Family Historian User Group

I am having a couple of problems with saving colours in the Custom Colour palette.

First problem:

With a diagram open, use Insert into Diagram > Rectangle.
Draw the rectangle, right click and choose Format.
On the Line and Fill tab click on the fill colour, then click Define Custom Colours.
Select a colour using the panel on the right, then click Add to Custom colours.  Click OK.

This colour remains available for the duration of the current session using FH.  However When FH is closed and re-opened the Custom Colour palette is empty again.  The colour can be retrieved by opening a saved Chart, clicking on an item of the desired colour, then using Format > Line and Fill > Define Custom Colours to copy the colour back into the Custom Colour palette.  However it would be much simpler if the colour remained there from one session to the next.   Have I missed something obvious?

Second problem:

In the same context, I can’t seem to add more than one colour to the Custom Colour palette.  If the first colour box in the Custom palette is selected it is possible to use ‘Add to Custom Colours’ to override that colour with a new one, but if the next box is selected  I can’t select another new colour at all.  Again, have I missed something?

By the way, I note that FH spells  ‘Color’ the American way in this context, even when under Preferences>International I have set the language to ‘English – United Kingdom’.


ID:6621

First problem:

My initial quick experiments confirmed your experience.

Second problem:

Yes, it fooled me to start with, and is not intuitive.

When you select the 'next box' notice how it sets all the colour parameters on the right to 'white'.
When you choose a colour from the palette the Luminescence is still 240 which is such a bright version of the colour to also appear 'white'.
So drag down the luminescence slider on the right, or type a number into Lum, and then Add to Custom Colors works OK.

Ah, yes, that solves the second problem.  Thanks Mike.

I can live with the first problem although it does seem a bit odd that custom colours can't be retained in the palette from one session to the next.

I have discovered that FH saves Diagram Options > General tab > Sundry Colours > Custom Colours.

Maybe it is because it is spelt as US Colors that is preventing the save in the UK [grin]

That's an ingenious suggestion, Mike, but sadly...

I had already looked at the Custom colours in Diagram Options > General tab > Sundry Colours > Custom Colours, but the custom colour palette there only seems to relate to colours used for items in the list on the left in that box. It is possible to have a completely different set of custom colours showing in the selection used in Formatting a shape inserted into a diagram, and those colours don't seem to be saved beyond the current session.  This is so even when language is set to 'English - United States' so that 'color' is spelt the same way. (Although it is always spelt 'Colour' in the Help files!)
[confused]

Yes, I realise that those Sundry Custom Colours are separate from Custom Colors used elsewhere in many Diagram Options:

• General tab Relationship descriptions > Font > Colour.
• General tab No-offspring marker > Options Color.
• General tab Check for duplicates > Options > Edit Line/Fill Color.
• General tab Number out-of-sequence spouses > Font > Colour.
• Text tab Edit Text Scheme: Font Edit > Colour.
• Boxes tab Edit Features for Box Fill, Box Line & Text Colour.
• Lines tab Normal/Crossing Lines colour.

Although, General tab Background > Options does use Sundry Colours.

I can see where the Sundry Custom Colours are saved in the Windows Registry, so it should be easy for Calico to include all the Custom Colors in that set.

Thanks for your comments. I have raised a Wish List request for all custom colours/colors to use a single custom colour palette which can be saved or, failing that, for the two separate custom palettes both to be savable.