feat(colors): add padOptions.fadeInactiveAuthorColors toggle

[JohnMcLear]

Summary

Adds a new pad option fadeInactiveAuthorColors (default true). When false, each author's background color stays at their chosen value instead of fading toward white as they go inactive.

Configurable via:

• settings.json → padOptions.fadeInactiveAuthorColors
• Docker env var PAD_OPTIONS_FADE_INACTIVE_AUTHOR_COLORS
• Per-pad URL parameter ?fadeInactiveAuthorColors=false

Motivation (from issue): a user who picks a light color becomes visually indistinguishable after the fade, and switching machines multiplies the effective color count because each session fades its own near-white variant — "Zeno's white".

Default is true so existing deployments are unchanged.

Closes #7138

Test plan

• Backend: padOptions.fadeInactiveAuthorColors default is true (new test in src/tests/backend/specs/settings.ts)
• Playwright: clientVars.padOptions.fadeInactiveAuthorColors defaults to true
• Playwright: URL override ?fadeInactiveAuthorColors=false flips clientVars.padOptions.fadeInactiveAuthorColors to false
• pnpm run ts-check clean locally
• Decide it it should be a user / pad wide setting <-- worried we might easily fll this up too quickly..

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

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Review Summary by Qodo

Add fadeInactiveAuthorColors option to control inactive author color fading

✨ Enhancement

Walkthroughs

Description

• Add padOptions.fadeInactiveAuthorColors toggle to control author color fade behavior
• Default true preserves existing fade-on-inactive behavior for backward compatibility
• Configurable via settings.json, Docker env var, and URL parameter
• Solves issue where light colors become indistinguishable after fade

Diagram

flowchart LR
  A["Settings Configuration"] -->|"padOptions.fadeInactiveAuthorColors"| B["Backend Settings"]
  C["Docker Environment"] -->|"PAD_OPTIONS_FADE_INACTIVE_AUTHOR_COLORS"| B
  D["URL Parameter"] -->|"?fadeInactiveAuthorColors=false"| E["Client Variables"]
  B -->|"clientVars.padOptions"| E
  E -->|"Controls fade logic"| F["Ace2Inner Color Rendering"]
  F -->|"Applies or skips fade"| G["Author Background Color"]

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File Changes

1. src/node/utils/Settings.ts ⚙️ Configuration changes +2/-0

Add fadeInactiveAuthorColors to Settings type

• Added fadeInactiveAuthorColors: boolean field to padOptions type definition
• Set default value to true in settings object to preserve legacy behavior

src/node/utils/Settings.ts

---

2. src/static/js/ace2_inner.ts ✨ Enhancement +7/-1

Conditionally apply color fade based on setting

• Added logic to check clientVars.padOptions.fadeInactiveAuthorColors setting
• Conditionally applies color fade only when setting is enabled (default true)
• Includes explanatory comment about the feature and its motivation

src/static/js/ace2_inner.ts

---

3. src/static/js/pad.ts ✨ Enhancement +7/-0

Add URL parameter support for fadeInactiveAuthorColors

• Added new URL parameter handler for fadeInactiveAuthorColors
• Checks for ?fadeInactiveAuthorColors=false and updates clientVars.padOptions
• Allows per-pad override of the fade behavior

src/static/js/pad.ts

---

View more (4)

4. src/tests/backend/specs/settings.ts 🧪 Tests +11/-0

Add regression test for fadeInactiveAuthorColors default

• Added regression test for issue #7138
• Verifies padOptions.fadeInactiveAuthorColors defaults to true
• Ensures backward compatibility with existing deployments

src/tests/backend/specs/settings.ts

---

5. src/tests/frontend-new/specs/inactive_color_fade.spec.ts 🧪 Tests +22/-0

Add Playwright tests for fadeInactiveAuthorColors feature

• New Playwright test file for fadeInactiveAuthorColors feature
• Tests that setting defaults to true (legacy behavior preserved)
• Tests that URL parameter ?fadeInactiveAuthorColors=false disables fade

src/tests/frontend-new/specs/inactive_color_fade.spec.ts

---

6. settings.json.docker ⚙️ Configuration changes +2/-1

Add fadeInactiveAuthorColors to Docker settings

• Added fadeInactiveAuthorColors field to padOptions configuration
• Uses Docker environment variable PAD_OPTIONS_FADE_INACTIVE_AUTHOR_COLORS with default true
• Allows Docker deployments to configure the fade behavior

settings.json.docker

---

7. settings.json.template ⚙️ Configuration changes +7/-1

Add fadeInactiveAuthorColors to template settings

• Added fadeInactiveAuthorColors field to padOptions configuration
• Set default value to true
• Included explanatory comment about the feature's purpose and use case

settings.json.template

---

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Code Review by Qodo

🐞 Bugs (0) 📘 Rule violations (1) 📎 Requirement gaps (0)

1. https:// URL in comment 📘 Rule violation ⚙ Maintainability

Description

A protocol-specific https:// URL was introduced in a code comment, which conflicts with the
project requirement to use protocol-independent URLs where appropriate. This can create inconsistent
documentation style and mixed-content concerns if copied into contexts expecting protocol-relative
links.

