Flexible Colors

Flexicolor provides a flexible method for Drupal Designers to provide content administrators with ways to color text and backgrounds on different parts of the site.

The flexicolor module works in 2 stages. First, you create selectors. Selectors refer to CSS Selectors which are accepted (if you do not know about them, W3 has an excellent article at http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/CR-css3-selectors-20011113/#selectors). The selectors require a name, a list of the selectors you want a color to apply to, along with the default color. Second, you have the option to create presets, which will be a color set based on all the selectors on the site. Finally, the site editor/administrator have the ability to have to select what the colors will be on on the site (these selections are saved to a css file).

This module came out of a set of client's need where:

1. There are an unspecified set of areas where the colors are customizable by the site editor. The process would be slowed down by requiring the designer to go through the theme layer each time new coloring regions need to be added.
2. The set of areas that have customizable colors can be increased or reduced. Down the line, the client needed to be able to add new regions that can be colored. While having these settings in the theme would be useful, it would also be problematic as it would require a developer/designer familiar with the way the color module works to make it all run correctly.
3. Presets can be created for the site editor to choose from.
4. The module must play well with the domain access module.

The module also plays very well with the domain access module.

Other modules that place some design power in the hands of the site editor:

• DesignKit (Very highly recommended alternative)
• Sweaver
• background

Features that I would like to add down the line:

1. Pre-added blocks region selectors that a non-designer/developer could add as a selectors to get custom colors.
2. On-the-fly preview of the page as colors are being changed. While it is fairly easy to solve if the main site theme is loaded, it is more difficult to try and color pages that are running with an administrative theme.
3. Different presets that are applied for different themes. It currently works with the active site theme in non-admin areas of the site.
4. Due to the problem set being covered, the module is definitely created for someone that has a solid understanding of css selectors to get more power out of the site. Any suggestions for a simpler ui are very welcome.

Sponsored and maintained by the California Institute of the Arts