[Fwd: ConTEXt Newbie: Column/table background color - which table model/command?]

[Taco Hoekwater <taco@elvenkind.com>]

Hi all,

Forwarding this from c.t.t. It looks like perhaps the OP's code
is correct and something in ConTeXt is wrong (at least I cannot
find anything wrong with the example code, even with
\setupcolors[state=start], I get no background color).
Perhaps somebody who has actually used table backgrounds can
help?

Taco


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: ConTEXt Newbie: Column/table background color - which table
model/command?
Date: 26 Aug 2005 08:39:16 -0700
From: A. Lucas <kaffee24@gmx.de>
Organization: http://groups.google.com
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex

I've only recently discovered ConTEXt and grabbed all the documentation
I could find (but not quite read it). My question:
If I want column background and line color, do I need METAPOST or is
there a simpler way to do it? I need a multi-page table with
continuous, but different columns widths and running headers on every
new page - could/must I use btable (XML environment)? The
\backgroundcolor and \background commands don't seem to work with
\setuptables and \starttable(s). Example:

-----------------
\placetable[here][tab:setuptables]{Ships that moored at Hasselt.}
{\setuptables[bodyfont=10pt,rulethickness=6pt,background=color,backgroundcolor=red]
\starttable[|cw(5cm)|cTw(3cm)|]%	'|' wird hier nicht gedruckt, dient
als column separator; mit w(...) width festsetzen
\HL%				horizontal line
\VL \bf Year \DC \bf Number of ships \VL\SR%		new colum bold font
seperate row
\HL
\VL 1645 \DC 450 \VL\FR%	first row
\VL 1671 \DC 480 \VL\MR%	mid row
\VL 1676 \DC 500 \VL\MR
\VL 1695 \DC 930 \VL\LR%	last row
\HL
\stoptable}
------------------

I get the thick border but no colors.
Maybe I'm just to dumb yet and will know more after a weekend of
reading up, but I'd be thankful for a hint.