Fastmail blue background

**Shelded** · 6th November 2001, 12:34 PM

I tend to favor the blue interface but have problem with the incoming text disappearing into the blue background. My friends and I like to use blue as our default text and it is invisible on your background. I drag across it with the mouse to read it, but, hey, am I a secret agent

with disappearing ink? (no)

Suggest you open that area up as a white pane, like we see on the competition.

Jeremy Howard · 6th November 2001, 12:37 PM

I'll check it out. Talking of which Shelded, weren't you going to design a nice new color scheme for us?...

**Shelded** · 6th November 2001, 01:05 PM

Wasn't your girlfriend going to?

I knew which audience you would listen to first. Seriously, I would try if she was not going to do it.

Jeremy Howard · 6th November 2001, 02:48 PM

Actually, when I asked her she told me she loves the current 'dark-on-light' style-sheet, so she doesn't really want to change the color scheme. She might be changing other aspects of the style-sheet, like borders and margins though. She helped Rob and I set up the new colored buttons you would have noticed appear a few days ago.

Rob created a new light-blue style sheet last week too, but I rejected it because it's high level of blueness made my head spin

... I can send you this if you want something to start from.

BTW, I sent someone instructions on creating a style-sheet a couple of days ago. I'll copy it here if anyone is interested in playing with this:

If you're interested, you can change all aspects of FastMail.FM's formatting right now, including fonts, colors, margins, and so forth! We use CSS to format FastMail.FM's screens, which you can learn about here: http://www.w3schools.com/css/ . You can download FastMail.FM's default style-sheet from here: http://www.fastmail.fm/styles/dark-on-light.css . To create your own CSS style sheet, save any FastMail.FM page you'd like to reformat (choose File->Save in your browser) and also save the CSS style sheet. Then open the page you saved in an HTML editor, and change the line that contains '/styles/dark-on-light.css' to instead point to 'file://c:/path/to/your/stylesheet.css' and edit the style sheet however you like. Then you'll be able to see how your changes look by opening the HTML page in a browser.

Here's the detailed instructions:

1. Goto the mailbox screen with some messages in it so you get a nice screen to play with
2. Select 'view source' with your browser and save the HTML to a file on your machine
3. Download the .css file from http://fastmail.fm/styles/dark-on-light.css or http://fastmail.fm/styles/light-on-dark.css.
4. Edit the HTML file. Edit the line:
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/styles/dark-on-light.css" />
To be:
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="dark-on-light.css" />
5. Now load the local HTML file into a web-browser. It should load the local style sheet to (you won't be able to tell really though since we also include color tags everywhere for non-CSS browsers)
6. Now edit the dark-on-light.css file. Change some of the #11bb00 values (these are RGB colour values) and resave the .css file
7. Click reload in the web-browser. You should now see the effect of the change you made to the style sheet as changed colours on the screen

If you create a CSS style sheet that you like, email it to us and we'll add it to the list in the preferences screen.

Kyle Babich · 7th November 2001, 12:42 AM

You should keep the yellow color scheme. It's what I use on most of my sites too. Yellow is so much easier on the eyes, especially for those of us who sit here for hours and hours with no knowledge of any outside world, lol.

**Shelded** · 7th November 2001, 11:51 AM

FYI, I prefer the yellow overall, but the dark has a tendency toward a green I don't care for.... I have four young children <ahem>.

ikxu · 7th November 2001, 11:56 AM

I like the grey one.
ikxu

Lvsheng · 11th November 2001, 03:03 PM

I love the dark blue one. I though that dark blue as background is easier for my eyes, especially at night.

7th November 2001, 11:56 AM	#7
ikxu Guest Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 400	grey I like the grey one. ikxu

6th November 2001, 12:34 PM	#1
Shelded Moderator Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: USA Northwest Posts: 3,842	Fastmail blue background I tend to favor the blue interface but have problem with the incoming text disappearing into the blue background. My friends and I like to use blue as our default text and it is invisible on your background. I drag across it with the mouse to read it, but, hey, am I a secret agent with disappearing ink? (no) Suggest you open that area up as a white pane, like we see on the competition.

6th November 2001, 12:37 PM	#2
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,499	I'll check it out. Talking of which Shelded, weren't you going to design a nice new color scheme for us?...

6th November 2001, 01:05 PM	#3
Shelded Moderator Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: USA Northwest Posts: 3,842	Wasn't your girlfriend going to? I knew which audience you would listen to first. Seriously, I would try if she was not going to do it.

6th November 2001, 02:48 PM	#4
Jeremy Howard Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 11,499	Actually, when I asked her she told me she loves the current 'dark-on-light' style-sheet, so she doesn't really want to change the color scheme. She might be changing other aspects of the style-sheet, like borders and margins though. She helped Rob and I set up the new colored buttons you would have noticed appear a few days ago. Rob created a new light-blue style sheet last week too, but I rejected it because it's high level of blueness made my head spin ... I can send you this if you want something to start from. BTW, I sent someone instructions on creating a style-sheet a couple of days ago. I'll copy it here if anyone is interested in playing with this: If you're interested, you can change all aspects of FastMail.FM's formatting right now, including fonts, colors, margins, and so forth! We use CSS to format FastMail.FM's screens, which you can learn about here: http://www.w3schools.com/css/ . You can download FastMail.FM's default style-sheet from here: http://www.fastmail.fm/styles/dark-on-light.css . To create your own CSS style sheet, save any FastMail.FM page you'd like to reformat (choose File->Save in your browser) and also save the CSS style sheet. Then open the page you saved in an HTML editor, and change the line that contains '/styles/dark-on-light.css' to instead point to 'file://c:/path/to/your/stylesheet.css' and edit the style sheet however you like. Then you'll be able to see how your changes look by opening the HTML page in a browser. Here's the detailed instructions: 1. Goto the mailbox screen with some messages in it so you get a nice screen to play with 2. Select 'view source' with your browser and save the HTML to a file on your machine 3. Download the .css file from http://fastmail.fm/styles/dark-on-light.css or http://fastmail.fm/styles/light-on-dark.css. 4. Edit the HTML file. Edit the line: <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/styles/dark-on-light.css" /> To be: <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="dark-on-light.css" /> 5. Now load the local HTML file into a web-browser. It should load the local style sheet to (you won't be able to tell really though since we also include color tags everywhere for non-CSS browsers) 6. Now edit the dark-on-light.css file. Change some of the #11bb00 values (these are RGB colour values) and resave the .css file 7. Click reload in the web-browser. You should now see the effect of the change you made to the style sheet as changed colours on the screen If you create a CSS style sheet that you like, email it to us and we'll add it to the list in the preferences screen.

7th November 2001, 12:42 AM	#5
Kyle Babich Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: NJ, USA Posts: 540	You should keep the yellow color scheme. It's what I use on most of my sites too. Yellow is so much easier on the eyes, especially for those of us who sit here for hours and hours with no knowledge of any outside world, lol.

7th November 2001, 11:51 AM	#6
Shelded Moderator Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: USA Northwest Posts: 3,842	FYI, I prefer the yellow overall, but the dark has a tendency toward a green I don't care for.... I have four young children <ahem>.

11th November 2001, 03:03 PM	#8
Lvsheng Essential Contributor Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Kuala Lumpur, MY Posts: 392	I love the dark blue one. I though that dark blue as background is easier for my eyes, especially at night.