Microsoft/vscode

[css] support comma less color notations

Open

#273934 opened on Oct 29, 2025

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 (8 comments) (0 reactions) (1 assignee)TypeScript (74,848 stars) (10,221 forks)batch import
css-less-scssfeature-requesthelp wanted

Description

Currently the color picker offers colors in (legacy):

  • rgba(r, g, b, a)
  • hsla(h, s, l, a)
  • #rrggbbaa

and are not configurable. company rules or personal preference might require other formats for instance (modern)

  • rgb(r g b / a)
  • rgb(r g b)
  • rgb(r, g, b) (legacy none transparent)

which, in css color module level 4 are all valid color definitions.

Settings

"editor.colorPickerLevel" : "legacy",
"editor.colorPickerPresentations" [
  "rgb",
  "rgb_modern"
]

Contributor guide

Tech stack
typescriptcss
Domain
developer experiencetoolingfrontend
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
blocked
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
TypeScriptVS Code extension APICSS Color Module Level 4
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
30
Research direction
Investigate the current color picker implementation in VS Code's CSS language features extension, likely in `extensions/css language features/`. Look at how color values are parsed and formatted, particularly in files like `colorProvider.ts` or `colorPresenter.ts`. The issue proposes new settings `editor.colorPickerLevel` and `editor.colorPickerPresentations`. Study the existing color picker settings and understand how to add new color notations such as `rgb(r g b / a)`. Review the CSS Color Module Level 4 specification for comma less syntax. Check if there are any existing PRs or comments that define the expected behavior.