Is it possible to print from Python using non-ANSI colors?

ghz 12hours ago ⋅ 4 views

Yes, it is possible to print from Python using non-ANSI colors, but it depends on the context in which you are printing and the environment you are targeting. Non-ANSI colors typically refer to colors outside the standard 16 ANSI colors or their extended 256-color palette.

Here are some methods to achieve this:

1. Extended 24-bit (True Color) Support in Modern Terminals

Modern terminals (e.g., GNOME Terminal, Windows Terminal, iTerm2) support true color (24-bit) output, allowing you to use any RGB value for text color.

You can use the ESC (escape) sequences to specify the RGB values:

def print_rgb_text(r, g, b, text):
    # Format for 24-bit color: \033[38;2;R;G;BmTEXT\033[0m
    print(f"\033[38;2;{r};{g};{b}m{text}\033[0m")

print_rgb_text(128, 0, 128, "This is a purple text!")
  • 38;2;R;G;B sets the foreground color using RGB values.
  • Replace 38 with 48 for background color.
  • \033[0m resets the colors after the text.

Make sure your terminal supports true color. You can check terminal compatibility using the True Color Test Script.

2. Using Libraries for Richer Color Support

Several Python libraries abstract away the complexity of escape sequences and provide higher-level APIs for colored text.

a) Rich

The rich library provides true color and a wide range of features for terminal output, including text styles, gradients, and more.

from rich.console import Console

console = Console()
console.print("[rgb(128,0,128)]This is purple text![/rgb]")

b) Colorama

Colorama simplifies the use of ANSI escape sequences, and while it doesn't natively support true color, you can combine it with manual escape sequences for extended colors.

3. Using Graphics Libraries for Custom Displays

If you're working outside of a text-based terminal (e.g., GUI, game development, or custom output in a graphical application), libraries like pygame, tkinter, or Qt allow complete control over colors, including those outside ANSI standards.

Example with pygame:

import pygame

pygame.init()
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((400, 300))
screen.fill((255, 255, 255))  # White background
font = pygame.font.Font(None, 36)
text = font.render('Hello, Non-ANSI Colors!', True, (128, 0, 128))  # Purple text
screen.blit(text, (50, 100))
pygame.display.flip()

# Wait for a few seconds to view the text
pygame.time.wait(5000)
pygame.quit()

4. Windows-Specific Console Colors

If you're on Windows, you can use the ctypes library to call Windows API functions for setting console colors.

Example using Windows Console API:

import ctypes

# Define colors
STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE = -11
FOREGROUND_PURPLE = 0x05  # Custom purple

# Get handle to console output
handle = ctypes.windll.kernel32.GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE)

# Set text color
ctypes.windll.kernel32.SetConsoleTextAttribute(handle, FOREGROUND_PURPLE)
print("This is a custom color text!")
ctypes.windll.kernel32.SetConsoleTextAttribute(handle, 0x07)  # Reset to default

Summary

  • For terminal-based true color, use the escape sequence \033[38;2;R;G;Bm for foreground and \033[48;2;R;G;Bm for background.
  • For ease of use, libraries like rich or colorama are great choices.
  • For non-terminal outputs, use graphical libraries like pygame, tkinter, or Qt.
  • On Windows, you can manipulate the console directly with the Windows API.

Let me know if you'd like to see any of these methods in more detail!

#py