# Color in emerging lineages

**URL:** <https://nextstrain.discourse.group/t/color-in-emerging-lineages/1259>\
**Category:** Help and Getting Started\
**Created:** [October 25, 2022, 4:21pm UTC](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/t/color-in-emerging-lineages/1259 "2022-10-25T16:21:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dlu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@dlu](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/u/dlu)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 4:21pm UTC](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/t/color-in-emerging-lineages/1259/1 "2022-10-25T16:21:07Z")

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I just want to make sure I understand the current set up of emerging lineages. The emerging lineage list is getting pretty long and includes older VOCs, but only the more recent ones (real emerging ones) have colors. Is that right? I feel it used to only include the more recent lineages.  
Snapshot from the open build on [auspice](https://nextstrain.org/ncov/open/global/6m?c=emerging_lineage)

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/uploads/nextstrain/original/1X/51fc7ce4940b4210feac5496339f757e3cd16656.jpeg)

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![corneliusroemer](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/nextstrain.discourse.group/corneliusroemer/32/175_2.png) [@corneliusroemer](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/u/corneliusroemer)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 4:46pm UTC](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/t/color-in-emerging-lineages/1259/2 "2022-10-25T16:46:36Z")

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We changed this recently. Not sure what it was before, one could check the file history on Github.

Right now we use it to test `clades.tsv` definitions for various potential Nextstrain clade candidates.

So it’s set up as a copy of `clades.tsv` with addition of extra members.

Coloring is controlled via `color_ordering.tsv`, we color only the novel things, the rest is there just as background.

Does that make sense?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dlu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@dlu](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/u/dlu)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://nextstrain.discourse.group/t/color-in-emerging-lineages/1259/3 "2022-10-25T17:05:57Z")

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That makes sense! We have been using it as the default display so users can see quickly whether they have anything of (recent) interest on their trees. Is this usage still appropriate with this recent change? Would those “extra members” on top of `clades.tsv` which seem to have colors still be what’s new and emerging and worth attention? I liked the nextstrain’s emerging lineages list b/c you guys are much more on top of new lineages than us.  
Thanks!