diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 779777b..c6993aa 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -35,9 +35,14 @@ the 256 color escape sequences).
 `Random` will color each matching pattern with a random color among the 255
 available in the ANSI table. `random` will do the same in 8 colors mode.
 
-`scale` (8 colors) and `Scale` (36 colors) will parse the matching text as
-a decimal number and apply the rainbow colormap according to its position
-on the scale defined by the `-l` option (see below, "0,100" by default).
+`scale` (8 colors) and `Scale` (36 colors) will parse the numbers characters in
+the matching text as a decimal number and apply the rainbow colormap according
+to its position on the scale defined by the `-l` option (see below, "0,100" by
+default).
+
+Before interpreting the matched string as a number, colout will remove any
+character not supposed to be used to write down numbers. This permits to apply
+this special color on a large group, while interpreting only its numerical part.
 
 If the python-pygments library is installed, you can use the name of a
 syntax-coloring "lexer" as a color (for example: "Cpp", "ruby", "xml+django", etc.).
@@ -219,6 +224,10 @@ Don't use nested groups or colout will duplicate the corresponding input text wi
 * Color a source code substring:
   `echo "There is an error in 'static void Functor::operator()( EOT& indiv ) { return indiv; }' you should fix it" | colout "'(.*)'" Cpp monokai`
 
+* Color the percent of progress part of a CMake's makefile output, with a color
+  related to the value of the progress (from 0%=blue to 100%=red):
+  `cmake .. && make | colout "^(\[\s*[0-9]+%\])" Scale`
+
 
 ### Bash alias
 
diff --git a/colout/colout.py b/colout/colout.py
index 70e4b16..fdc523d 100755
--- a/colout/colout.py
+++ b/colout/colout.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import math
 import importlib
 import logging
 import signal
+import string
 
 # set the SIGPIPE handler to kill the program instead of
 # ending in a write error when a broken pipe occurs
@@ -326,11 +327,21 @@ def colorin(text, color="red", style="normal"):
             colormap_idx = 0
 
     elif color.lower() == "scale": # "scale" or "Scale"
+
+        # filter out everything that does not seem to be necessary to interpret the string as a number
+        # this permits to transform "[ 95%]" to "95" before number conversion,
+        # and thus allows to color a group larger than the matched number
+        chars_in_numbers = "-+.,e"
+        allowed = string.digits + chars_in_numbers
+        nb = "".join([i for i in filter(allowed.__contains__, text)])
+
+        # interpret as decimal
         try:
+            # babel is a specialized module
             import babel.numbers as bn
-            f = float(bn.parse_decimal(text))
+            f = float(bn.parse_decimal(nb))
         except ImportError:
-            f = float(text)
+            f = float(nb)
 
         # if out of scale, do not color
         if f < scale[0] or f > scale[1]:
diff --git a/colout/colout_cmake.py b/colout/colout_cmake.py
index 74580b1..0a78395 100644
--- a/colout/colout_cmake.py
+++ b/colout/colout_cmake.py
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ def theme():
     performing="cyan"
     #  actions performed in green
     performed="green"
+    #  actions taking an unknown time
+    untimed="blue"
 
     return [
         # Configure...
@@ -24,16 +26,19 @@ def theme():
           performing, "normal,bold" ],
         # Link
         [ "^(Linking .* )(library|executable) (.*/)*(.+(\.[aso]+)*)$",
-          performing, "normal,normal,bold" ],
+          untimed, "normal,normal,bold" ],
         # [percent] Built
         [ "^\[\s*[0-9]+%\]\s(Built target)(\s.*)$",
           performed, "normal,bold" ],
         # [percent] Building
         [ "^\[\s*[0-9]+%\]\s(Building \w* object)(\s+.*/)([-\w]+.c.*)(.o)$",
             performing, "normal,normal,bold,normal"],
+        # [percent] Generating
+        [ "^\[\s*[0-9]+%\]\s(Generating)(\s+.*)$",
+            performing, "normal,bold"],
         # make errors
         [ "make\[[0-9]+\].*", "yellow"],
         [ "(make: \*\*\* \[.+\] )(.* [0-9]+)", "red", "normal,bold"],
         # progress percentage
-        [ "^\[\s*([0-9]+)%\]","Scale" ]
+        [ "^(\[\s*[0-9]+%\])","Scale" ]
     ]