penner, Step Schwarz, Herb Schilling, Clare Shumway, Matt Slot.
And thanks to my wife, Maggie, who supported me and put up with me showing her every new feature (in gory, technicolor detail) as I implemented them.
Version History
1.0 Released, November 1995 - Initial release
1.1 Released, March, 1996 - Added Preference dialog, display of mouse location, display of screen depth, preference for display of '0x' prefix, display of delta between mouse locations, upper/lower case intelligence when copying hexadecimal values to the clipboard, and much, much more.
