Validating Color Names in JavaScript

Vishwas R
2 min readNov 7, 2023

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Colors play a significant role in web development. They are often represented by their names, making the code more readable and manageable. When working with color names in JavaScript, it’s essential to ensure the validity of the provided color names. Validating whether a color name is legitimate or not can be achieved through various methods.

In web development, color names provide a convenient way to represent specific colors. For instance, red, blue, green, and many more are standardized color names that browsers understand. These names are part of the CSS specification and can be used within HTML and CSS to define colors without having to remember hexadecimal codes.

Validating Color Names in JavaScript

While there isn’t a direct JavaScript method to validate color names, you can create a function to check if a provided color name is valid or not. One approach is to create a HTMLOptionElement and try applying color.

Here’s an example function that checks the validity of a color name:

function validateColorName(color) {
var style = new Option().style;
style.color = color;

// Check if the computed color is the same as the input color
return style.color == color;
}

validateColorName("orange"); //Returns true
validateColorName("ornage"); //Returns false

Handling Exceptions

It’s important to note that not all color names are universally supported across different browsers. While standard color names are widely recognized, custom or lesser-known color names might not be supported in all browsers. Therefore, the validation process might not cover every possible color name, especially user-defined or non-standard colors.

Validating color names in JavaScript involves applying the color to an element and checking if the browser recognized it. While this method can identify many standard color names, it might not cover all potential color variations. Understanding the limitations and potential discrepancies in color recognition across different browsers is crucial when working with color names in web development.

Developers should consider using standardized color names for better cross-browser compatibility and fallback options to ensure a graceful user experience even if a color name isn’t recognized universally.

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Vishwas R
Vishwas R

Written by Vishwas R

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