As everyone here I am working on my own layout and found it hard to choose the right color since there is not much documentation about it. Also I found it hard to get the color values. Taking screen shots into Photoshop just for picking a color is tiresome.
Therefore, I put a little script together which gets all system colors from the registry and shows them with their RGB and HTML values and a short description. All you need is the Internet Explorer installed and JavaScript enabled. It works on WinXP and I haven't tested it with other versions.
Feel free to download and use it.
[attachment=3354:attachment]
If you prefer something within foobar you can use this panel as a Track Display. Since foobar is not able to read the registry this version doesn't show color values.
bit4bit
// ===============================================
// Viewer for all 31 system colors on WindowsXP.
// Version 1.0
// Release: 16.06.2007
// Copyright (C) 2007 bit4bit
// ===============================================
$drawrect(,,,,pencolor-null brushcolor-syscol-5)
$drawrect(5,5,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-0)
$drawrect(5,45,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-1)
$drawrect(5,85,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-2)
$drawrect(5,125,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-3)
$drawrect(5,165,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-4)
$drawrect(5,205,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-5)
$drawrect(5,245,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-6)
$drawrect(5,285,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-7)
$drawrect(5,325,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-8)
$drawrect(5,365,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-9)
$drawrect(5,405,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-10)
$drawrect(5,445,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-11)
$drawrect(5,485,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-12)
$drawrect(5,525,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-13)
$drawrect(5,565,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-14)
$drawrect(5,605,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-15)
$drawrect(305,5,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-16)
$drawrect(305,45,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-17)
$drawrect(305,85,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-18)
$drawrect(305,125,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-19)
$drawrect(305,165,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-20)
$drawrect(305,205,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-21)
$drawrect(305,245,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-22)
$drawrect(305,285,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-23)
$drawrect(305,325,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-24)
$drawrect(305,365,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-25)
$drawrect(305,405,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-26)
$drawrect(305,445,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-27)
$drawrect(305,485,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-28)
$drawrect(305,525,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-29)
$drawrect(305,565,50,30,pencolor-0-0-0 brushcolor-syscol-30)
$font(Tomaha,10,bold,0-0-0)
$alignabs(55,5,25,30,center,middle)0
$alignabs(55,45,25,30,center,middle)1
$alignabs(55,85,25,30,center,middle)2
$alignabs(55,125,25,30,center,middle)3
$alignabs(55,165,25,30,center,middle)4
$alignabs(55,205,25,30,center,middle)5
$alignabs(55,245,25,30,center,middle)6
$alignabs(55,285,25,30,center,middle)7
$alignabs(55,325,25,30,center,middle)8
$alignabs(55,365,25,30,center,middle)9
$alignabs(55,405,25,30,center,middle)10
$alignabs(55,445,25,30,center,middle)11
$alignabs(55,485,25,30,center,middle)12
$alignabs(55,525,25,30,center,middle)13
$alignabs(55,565,25,30,center,middle)14
$alignabs(55,605,25,30,center,middle)15
$alignabs(355,5,25,30,center,middle)16
$alignabs(355,45,25,30,center,middle)17
$alignabs(355,85,25,30,center,middle)18
$alignabs(355,125,25,30,center,middle)19
$alignabs(355,165,25,30,center,middle)20
$alignabs(355,205,25,30,center,middle)21
$alignabs(355,245,25,30,center,middle)22
$alignabs(355,285,25,30,center,middle)23
$alignabs(355,325,25,30,center,middle)24
$alignabs(355,365,25,30,center,middle)25
$alignabs(355,405,25,30,center,middle)26
$alignabs(355,445,25,30,center,middle)27
$alignabs(355,485,25,30,center,middle)28
$alignabs(355,525,25,30,center,middle)29
$alignabs(355,565,25,30,center,middle)30
$font(Tomaha,7,,0-0-0)
$alignabs(80,5,200,15,left,middle)Scrollbar
$alignabs(80,20,200,15,left,middle)Scroll bar gray area.
$alignabs(80,45,200,15,left,middle)Background
$alignabs(80,60,100,15,left,middle)Desktop background.
