Squiggles with White text on Blue Background

[mudjud]

I have started using White text on Blue Background not for its retro
look, but because it is easier on my eyes. However, I am having
trouble seeing the green grammar squiggles. How can I permanently
change squiggle color in Word 2004 under OS X 10.4.8?

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Although someone may have a code solution there is no simple setting to
change the underline color for the automatic Spell Check or Grammar Check.

AFAIK, there are no hooks into that color even from code... It's
conceivable that it's the result of a preference setting that doesn't
have any exposure from the U/I or VBA, but I'd bet against it.

 

[mudjud]

AFAIK, there are no hooks into that color even from code... It's
conceivable that it's the result of a preference setting that doesn't
have any exposure from the U/I or VBA, but I'd bet against it.

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like someone was asleep on the
development team when they implemented White Text on Blue Background.
Some of the squiggles need to change color so that they can be seen.
Argh. Time to file a feature request with Microsoft.

 

[CyberTaz]

I wouldn't "waste your time" I doubt there will be any further *real*
revisions to 2004 other than fixing what may actually be broken.

Actually the Blue & White is a throwback to the very early days of personal
computing in color as an alternative to green screens, amber screens & pure
black & white. It has been dropped altogether in Office 2007 & I have no
reason to suspect that 2002 will not do the same. There may be other options
available, though - we'll just have to wait & see!

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[CyberTaz]

Just happened to re-read the earlier post & discovered I had made a typo...

Should read as "suspect that *2008* will not do the same.".

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[mudjud]

Oh, I'm not naive enough to think that my feature request will make it
into Office 2004. I was hoping for Mac Office 2008.

It is disappointing to hear that the feature has been dropped from Win
Office 2007. If it is dropped from Mac Office 2008 and no good
alternative is created, then I simply will not upgrade and explore
other options.

I appreciate everyone's helpful suggestions and input, but the results
and possible future are disappointing.

PS I know that White on Blue is old time. You haven't lived until you
have used a line based editor on DECwriter.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

In Windows one can change the color of the sheet of paper, I think, but
it affects many many applications? I wish OS X had something like
that. TextWrangler lets you do that, and it's a very nice feature. OS
X will let you change the entire system to white on black instead of
black on white--perhaps you'd find you are okay with that (System
Preferences | Universal Access).

In MacWord, if you are willing to do the majority of your work in Online
Layout, then Format | Background will give you a colored background. It
only changes the document if it is saved as a webpage. It's not a very
good workaround--required view, won't change text color to white for
you--but you might find something feasible.

Use Help | Send Feedback to share your disappointment and ensure that
your request gets counted--if enough people ask, it may make a difference.

 

[mudjud]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will take a look at TextWrangler. BTW, I
have tried the system wide White on Black, but it does not help my
visual problem.

 

[Elliott Roper]

PS I know that White on Blue is old time. You haven't lived until you
have used a line based editor on DECwriter.

Heh! Like waiting for the print head to move aside?

Have you tried the stuff in System Preferences » Universal Access?
I'm sure you have, but in case you are new to Mac... You can get white
on black, and to my eyes it is horrible, but YMMV...

 

[Elliott Roper]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will take a look at TextWrangler. BTW, I
have tried the system wide White on Black, but it does not help my
visual problem.

Soreee! I should read the whole thread ;-)

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

TextWrangler is free, but it's not a competitor to Word. Text editor
rather than a word processor, I don't think it has the formatting or
layout options.

WriteRoom offers white on blue, no idea about other features.
http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/product/writeroom

Other programs may as well.

Daiya

 

[CyberTaz]

Actually Word 2007 allows you to set the Page Color to literally anything
you want - en extension to the Background command - but that still doesn't
[completely] resolve the issue of contrasting text & markup

However, it also provides a number of Themes from which to select. They
include background color for the page but that doesn't print unless you
choose to do so. Haven't had time to play extensively, but perhaps some
viable options there which may be of value... Especially since they're fully
customizable. Never-the-less, they aren't going to provide a true adjustment
to the work environment for any individual user. They're actually formatting
features which travel with the document.

Which (if any) of these features will be a part of 2008 is still up for
grabs, but I would expect it to be comparable to 2007 in _most_ respects.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

You can't, and white on blue is going away in the next version, so I suggest
you try improving your monitor

Make sure you have Font Smoothing turned on in System
Preferences/Appearance.

If you are using a CRT Monitor, make sure you get your Refresh Rate above
80: the default of 60 is extremely hard on the eyes. (LCD monitors do not
have a refresh rate adjustment.)

Many people set the contrast way too high for their surroundings (or rather,
manufacturers turn it up full to make their screens look better in the shop,
and users don't know how to change it...)

