--- a/config.def.h      2010-10-16 15:49:03.000000000 +0200
+++ b/config.def.h      2010-10-16 15:51:35.000000000 +0200
@@ -1,13 +1,16 @@
 /* See LICENSE file for copyright and license details. */
 
 /* appearance */
+#define NUMCOLORS         4             // need at least 3
+static const char colors[NUMCOLORS][ColLast][8] = {
+   // border   foreground  background
+   { "#cccccc", "#000000", "#cccccc" },  // 0 = normal
+   { "#0066ff", "#ffffff", "#0066ff" },  // 1 = selected
+   { "#0066ff", "#0066ff", "#ffffff" },  // 2 = urgent/warning
+   { "#ff0000", "#ffffff", "#ff0000" },  // 3 = error
+   // add more here
+};
 static const char font[]            = "-*-terminus-medium-r-*-*-16-*-*-*-*-*-*-*";
-static const char normbordercolor[] = "#cccccc";
-static const char normbgcolor[]     = "#cccccc";
-static const char normfgcolor[]     = "#000000";
-static const char selbordercolor[]  = "#0066ff";
-static const char selbgcolor[]      = "#0066ff";
-static const char selfgcolor[]      = "#ffffff";
 static const unsigned int borderpx  = 1;        /* border pixel of windows */
 static const unsigned int snap      = 32;       /* snap pixel */
 static const Bool showbar           = True;     /* False means no bar */
@@ -45,7 +48,7 @@
 #define SHCMD(cmd) { .v = (const char*[]){ "/bin/sh", "-c", cmd, NULL } }
 
 /* commands */
-static const char *dmenucmd[] = { "dmenu_run", "-fn", font, "-nb", normbgcolor, "-nf", normfgcolor, "-sb", selbgcolor, "-sf", selfgcolor, NULL };
+static const char *dmenucmd[] = { "dmenu_run", "-fn", font, "-nb", colors[0][ColBG], "-nf", colors[0][ColFG],"-sb", colors[1][ColBG], "-sf", colors[1][ColFG], NULL };
 static const char *termcmd[]  = { "uxterm", NULL };
 
 static Key keys[] = {
--- a/dwm.c     2010-10-16 15:37:30.000000000 +0200
+++ b/dwm.c     2010-10-16 15:54:47.000000000 +0200
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@
 #define LENGTH(X)               (sizeof X / sizeof X[0])
 #define MAX(A, B)               ((A) > (B) ? (A) : (B))
 #define MIN(A, B)               ((A) < (B) ? (A) : (B))
+#define MAXCOLORS               8
 #define MOUSEMASK               (BUTTONMASK|PointerMotionMask)
 #define WIDTH(X)                ((X)->w + 2 * (X)->bw)
 #define HEIGHT(X)               ((X)->h + 2 * (X)->bw)
@@ -97,8 +98,7 @@
 
