Delphi Source Code to Convert between TColor and RGB Color in String Format

DELPHI Source Code — Function: Convert between TColor and RGB Color (as String representation)

Here is the code for a pair of useful Delphi functions for converting and moving color values between Delphi TColor (object / class) type and string representations of an RGB Color value (with or without leading # character).

If you use Delphi to output HTML code or CSS code that includes RGB color values, and you are using Delphi to edit colors or are otherwise manipulating colors using the Delphi TColor type, these routines should make it simple to convert between TColor and RGB-encoded strings.

The surrounding code shows the few USES units that were referenced. (and, this was tested through Delphi 2010)

Delphi Functions Source Code

--********************************************************************************
--This source code is Copyright (c) 2007-2017
--     Author: Mike Eberhart
--
--I hereby release this code under the terms of the MIT License (for freeware).
--
--Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
--of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
--in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
--to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
--copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
--furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
--
--The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
--all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
--
--THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
--IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
--FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
--AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
--LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
--OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
--THE SOFTWARE.
--********************************************************************************

unit ColorsUtilRGB;

interface

uses
  Windows,   //for RGB Macros
  Math,      //IfThen
  StrUtils,  //IfThen
  SysUtils,  //Format
  Classes,
  Graphics;  //for Shape type

type

  //Our RGB/Color Routines
  function GetColorASRGBString(
    const ColorToConvert : TColor; 
    const IncludePrefixChar : Boolean = True) : String;
    
  function GetRGBStringAsColor(const RGBString : String) : TColor;

implementation

 

{==============================================================================
GetColorASRGBString:

Convert a Tcolor Type to a String representation of the TColor's RGB equivalent
value in Hexadecimal digits.  If IncludePrefixChar (true by default), append
the "#" prefix to the string (showing Hex prefix).


Some TColor Notes:
  To assign a HEX value to a TColor type, cast as follows (example is for a 
constant declaration): clLightTan    = TColor($00CCEEEE);

  The HEX values represent RGB, but are in low-order byte to high-order byte
arrangement (i.e., it's really BRG reading left-to-right, so read right-to-left
for two-byte pairs of Red/Green/Blue)
===============================================================================}
function GetColorASRGBString(
  const ColorToConvert : TColor; 
  const IncludePrefixChar: Boolean): String;
var
  r,g,b         : Byte;
  CurrentColor  : TColor;
  HexColorWithSpaces : String;
const
  HexFormatStr  : String = '%2x';
begin
  CurrentColor  := ColorToConvert;

  CurrentColor  := ColorToRGB(CurrentColor);
  r := GetRValue(CurrentColor);
  g := GetGValue(CurrentColor);
  b := GetBValue(CurrentColor);

  HexColorWithSpaces := IfThen(IncludePrefixChar, '#','') 
    + Format(HexFormatStr, [r]) 
    + Format(HexFormatStr, [g]) 
    + Format(HexFormatStr, [b]);
  Result := AnsiReplaceStr(HexColorWithSpaces, ' ', '0');
end;


{==============================================================================
GetRGBStringAsColor:
This is the opposite of the prior function... Take a string representation of 
an RGB-encoded color and return a Delphi TColor equivalent.

ASSUMES inbound RGB String is EITHER:
  6 CHARACTERS LONG, NUMBERS/LETTERS ONLY!!
    OR
  7 CHARACTERS (WHERE FIRST CHAR IS "#" PREFIX)
===============================================================================}
function GetRGBStringAsColor(const RGBString : String) : TColor;
var
  RGBStringToConvert    : String[9];
  RBGStringChecked      : String;
begin
  if LeftStr(RGBString, 1) = '#' then
    RBGStringChecked := RightStr(RGBString, Length(RGBString) -1)
  else
    RBGStringChecked := RGBString;

  //Put in proper order for the StrToInt conversion 
  //(expects as B, G, R and NOT IN RGB order).
  RGBStringToConvert    := '$00' 
    + Copy(RBGStringChecked, 5, 2) 
    + Copy(RBGStringChecked, 3, 2) 
    + Copy(RBGStringChecked, 1, 2);

  Result := TColor(StrToInt(RGBStringToConvert));
end;



end.

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