1821358 - Thunderbird 111.0b3 In dark mode, the foreground and background color selectors are not visible if they are black. A contrasting outline would help.

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Thunderbird :: Message Compose Window, defect)

Description

[doug2]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:109.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/110.0

Steps to reproduce:

Created new mail in dark more. Copied text from received black on white mail to new mail.

Actual results:

All text invisible and color indicators (background and foreground) also invisible.

Expected results:

At least color indicators should be outlined or made visible in some way.

Comment 1

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

I'd expect this is the same in 102?
If the original text had explicit colors, you probably need to use Paste Without Formatting

Comment 2

[doug2]

I no longer have any non-beta versions running, so I can't experiment. I was hoping the new interface would solve some of the dark mode issues.

Comment 3

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Anje or Stans, do you see this when usign versino 102?

Comment 4

[Anje]

Attachment: 102-Write-display-1.jpg

Using 102.8.0
Dark Mode

TEST 1

• Settings > General > Language & Appearance

• Selected 'Use System colours'

• Settings > Composition > HTML Style

• Set Text Colour : White

• Set Background colour : Black

Note : my userContent.css file setting of blue font gets used. But even if disabled nothing changes except the default font colour. It has no baring on the purpose of the text.

click on Write

Using various received emails in Message List to copy text.

Results:
If email has html code which dictates the colour of the font text then the colour of the font text will be included when you use a copy paste. So if text is black then you get black on black. If text is blue the you get Blue on black.

If you select to copy an area which also includes the background colour, which is white, then you get a block of white background with black text.

If you copy an area which includes some the html of a table where colour of text is black and there is no background colour set then you see a red outline of the copied table. You cannot see the text because it is black on black, but if additional area copied eg: a button which is white font on grey background then it will show as html dictates.

But as you see this depends upon whether you copied all section that includes that part of the html.

If use Paste without formatting then none of the above occurs because the text colour is now dicated by my chosen font colour eg: blue.

In the image posted I've highlighted some parts of text which you would not see because it has black text. So that will show the text as white with a blue background. I've left some areas not selected so you see where no text is displayed.

TEST 2:

• Settings > General > Language & Appearance

• Selected 'Use System colours'

• Settings > Composition > HTML Style

• Select 'Use Readers default colours.

I repeated the above and this time there are slightly modified results, but basically very similiar. As the blackground is now a dark grey instead of black.

The obvious difference is the black text is now revealed if the background has been set. But id the text was a dark grey then it now disappears - as shown if highlight a part of it.

Noted:
However in all cases where the html did not specifiy the font colour nor the background or the email used Plain Text, then Black font on white background does get converted in the Write compose area and you will get White font on dark grey background. This is expected and it performs as expected.

In all cases when copying sections of email that do have html specifying text colour and or background, you can use 'Paste without formatting' and text colour will get converted to white. This has been the standard method for decades and has been advised in Support Forum on many occasions. If you do not want to copy the html code that accompanies the selected text then you must select to not include the formatting. This is less of an issue when using the Light Theme because mostly a dark font colour is set in html.

Comment 5

[Anje]

The alternative is to use a dark theme in general but use a Write where compose area is aleady white background.
Suggestion:

• Settings > Composition > HTML Style
• Do not select - 'Use Readers default colours.
• Set Text Colour : Black
• Set Background colour : White

Comment 6

[doug2]

Please note that, for this bug, the problem was that I could not find the color selectors when editing the message. The foreground and background (overlapping) squares, in system dark mode, appeared to be missing but in fact were just invisible since they were both solid black on a black background. This is a side issue versus the more general issue of colors in dark mode. I was suggesting that the two squares have a contrasting border.

Comment 7

[Anje]

(In reply to doug2 from comment #6)

Please note that, for this bug, the problem was that I could not find the color selectors when editing the message. The foreground and background (overlapping) squares, in system dark mode, appeared to be missing but in fact were just invisible since they were both solid black on a black background. This is a side issue versus the more general issue of colors in dark mode. I was suggesting that the two squares have a contrasting border.

As shown in the image I posted, the foreground and background (overlapping) squares, in system dark mode, were just visible but not clearly visible. This could be a problem and should be improved.
It would be helpful if the border of those 'overlapping' squares icon were eg: white for a dark theme and black for a light theme.

But note this occurs if the copy paste contained original copied text contained html that would render a black on black and would not occur if the formatting was removed by the user upon pasting.

Comment 8

[doug2]

The problem occurred when I forwarded or replied to mail (not copy/paste).

Comment 9

[Anje]

(In reply to doug2 from comment #8)

The problem occurred when I forwarded or replied to mail (not copy/paste).

Previously you said:

Created new mail in dark more. Copied text from received black on white mail to new mail.

When you copy black text from a received email and put it into a new mail that means you pasted it.
Following your instructions I can reproduce the issue, but the results would depend upon what html was included in original email and what part of that html was copied over with the text.

Are you saying the information in your first comment when reporting this problem was incorrect?

It would be helpful if you could let us know what settings you are currently using. Post images showing the following information.

• Settings > General > Language & Appearance > Colours
• Settings > Composition > HTML Style

It would also be helpful if you tell us what html settings for font color and background were included in the original email.

Comment 10

[doug2]

Attachment: Screenshot 2023-03-16 133444.png

Starting over. Now TB 112.0b1, Win 11, 64 bit, dark mode: Attached is a screen shot of a forwarded message. One of the two boxes is visible. Reply does the same as forward. Copy and paste the whole message also. At this point the cursor is at some "default" position.
If I move my cursor down into the text of the message in any of the above, both color boxes go black. see 2nd screenshot.

Comment 11

[doug2]

Attachment: Screenshot 2023-03-16 134934b.png

Comment 12

[Richard Marti (:Paenglab)]

Attachment: Bug 1821358 - Use a theme dependent border color for the color-buttons. r=#thunderbird-front-end-reviewers

Comment 13

[Anje]

This bug is in the current release 102.9.0 and also TB 112.0b1.
Would you expect this fix to be applied to next 102* versions as well as next beta version?

Comment 14

[Richard Marti (:Paenglab)]

This applies cleanly to ESR 102. So it can land there too.

Comment 15

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/34e2067e51a3
Use a theme dependent border color for the color-buttons. r=aleca

Comment 16

[Richard Marti (:Paenglab)]

Comment on attachment 9323630 [details]
Bug 1821358 - Use a theme dependent border color for the color-buttons. r=#thunderbird-front-end-reviewers

[Approval Request Comment]
User impact if declined: with dark theme almost invisible border of colour buttons in composer
Testing completed (on c-c, etc.): on c-c
Risk to taking this patch (and alternatives if risky): low

Comment 17

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Comment on attachment 9323630 [details]
Bug 1821358 - Use a theme dependent border color for the color-buttons. r=#thunderbird-front-end-reviewers

[Triage Comment]
Approved for beta

Comment 18

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Comment on attachment 9323630 [details]
Bug 1821358 - Use a theme dependent border color for the color-buttons. r=#thunderbird-front-end-reviewers

[Triage Comment]
Approved for esr102 (By Wedneday, 112.0b2 will have had a full day of usage)

Comment 19

[Daniel Darnell [:dandarnell]]

Thunderbird 112.0b2:
https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/comm-beta/rev/455db53c82d7

Comment 20

[doug2]

Attachment: Screenshot TB112.0b2.png new contrasting borders

Comment 21

[doug2]

TB 112.0b2 Great work. I like the contrasting border.

Comment 22

[Rob Lemley [:rjl]]

Thunderbird 102.9.1:
https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/comm-esr102/rev/b00c678fc751