Working with Hexadecimal Colors

HTML use hexadecimal numbers to express RGB color values. Hexadecimal numbers are a base-16 numbering system, so the numbers run from 0 through 9 and then A through F. when compared to a standard base-10 numbering system, hexadecimal looks strange because it includes letters in the numbering scheme. Do not let hexadecimal numbers put you off. All you need is a cross-reference, or better yet, a Web page that lists all the colors. The principles of Las Vegas Web site design Companion Web site has an online color chart you can use. Some HTML reference books have a printed color chart of hexadecimal colors, but in general, you always should use an online color resource for checking color values because you will get a much more realistic view of the actual color.

Hexadecimal color values are six-digit number; the first two define the red value, the second two define the green, and the third two define the blue. You can use these values in a variety of elements with either the BGCOLOR attribute or the COLOR attribute to define color in your Web pages. Cascading Style Sheets also accept hexadecimal color values.

SETTING BACKGROUND PAGE COLOR

One of the simplest ways to work with hexadecimal color is to specify a background color for your pages. Use the BGCOLOR attribute in the element, or with Cascading Style Sheets, use the BACKGROUND-COLOR property with BODY as the selector.

USING BACKGROUND COLOR IN TABLES

You can use background color in tables for different purposes, all by using the BGCOLOR attribute. The table row, table header, and table data elements all accept the BGCOLOR attribute.

Creating Reverse Text

By using the BGCOLOR attribute to set background color, you can create reverse text in table cells. The first row in the table with the BGCOLOR attributes set to red, blue, and green, respectively each cell, and the text color set to white.

Creating Continuous Color Areas

By combining the BGCOLOR attribute with a table that has default spacing turned off, you can create continuous seamless areas of color. Remember to remove the default table spacing by setting the attribute values. If you do not remove the default spacing, you will see the separations between each cell.

CHANGING LINK COLORS

You can change your hypertext link color using hexadecimal values or standard color names. Now that you have the capability of changing link colors, do not rush out and change all your links to different colors until you think about the consequences for your users. They probably are expecting the default blue and purple links. This does not mean you should not change link colors. Many sites change their links to match their Web site design color scheme. Changing link colors is acceptable as long as you maintain color consistency and preserve the contrast between the new and visited link colors to provide a recognizable difference to the user.

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