Oh, you can even see this output showing up in the logs of someone running browser tests with AddressSanitizer in this other issue.

https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=582510

Able to reproduce the issue on Mac OS 10.11.6 using chrome latest stable M52-52.0.2743.116 by following steps mentioned in the original comment. Observed step-3 error while selecting text from chrome webpage.

joedow@ - As per comment #1 could you please confirm is this is the same issue you are working on it? If no, please let us know do we need to provide bisect information for this issue?

Thanks!

I'm not working on anything like this, I think you have the wrong person :)

I only linked to that other issue to show that this output is quite common--anyone using Chrome from the command line (which includes Joe using AddressSanitizer) is seeing this output--not to imply that it was a related problem ;P.

Haven't found the culprit yet, grepping for "Couldn't set" or "selectedTextBackgroundColor".

I dug into this and it looks like the culprit is this:
https://cs.chromium.org/chromium/src/third_party/WebKit/Source/core/layout/LayoutThemeMac.mm?rcl=0&l=148

If you change the so that it returns Color::black, the error message will not appear

We should probably suppress that message.

That comes from here:

* thread #1: tid = 0xc7f5b, 0x00007fff9310cd67 Foundation`NSLog, name = 'CrRendererMain', queue = 'com.apple.main-thread', stop reason = breakpoint 3.1
  * frame #0: 0x00007fff9310cd67 Foundation`NSLog
    frame #1: 0x00007fff9b5b9f49 AppKit`-[NSDynamicSystemColor recacheColor] + 162
    frame #2: 0x00007fff9b5b9d9d AppKit`-[NSDynamicSystemColor initWithSelector:] + 89
    frame #3: 0x00007fff9b619165 AppKit`+[NSColor selectedTextBackgroundColor] + 80
    frame #4: 0x000000010cd70e63 Chromium Framework`blink::LayoutThemeMac::platformActiveSelectionBackgroundColor(this=<unavailable>) const + 35 at LayoutThemeMac.mm:150
    frame #5: 0x000000010cd6cec1 Chromium Framework`blink::LayoutTheme::activeSelectionBackgroundColor(this=<unavailable>) const + 17 at LayoutTheme.cpp:297
    frame #6: 0x000000010cd23ff3 Chromium Framework`blink::LayoutObject::selectionBackgroundColor(this=<unavailable>) const + 307 at LayoutObject.cpp:1360
    frame #7: 0x000000010ced58ff Chromium Framework`void blink::InlineTextBoxPainter::paintSelection<(blink::InlineTextBoxPainter::PaintOptions)0>(blink::GraphicsContext&, blink::LayoutRect const&, blink::ComputedStyle const&, blink::Font const&, blink::Color, blink::LayoutTextCombine*) [inlined] blink::LineLayoutItem::selectionBackgroundColor() const + 95 at LineLayoutItem.h:376
    frame #8: 0x000000010ced58fa Chromium Framework`void blink::InlineTextBoxPainter::paintSelection<(blink::InlineTextBoxPainter::PaintOptions)0>(this=0x00007fff5863c228, context=0x00007fff58640f98, boxRect=0x00007fff5863c1a0, style=0x00000edca9c48990, font=0x00000edca9cfe4a8, textColor=<unavailable>, combinedText=0x0000000000000000) + 90 at InlineTextBoxPainter.cpp:443
    frame #9: 0x000000010ced485f Chromium Framework`blink::InlineTextBoxPainter::paint(this=<unavailable>, paintInfo=<unavailable>, paintOffset=<unavailable>) + 2431 at InlineTextBoxPainter.cpp:169
    frame #10: 0x000000010cdbd365 Chromium Framework`blink::InlineTextBox::paint(this=<unavailable>, paintInfo=<unavailable>, paintOffset=<unavailable>, (null)=<unavailable>, (null)=<unavailable>) const + 21 at InlineTextBox.cpp:425

AppKit`-[NSDynamicSystemColor recacheColor]:
[snip]
    0x7fff9b5b9f27 <+128>: call   0x7fff9baa3fce            ; _NSColorFromDefault
    0x7fff9b5b9f2c <+133>: mov    rbx, rax
    0x7fff9b5b9f2f <+136>: test   rbx, rbx
    0x7fff9b5b9f32 <+139>: jne    0x7fff9b5b9f6f            ; <+200>
    0x7fff9b5b9f34 <+141>: mov    rsi, qword ptr [r15 + r12]
    0x7fff9b5b9f38 <+145>: lea    rdi, [rip - 0x217eb94f]   ; @"Couldn't set %@ from default (%@)"
    0x7fff9b5b9f3f <+152>: xor    eax, eax
    0x7fff9b5b9f41 <+154>: mov    rdx, r14
    0x7fff9b5b9f44 <+157>: call   0x7fff9bfc1274            ; symbol stub for: NSLog

This is probably related to how we ferry NSUserDefaults via theme_helper_mac.mm, but I'm not sure why selectedTextBackgroundColor is the only one causing issues.

