# Color Coding erased when intended adding **URL:** \ **Category:** RootsMagic\ **Tags:** question, issue\ **Created:** [August 13, 2024, 12:36pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768 "2024-08-13T12:36:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GeneBuds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9dc877/32.png) [@GeneBuds](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/GeneBuds)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 12:36pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768/1 "2024-08-13T12:36:42Z")
I have used color coding ever since switching to RootsMagic 7. Since I depend on it heavily when I get into the tips of my infrequently used branches, I was puzzled when I tried to color-code red a newly added person in RootsMagic 10 and it didn’t work. I went down a generation to an already red person and tried to make that person’s ancestors red but it erased the red in the pre-existing person. I tried the pedigree view going down even further in the tree thinking to bypass some hairball. Unfortunately I got the same result, all red erased. Now only my father and I are red. I’m aghast. Help! ---
**Author:** ![kevync1985](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3be4f8/32.png) [@kevync1985](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/kevync1985)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 1:46pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768/2 "2024-08-13T13:46:52Z")
> [@GeneBuds](#): > > I have used color coding ever since switching to RootsMagic 7. … Unfortunately I got the same result, all red erased. Now only my father and I are red First – are you aware there are now 10 different color code sets? If you are are apply or view different color set set - that might be part of the issue. ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/rootsmagic/original/2X/8/8b76a0ac970f3d7ab1c89fbf9b032708e36dc282.png) ---
**Author:** ![rzamor1](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.rootsmagic.com/rzamor1/32/8_2.png) [@rzamor1](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/rzamor1)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768/3 "2024-08-13T14:30:06Z")
Sounds like you clicked “Clear color for people selected above” instead of “Apply highlighted color to people selected above”. ---
**Author:** ![GeneBuds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9dc877/32.png) [@GeneBuds](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/GeneBuds)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768/4 "2024-08-13T19:33:17Z")
Yes, I noticed the long list of colors but red was the one I needed. It appeared to be highlighted in the list of choices. ---
**Author:** ![GeneBuds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9dc877/32.png) [@GeneBuds](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/GeneBuds)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768/5 "2024-08-13T19:34:12Z")
No, I clicked on “Apply” but “clear” was what happened. Might there be a bug in my program? ---
**Author:** ![GeneBuds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9dc877/32.png) [@GeneBuds](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/GeneBuds)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 7:35pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768/6 "2024-08-13T19:35:40Z")
I just tried it again, paying special attention to where my cursor was. Still no red appeared. ---
**Author:** ![GeneBuds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9dc877/32.png) [@GeneBuds](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/GeneBuds)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 7:38pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768/7 "2024-08-13T19:38:04Z")
Resolution!! I noticed that to the right of the color listing was a cell for naming the colors. Once I filled that in, the red appeared beside my person. Phew! Thanks all for your input. Dana ---
**Author:** ![GeneBuds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9dc877/32.png) [@GeneBuds](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/GeneBuds)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768/8 "2024-08-13T19:41:06Z")
I spoke too soon. Now I have lost all color coding in all of my tree. Groan… ---
**Author:** ![GeneBuds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9dc877/32.png) [@GeneBuds](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/GeneBuds)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 7:58pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768/9 "2024-08-13T19:58:34Z")
This is just crazy. I placed my cursor on my name in the family group view, right clicked, selected “color coding”, selected the appropriate color code set, selected “apply highlighted color”, hit return, then clicked on the X to exit, then everyone in the tree got his/her color back EXCEPT me. Oh, well; that 's better than it was. ---
**Author:** ![MadDog](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.rootsmagic.com/maddog/32/313_2.png) [@MadDog](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/MadDog)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768/10 "2024-08-13T20:23:32Z")
Watch the videos … [https://youtu.be/fmXK-HanLAQ](https://youtu.be/fmXK-HanLAQ) ---
**Author:** ![GeneBuds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9dc877/32.png) [@GeneBuds](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/GeneBuds)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2024, 8:35pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/color-coding-erased-when-intended-adding/11768/11 "2024-08-15T20:35:56Z")
Thank you for the link. I finally resolved my problem. Whereas I thought I had highlighted a color choice, I had not. Once I executed that step, the problem was fixed.