asked on

PHP: change color string

Hi All,

I have a string called $color, is there an way to find the next color up.

e.g.

$color = '#FFFFFF';

would give us;
$new_color = '#EEEEEE';

I was thinking of maybe looping the string like below

<?php
$color = 'FFFFFF';

$new_color = substr($color,0,1);

switch ($new_color) {
    case "F":
        echo $new_color = 'E';
        break;
    case "E":
        echo $new_color = 'D';
        break;
    case "D":
        echo $new_color = 'C';
        break;
    case "C":
        echo $new_color = 'B';
        break;
    case "B":
        echo $new_color = 'A';
        break;
    case "A":
        echo $new_color = '9';
        break;
    case "9":
        echo $new_color = '8';
        break;
    case "8":
        echo $new_color = '7';
        break;
    case "7":
        echo $new_color = '6';
        break;
    case "6":
        echo $new_color = '5';
        break;
    case "5":
        echo $new_color = '4';
        break;
    case "4":
        echo $new_color = '3';
        break;
    case "3":
        echo $new_color = '2';
        break;
    case "2":
        echo $new_color = '1';
        break;
    case "1":
        echo $new_color = '0';
        break;
    case "0":
        echo $new_color = '1';
        break;
}

echo $new_color;
?>

Open in new window

ropenner

//to show all colors (or take steps of 50) you can do this in PHP

<?PHP
$step = 50;
for ($i=0; $i<255; $i+=$step) {
 $red_portion = base_convert($i, 16, 10); // convert number $i from base 16 (hexidecimal) to base 10 (decimal)
 for ($j=0; $j<255; $j+=$step) {
 $green_portion = base_convert($j, 16, 10);
 for ($k=0; $k<255; $k+=$step) {
 $blue_portion = base_convert($k, 16, 10);
 print "O ";
 }
 }
}
?>

colour is Red Green and Blue stuck together in one string.

So in the color #FFEEDD

FF = red
EE = green
DD = blue

These are hexidecimal numbers indicating the intensity of each color which is why FFFFFF is white because all three colours are at maximum (255 decimal == FF hex)

What do you mean by 'next color up'... in your example you go from FFFFFF which is white to EEEEEE which is slightly offwhite (slightly gray).

FF0000 is red only
00FF00 is green only
0000FF is blue only

if you cycle through the hexidecimal numbers 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F you get all colours as in my php code example above.

ropenner

sorry, did the base_conversion backwards

<?PHP
$step = 50;
for ($i=0; $i<255; $i+=$step) {
 $red_portion = base_convert($i, 10, 16); // convert number $i from base 10 (decimal) to base 16 (hexidecimal)
 for ($j=0; $j<255; $j+=$step) {
 $green_portion = base_convert($j, 10, 16);
 for ($k=0; $k<255; $k+=$step) {
 $blue_portion = base_convert($k, 10, 16);
 print "O ";
 }
 }
}
?>

detox1978

ASKER

Hi,

When i say next level up. I'm looking for the nearest color.

So

F = E
E= D
D = C
C = B
B = A
A = 9
9 = 8
8 = 7
7 = 6
6 = 5
5 = 4
4 = 3
3 = 2
2 = 1
0 = 1

So #FE34DD would be #ED23CC

ropenner

third times the charm ... I didn't pad the number with zeros like should have been done the first time
<?PHP
$step = 50;
for ($i=0; $i<255; $i+=$step) {
 $red_portion = base_convert($i, 10, 16); // convert number $i from base 16 (hexidecimal) to base 10 (decimal)
 for ($j=0; $j<255; $j+=$step) {
 $green_portion = base_convert($j, 10, 16);
 for ($k=0; $k<255; $k+=$step) {
 $blue_portion = base_convert($k, 10, 16);
 print "O ";
 }
 }
}
?>

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

ropenner

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detox1978

ASKER

Thanks,

Added a line to make 0's into 2's, so they drop into 1's

<?PHP
$color = "#000222";
$color = str_replace('0','2',$color); // hack 0 to 2, so it drops to 1
$hexnumbers = array(0,0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,'A','B','C','D','E');
print "$color<BR>\n";
$new_color = "#";
for ($i=1; $i< strlen($color);$i++) {
      $hexdigit = $color[$i];
      $new_hex = $hexnumbers[hexdec($hexdigit)];
      $newnumber .= "$new_hex";
}
print "$newnumber\n<BR>";
?>

Open in new window

ropenner

save a line of code if you just change this

$hexnumbers = array(0,0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,'A','B','C','D','E');

to

$hexnumbers = array(1,1,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,'A','B','C','D','E');

because what it says is that index 0 becomes a 1 and index 1 becomes a 1 and index 2 becomes a one and index 3 becomes a 2.... etc. Then you won't get 0's either.

I also had an error where
$new_color = "#"; should have been
$newnumber="#";

the whole loop innerds can be one line as well but it is more readable in its current form

example of for loop insides as one line:
$newnumber .= $hexnumbers[hexdec($color[$i])];