$alignabs(80,85,200,15,left,middle)ActiveTitle
$alignabs(80,100,200,15,left,middle)Active window title bar.
$alignabs(80,125,200,15,left,middle)InactiveTitle
$alignabs(80,140,200,15,left,middle)Inactive window title bar.
$alignabs(80,165,200,15,left,middle)Menu
$alignabs(80,180,200,15,left,middle)Menu background.
$alignabs(80,205,200,15,left,middle)Window
$alignabs(80,220,200,15,left,middle)Window background.
$alignabs(80,245,200,15,left,middle)WindowFrame
$alignabs(80,260,200,15,left,middle)Window frame.
$alignabs(80,285,200,15,left,middle)MenuText
$alignabs(80,300,200,15,left,middle)Text in menus.
$alignabs(80,325,200,15,left,middle)WindowText
$alignabs(80,340,200,15,left,middle)Text in windows.
$alignabs(80,365,200,15,left,middle)TitleText
$alignabs(80,380,200,15,left,middle)Text in title bar, size box, and scroll bar arrow box.
$alignabs(80,405,200,15,left,middle)ActiveBorder
$alignabs(80,420,200,15,left,middle)Active window border.
$alignabs(80,445,200,15,left,middle)InactiveBorder
$alignabs(80,460,200,15,left,middle)Inactive window border.
$alignabs(80,485,200,15,left,middle)AppWorkSpace
$alignabs(80,500,200,15,left,middle)Background color of MDI applications.
$alignabs(80,525,200,15,left,middle)Hilight
$alignabs(80,540,200,15,left,middle)Items selected in a control.
$alignabs(80,565,200,15,left,middle)HilightText
$alignabs(80,580,200,15,left,middle)Text of items selected in a control.
$alignabs(80,605,200,15,left,middle)ButtonFace
$alignabs(80,620,200,15,left,middle)Face color 3D display elements & dialog box background.
$alignabs(380,5,200,15,left,middle)ButtonShadow
$alignabs(380,20,300,15,left,middle)Shadow color for 3D display elements.
$alignabs(380,45,200,15,left,middle)GrayText
$alignabs(380,60,100,15,left,middle)Grayed '('disabled')' text.
$alignabs(380,85,200,15,left,middle)ButtonText
$alignabs(380,100,200,15,left,middle)Text on push buttons.
$alignabs(380,125,200,15,left,middle)InactiveTitleText
$alignabs(380,140,200,15,left,middle)Text in an inactive title bar.
$alignabs(380,165,300,15,left,middle)ButtonHilight
$alignabs(380,180,300,15,left,middle)Highlight color for 3D display elements.
$alignabs(380,205,200,15,left,middle)ButtonDkShadow
$alignabs(380,220,300,15,left,middle)Dark shadow for 3D display elements.
$alignabs(380,245,200,15,left,middle)ButtonLight
$alignabs(380,260,300,15,left,middle)Light color for 3D display elements.
$alignabs(380,285,200,15,left,middle)InfoText
$alignabs(380,300,200,15,left,middle)Text in tooltip controls.
$alignabs(380,325,200,15,left,middle)InfoWindow
$alignabs(380,340,200,15,left,middle)Tooltip controls background.
$alignabs(380,365,200,15,left,middle)ButtonAlternateFace
$alignabs(380,380,200,15,left,middle)Alternate face color for 3D display elements.
$alignabs(380,405,200,15,left,middle)HotTrackingColor
$alignabs(380,420,200,15,left,middle)Color for a hyperlink or hot-tracked item.
$alignabs(380,445,200,15,left,middle)GradientActiveTitle
$alignabs(380,460,300,15,left,middle)Right side color in the color gradient of an inactive windows title bar.
$alignabs(380,485,200,15,left,middle)GradientInactiveTitle
$alignabs(380,500,300,15,left,middle)Right side color in the color gradient of an inactive windows title bar.
$alignabs(380,525,200,15,left,middle)MenuHilight
$alignabs(380,540,320,15,left,middle)Highlight color for menu items when the menu appears as a flat menu.
$alignabs(380,565,200,15,left,middle)MenuBar
$alignabs(380,580,300,15,left,middle)Background color for the menu bar when menu appears as a flat menu.