Theme System

SharpConsoleUI includes a powerful theme system that allows runtime theme switching and custom theme creation.

Table of Contents

Built-in Themes

SharpConsoleUI includes three built-in themes:

Classic Theme

Traditional navy blue windows with classic styling.

windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.SetTheme("Classic");

Color Scheme:

  • Window Background: Navy (DarkBlue)
  • Window Foreground: White
  • Active Border: Yellow
  • Inactive Border: Gray
  • Active Title: Yellow
  • Inactive Title: Gray
  • Desktop Background: Blue
  • Desktop Foreground: White

ModernGray Theme (Default)

Modern dark theme with gray color scheme.

windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.SetTheme("ModernGray");

Color Scheme:

  • Window Background: Grey11 (very dark gray)
  • Window Foreground: Grey93 (light gray)
  • Active Border: DeepSkyBlue1
  • Inactive Border: Grey35
  • Active Title: White
  • Inactive Title: Grey50
  • Desktop Background: Grey7
  • Desktop Foreground: Grey70

DevDark Theme

Dark developer theme with green terminal-inspired accents. Requires the DeveloperTools plugin.

// Load plugin first
windowSystem.LoadPlugin<DeveloperToolsPlugin>();

// Then switch to DevDark theme
windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.SetTheme("DevDark");

Color Scheme:

  • Window Background: Black
  • Window Foreground: Green
  • Active Border: Lime
  • Inactive Border: DarkGreen
  • Active Title: Yellow
  • Inactive Title: DarkOliveGreen1
  • Desktop Background: Grey3
  • Desktop Foreground: Green

Using Themes

Setting Theme at Startup

using SharpConsoleUI;
using SharpConsoleUI.Drivers;
using SharpConsoleUI.Themes;

// Option 1: Use default theme (ModernGray)
var windowSystem = new ConsoleWindowSystem(new NetConsoleDriver(RenderMode.Buffer));

// Option 2: Specify theme by name
var windowSystem = new ConsoleWindowSystem(
    new NetConsoleDriver(RenderMode.Buffer),
    themeName: "Classic"
);

// Option 3: Provide theme instance
var windowSystem = new ConsoleWindowSystem(
    new NetConsoleDriver(RenderMode.Buffer),
    theme: new ModernGrayTheme()
);

Changing Theme at Runtime

// Using ThemeRegistry
windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.SetTheme("Classic");

// Direct assignment
windowSystem.Theme = new ModernGrayTheme();

// Using built-in theme selector dialog
windowSystem.ShowThemeSelectorDialog();

Creating Custom Themes

Implement the ITheme interface to create custom themes:

using SharpConsoleUI.Themes;
using Spectre.Console;

public class MyCustomTheme : ITheme
{
    public Color WindowBackgroundColor => Color.DarkSlateGray;
    public Color WindowForegroundColor => Color.White;
    public Color ActiveBorderForegroundColor => Color.Cyan;
    public Color InactiveBorderForegroundColor => Color.DarkGray;
    public Color ActiveTitleForegroundColor => Color.Yellow;
    public Color InactiveTitleForegroundColor => Color.Gray;
    public Color DesktopBackgroundColor => Color.Black;
    public Color DesktopForegroundColor => Color.DarkGray;
    public char DesktopBackroundChar => '░';
}

Theme Properties

Property Description
WindowBackgroundColor Background color for window content area
WindowForegroundColor Default text color for window content
ActiveBorderForegroundColor Border color for focused window
InactiveBorderForegroundColor Border color for non-focused windows
ActiveTitleForegroundColor Title bar color for focused window
InactiveTitleForegroundColor Title bar color for non-focused windows
DesktopBackgroundColor Background color for empty desktop space
DesktopForegroundColor Foreground color for desktop character
DesktopBackroundChar Character used to fill desktop background

Registering Custom Themes

// Register a custom theme
windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.RegisterTheme("MyCustomTheme", new MyCustomTheme());

// Now you can switch to it
windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.SetTheme("MyCustomTheme");

Complete Custom Theme Example

using SharpConsoleUI;
using SharpConsoleUI.Themes;
using SharpConsoleUI.Drivers;
using Spectre.Console;

public class SolarizedDarkTheme : ITheme
{
    // Base colors from Solarized Dark palette
    public Color WindowBackgroundColor => new Color(0, 43, 54);      // base03
    public Color WindowForegroundColor => new Color(131, 148, 150);  // base0
    public Color ActiveBorderForegroundColor => new Color(38, 139, 210);   // blue
    public Color InactiveBorderForegroundColor => new Color(88, 110, 117); // base01
    public Color ActiveTitleForegroundColor => new Color(181, 137, 0);     // yellow
    public Color InactiveTitleForegroundColor => new Color(88, 110, 117);  // base01
    public Color DesktopBackgroundColor => new Color(7, 54, 66);      // base02
    public Color DesktopForegroundColor => new Color(88, 110, 117);   // base01
    public char DesktopBackroundChar => '·';
}