You should turn Contrast all the way down, then turn Brightness up until the
black just starts to go milky, then turn the Contrast up until you can read
the text easily. After four hours of working, you may want to re-adjust
when your eyes have acclimated.

You should be a lot more comfortable then

I have started using White text on Blue Background not for its retro
look, but because it is easier on my eyes. However, I am having
trouble seeing the green grammar squiggles. How can I permanently
change squiggle color in Word 2004 under OS X 10.4.8?

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

I've lived ....

You haven't lived until you've used edlin on a teletypewriter console

White on blue has still been removed from Office 2008

Cheers

Oh, I'm not naive enough to think that my feature request will make it
into Office 2004. I was hoping for Mac Office 2008.

It is disappointing to hear that the feature has been dropped from Win
Office 2007. If it is dropped from Mac Office 2008 and no good
alternative is created, then I simply will not upgrade and explore
other options.

I appreciate everyone's helpful suggestions and input, but the results
and possible future are disappointing.

PS I know that White on Blue is old time. You haven't lived until you
have used a line based editor on DECwriter.

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[mudjud]

I really and truly appreciate all the useful information that has been
offered by everyone. Thank you.

I am very disappointed to hear that White on Blue has been removed
from Office 2008.

"Improving your monitor" will not help me. My visual problem is very
simple. I see a colored after image when I look at black type on white
background on any computer monitor, TV, etc.. That is why the white on
black Universal Access switch in OS X does not help. There is still a
black-white border so the white has an after image. Thankfully, my
problem is relatively new however it is none the less a royal pain. I
really dread the thought of using a font color other than black, but I
may be forced to do that.

If Office 2008 will not meet my visual needs, then I will need to
start the process of searching for alternatives. Thankfully, I really
only use Word and PowerPoint, not Excel, so I should be able to find
some worthwhile alternatives.

Again, thanks to everyone, even if I have been told something that I
did not want to hear.

Later

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

I hear you. There is nothing out there that still offers white on blue.
That was originally a WordStar feature, copied by WordPerfect, stolen by
Word for DOS, and continued through Word for Windows and Word for Mac.
Right up until now.

The coloured after image is going to be a real problem: that's a chromatic
aberration, right?

What effect does a very LOW contrast display have upon it?

You can, of course, produce a display like this for particular documents.

If you use Format>Style>... You can set your Normal style to have White
text. In the same dialog, click the Format button and set the Normal style
to also have a Blue shading. You will then see white text on a blue
background wherever there is text.

Not quite the same, but it will be white on blue.

Cheers

I really and truly appreciate all the useful information that has been
offered by everyone. Thank you.

I am very disappointed to hear that White on Blue has been removed
from Office 2008.

"Improving your monitor" will not help me. My visual problem is very
simple. I see a colored after image when I look at black type on white
background on any computer monitor, TV, etc.. That is why the white on
black Universal Access switch in OS X does not help. There is still a
black-white border so the white has an after image. Thankfully, my
problem is relatively new however it is none the less a royal pain. I
really dread the thought of using a font color other than black, but I
may be forced to do that.

If Office 2008 will not meet my visual needs, then I will need to
start the process of searching for alternatives. Thankfully, I really
only use Word and PowerPoint, not Excel, so I should be able to find
some worthwhile alternatives.

Again, thanks to everyone, even if I have been told something that I
did not want to hear.

Later

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Business Analyst, Consultant
Technical Writer.
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[mudjud]

I cycled through a number of text editors and word processors today. I
even tried a few outliners. Mellel comes closest to meeting my needs.
I can select an on screen background color, but I can have it not
print any background color.

Yes, it is a chromatic aberration. No eye doctor has ever been able to
explain why it happens to me.

I have not tried a low contrast display, beyond turning the Brightness
way down on my laptop. I can still see the after image when the
Brightness is as low as it will go before the screen does going black,
when I, of course, see no after image or anything else.

I tried your white on blue text suggestion, and it worked well on
screen. Unfortunately, the blue prints. Argh. I guess I could create a
script solution to deal with it, but that seems like a lot of bother
if Mellel will meet my needs.

I must say that I am stunned at how advanced computers are, yet there
are still usability issues like I am having. There are surely other
people who have trouble seeing black on white for whom white on black
is not a viable solution.

Anyways, I am done with this thread.

Thanks one and all. I really appreciate the help.

 

[Phillip Jones]

Actually the most perfect Color combo is Sun Yellow text on a Dark sky
blue Background. ( was on WordPerfect PC back when WordPerfect was owned
by WordPerfect. (Version 2?)

I've lived ....

You haven't lived until you've used edlin on a teletypewriter console

White on blue has still been removed from Office 2008

Cheers

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