Code

src/tests/backend/specs/settings.ts[151]

+  // Regression test for https://github.com/ether/etherpad/issues/7138.

Evidence

PR Compliance ID 10 requires protocol-independent URLs instead of hardcoding http:// or
https://. The added regression test comment includes a hardcoded https://github.com/... URL.

src/tests/backend/specs/settings.ts[151-151]
Best Practice: Repository guidelines

Agent prompt

The issue below was found during a code review. Follow the provided context and guidance below and implement a solution

## Issue description
A new comment includes a hardcoded `https://` URL, but the project compliance rule requires protocol-independent URLs where appropriate.
## Issue Context
The added regression test comment references issue #7138 with an `https://github.com/...` link.
## Fix Focus Areas
- src/tests/backend/specs/settings.ts[151-151]

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2. Unused browser context ☑ 🐞 Bug ☼ Reliability

Description

The new Playwright spec creates a new BrowserContext and clears its cookies, but then navigates with
the existing page fixture, so cookie clearing has no effect and the new context is never closed.
This can leak contexts across tests and degrade test reliability/performance.

Code

src/tests/frontend-new/specs/inactive_color_fade.spec.ts[R4-8]

+test.beforeEach(async ({page, browser}) => {
+  const context = await browser.newContext();
+  await context.clearCookies();
+  await goToNewPad(page);
+});

Evidence

inactive_color_fade.spec.ts creates a new context and clears cookies on it, but does not create a
page from that context; instead it calls goToNewPad(page) which navigates the existing page
fixture. Therefore the new context is unused and unclosed, and cookie clearing does not affect the
actual test page.

src/tests/frontend-new/specs/inactive_color_fade.spec.ts[4-8]
src/tests/frontend-new/helper/padHelper.ts[117-123]

Agent prompt

The issue below was found during a code review. Follow the provided context and guidance below and implement a solution

## Issue description
The test creates a new `BrowserContext` and clears cookies on it, but uses the existing `page` fixture for navigation, so cookie clearing is ineffective and the new context is never closed.
### Issue Context
The intent seems to be to start each test with a clean cookie jar. In Playwright, the `page` fixture already has a context (`page.context()`), so cookie operations should target that context unless you also create a new page from the new context.
### Fix Focus Areas
- src/tests/frontend-new/specs/inactive_color_fade.spec.ts[4-8]
### Suggested change
Replace the `browser.newContext()` usage with one of:
1) **Simplest:** `await page.context().clearCookies();`
2) If you truly need a new context, create a `page = await context.newPage()` and use that page (and ensure `await context.close()` in `afterEach`).

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---

3. Docker docs missing env var ☑ 🐞 Bug ⚙ Maintainability

Description

settings.json.docker adds the new env var PAD_OPTIONS_FADE_INACTIVE_AUTHOR_COLORS, but the
Docker documentation’s Pad Options tables do not list it. Users relying on docs will not discover
how to configure the new toggle via environment variables.

Code

settings.json.docker[R291-292]

+    "lang":             "${PAD_OPTIONS_LANG:null}",
+    "fadeInactiveAuthorColors": "${PAD_OPTIONS_FADE_INACTIVE_AUTHOR_COLORS:true}"

Evidence

The Docker settings file now supports configuring the new option via
PAD_OPTIONS_FADE_INACTIVE_AUTHOR_COLORS, but the published Docker documentation still lists
PAD_OPTIONS_LANG as the last Pad Options env var, omitting the new one.

settings.json.docker[280-293]
doc/docker.md[97-112]
doc/docker.adoc[179-233]

Agent prompt

The issue below was found during a code review. Follow the provided context and guidance below and implement a solution

## Issue description
`settings.json.docker` supports `PAD_OPTIONS_FADE_INACTIVE_AUTHOR_COLORS`, but the Docker docs do not list this env var under Pad Options.
### Issue Context
This PR explicitly advertises Docker env var configurability; the docs should reflect the new supported variable to avoid confusion.
### Fix Focus Areas
- doc/docker.md[97-112]
- doc/docker.adoc[179-233]
### Suggested change
Add a row for `PAD_OPTIONS_FADE_INACTIVE_AUTHOR_COLORS` (default `true`) in both Pad Options tables, with a short description (e.g., "When false, do not fade inactive author colors toward white").

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[squarooticus]

Proposing an improvement in the documentation for the feature.

[squarooticus]

I might say "or when inactivity tracking is undesirable for whatever reason". The reason I asked for this feature is that we often have 30 people contributing to the same pad, and it's hard enough to find 30 distinguishable colors, much less 60 when every contributor effectively has two colors.