Clarify handling of #rrggbb(aa) colors in matplotlibrc.

anntzer · anntzer · commit d90439a74fdc · 2022-02-25T23:29:06.000+01:00
The inconsistency is not that great, but let's at least document it.
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/rcsetup.py b/lib/matplotlib/rcsetup.py
@@ -312,10 +312,12 @@ def validate_color(s):
     if isinstance(s, str):
         if s.lower() == 'none':
             return 'none'
-        if len(s) == 6 or len(s) == 8:
-            stmp = '#' + s
-            if is_color_like(stmp):
-                return stmp
+        # Support "rrggbb"/"rggbbaa" without leading '#' because these would be
+        # interpreted as comments in matplotlibrc.  Note that this explicitly
+        # does not support "rgb" to mean "#rgb", because of the ambiguity e.g.
+        # in "C10".
+        if len(s) in [6, 8] and {*s.lower()} <= {*"0123456789abcdef"}:
+            return f'#{s}'
 
     if is_color_like(s):
         return s
diff --git a/tutorials/colors/colors.py b/tutorials/colors/colors.py
@@ -14,6 +14,12 @@
 +--------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
 | Case-insensitive hex RGB or RGBA     | - ``'#0f0f0f'``                      |
 | string.                              | - ``'#0f0f0f80'``                    |
+|                                      |                                      |
+| .. note::                            |                                      |
+|    In a matplotlibrc file, and only  |                                      |
+|    there, these strings must be      |                                      |
+|    given without the leading '#',    |                                      |
+|    e.g. as ``text.color: 0f0f0f``.   |                                      |
 +--------------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
 | Case-insensitive RGB or RGBA string  | - ``'#abc'`` as ``'#aabbcc'``        |
 | equivalent hex shorthand of          | - ``'#fb1'`` as ``'#ffbb11'``        |
