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Use the Color Card to Manage the Color

Posted Fri, 11/19/2010 - 16:35 by Anonymous

1. Existing problem
Currently, the system used only one field to represent the color, as a result, when the user want to clearly identify the new created color, some may use the color code and the other may use the color code with description to represent a specific color. As the key in method is relatively arbitrary and no specific rule is defined for the color combine, the same color may have different code and description, in return the same color may have several records in the system. Moreover, the maximum length of the color field is only 30 characters, the space may not be enough for the record with long color description or color combine case.

2. Case Solution
In order to solve the above color issue, the system has introduced the
Color Card function. It major purpose is to define the variety of the color used by the suppliers/ customers and the own company. For each specific Color Card is the series of color series, and different color used the different color code to mutual identify themselves. The color code and color description is divided into two separate fields to record in color card. In process the database saving, the system apply universal format to save the color code and color card number. In the main directory and the report display, it follows the color code and color card number saved in the system inorder to retrieve the relevant color and color description, and displays them in universal format. The color combine also follows the combine rule to save the combine code, and display according to the relevant combine color and combine description in combine code. In case the existing system may not find the relevant color information from the new color card, it will treat it as a color code with no description, in return, it will display of current information, thus it will not affect the current data display.
In order to compatible with the current application method, user can have selection on applying the color description. In prior system, there is no color description, user will fill in the color code + color description in the same field of color code. In new version, user can sub-divide the color description or continue the current method. The major impaction is on the customized reports, as the current customized report only retrieved the information in color code field, if we sub-divide the color code and description in the system, the report may not be able to identify the color description of the color code.

3. Design Solution
1) Basic Color Series Definition
A specific color on color card can have it corresponding color series, in facilitating the color categorize. The color series has a reference color, it used to display the color panel. In display the color in the directory, it will follow the color series to display different color panel, in order to achieve the visual color display objective. The system foundation adds a section for key in of color series. The system default setting will show some color series that commonly use, user can define it on their own. The color key in and search method is the same with the Garment color.
Warning: Color series only represent the color corresponding direction, it do not represent the actual color. As a result, there is not vital to define variety of color series to identify the color.

2) Color Card Definition
Different color card is defined via color code and description. Each color card is consisted of a series of color. In real phenomenon, the color code of different companies may not be the same, user can develop independent color card for different company. There is the Color Card in the Others menu of the pull down list, user can edit the color card and color on it.

Refer Color Card Maintenance directory listed below:

◆① Edit mode of the color card. Define a code of the color card, the length is 5 characters and the relevant description.

“Code”: Suggest entering English characters or numbers, in order to avoid the error in simply and traditional Chinese interchange;
“Description”: The comprehensive description of the color card, can be in Chinese;
“Company”: Can select the relevant company in the pull down list;
The company retrieved in here is the suppliers and customers information, it represents the color card of the color combination that commonly used by that particular supplier or customer. We develop the relevant color card by company, when user needs to apply the specific color card in creating orders, user can select the colors in the that company’s color card in order to minimize the chance of the duplication of color of the same company in a system.
◆ ② Color List. The existing color card list in the system.
◆ ③ Color Edit Mode.

Color Card: The current Color Card Code
Color Code: Define a color code, the length can not excess 30 characters
Color Description: The description of the current color
Color Description (Chinese): The Chinese description of the current color
Color series: Corresponding to which basic color series
Color Intensity: The brightness of the current color in the color series
Reference Code: User can key in the specific standard color code, remark.
Move to can move a specific color from the current color card to another target color card. User can directly select the target color card in the pull down list.

◆ ④ Color display method.
There are two display methods: List and Icon. The result can refer to the image below.


◆ ⑤ Color display region
Display all the color defined in the current color card.

3) Color selection
The color Lookup method has been modified from the current pull down list selection to the pop up color card window selection. Refer to the below image for the pop up color card:

The procedure of the color selection
◆ 1 Select color card. Select the color card in the Color Card pull down list, or directly enter the color card code.

◆ 2 Select a single color. Select the required color form the color list below. (Warning: no need to tick the checkbox for single color selection)

◆ 3 Select the Combine Color. User can tick the checkbox of the color selection according to the combine color sequence.
Each color is represented by the color code and description. In apply the color on color card to represent a material color, some may only required one color and some material may have several colors, thus need to combine several colors to represent the material color.

Color combine rule: In combine the color, select the color code according to sequence to represent a combine color code, use “/” between to serve as the separator, the color description also according to the code combine sequence to represent the combine color description. Refer to the image above.
For example, there is three colors: 1) C101, 2)C103, 3)C104
If the combine sequence is 123, the combine code will be: C101/C103/C104 and description: PALE RED/ PURPLISH BLUE/ PURPLISH RED
If the combine sequence is 213, the combine code will be: C103/C101/ C104 and description: PURPLISH BLUE/PALE RED/ PURPLISH RED

4) Color Save and Display
◆ 1 Color Save. The color save format in the database.
Single Color: Color Card Code: Color Code
Combine Color: Color Card Code: Color Code 1/ Color Code 2
Warning: The system may not save the color description in saving the color at the mean time.
◆ 2 Color Display
The system will analyze the saved color value, and match the color card code and the color code with the system record to retrieve the color description, inorder to display the new color format in the current display place according to a specific format. If the color can not be retrieved from the color card, the content saved will be directly displayed in the system.
Display format:
Single Color: color panel + color card code: color code
+ space + color description
Combine Color: color panel 1+ color panel 2 +color card code: color code 1/ color code 2 + space + color description 1/color description 2
For instance, the color description is display according to the Chinese or English language setting. Some color format may display both Chinese and English, for example the style color in order.
Example: (■ represent the current color panel, see the image below for the result)

◆ 3 Report Display
The system will analyze the saved color value, and retrieve the relevant color information to display in the recent color location with the new color display format. If no color information can be retrieved from the color card, the system will directly display the saved content.
Single color: Color code + space + color description
Combine color: combine color code + space + combine color description

5) Compatible with new and old version
◆ 1 Allow user to define the adoption of color description

As old version does not have color description, the system will place both the color code and the color description in the color code field, it will lead to variation of color code when modifying the color description, and there will be no linkage between the previous colors. Moreover, the description may be too long and can not be placed in the color code field. The system now introduced the color description function to solve this problem. In displaying the color, the color description is directly retrieved from the system foundation, and any modify in the color description in system foundation will change all the color display. There are two issues in using the color description, the first is the key in of the color description. User can do it manually. However, it takes long time if the data volume is very large. For instance, we provide import template for the user. The second problem is the existing customized reports can not display the color description, and can only shows the color code, it will make the color display not straight forward at all. For this reason, user can choose not to apply the color description in order to compatible with the previous customized report.