Using Color in Expressions

When specifying color in an expresssion, you can use any of the following:

AutoCAD Color Index (ACI)

You can specify the color using an ACI color name (red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, magenta and white), the ACI index number (0-256), BYLAYER (256), or BYBLOCK (0).

Examples:

  • (ade_qrydefine '("" "" "" "Property" ("color" "=" "blue")""))
  • (ade_qrydefine '("" "" "" "Property" ("color" "=" "5")""))
  • (ade_altpdefine "color" "red")
  • (ade_altpdefine "color" "1")

RGB Triplet

An RGB triplet specifies the amount of red, green, and blue used to create the color. The values represent the intensity of the red, green, and blue components. The combination of these values can be manipulated to create a wide range of colors. For each component, enter a value between 0 and 255.

To enter an RGB color, enter the value for each of the components separated by commas. Enclose the three numbers in single quotation marks. For example, enter the color Red as '255,0,0' and enter cyan as '0,255,255'.

Only the following operators are valid: = and < >.

Examples:

  • (ade_qrydefine '("" "" "" "Property" ("color" "=" "\"255,0,0\"" )""))
  • (ade_altpdefine "color" "255,0,0")

Color Book and Color Name

You can specify colors using third-party color books (such as Pantone) or user-defined color books.

To specify a color book color, enter the name of the color book and the name of the color separated by a comma. Enclose the entire string in single quotation marks. For example, to specify the Pantone process coated cyan, enter 'Pantone(R) process coated, PANTONE Process Cyan C'. When you enter the color book and color name, be sure to type them exactly.

If you are unsure of the color name or color book name, display the Select Color dialog box. On the Color Books tab, look at the name of the color book and the color name.

For information on adding color books, click Help in the Color Books tab of the Select Color dialog box.

Only the following operators are valid: = and < >.

Examples:

  • (ade_qrydefine '("" "" "" "Property" ("color" "=" "\"Pantone,Pantone 647 CVC\"")""))
  • (ade_altpdefine "color" "Pantone,Pantone 647 CVC")

Combining Colors

When you specify the range of valid colors, you can combine any of the color specifications. Separate each color with a comma. In addition, for ACI colors, you can specify a continuous range. For example: 1,5,[7,11],'255,128,64','Pantone(R) process coated, PANTONE Process Cyan C'