diff --git a/application.py b/application.py
index 2f2613d..404873e 100755
--- a/application.py
+++ b/application.py
@@ -81,6 +81,8 @@ class Application(object):
 
         ## this is how we can change color settings
         #if curses.can_change_color():
+        #    #curses.init_color(28, 700, 0, 0)
+        #    #curses.init_color(29, 0, 0, 700)
         #    pass
         #else:
         #    self.set_error("Dynamic color not available")
@@ -124,7 +126,7 @@ class Application(object):
                  'latex', 'insertmini', 'conf', 'haskell', 'erlang',
                  'iperl', 'iperlmini', 'ipython', 'ipythonmini', 'awk',
                  'shell', 'shellmini', 'fstab', 'yacc', 'pipe',
-                 'mbox', 'error', 'lua', 'lily', 'forth', 'ebnf',
+                 'mbox', 'error', 'lua', 'lily', 'forth', 'ebnf', 'colortest',
         )
         for name in names:
             exec("import mode.%s; mode.%s.install(self)" % (name, name))
diff --git a/code_examples/256COLORS b/code_examples/256COLORS
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9685328
--- /dev/null
+++ b/code_examples/256COLORS
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0a 0b 0c 0d 0e 0f
+
+10 11 12 13 14 15
+16 17 18 19 1a 1b
+1c 1d 1e 1f 20 21
+22 23 24 25 26 27
+28 29 2a 2b 2c 2d
+2e 2f 30 31 32 33
+
+34 35 36 37 38 39
+3a 3b 3c 3d 3e 3f
+40 41 42 43 44 45
+46 47 48 49 4a 4b
+4c 4d 4e 4f 50 51
+52 53 54 55 56 57
+
+58 59 5a 5b 5c 5d
+5e 5f 60 61 62 63
+64 65 66 67 68 69
+6a 6b 6c 6d 6e 6f
+70 71 72 73 74 75
+76 77 78 79 7a 7b
+
+7c 7d 7e 7f 80 81
+82 83 84 85 86 87
+88 89 8a 8b 8c 8d
+8e 8f 90 91 92 93
+94 95 96 97 98 99
+9a 9b 9c 9d 9e 9f
+
+a0 a1 a2 a3 a4 a5
+a6 a7 a8 a9 aa ab
+ac ad ae af b0 b1
+b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 b7
+b8 b9 ba bb bc bd
+be bf c0 c1 c2 c3
+
+c4 c5 c6 c7 c8 c9
+ca cb cc cd ce cf
+d0 d1 d2 d3 d4 d5
+d6 d7 d8 d9 da db
+dc dd de df e0 e1
+e2 e3 e4 e5 e6 e7
+
+e8 e9 ea eb ec ed
+ee ef f0 f1 f2 f3
+f4 f5 f6 f7 f8 f9
+fa fb fc fd fe ff
diff --git a/color.py b/color.py
index 378c71e..06c8adb 100644
--- a/color.py
+++ b/color.py
@@ -17,9 +17,15 @@ def init():
             'blue':    curses.COLOR_BLUE,
             'magenta': curses.COLOR_MAGENTA,
             'black':   curses.COLOR_BLACK,
-            'white':   curses.COLOR_WHITE
+            'white':   curses.COLOR_WHITE,
         }
 
+        for i in range(0, curses.COLORS):
+            if curses.COLORS == 256:
+                colors['f%02x' % i] = i
+            else:
+                colors['f%02x' % i] = curses.COLOR_WHITE
+
         if default_color:
             colors["default"] = -1
 
diff --git a/mode/colortest.py b/mode/colortest.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7862d46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mode/colortest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+from mode import Fundamental
+from lex import Grammar, PatternRule
+
+class ColortestGrammar(Grammar):
+    rules = []
+    for i in range(0, 256):
+        c = '%02x' % i
+        rules.append(PatternRule(c, c))
+
+class Colortest(Fundamental):
+    name    = 'Colortest'
+    grammar = ColortestGrammar
+    colors  = {}
+    for i in range(0, 256):
+        c = '%02x' % i
+        colors[c] = ('default', 'f' + c)
+
+install = Colortest.install