 typedef struct {
        int x, y, w, h;
-       unsigned long norm[ColLast];
-       unsigned long sel[ColLast];
+       unsigned long colors[MAXCOLORS][ColLast];
        Drawable drawable;
        GC gc;
        struct {
@@ -175,8 +175,9 @@
 static Monitor *dirtomon(int dir);
 static void drawbar(Monitor *m);
 static void drawbars(void);
-static void drawsquare(Bool filled, Bool empty, Bool invert, unsigned long col[ColLast]);
-static void drawtext(const char *text, unsigned long col[ColLast], Bool invert);
+static void drawcoloredtext(char *text);
+static void drawsquare(Bool filled, Bool empty, unsigned long col[ColLast]);
+static void drawtext(const char *text, unsigned long col[ColLast], Bool pad);
 static void enternotify(XEvent *e);
 static void expose(XEvent *e);
 static void focus(Client *c);
@@ -696,14 +697,13 @@
        dc.x = 0;
        for(i = 0; i < LENGTH(tags); i++) {
                dc.w = TEXTW(tags[i]);
-               col = m->tagset[m->seltags] & 1 << i ? dc.sel : dc.norm;
-               drawtext(tags[i], col, urg & 1 << i);
-               drawsquare(m == selmon && selmon->sel && selmon->sel->tags & 1 << i,
-                          occ & 1 << i, urg & 1 << i, col);
+               col = dc.colors[ (m->tagset[m->seltags] & 1 << i ? 1:(urg & 1 << i ? 2:0))];
+               drawtext(tags[i], col, True);
+               drawsquare(m == selmon && selmon->sel && selmon->sel->tags & 1 << i, occ & 1 << i, col);
                dc.x += dc.w;
        }
        dc.w = blw = TEXTW(m->ltsymbol);
-       drawtext(m->ltsymbol, dc.norm, False);
+       drawtext(m->ltsymbol, dc.colors[0], True);
        dc.x += dc.w;
        x = dc.x;
        if(m == selmon) { /* status is only drawn on selected monitor */
@@ -713,19 +713,19 @@
                        dc.x = x;
                        dc.w = m->ww - x;
                }
-               drawtext(stext, dc.norm, False);
+               drawcoloredtext(stext);
        }
        else
                dc.x = m->ww;
        if((dc.w = dc.x - x) > bh) {
                dc.x = x;
                if(m->sel) {
-                       col = m == selmon ? dc.sel : dc.norm;
-                       drawtext(m->sel->name, col, False);
-                       drawsquare(m->sel->isfixed, m->sel->isfloating, False, col);
+                       col = m == selmon ? dc.colors[1] : dc.colors[0];
+                       drawtext(m->sel->name, col, True);
+                       drawsquare(m->sel->isfixed, m->sel->isfloating, col);
                }
                else
-                       drawtext(NULL, dc.norm, False);
+                       drawtext(NULL, dc.colors[0], False);
        }
        XCopyArea(dpy, dc.drawable, m->barwin, dc.gc, 0, 0, m->ww, bh, 0, 0);
        XSync(dpy, False);
@@ -740,12 +740,43 @@
 }
 
 void
-drawsquare(Bool filled, Bool empty, Bool invert, unsigned long col[ColLast]) {
+drawcoloredtext(char *text) {
+       Bool first=True;
+       char *buf = text, *ptr = buf, c = 1;
+       unsigned long *col = dc.colors[0];
+       int i, ox = dc.x;
+
+       while( *ptr ) {
+               for( i = 0; *ptr < 0 || *ptr > NUMCOLORS; i++, ptr++);
+               if( !*ptr ) break;
+               c=*ptr;
+               *ptr=0;
+               if( i ) {
+                       dc.w = selmon->ww - dc.x;
+                       drawtext(buf, col, first);
+                       dc.x += textnw(buf, i) + textnw(&c,1);
+                       if( first ) dc.x += ( dc.font.ascent + dc.font.descent ) / 2;
+                       first = False;
+               } else if( first ) {
+                       ox = dc.x += textnw(&c,1);
+               }
+               *ptr = c;
+               col = dc.colors[ c-1 ];
+               buf = ++ptr;
+       }
+       if( !first ) dc.x-=(dc.font.ascent+dc.font.descent)/2;
+       drawtext(buf, col, True);
+       dc.x = ox;
+}
+
+void
+drawsquare(Bool filled, Bool empty, unsigned long col[ColLast]) {
        int x;
        XGCValues gcv;
        XRectangle r = { dc.x, dc.y, dc.w, dc.h };
 
-       gcv.foreground = col[invert ? ColBG : ColFG];
+       gcv.foreground = col[ ColFG ];
        XChangeGC(dpy, dc.gc, GCForeground, &gcv);
        x = (dc.font.ascent + dc.font.descent + 2) / 4;
        r.x = dc.x + 1;
@@ -761,18 +792,18 @@
 }
 
 void
-drawtext(const char *text, unsigned long col[ColLast], Bool invert) {
+drawtext(const char *text, unsigned long col[ColLast], Bool pad) {
        char buf[256];
        int i, x, y, h, len, olen;
        XRectangle r = { dc.x, dc.y, dc.w, dc.h };
 
