# .getLCHString()

Log a color's lightness, chroma and hue in one short line, to check a color at a glance.

Log a color's lightness, chroma and hue as one short line with `getLCHString()`. It takes nothing and returns CIELab LCH as whole numbers, each rounded down:

```swift
let brandColor = Color(hex: "#00B386")
print("Brand:", brandColor.getLCHString())   // Brand: L:64 C:50 H:166

Color(hex: "#3C80C4").getLCHString()         // "L:52 C:41 H:271"
```

## Reading the numbers

- `L` is CIELab L\*, from 0 (black) to 100 (white). It's the lightness WCAG contrast depends on, so two colors with the same `L` have about the same contrast on white.
- `C` is chroma, how far the color is from gray.
- `H` is the hue in degrees, around the CIELab wheel.

For the exact numbers, use [`.toLCH()`](https://colortokenskit.com/api/to-lch/index.md), which keeps the decimals.

## How it behaves

Each number is cut to a whole number, not rounded, so 64.93 becomes 64. The numbers are CIELab LCH with the D65 white point, not OKLCH, so the hue differs from the one the palette uses: #00B386 is at 166° here and at 166.99° in OKLCH.

A color beyond sRGB comes through without clamping, so a Display P3 color can show more chroma than an sRGB color can reach. A token gives its light-mode value on iOS 17, macOS 14 and later.

## API

```swift
public extension Color {
    func getLCHString() -> String   // "L:64 C:50 H:166"
}
```

It takes no parameters and returns `"L:… C:… H:…"` with each number rounded down to a whole number.

## Sources

- [Color+Strings.swift](https://github.com/metasidd/ColorTokensKit-Swift/blob/main/Sources/ColorTokensKit/Platform/SwiftUI/Color+Strings.swift), which defines `getLCHString()`.

## See also

- [.toLCH()](https://colortokenskit.com/api/to-lch/index.md): Read a color as CIELab lightness, chroma and hue, to match LCH numbers or check contrast.
- [.getHexString()](https://colortokenskit.com/api/get-hex-string/index.md): Log a color or hand it to a design tool as an sRGB hex string, with alpha when it's translucent.
- [.toOKLCH()](https://colortokenskit.com/api/to-oklch/index.md): Read a color's lightness, chroma and hue the way the palette sees them, to compare or adjust it.
- [How accessible is it?](https://colortokenskit.com/basics/how-accessible/index.md): What the palette guarantees for contrast in every hue and mode, and what you still need to check.

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From ColorTokensKit, by Penguin Design Ventures: https://colortokenskit.com/api/get-lch-string/ (updated September 26, 2026).