The configuration variable COLOR_TRANS (described in Appendix H) determines how the initial colors are transformed. It may be set to any of these values:
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | By default, COLOR_TRANS is set to 0, which causes no transformation. |
| 1 | This mode causes the foreground and background colors to be exchanged for each other. This is equivalent to running the entire program in reverse-video. |
| 2 | This causes white to be exchanged for black and black to be exchanged for white. The foreground and background colors are transformed independently. For example, a green foreground on a black background would turn into a green foreground on a white background. This setting usually has the effect of transforming a black background into white while maintaining the general color scheme of the application. |
| 3 | The foreground and background colors are exchanged for each other, but only if they are both black or white. If either the foreground or background contains a color other than black or white, then nothing happens. This is equivalent to running the monochrome parts of your program in reverse-video while maintaining the color portions unchanged. |
| 4 | The foreground and background colors are exchanged for each other, but only if the background is black. This mode insures that you never have a black background. |
| 5 | If the colors are foreground white and background black, they are exchanged for each other. Otherwise, nothing happens. |
Generally speaking, you could use the COLOR_TRANS variable as a starting point in converting an application to appear more natural under a graphical environment such as Windows. Note that if your application is entirely black-and-white, the first three COLOR_TRANS options are essentially identical.