# Link in / out / call in appearance ability to set color
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267
**Category:** Feature Requests
**Created:** [13 February 2022 16:08 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267 "2022-02-13T16:08:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@wshostak](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/wshostak)
#### Post date: [13 February 2022 16:08 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/1 "2022-02-13T16:08:45Z")
You can set the icon but setting the color too would make those nodes easier to follow without having to click the node.
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### Author:  [@wshostak](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/wshostak)
#### Post date: [14 February 2022 09:25 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/2 "2022-02-14T09:25:10Z")
I hoping a picture will explain better incase my text was not clear enough.
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### Author:  [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)
#### Post date: [14 February 2022 10:51 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/3 "2022-02-14T10:51:34Z")
Yes. The reason we don't allow changing the colour of nodes is that we do allow you to change everything else...ie the label and the icon and the size, so the colour may well be the only way to guess what a node is when trying to quickly "read" a flow.
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### Author:  [@wshostak](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/wshostak)
#### Post date: [16 February 2022 20:56 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/4 "2022-02-16T20:56:55Z")
@dceejay - I think this was a failure on my part to communicate correctly. This feature would help a lot when quickly ready a flow. I will add another picture, the original, that does not have the link in / out / call manually colored by me.
You can see that this is much harder to quickly read then the one I have the color edited in.
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### Author:  [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)
#### Post date: [16 February 2022 21:29 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/5 "2022-02-16T21:29:41Z")
You know you can show labels & set them to something that that makes it clearer what goes where.
Additionally, you could put the link nodes inside a group and set any colour you wish.
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### Author:  [@wshostak](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/wshostak)
#### Post date: [21 February 2022 06:13 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/6 "2022-02-21T06:13:27Z")
Thanks for the suggestions while they are good ideas they are nowhere as clean and take a few more steps. If choosing color / colour on the link nodes was added, people who don't want to use it don't have too those who would like to use the feature can.
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### Author:  [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)
#### Post date: [21 February 2022 08:00 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/7 "2022-02-21T08:00:52Z")
I think the problem with this FR is that its a slippery slope for the devs and crosses a line in the UI scheme.
However 🙂 link nodes are different from other nodes and are already treated differently
I'd love to see it implemented
But I'm going to have a little play with Steve's suggestion of sticking them in a group and see what that looks like
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### Author:  [@jbudd](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/jbudd)
#### Post date: [21 February 2022 11:53 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/8 "2022-02-21T11:53:58Z")
Having each link node in a group of it's own does let you colour code them but I think it takes up too much real estate.
It also looks uncomfortably like an elastoplast!
One way to implement the original request:
If the link nodes had an optional CSS class (cf dashboard nodes) you could style them eg
.red-ui-flow-node .red {
stroke: red;
stroke-width: 2;
}
.red-ui-flow-node .redgreen {
stroke: red;
stroke-width: 2;
fill: aquamarine;
}
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### Author:  [@HaroldPetersInskipp](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/HaroldPetersInskipp)
#### Post date: [21 February 2022 18:54 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/9 "2022-02-21T18:54:34Z")
I like the idea of color coding them in theory, but I don't know that it would work as well in practice, compared to labels. Before labels I had a setup like this:
Now I think this is easier to understand:
Although I have messed around using empty subflows as color tags like this:
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### Author:  [@wshostak](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/wshostak)
#### Post date: [22 February 2022 08:17 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/10 "2022-02-22T08:17:42Z")
@HaroldPetersInskipp - I guessed a little at your flow, in my edit, but this shows how color could simplify readability with your great example.
I think this would be beneficial with or with out labels.
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### Author:  [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)
#### Post date: [22 February 2022 10:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/11 "2022-02-22T10:02:08Z")
I think this really is a good example of the benefits of link colouring 🙂
Having just the icon coloured is a VERY good idea 🙂
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### Author:  [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)
#### Post date: [22 February 2022 10:05 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/12 "2022-02-22T10:05:11Z")
I've messed around with placing coloured subflows on top of link nodes and then grouping them - looks OK but time consuming and only suitable for a very stable project
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### Author:  [@jbudd](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/jbudd)
#### Post date: [22 February 2022 14:43 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/13 "2022-02-22T14:43:13Z")
Colouring just the icon for link nodes looks outstanding, I think it would be a big enhancement.
Link nodes can be given a distinctive appearance to indicate their special "invisible wires" function and the colour can indicate the matching link. Or, I suppose, mislead if you get the colours wrong.
No idea how easy it would be to code of course.
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### Author:  [@smanjunath211](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/smanjunath211)
#### Post date: [23 February 2022 06:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/14 "2022-02-23T06:04:24Z")
> [@jbudd](#):
>
> mislead if you get the colours wrong
wouldn't it be nicer and fool proof if the **color** of the `Link In` node could change automatically to the color of `Link Out` Node ?
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### Author:  [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)
#### Post date: [23 February 2022 07:49 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/15 "2022-02-23T07:49:03Z")
Until you want to wire it to more than one.
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### Author:  [@smanjunath211](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/smanjunath211)
#### Post date: [23 February 2022 08:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/16 "2022-02-23T08:02:09Z")
should still be same color, since `link out` is same ?
oh... you mean `link out` is several and `link in` is one ? get it.. 🤦♂️
rainbow color 😄 may be.
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### Author:  [@HaroldPetersInskipp](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/HaroldPetersInskipp)
#### Post date: [25 February 2022 03:28 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/17 "2022-02-25T03:28:36Z")
Honestly, that mock-up looks really nice. Maybe it's better in practice then I thought, since labels can still be used anyway.
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### Author:  [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)
#### Post date: [25 February 2022 06:50 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/18 "2022-02-25T06:50:00Z")
Used the "group nodes" concept for my cheerlight bot flow
Works well and should help considerably to work out with what goes on when I try and amend it in future 🙂
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### Author:  [@daxliniere](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/daxliniere)
#### Post date: [26 February 2022 16:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/19 "2022-02-26T16:58:02Z")
Node and WIRE coloring would be fantastic.
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### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [27 April 2022 16:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/link-in-out-call-in-appearance-ability-to-set-color/58267/20 "2022-04-27T16:58:13Z")
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