Seems like you almost have this one solved, I'll buy you lunch (via $10 over PayPal) if you can fix it. Getting these errors in my Electron terminal window is annoying :)

Same here on macOS Sierra (using e7f0416cefe3af6fee4921a25611b0af4cedf868), but it happens at random:

2017-10-06 22:49:29.237 Chromium Helper[58854:5106427] Couldn't set selectedTextBackgroundColor from default ()

Please fix this issue, having this in current Electron:
https://github.com/electron/electron/issues/4420

Their solutions didn't work for me, still getting that error.

There is a workaround 
 ::selection { background: white; } 

the workaround does not work anymore

The following revision refers to this bug:
  https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src.git/+/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5

commit 0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5
Author: Robert Sesek <rsesek@chromium.org>
Date: Tue Nov 20 16:00:10 2018

[Mac] Stop performing direct NSColor lookups in the renderer process.

In blink::LayoutThemeMac, various system color properties are retrieved
from NSColor. These system colors are part of the "dynamic system color
store", and trying to access them may cause issues with the sandbox.

This augments the blink::WebSandboxSuport interface on Mac to look up
system colors via a shared memory segment that is populated by the
browser. In addition, this centralizes the various Mac implementations
of that interface into a single one.

      System Prefs>General and change the Highlight Color. Upon going
      back to Chrome, the new highlight color should be visible.

Bug:  641509 ,  36032 
Test: Highlight some text on a web page. Then go to
Change-Id: I3bc05c08ecab62b1fc68442d3edd93ec7edb8590
Reviewed-on: https://chromium-review.googlesource.com/c/1331133
Reviewed-by: Avi Drissman <avi@chromium.org>
Reviewed-by: Kent Tamura <tkent@chromium.org>
Commit-Queue: Robert Sesek <rsesek@chromium.org>
Cr-Commit-Position: refs/heads/master@{#609719}
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/browser/BUILD.gn
[add] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/browser/sandbox_support_mac_impl.h
[add] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/browser/sandbox_support_mac_impl.mm
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/browser/service_manager/common_browser_interfaces.cc
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/browser/theme_helper_mac.h
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/browser/theme_helper_mac.mm
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/child/child_process_sandbox_support_impl_mac.cc
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/child/child_process_sandbox_support_impl_mac.h
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/common/BUILD.gn
[add] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/common/sandbox_support_mac.mojom
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/ppapi_plugin/ppapi_blink_platform_impl.cc
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/ppapi_plugin/ppapi_blink_platform_impl.h
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/public/app/mojo/content_browser_manifest.json
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/public/app/mojo/content_plugin_manifest.json
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/public/app/mojo/content_renderer_manifest.json
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/public/app/mojo/content_utility_manifest.json
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/renderer/renderer_blink_platform_impl.cc
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/renderer/renderer_blink_platform_impl.h
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/utility/utility_blink_platform_with_sandbox_support_impl.cc
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/content/utility/utility_blink_platform_with_sandbox_support_impl.h
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/third_party/blink/public/common/BUILD.gn
[add] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/third_party/blink/public/common/sandbox_support/sandbox_support_mac.h
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/third_party/blink/public/platform/mac/web_sandbox_support.h
[modify] https://crrev.com/0694f7c1f92d46137fe536f1fde23963fccac0b5/third_party/blink/renderer/core/layout/layout_theme_mac.mm

The following revision refers to this bug:
  https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src.git/+/c647137842a7ea4a4bb0f4e3e6da3afe5c78bd71

commit c647137842a7ea4a4bb0f4e3e6da3afe5c78bd71
Author: Robert Sesek <rsesek@chromium.org>
Date: Tue Nov 20 18:57:34 2018

[Mac] Use NSRectFill in content::NSColorToSkColor().

Previously it used -[NSColor drawSwatchInRect:] which "adorns" the color
with additional drawing.

Bug:  641509 ,  36032 
Change-Id: Ib3dd089980c4d942b0aac0435a94f5ad44fcd3e4
Reviewed-on: https://chromium-review.googlesource.com/c/1343045
Commit-Queue: Robert Sesek <rsesek@chromium.org>
Reviewed-by: Avi Drissman <avi@chromium.org>
Cr-Commit-Position: refs/heads/master@{#609759}
[modify] https://crrev.com/c647137842a7ea4a4bb0f4e3e6da3afe5c78bd71/content/browser/theme_helper_mac.mm