Permanent completely clear backgrounds on chat windows

I want to be able to have completely clear backgrounds on the chat windows - the chat history and IM windows or the chatterbox equivalents. I want them to be perfectly clear all the time, whether they have focus or not.

And I'd like to be able to make the frames and tabs and scrollbar in the chat windows to be nearly but not quite transparent all the time.

I don't believe the colors file or the interface xml files allow one to do what I described above, and even if they do, I don't want to have to fiddle with text files to accomplish my goal.

transparent text windows sounds like a freakin great idea, untill you get to use them

white chat in a cloudy sky?
green script messages in a forrest?

ive used many systems with clear chat windows and they are ok, until your yellow text blends in with the fire in the background and you miss your buddy screaming for a heal

yea ok that last one doesnt apply here but i think ive made a point (no matter how invalid)

You wouldn't have to use my setup. You make your screen look how you want. I want to be able to make my screen look the way I want. You problems with the way I want to set my screen up aren't relevant in the least.

The console chat that scrolls up the screen shows up in the same way that a window with a clear background would. The console chat is used by many people with a clear background.

Adding an optional simple hard-edged outline to the text (not an outline and a fuzzy shadow, just a simple thin hard-edged outline) in a user selectable color, or an automatically generated complimentary color from the text color would solve any contrast problem. I can live with a contrast problem, though, because I'd keep the window down low, where the console chat displays currently.

I'm driven to wanting a clear background on a chat history window because I can't stop the group chat and private IM chat from appearing in the console chat without opening a chat window.

I want to see the local chat without having my view of the world obscured any more than absolutely needed. This is a simple to understand desire with a simple to figure out solution.

Have to Agree with Sue.

I have seen this on other games - and the effect is much better than in SL

I'd rather the history window be PERFECTLY OPAQUE when I focus on the chat bar. I mean, I might still be reading that.

Seconded. Transparency just makes it hard to read. If you don't want your view obscured by anything, close all windows, or go to Mouselook.

I do agree with Sue however, you should be able to globally mute all chat if you so want. That is a feature currently lacking.

Good thing to throw at the [SLDEV] open source client development group. This would be totally client side!

I'll make a mention of it ot Nicholaz. I use (exclusively now) his client.

well lets all agree to disagree about how we like our text, but i think the main point is

!! we need to be able to customize the ui much better without becoming an XML freak guessing at vaguely descriptive linden 1 liners !!

If would not have many problems with this.... if it is optional and one can decide yourself if you want it or not.... Me? I don't want it. For me chatwindows may even go complete invisible when they are not used for some time and repear on activity again.

Morwen.

I do like this idea. However I must say, if we have transparent chat windows that go all the way to 100%, we will need to have the fonts modified with borders or backdrops, so they don't blend into the things behind the window. I recently attended the beta testing of "Immortals". A MORPG which allows players to set a RGB scale to anything they type into the chat. This was really awful to look at because people chose black, gray, sky blue, grass green, and not to mention cloud white. Seeing it is a fantasy game, theres a lot of grass, sky, clouds, and darkness. I kept having to change my camera view to see all the text clearly. I sometimes have this problem in SL when not having the history window open. For example script green does blend into the grass at some point. When the sun is set to Noon, white text blends into the distance of the sky.