'set termguicolors' breaking colors

[miguel9554]

Similar problem to https://github.com/bluz71/vim-nightfly-guicolors/issues/6. With set termguicolors not set, The termguicolors option must be set message appears when opening Vim, but colors work correctly. Setting the option in vimrc makes the message go away, but no colors are displayed.

[bluz71]

Which version of Vim and on which platform?

The #6 issue was weird, the poster of that issue eventually fixed the issue by migrating to Homebrew Vim.

Note, termguicolors is required for correct colors to be displayed when running Vim or Neovim in a terminal. It is not an option to have this unset, it is a requirement when in terminal mode otherwise the theme will not work.

[miguel9554]

I'm working on Arch Linux, output of vim --version

VIM - Vi IMproved 8.2 (2019 Dec 12, compiled Feb 09 2021 23:51:55)
Included patches: 1-2489
Compiled by Arch Linux
Huge version with GTK3 GUI.  Features included (+) or not (-):
+acl               -farsi             +mouse_sgr         +tag_binary
+arabic            +file_in_path      -mouse_sysmouse    -tag_old_static
+autocmd           +find_in_path      +mouse_urxvt       -tag_any_white
+autochdir         +float             +mouse_xterm       +tcl/dyn
-autoservername    +folding           +multi_byte        +termguicolors
+balloon_eval      -footer            +multi_lang        +terminal
+balloon_eval_term +fork()            -mzscheme          +terminfo
+browse            +gettext           +netbeans_intg     +termresponse
++builtin_terms    -hangul_input      +num64             +textobjects
+byte_offset       +iconv             +packages          +textprop
+channel           +insert_expand     +path_extra        +timers
+cindent           +ipv6              +perl/dyn          +title
+clientserver      +job               +persistent_undo   +toolbar
+clipboard         +jumplist          +popupwin          +user_commands
+cmdline_compl     +keymap            +postscript        +vartabs
+cmdline_hist      +lambda            +printer           +vertsplit
+cmdline_info      +langmap           +profile           +virtualedit
+comments          +libcall           +python/dyn        +visual
+conceal           +linebreak         +python3/dyn       +visualextra
+cryptv            +lispindent        +quickfix          +viminfo
+cscope            +listcmds          +reltime           +vreplace
+cursorbind        +localmap          +rightleft         +wildignore
+cursorshape       +lua/dyn           +ruby/dyn          +wildmenu
+dialog_con_gui    +menu              +scrollbind        +windows
+diff              +mksession         +signs             +writebackup
+digraphs          +modify_fname      +smartindent       +X11
+dnd               +mouse             +sound             -xfontset
-ebcdic            +mouseshape        +spell             +xim
+emacs_tags        +mouse_dec         +startuptime       -xpm
+eval              +mouse_gpm         +statusline        +xsmp_interact
+ex_extra          -mouse_jsbterm     -sun_workshop      +xterm_clipboard
+extra_search      +mouse_netterm     +syntax            -xterm_save
   system vimrc file: "/etc/vimrc"
     user vimrc file: "$HOME/.vimrc"
 2nd user vimrc file: "~/.vim/vimrc"
      user exrc file: "$HOME/.exrc"
  system gvimrc file: "/etc/gvimrc"
    user gvimrc file: "$HOME/.gvimrc"
2nd user gvimrc file: "~/.vim/gvimrc"
       defaults file: "$VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim"
    system menu file: "$VIMRUNTIME/menu.vim"
  fall-back for $VIM: "/usr/share/vim"
Compilation: gcc -c -I. -Iproto -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -DFEAT_GUI_GTK -I/usr/include/gtk-3.0 -I/usr/include/pango-1.0 -I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/lib/glib-2.0/include -I/usr/include/harfbuzz -I/usr/include/freetype2 -I/usr/include/libpng16 -I/usr/include/libmount -I/usr/include/blkid -I/usr/include/fribidi -I/usr/include/cairo -I/usr/include/lzo -I/usr/include/pixman-1 -I/usr/include/gdk-pixbuf-2.0 -I/usr/include/gio-unix-2.0 -I/usr/include/cloudproviders -I/usr/include/atk-1.0 -I/usr/include/at-spi2-atk/2.0 -I/usr/include/dbus-1.0 -I/usr/lib/dbus-1.0/include -I/usr/include/at-spi-2.0 -pthread -march=x86-64 -mtune=generic -O2 -pipe -fno-plt -D_REENTRANT -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=1
Linking: gcc -L. -Wl,-O1,--sort-common,--as-needed,-z,relro,-z,now -fstack-protector-strong -rdynamic -Wl,-export-dynamic -Wl,-E -Wl,-rpath,/usr/lib/perl5/5.32/core_perl/CORE -Wl,-O1,--sort-common,--as-needed,-z,relro,-z,now -L/usr/local/lib -Wl,--as-needed -o vim -lgtk-3 -lgdk-3 -lz -lpangocairo-1.0 -lpango-1.0 -lharfbuzz -latk-1.0 -lcairo-gobject -lcairo -lgdk_pixbuf-2.0 -lgio-2.0 -lgobject-2.0 -lglib-2.0 -lSM -lICE -lXt -lX11 -lXdmcp -lSM -lICE -lm -ltinfo -lelf -lcanberra -lacl -lattr -lgpm -ldl -Wl,-E -Wl,-rpath,/usr/lib/perl5/5.32/core_perl/CORE -Wl,-O1,--sort-common,--as-needed,-z,relro,-z,now -fstack-protector-strong -L/usr/local/lib -L/usr/lib/perl5/5.32/core_perl/CORE -lperl -lpthread -ldl -lm -lcrypt -lutil -lc -L/usr/lib -ltclstub8.6 -ldl -lz -lpthread -lm

I understand your last comment, however my problem seems to be a exception to that. I'm working on a terminal (with Alacritty specifically), and without termguicolors set the theme works, and with termguicolors set the theme doesen't works.

[miguel9554]

Well, stupid mistake by me: without termguicolors I was getting the default vim colorscheme, which I was confusing with nightfly.

So the problem would be, setting termguicolors the scheme is not being applied, there are no colors at all. Without the option set, I get the defualt colorscheme (which I suppose is expected behaviour)

[miguel9554]

Problem was mine, setting termguicolors was disabling color for vim. I solved it adding this to vimrc

if exists('+termguicolors')
  let &t_8f="\<Esc>[38;2;%lu;%lu;%lum"
  let &t_8b="\<Esc>[48;2;%lu;%lu;%lum"
  set termguicolors
endif

In case someone else haves this issue, here and here the problem is explained

[bluz71]

Well deducted. Good to hear that you got it working.

I use Neovim myself in Alacritty which does not require any t_8* style tweaks. 24-color just works when set termguicolor is enabled.

Side note, when using Alacritty it is recommended to install and use the Alacritty terminfo, you want echo $TERM to be alacritty not xterm-256color. However when in tmux $TERM should be tmux-256color.

Best regards.

[akzu-007]

Also try to use VIM version 9+