Color text output on bash scripts

Users who have been using Linux for awhile often learn that creating a basic script is a good way to run multiple, often-repeated commands. Adding a little color to scripts can additionally provide nice feedback. This can be done in a fairly straight-forward way by using the tput command.

A common way of doing this is to define the colors that tput can produce by putting them at the beginning of the bash script:

#!/bin/bash
# scriptname - description of script

# Text color variables
txtund=$(tput sgr 0 1)          # Underline
txtbld=$(tput bold)             # Bold
bldred=${txtbld}$(tput setaf 1) #  red
bldblu=${txtbld}$(tput setaf 4) #  blue
bldwht=${txtbld}$(tput setaf 7) #  white
txtrst=$(tput sgr0)             # Reset
info=${bldwht}*${txtrst}        # Feedback
pass=${bldblu}*${txtrst}
warn=${bldred}*${txtrst}
ques=${bldblu}?${txtrst}

When writing new scripts using templates with these variables already defined can quicken the creation process and help keep scripts organized (my Bash Templates).

If just needing to use tput colors for specific instances this script can display the tput definitions and their corresponding possibilities:

#!/bin/bash
# tputcolors

echo
echo -e "$(tput bold) reg  bld  und   tput-command-colors$(tput sgr0)"

for i in $(seq 1 7); do
  echo " $(tput setaf $i)Text$(tput sgr0) $(tput bold)$(tput setaf $i)Text$(tput sgr0) $(tput sgr 0 1)$(tput setaf $i)Text$(tput sgr0)  \$(tput setaf $i)"
done

echo ' Bold            $(tput bold)'
echo ' Underline       $(tput sgr 0 1)'
echo ' Reset           $(tput sgr0)'
echo

To use additional colors see: Color Output on Bash Scripts (Advanced).