-       XSetForeground(dpy, dc.gc, col[invert ? ColFG : ColBG]);
+       XSetForeground(dpy, dc.gc, col[ ColBG ]);
        XFillRectangles(dpy, dc.drawable, dc.gc, &r, 1);
        if(!text)
                return;
        olen = strlen(text);
-       h = dc.font.ascent + dc.font.descent;
-       y = dc.y + (dc.h / 2) - (h / 2) + dc.font.ascent;
+       h = pad ? (dc.font.ascent + dc.font.descent) : 0;
+       y = dc.y + ((dc.h + dc.font.ascent - dc.font.descent) / 2);
        x = dc.x + (h / 2);
        /* shorten text if necessary */
        for(len = MIN(olen, sizeof buf); len && textnw(text, len) > dc.w - h; len--);
@@ -781,7 +812,7 @@
        memcpy(buf, text, len);
        if(len < olen)
                for(i = len; i && i > len - 3; buf[--i] = '.');
-       XSetForeground(dpy, dc.gc, col[invert ? ColBG : ColFG]);
+       XSetForeground(dpy, dc.gc, col[ ColFG ]);
        if(dc.font.set)
                XmbDrawString(dpy, dc.drawable, dc.font.set, dc.gc, x, y, buf, len);
        else
@@ -830,7 +861,7 @@
                detachstack(c);
                attachstack(c);
                grabbuttons(c, True);
-               XSetWindowBorder(dpy, c->win, dc.sel[ColBorder]);
+               XSetWindowBorder(dpy, c->win, dc.colors[1][ColBorder]);
                XSetInputFocus(dpy, c->win, RevertToPointerRoot, CurrentTime);
        }
        else
@@ -1139,7 +1170,7 @@
        }
        wc.border_width = c->bw;
        XConfigureWindow(dpy, w, CWBorderWidth, &wc);
-       XSetWindowBorder(dpy, w, dc.norm[ColBorder]);
+       XSetWindowBorder(dpy, w, dc.colors[0][ColBorder]);
        configure(c); /* propagates border_width, if size doesn't change */
        updatesizehints(c);
        XSelectInput(dpy, w, EnterWindowMask|FocusChangeMask|PropertyChangeMask|StructureNotifyMask);
@@ -1544,12 +1575,11 @@
        cursor[CurResize] = XCreateFontCursor(dpy, XC_sizing);
        cursor[CurMove] = XCreateFontCursor(dpy, XC_fleur);
        /* init appearance */
-       dc.norm[ColBorder] = getcolor(normbordercolor);
-       dc.norm[ColBG] = getcolor(normbgcolor);
-       dc.norm[ColFG] = getcolor(normfgcolor);
-       dc.sel[ColBorder] = getcolor(selbordercolor);
-       dc.sel[ColBG] = getcolor(selbgcolor);
-       dc.sel[ColFG] = getcolor(selfgcolor);
+       for(int i=0; i<NUMCOLORS; i++) {
+               dc.colors[i][ColBorder] = getcolor( colors[i][ColBorder] );
+               dc.colors[i][ColFG] = getcolor( colors[i][ColFG] );
+               dc.colors[i][ColBG] = getcolor( colors[i][ColBG] );
+       }
        dc.drawable = XCreatePixmap(dpy, root, DisplayWidth(dpy, screen), bh, DefaultDepth(dpy, screen));
        dc.gc = XCreateGC(dpy, root, 0, NULL);
        XSetLineAttributes(dpy, dc.gc, 1, LineSolid, CapButt, JoinMiter);
@@ -1711,7 +1741,7 @@
        if(!c)
                return;
        grabbuttons(c, False);
-       XSetWindowBorder(dpy, c->win, dc.norm[ColBorder]);
+       XSetWindowBorder(dpy, c->win, dc.colors[0][ColBorder]);
        if(setfocus)
                XSetInputFocus(dpy, root, RevertToPointerRoot, CurrentTime);
 }