I was trying to find a package I have never installed, and I found terminal-colors. It’s not as if I had a problem with terminal with 256 color, but this script did bring back the time I tried to make my terminal emulator to display 256 colors correctly. Nowadays, you shouldn’t have any issues for having 256 color support, it should work just out-of-the-box, not in your favorite terminal, not in Vim, not in with terminal multiplexer, or in any programs. It’s been working well for a few years.

Note

This post definitely is the most colorful post I have ever written, if your eyes are blinded by it, I take absolutely no responsibility of that. You have been warned. ;)

I would describe the feeling is somewhat nostalgic, even it’s just a few years. I bet some of you remember 256 color mode of xterm.

If you know other scripts, feel free to link to the script and attach a screenshot in the comment if you want to.

1   256color2.pl

256color2.pl, by Todd Larason, probably is the most standard script to test a terminal’s 256 color capability. I could recall I was changing term string, setting Vim variable up, editing screen or tmux configurations, restarting, just to see those beautiful smooth color blocks.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZXCv8g6iWA-CxtPmmGZUyeAACOBH2LjOAH6QNcO9nBUnXtTvMpVxYm_urqDZZUraWm2Fq31DdpllXHswAkH9g7gsGbXRf4DMbP2npyn-WoLsy0hjRebdgI_xw4JjLnJrFeV2VejZi9Q/s800/2013-02-21--15%253A13%253A35.png

2   ansi --colortable

ansi is a command-line tool to help shell scripting to have color, change position, and a few other things. --colortable is one of them.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGliOSQ2lthkE56K0q0jVL1uge4XMY5RGkcNAmzeUUzfS-3Af3lUs9g1uFGazXst2LSWKxJiDlSvuAUEadOoyVKE8tWaYYWjOArWYwvLAsdmP9d4Zn9llNnSEVknu6BmPtEALGFke9FUY/s800-Ic42/ansi.colortable.gif

3   ANSI_test.sh

Shamelessly, I have to plug in one of my own, ANSI_test.sh. It’s mainly written for the SGR (Select Graphic Rendition) testing in a terminal, not the colors part. I can’t remember if I actually use it for something, or just to fill in these color scripts had been missing.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6vwAdicaMUFziXqCK6q_K70VZqXMNKXXhqTgAufhDfpRSVaDuTM3Dy240raE27NkRZPdQuDSZua98K_ju_bhHQSKfylMRc68-9EQJrWw0eSqedoU2xy7qq0yM0eRtO-qEOze5fErEJg/s640/2013-02-21--15%253A08%253A06.png

4   palette_test.py from Urwid examples

Urwid has a simple palette_test.py with UI for palette testing, of course, as you may know Urwid is a console user interface library for Python. This script is only interactive script I have know, it’s easier to switch between color modes, even monochrome.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtY0Ch1TSQ0HXjL7IQvhJnRR2Him3P0-7-aHrBBVGO7GnhRe85wSPHl1TZTG5KXm3C8o-ebzQ6MOWoeMyZ6aZzcCIWWSNTmuA9ZBMkpfK3hOUV2iYthHYErVj4IuK3qdnj0qrlXgHOW0/s800/2013-02-21--15%253A19%253A50.png

5   terminal-colors

terminal-colors is a Python script, by John Eikenberry, with many options to play with, and you can use it to convert color between 88-color and 256-color. I’ve also made a video for this script.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYFTpDP_xqyIaCTEwi8h6OErCPP5yldND5Jc0FwHaxfcM0w5q0c4AcAS1fgs-TgdmDAWhWRwplL8ca__tzGuXBflsHw4LGXGNJoDQDjY15OhcW1obdUsBege3JeHJ4L1EPE9d25FPl5U/s800/2013-02-21--15%253A03%253A58.png

6   xterm_colour_chart

xterm_colour_chart, by Ian Ward, also the creator of Urwid, has some unusual and fun presentations, clouds, whales, cows, …. Guess which one the screenshot is showing?

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qP7Taqs7pSEmYZ2uz7bE3znWtrsTYWcRyceIc27oBbAG5wMGftx-y24C2p7ATZEhhlycifLt7Ds0b73Ru0WZvr4lYJPVKZRupQotADDHH1ctJo6cEWclN5uKPFk8Q6y8bePXJJYKzuQ/s800/2013-02-21--15%253A26%253A18.png

Psst… I included the command in screenshot.