Home
>
Web Design
>
Hexadecimal Color Notation on the Web

Hexadecimal Color Notation on the Web

When designing elements for your webpage, you will often be called upon to specify a color. For example, the code for a span shown below specifies that the color of the text within the span will be yellow.

Text

Colors can be specified according to their names, for example "yellow", "green", or "blue". In many cases, these simple color names will work. But what if you want to specify a more sophisticated color like "cornflowerblue"? A particular browser may not recognize a particular color name. It's more reliable to specify colors with an "RGB triplet".

An RGB triplet specifies a color based upon the amounts of red, green, and blue, on a scale from 0 to 255, required to create the color. For example, to create the color cornflowerblue you need red=100, green=149, and blue=237. We could then specify the color of the text within a span using the rgb function as shown below.

Text

This will work fine with style notation, but what if you want to use straight html. Html doesn't recognize the rgb function. In that case, you can specify color using "hexadecimal" notation. Whereas the decimal numbering system uses the characters 0 through 9 to get 10 values, the hexadecimal numbering system uses the characters 0 through f to get 16 values. (After 9 the characters a, b, c, d, e and f are used, as shown below.)

Decimal Hexidecimal Equivilants

dec hex

0 = 0

1 = 1

2 = 2

3 = 3

4 = 4

5 = 5

6 = 6

7 = 7

8 = 8

9 = 9

10 = A

11 = B

12 = C

13 = D

14 = E

15 = F

On first appearance, this looks pretty simple but you need two hexadecimal characters to represent all decimal values from 0 to 255. When you increment decimal 9 by 1, you change the 9 to 0 and put 1 in the ten's place. When you increment hexidecimal F by one, you change the F to 0 and put 1 in the "sixteens" place. Sometimes it's not easy to convert between decimal and hexadecimal in your head.

RGB Triplet for Cornflowerblue

color dec hex

red 100 64

green 149 95

blue 237 ED

We could then specify the color of text within a span using the hexadecimal notation as shown below.

Text

Note that when we indicate the use of hexadecimal notation by placing a pound (#) sign in front of the number, and we don't use commas to separate the color components.

If it's not easy to convert between decimal and hexadecimal in your head, then how do you do it? You can use a calculator that has a decimal to hexadecimal coversion function, or you can learn to think in hexadecimal. For example, what's the next number after CE? That would be CF. what's the next number after CF? That would be D0. Which hexadecimal number is higher 99 or B2? B2 would be higher than 99. It gets easier with experience.

Here's Java Script code for a simple decimal to hexidecimal color converter

function convert(decvalue)

{

var num = parseInt(decvalue);

if(num >= 0 && num < 256)

{

var hexnum = num.toString(16);

alert("#" + hexnum);

}

else {alert("Error!");}

}

It's important to use hexadecimal notation to specify colors when you use DHTML with visual effects, because to create a dynamic color change you have to increment or add a value to a color. The vast amount of color specification on webpages is in hexadecimal notation, so it would be wise to become familiar with it.

Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the resource box below is included.

About The Author

To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com. To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter visit bucarotechelp.com

Benton shuttle to Midway .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Just two months into 2025 there have been numerous Mac malware threats targeting Apple laptops, ranging from infostealers to malicious software.

A self-driving electric bus powered by artificial intelligence has an electric powertrain for zero-emission operation and an automated drive system.

SpaceX is slated to launch its Starship for the eighth time from Boca Chica, Texas, Friday, though plans could be thwarted if the FAA fails to give the green light.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Kurt the CyberGuy offers tips on how you can protect your devices against infostealer malware, which was used to infect 4.3 million machines last year.

Motional is developing autonomous vehicles capable of handling a wide range of real-world scenarios. Its high-speed robotaxi testing reached speeds of 75 mph.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explores whether there is artificial intelligence bias involved with the iPhone's voice-to-text conversion in the message app.

Apple's iPhone voice-to-text periodically flashes "Trump" when a user speaks the word "racist." Fox News Digital reached out to Apple about the flaw but did not hear back.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson presents five secret shortcuts: Adjust sound/vibration, share YouTube moments, fix tabs and tweak brightness.

VR transforms senior care: Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says immersive tech helps older adults explore and connect via virtual experiences.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says DNA tests pose privacy risks like shared genetic information, inaccuracies and hard data deletion.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says this enormous airship revolutionizes cargo transport by flying to remote areas.

Understanding the language of the internet can help you protect your personal information from bad actors. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains.

Woven City is Toyota's experimental city that is a fully functional environment for people to live, work and play while doing research.

The line between spam and scams is thin. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson details his tips for identifying and avoiding phone scams, robocalls and unwanted solicitations.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents

Kurt the CyberGuy takes you through the steps to easily set your preferred web browser whether you're using a Mac, Windows PC, iPhone or Android.

Google, Instagram, Facebook and weather apps can track your location and use that data to serve you ads; here's what you can do to protect your privacy.

A new debate has emerged about whether airlines should charge passengers based on their weight to help reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says Hipshipper, which is used by eBay, Shopify and Amazon sellers, exposed millions of shipping labels.

Boxabl’s Baby Box is a 120-square-foot foldable home that can be set up in 60 minutes and has off-grid features. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says it's designed to maximize functionality.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Major IoT data breach: Mars Hydro database with 2.7 billion records exposed. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the breach is a reminder of the risks that come with using IoT devices.

Unitree H1 robots dance at gala, blending AI and tradition. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson examines the convergence of cutting-edge technology and traditional culture.

For the first time ever, SpaceX launched a rocket into space from Florida and landed the booster the Bahamas, allowing for future polar-orbit spaceflight missions.

Hexadecimal Color Notation on the Web

Web Design