# How to set default foreground color back to 0,0,0

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-set-default-foreground-color-back-to-0-0-0/52420>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [October 27, 2021, 8:25pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-set-default-foreground-color-back-to-0-0-0/52420 "2021-10-27T20:25:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Kraenbring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Kraenbring](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kraenbring)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 8:25pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-set-default-foreground-color-back-to-0-0-0/52420/1 "2021-10-27T20:25:21Z")

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After the upgrade to 8, the default foreground color for text objects was changed to 46,46,46. Which makes the text seem faded/fuzzy since it's not a clear black. How can I set the default foregrounds back to what they should be? From what I can tell, you can't search replace or export and replace because that setting is not in the object when you export it if left as default. If you change the color, then it's in the xml, but not if it's left as 46,46,46. So that setting must be somewhere else. But where?

I saw the last answer in this post, but that just doesn't cut it. I have a massive project and from what I can tell, I have to touch every. single. object to make it look right. That's not cool.

> [@\[BUG -13634, 15008\] Font Foreground color changes from black to grey when you upgrade from 7.9 to 8.0](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/bug-13634-15008-font-foreground-color-changes-from-black-to-grey-when-you-upgrade-from-7-9-to-8-0/23814/13):
>
> Hello, What I am seeing is a change in the RGB from R251, G250, B249 in 7.9.7 to R250, G250, B251 and also seeing a change in the HSL from H30, S20, L98, A 100 in 7.9.7 to H240, S11, L98, A100 in 8.0.5. I have attached exports of both projects. Here is a google drive link to the project exports. [https://drive.google.com/open?id=14wY7Y6lEs--e4NeELUkvsZwshOOSaIGD](https://drive.google.com/open?id=14wY7Y6lEs--e4NeELUkvsZwshOOSaIGD) Thanks, Clint

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**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 8:38pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-set-default-foreground-color-back-to-0-0-0/52420/2 "2021-10-27T20:38:17Z")

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Cool or not, that is what you need to do.

IA made a conscious decision long ago that defaults for properties do not get stored in resources. For pretty much every kind of resource. A great way to compress resources–until a not-stored default gets changed. Oops.

I agree, not cool. But no, there’s no easy solution.

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**Author:** ![Kraenbring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Kraenbring](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kraenbring)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 8:41pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-set-default-foreground-color-back-to-0-0-0/52420/3 "2021-10-27T20:41:39Z")

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I’m okay with not storing defaults in resources. Saves lots of space, makes lots of sense.

But deciding for everyone that dark grey is the new black without providing the means to change the default, does not make sense. All we needed is one little space to change the default color.

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**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 8:46pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-set-default-foreground-color-back-to-0-0-0/52420/4 "2021-10-27T20:46:55Z")

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The concept is pervasive throughout Ignition. Every java object that has a stored (serialized or json or xml) form in a resource decides for itself what defaults will apply.

It’s not one little space.

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**Author:** ![Kraenbring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Kraenbring](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kraenbring)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-set-default-foreground-color-back-to-0-0-0/52420/5 "2021-10-27T20:58:02Z")

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Right. The structure of the object is not in question. It would have been convenient if the font color was exposed in that structure, so we could rip through and find/replace, but it’s not. That’s totally fine.

But somewhere deep inside, they made a change and added the hex #2E2E2E or RGB(46,46,46) to the Foreground Color property default. All I want is to be able to find where that is, and set it to black. And, yes, that could have easily been a configuration setting somewhere.

![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/4/0/40d8385209ebdabe0177dfde9b11ecceb97ca8b7.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 9:16pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-set-default-foreground-color-back-to-0-0-0/52420/6 "2021-10-27T21:16:47Z")

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It’s deep inside, but not in one place. Last I peeked at such things, property defaults were compiled into each object. Vision objects that get serialized were compared to a sample of that class created with no following property changes.

You are thinking this was changed in one place. Changing this default background probably occurred in dozens of places in their codebase. Compiled in.

You aren’t getting the answer you want from IA because it _ **isn’t** _ simple.

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**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 9:21pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-set-default-foreground-color-back-to-0-0-0/52420/7 "2021-10-27T21:21:59Z")

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Sorry, AFAIK there's no easy trick for setting this en masse, but I'll check with another dev who's been working with the new Look and Feel.

This change in the look between 7.9 and 8.x is touched upon on in the upgrade guide: [7.9 to 8.1 Upgrade Guide - Ignition User Manual 8.1 - Ignition Documentation](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC81/7.9+to+8.1+Upgrade+Guide#id-7.9to8.1UpgradeGuide-LookandFeelchanges)

and it's explicitly mentioned that only non-default properties are preserved:

> Manual configurations to Vision resources, such as manually selecting a font or background color for a component, will be preserved upon upgrade. However, visual properties left with default values may appear differently after upgrade.

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**Author:** ![nminchin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/nminchin/32/6911_2.png) [@nminchin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nminchin)\
**Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 7:13pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-set-default-foreground-color-back-to-0-0-0/52420/8 "2021-10-28T19:13:14Z")

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While we're on the topic of default colour changes, you will find that all your default colour buttons have changed from almost white to blue, and page backgrounds have changed from a nice, minimal eye-strain EEECE8, to a bright, eye-straining, almost white :/. I actually don't mind the black change as I try not to use full black anywhere anyway. The new page colour though is horrendous and I go through and change this EVERYwhere. It affects containers as well. Very annoying...

Also, might be useful:

> [@Undocumented changes when migrating from v7 to v8](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/undocumented-changes-when-migrating-from-v7-to-v8/38044):
>
> Just some items I’ve found during v7 to v8 upgrades that may not be documented (some of them might be) and can cause hiccups (and quite a bit of work, relatively speaking!). The official guide to upgrading from IA is [here](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC81/Ignition+8+Upgrade+Guide). Tags: UDT v7 property UDTParentType has been renamed in v8 to TypeId Tag quality string values have changed. E.g. EDITED FOR 8.1.10 below 8.1.10 “Not Found” ==\> “Bad\_NotFound”; “Disabled” ==\> “Bad\_Disabled”; 8.1.10 and above “Bad\_NotFound(Error description…)”, “Bad\_ErrorC…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kraenbring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Kraenbring](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kraenbring)\
**Post date:** [October 28, 2021, 8:21pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-set-default-foreground-color-back-to-0-0-0/52420/9 "2021-10-28T20:21:15Z")

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Yeah, don’t get me started on the buttons… Ok now you have. 🙂 Ever try to change the border of a button in 8 and then try to change it back the default? Spoiler: “Other Border” is not an option you can pick. Weird.

If you’re going to mess with all the colors, come up with schemes that developers can choose from. That way you can show off the new minimalist designs and let people choose if they want it or not. Or we can come up with our own color/design schemes. Now that would be cool.

![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/5/e/5ed8bf9ea3d6c6f02ac6b69d11d9c61ba8eb562c.png)
