Edit Color Scheme Dialog Box

This dialog box allows you to edit a color scheme, by changing the color, the description for the color, the ASL expression for applying the color, and the number of colors.

To open this dialog box, click Edit in the Color Schemes settings section of the Preferences Panel.

  • Using
  • Features
  • Additional Resources

Using the Edit Color Scheme Dialog Box

Color schemes are defined in terms of rules, which are applied in order. The first rule has the lowest priority, and can be superseded by any of the subsequent rules. Each rule is defined by an ASL expression, and a color is assigned to that rule. The rules are listed in the Rules table.

To change the color for a given rule, click the color cell, and choose a new color in the Select Color dialog box.

To set the colors for multiple rules from a color ramp, select the rules in the table, choose the color ramp, and click Apply.

To change the ASL expression for a rule, do one of the following:

  • Edit the ASL cell directly to change the expression
  • Right-click and choose Element, then one of the common elements.
  • Right-click and choose Residue Type, then one of the standard residues.
  • Right-click and choose Select to set up the ASL expression in the Atom Selection dialog box.

To add a new rule, click New. A new rule is added to the end of the table.

To insert a rule after an existing rule, select the rule and click Copy. The copy is inserted after the selected rule, and the selction is moved to the copy.

To delete rules, select the rules and click Delete.

Edit Color Scheme Dialog Box Features

Name text box

Name of the color scheme. The name can be edited if it is not one of the standard color schemes. The name must be unique, because it is used in menus. A warning is posted for a non-unique name, and you must fix the name.

Description text area

Description of the color scheme. The description is displayed in the Color Schemes settings section of the Preferences Panel. You can change the description, or even delete it entirely.

Rules table

This table defines the rules for applying the color scheme. The rules are applied from the top down, so that rules that are lower down in the table override rules that are higher up. The rows cannot be reordered, but you can copy and delete rows to put them in the desired order. The columns and their use are described below.

Color Color used for the class of atoms defined by the ASL expression. Clicking the cell opens the Choose Color dialog box, in which you can choose a color from a palette, or open a standard color selector to choose a color in HSV or RGB space.
Description Description of the class of atoms defined by the ASL expression. You can edit this cell to change the description, or leave it blank.
ASL ASL expression for the class of atoms to which the color is applied. You can edit the cell directly to change the ASL expression, you can choose some common ASL expressions from the shortcut menu (Element and Residue Type), or you can open the Atom Selection Dialog Box from the shortcut menu (Select) to construct the ASL expression.
New button

Add a new row to the Rules table, at the end.

Copy button

Copy the selected row in the Rules table and place the copy immediately below the selected row. The new row is selected. This allows you to insert a rule in the middle of the table, by editing the copied row.

Delete button

Delete the selected rows from the Rules table.

Reset All button

Reset all of the rules for a standard color scheme. A warning is displayed; if you choose OK, then the standard rules for the color scheme are restored. This button is not present when editing custom color schemes.

Color Ramp option menu

Choose a color ramp to apply to the rules in the table, in order of row number.

Apply ramp to buttons

Apply the chosen color ramp to the rules in the table with these buttons:

  • All Rules—apply the color ramp to all rules (except for the Any other atom rule, which is used for atoms that do not have the property or are not selected by any of the ASL queries for the rules)
  • Selected Rules—apply the color ramp to the rules that are selected in the table.

The colors are applied in ascending order of row numbers in the table, starting from the color on the left of the Color Ramp option menu, and interpolating in RGB space for successive rows.

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