Everyone loves Sublime’s colors. Lots of us are watching those colors disappearing on our Apple devices. OS X is retired, macOS is here with a ‘stable’ security platform.
There is a deep program-level problem for Sublime Text and OS X/macOS users. The problem started with Apple’s introduction of SIP (El Capitan). The problem restricts code color hinting. Specifically, CSS hinting is disabled for all languages supported by Sublime Text. Built-in customization of color hinting is removed, for whatever reason back then. Today, Apple promises a stable platform… Please do read on.
Since the inception of Apple SIP, Sublime Text 3 has limited customization of color themes (and built-in schemes). As a result, two packages have emerged that together facilitate user management color hinting. Knee-jerk from Sublime developers is, “TAKE IT TO PACKAGE DEVELOPERS.” There is no response from those developers, and why should there be. The problem is Sublime’s core run-time fit with SIP. Behavioral proof of core failure follows, in lay terms.
THIS IS NOT A DEVELOPER ISSUE. Sublime developers removed the ability of built-in color customization. BIG MISTAKE! I am color blind. I need to adapt colors. 78% of all humans have some degree of color blindness, 14% share my generall ‘type’ of grey-out (with millions of unique variations). None of the built-ins work for me and 1/5 Sublime users. We need customization. Sublime developers need to re-integrate theme/scheme color customization (lose the attitude that a dozen built-in schemes will fit millions of unique expressions of recognized color blindness). The two packages listed below are a good start to essential reintegration.
I have tested these 2 packages on multiple systems in multiple environments (mac-book, macpro quad-core, macpro 6-core, disk locations, disk media, etc.), always with the same result: Sublime color-hinting for CSS is disabled as soon as the ‘enabling’ packages allow customization of themes and schemes.
Resolution involves removal of ALL sublime program files (including executables), shut down, and reinstall. Any files not removed, then no color hinting will be re-asserted by the OS. The requirement “ALL FILES REMOVED” is a certain indication that OS structure is conflicting with Sublime in a very rigorous way. Hence the likelihood that SIP is not only contemporaneous with Sublime restricting color hinting. SIP is blocking user color hinting customization in Sublime’s current versions.
However, that said, these two packages are effectively enabling hinting for every language but CSS. So PLEASE! Sublime Text developers and programmers, please reintegrate with what is working 99%, and make it 100%, BUILT-IN.
First three packages I install:
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ColorSchemeEditor or CSE package
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PackageResourceViewer or PRV package
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Soda SolarizedDark or SSD theme
These are used to further ‘personalize’ Solarized (Dark) built-in color scheme.selection#030609
selectionBorder#ffffff
inactiveSelection#ff2000
Note that if other packages are installed first that support and enforce CSS behaviors, CSE and PRV will not disable CSS color-hinting, but Sublime Text will corrupt making removal and reinstallation as noted inevitable, almost immediately following CSE-PRV installation in all environments as noted above. Sublime crippled will work, but will frequently crash… CSS Enforcers tested: CSS Format, CSS3, HTML Page Snippets, HTML5, HTMLAttributes, HTMLBeautify, iReset. Naturally, assessment of Sublime core services involves specific use of CSE-PRV-SSD with built-in Solarized (Dark).
Ancillary behavioral issue, code ‘selection’ key not responsive in display. It is true that ‘selection’ key normally will change scheme background color, but Sublime’s ‘Selection’ key has no effect on scheme background color without CSE-PRV plugins from Package Control, that at the same time knock out all CSS color hinting for all Sublime coding languages! This indicates that Sublime core is ‘not ready’, but the required app programming at core-level is testable, fully. Yet as noted above, while enforcers and CSE-PRV presence indicate capacity, that capacity is not effectively exploited.
When will Sublime exploit its capacity, and re-enable universal color hinting customization.