HOWTO: Change Nautilus Icon Text Colors (Including Desktop Icons)

[autocrosser]

Well--I did some digging & came up with this-- http://www.gtk.org/tutorial/
certainly more that I want to go thru in one evening---although I see several interesting paths I want to follow.............

[23meg]

That one is the C reference to GTK, but you may at least get the names of those widgets to specify in gtkrc if you dig it. I'm still looking for a good documentation (actually, official specification) of GTK theme (gtkrc) files.

[varunus]

Maybe we should submit a bug report and have them put this in the Nautilus preferences? Or somewhere, at least?

Also, it seems like this is just a gtkrc modification...theoretically, then, couldn't a theme adjust the nautilus text colors independently of everything else? Interesting...I know one of the biggest complaints about gtk theming is the lack of specific color choices in different locations...

[autocrosser]

Yea--you can make a theme that includes the iconpackage changes--now that I know about the "way", I'll incorporate it in some of my new ones--Reading the GTK specs is like walking thru thick quicksand As soon as I come up with some ideas, I'll post them-----Still have not read what I want to know about----

[23meg]

Maybe we should submit a bug report and have them put this in the Nautilus preferences? Or somewhere, at least?

Go ahead and do it, it's the logical thing to do; I'm sure it's been suggested many times, and the developers had their reasons not to incorporate it though. It seems they want to give GTK themes authority over everything, and I reckon this has some infrastructural basis. If that's the case, distros could incorporate it individually.

Also, it seems like this is just a gtkrc modification...theoretically, then, couldn't a theme adjust the nautilus text colors independently of everything else? Interesting...I know one of the biggest complaints about gtk theming is the lack of specific color choices in different locations...

Sure, I speculated about that in my first post.

[denisesballs]

Very awesome! This has alluded me fore so long, great work! Someone has to be able to make a little app for this, I would if I could.

[Biased turkey]

Thanks a bunch for that customization 23meg.
My mother ( 83 years old ) uses Ubuntu on her PC and the default text icons is taking its toll on er eyes.
I'm sure she'll appreciate to have more readable text icons.

[autocrosser]

Well--I've played around with some parts of the .gtkrc-2.0 add file--Currently it looks like this for a Purple look (not everything obeys--Ideas anyone?)

style "desktop-icon"
{
NautilusIconContainer::frame_text = 1
text[NORMAL] = "#9203c1"
NautilusIconContainer::normal_alpha = 70
}
class "GtkWidget" style "desktop-icon"

#NautilusIconContainer::dark_info_color="#888888"
#NautilusIconContainer::light_info_color="#bbbbbb"
#NautilusIconContainer::highlight_alpha=200

style "my_color"
{
fg[NORMAL] = "#9203c1"
}
widget "*PanelWidget*" style "my_color"
widget "*PanelApplet*" style "my_color"
widget_class "*MenuItem*" style "my_color"
class "*MenuItem*" style "my_color"


Various apps like FireFox--etc will obey--I need to do more checking into how some of the notification boxes get font info

Have fun with this!!!

[Biased turkey]

Just tried it on my rig at work ( my boss is out for the day so I can boot Ubuntu )
It's a lot better, but there is that white rectangle around the text. Is it possible to get rid of that inconvenient ?

[23meg]

Thanks a bunch for that customization 23meg.
My mother ( 83 years old ) uses Ubuntu on her PC and the default text icons is taking its toll on er eyes.
I'm sure she'll appreciate to have more readable text icons.

I'm very happy I was able to help about that. You can also consider using one of the Gnome high contrast themes to help with her reading.

Just tried it on my rig at work ( my boss is out for the day so I can boot Ubuntu )
It's a lot better, but there is that white rectangle around the text. Is it possible to get rid of that inconvenient ?

Maybe you forgot to apply the normal_alpha parameter? That sets the transparency of the box; if you set it to zero it should disappear completely.