Day 50 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python
Some people know the names of colors the way sommeliers know wines—by region, undertone, and emotional baggage. I am not one of those people. The other day, I misspelled a color name while trying to assign it to a new genre. I expected a big angry error message. Instead? Python shrugged and picked something. It was a shade, I suppose, but not the one I had in mind. That’s when I realized: if I’m going to survive this genre-color dance, I need more than luck. I need a color picker.
So today’s upgrade is all about seeing what you’re getting. No more guessing if “slateblue” is dusty or deep, no more typing out names like “lightgoldenrodyellow” with trembling fingers. Now I just click, pick, and go. Call it coding for the colorblindly optimistic.
Today’s Motivation / Challenge
Because naming colors from memory is a trap. Unless you moonlight as a paint chip designer at Benjamin Moore, chances are you don’t know your cornflower from your cadet blue. Adding a visual color picker turns the guessing game into a satisfying click-and-smile experience. Think of it as your genre’s fashion stylist—choosing just the right outfit without you typing the wrong thing.
Purpose of the Code (Object)
This project adds a GUI color picker to the genre customization tool. Now, when you want to assign a new color to a genre, a little window pops up and lets you see your options—no spelling errors, no surprises. Once you choose your color, the code saves it so your pie charts remain stylish and sensible across runs.
AI Prompt:
Create a visual color picker for assigning genre colors in a book tracking program using tkinter. Make sure the selection is saved and reused.
Functions & Features
- Add new genres with customized colors
- Pick colors visually using a color palette window
- Automatically save selected colors to a persistent JSON file
- Load colors each time the program starts—no hardcoding needed
- Keeps your genre pie charts looking consistent and fabulous
Requirements / Setup
Built-in modules only—no pip installs needed!
Just make sure you’re using:
- Python 3.x
- tkinter (comes with Python standard library)
Minimal Code Sample
def choose_color_gui():
import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import colorchooser
root = tk.Tk()
root.withdraw()
return colorchooser.askcolor(title=”Choose a Color”)[1]
This little window lets you visually pick a HEX color without typing anything.
Notes / Lessons Learned
Adding a color picker was smoother than expected—until I realized the pop-up window was hiding behind my active screen. Cue two minutes of wondering if the code was broken, followed by an “aha!” moment on screen two. Also, as always, I backed up my program first. Rule #1 of coding anything visual: back up, test, and be ready for the ghost windows that pop up in the digital shadows. But once I found it, the tool worked beautifully. For someone like me—who thinks in color families, not exact swatches—this is a game changer.
Optional Ideas for Expansion
- Add a “preview pie chart” before saving the color to test how it looks
- Suggest complementary or contrasting colors based on your selection
- Group similar genres with similar shades for aesthetic cohesion