Dictionary lookup (panel) app: can't see characters in search box

Support & Help Requests
1

Hi Guys!

Since installing the dictionary look-up panel app (Ubuntu 15.04, I think), I find it hard to read whatever text I type into the search box: if using a dark desktop theme, text typed into the search box is dark, against a dark background; selecting a light-shaded desktop theme, text typed into the search-box is light, and so is the background. Either way, it’s been quite hard to read.

If this were a Gnome-2 desktop/theme, I think I could fix this. Given the current (MATE desktop) environment, I have NO idea where to start.

Any / all pointers / advice gratefully accepted.

Thanks!

2

Not seeing this on the version/theme I am running.

15.04 is out of support. If you are not sure what version you have installed; open a terminal

Ctrl + Alt + t

and enter

inxi -S

16.04 is the current version.

3

That was mistyped. I meant to say: “since Ubuntu 15.04, I think”. I’ve been using the Dictionary lookup panel-app way before 15.04 (before Ubuntu MATE), where it worked fine with no difficulty seeing / reading the search word.

So: still wondering where this is setup / configured. Thanks for the responses!

4

It is true that some themes are easier to read than others, but I am not seeing this dark on dark or light on light.

For me, dark theme has a white print and light theme has black print. I run BlackMate and GreenLaguna.

Is your system fully updated? In terminal:

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade && reboot

You can also try changing the panel setting with customize/control.

5

Yeah : Menu > Control Center > Appearance: “Blue-Submarine” > Customize > Colors (tab) > Input Boxes > Background: Color Name: “#FFFFFF”, “Ok”, Close; Text: Color Name: “#1A1A1A”; “Ok”, “Close”, “Close”. Log out. Log in. Dictionary lookup: nothing changed.
First thing I tried.

I had a look at the “gsettings” command:
~$ gsettings list-schemas | grep -i dict
org.mate.dictionary
~$ gsettings list-keys org.mate.dictionary
strategy
source-name
database
print-font
~$ gsettings list-recursively org.mate.dictionary
org.mate.dictionary strategy ‘exact’
org.mate.dictionary source-name ‘Default’
org.mate.dictionary database ‘!’
org.mate.dictionary print-font ‘Ubuntu 12’
~$

…this didn’t seem that helpful, or to be going anywhere useful, so I stopped.

Thanks, all the same - I appreciate your spending time on it :slight_smile:

6

An update: I’ve been using “Blue Menta” where the Dictionary app text is black, with white background. I’ve tried both “Blue Submarine” & “Green Submarine”, and with both, the Dictionary app text-box has white (or light) background with white (or light) text. So it seems only some of the themes have this problem, just the few I like :slight_smile: