empty tab bg color since 29.2+

Users and developers helping users with generic and technical Pale Moon issues on all operating systems.

Moderator: trava90

Forum rules
This board is for technical/general usage questions and troubleshooting for the Pale Moon browser only.
Technical issues and questions not related to the Pale Moon browser should be posted in other boards!
Please keep off-topic and general discussion out of this board, thank you!
User avatar
tommy_2
Hobby Astronomer
Hobby Astronomer
Posts: 15
Joined: 2020-03-29, 22:33

empty tab bg color since 29.2+

Unread post by tommy_2 » 2022-01-03, 19:33

this is for linux (gtk2, I get the tar myself and run from /usr/local if it matters).

I've noticed that starting with 29.2.x (and its expanded 'prefs -> content -> colors' menu) on up to the current release a blank tab window no longer respects my window mgr dark theme. with 29.2+ that blank tab window is now white/a white-ish color whereas with 29.1.1 and all prev revs I didn't have to do anything to have a dark bg.

if I enable "Always" for 'override the colors...' I then get the dark empty tab window. unfortunately this screws up all web sites I visit because now they all have a dark look (very poorly for w/e reason) which I don't want. that happens even if the 'web page' setting is left on 'light' presumably because the "Always" above overrides everything.

would this 29.2+ empty tab bg behavior be considered an oversight that could eventually be corrected? eg if I set 'web page' to use 'dark' w/o "Always" the empty tab bg is still white/white-ish. iow what would supposedly tell web sites I load how to respond pale moon itself does not.

or in any case the empty tab bg should be based on the user's desktop light/dark status rather than requiring a change in pale moon settings to make it so?

thanks.

Goodydino
Keeps coming back
Keeps coming back
Posts: 820
Joined: 2017-10-10, 21:20

Re: empty tab bg color since 29.2+

Unread post by Goodydino » 2022-01-14, 01:16

For a new tab or the home page, I use about:blank. I have my userContent.css file set up to change the default background for the body so that the background is not white.

Code: Select all

BODY {background-color: #D0FFD4;}
That changes the default without overwriting the background colour that the author of a web page uses. Just change the colour code to suit.

User avatar
tommy_2
Hobby Astronomer
Hobby Astronomer
Posts: 15
Joined: 2020-03-29, 22:33

Re: empty tab bg color since 29.2+

Unread post by tommy_2 » 2022-01-16, 18:56

thanks for the help. my trouble is the attached, what appears when clicking "+" in tab bar (since r29.2) and what appears when starting pale moon if prefs has "Show a blank page".

I tried your userContent suggestion and what I saw was that after restart the default empty tab's bg (momentarily w/o the pale moon img/text) would initially flash with the color defined in userContent but an instant later it was replaced with the logo'd bg I'd get if clicking tab bar "+".

iirc 'show home page/about:blank' came up with the userContent color but has no affect on what appears when clicking tab bar "+".

I poked around internet for the userContent property that would control the bg of that logo'd empty tab window but didn't have any luck. I tried 'about:about' to see what other things I could try, found 'about:newtab' can have bg changed but that window isn't what appears when clicking "+".

how it looks up through r29.1.1 (with ~/.gtkrc* enabled, dark desktop theme):

Image

same settings in 29.2+:

Image

after temporarily removing all ~/.gtkrc*, restarting 29.4.3 with default pale moon theme it's the same thing. I've also fiddled with all combos of 'prefs -> content/colors' settings but as I mentioned above only "Always..." 'fixes' it but with the bad side effect of getting really lousy looking web site pages.

Goodydino
Keeps coming back
Keeps coming back
Posts: 820
Joined: 2017-10-10, 21:20

Re: empty tab bg color since 29.2+

Unread post by Goodydino » 2022-01-17, 17:59

I have a new tab set up to use my home page, which is about:blank. That way, a new tab is blank, but has the default body background that I set up in userContent.css.

User avatar
Moonchild
Pale Moon guru
Pale Moon guru
Posts: 35474
Joined: 2011-08-28, 17:27
Location: Motala, SE
Contact:

Re: empty tab bg color since 29.2+

Unread post by Moonchild » 2022-01-17, 21:18

In preferences, content button "Colors", try selecting "use dark colors" for Web Page Color Scheme. This will also signal to remote websites that you prefer dark color schemes if they are offered by the website.
Attachments
wpcs.png
"Sometimes, the best way to get what you want is to be a good person." -- Louis Rossmann
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past; wisdom is of the future." -- Native American proverb
"Linux makes everything difficult." -- Lyceus Anubite

User avatar
tommy_2
Hobby Astronomer
Hobby Astronomer
Posts: 15
Joined: 2020-03-29, 22:33

Re: empty tab bg color since 29.2+

Unread post by tommy_2 » 2022-01-22, 18:14

thanks Moonchild.
Moonchild wrote:
2022-01-17, 21:18
"use dark colors" ... will also signal to remote websites that you prefer dark color schemes
is the implication that "use dark colors" should tell 29.2+ to stop using a white bg for tab bar "+"/ctl-t?

if so it doesn't have any affect (at least for linux/gtk2 releases), it's as if beginning with 29.2 "+"/ctl-t is hardwired to be white and can't be made to show the dark version 26 - 29.1.1 did.

I tried using 'about:blank' with "Show my home page" and without my dark desktop theme (ie no ~/.gtkrc*) 29.4.3 comes up with a blank white page. if I re-enable ~/.gtkrc* and restart, 29.4.3 comes up with a dark blank page similar to my first pic above.

so in this regard pale moon 29.2+ still seems to respond to the state of my desktop theme. but naturally that blank tab isn't the same as "+"/ctl-t.

I realize this might seem like a trivial thing but staring at the browser ~10 hrs/day where the desktop, other progs and pale moon otherwise are all fairly dark, opening a new/empty white tab in 29.2+ is kinda like car headlights suddenly shining in my face :)

if this was an intentional change in 29.2+ then I have no more to say about it. I only brought it up in case it was an oversight and actually was not supposed to be doing this.

edit: forgot to mention that the profile's 'chrome' dir had been renamed (to disable) before any of the above.

Locked