// Usage
var windowSystem = new ConsoleWindowSystem(new NetConsoleDriver(RenderMode.Buffer));
windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.RegisterTheme("SolarizedDark", new SolarizedDarkTheme());
windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.SetTheme("SolarizedDark");

Theme Registry

The ThemeRegistry manages theme registration and switching.

Available Methods

// Register a new theme
windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.RegisterTheme("MyTheme", new MyCustomTheme());

// Set active theme by name
windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.SetTheme("MyTheme");

// Get a theme by name
ITheme? theme = windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.GetTheme("Classic");

// Get all registered theme names
IEnumerable<string> themes = windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.GetRegisteredThemes();

// Check if theme exists
bool exists = windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.HasTheme("MyTheme");

// Get default theme
ITheme defaultTheme = ThemeRegistry.GetDefaultTheme();

// Get theme or fallback to default
ITheme theme = ThemeRegistry.GetThemeOrDefault("NonExistent", new ClassicTheme());

List All Available Themes

var themes = windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.GetRegisteredThemes();
foreach (var themeName in themes)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"- {themeName}");
}

Runtime Theme Switching

Themes can be changed at any time and apply immediately to all windows.

Using Theme Selector Dialog

The easiest way for users to change themes:

windowSystem.ShowThemeSelectorDialog();

Programmatic Theme Switching

// Add a button to switch themes
mainWindow.AddControl(
    Controls.Button("Switch to Classic")
        .OnClick((sender, e, window) =>
        {
            windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.SetTheme("Classic");
        })
        .Build()
);

// Cycle through themes
var themes = windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.GetRegisteredThemes().ToList();
int currentIndex = 0;

mainWindow.AddControl(
    Controls.Button("Next Theme")
        .OnClick((sender, e, window) =>
        {
            currentIndex = (currentIndex + 1) % themes.Count;
            windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.SetTheme(themes[currentIndex]);

            windowSystem.NotificationStateService.ShowNotification(
                "Theme Changed",
                $"Switched to {themes[currentIndex]}",
                NotificationSeverity.Info
            );
        })
        .Build()
);

Theme Switching with Keyboard Shortcut

mainWindow.KeyPressed += (sender, e) =>
{
    if (e.KeyInfo.Key == ConsoleKey.F9)
    {
        windowSystem.ShowThemeSelectorDialog();
        e.Handled = true;
    }
};

Best Practices

  1. Use high contrast: Ensure good readability between background and foreground colors
  2. Test both states: Verify both active and inactive window states look good
  3. Consider desktop: Desktop colors should not distract from windows
  4. Name descriptively: Use clear theme names (e.g., "DarkBlue" not "Theme1")
  5. Register early: Register custom themes before showing any windows
  6. Provide selector: Give users a way to change themes (F9 is recommended)

Color Guidelines

Dark Themes:

  • Background: Black, very dark gray (Grey7-Grey15)
  • Foreground: White, light gray (Grey85-Grey93)
  • Active Border: Bright colors (Cyan, Blue, Yellow)
  • Inactive Border: Medium gray (Grey30-Grey50)

Light Themes:

  • Background: White, very light gray (Grey93-Grey100)
  • Foreground: Black, dark gray (Grey7-Grey15)
  • Active Border: Medium-dark colors
  • Inactive Border: Light gray (Grey70-Grey85)

Spectre.Console Color Support

SharpConsoleUI uses Spectre.Console colors. Available color types:

// Named colors
Color.Red, Color.Blue, Color.Green, Color.Yellow, etc.

// RGB colors
new Color(255, 128, 0)  // Orange

// Hex colors
Color.FromInt32(0xFF8000)

// Gray scale (Grey0 to Grey100)
Color.Grey0   // Black
Color.Grey50  // Medium gray
Color.Grey100 // White

Complete Theme Manager Example

using SharpConsoleUI;
using SharpConsoleUI.Builders;
using SharpConsoleUI.Controls;
using SharpConsoleUI.Themes;
using SharpConsoleUI.Drivers;

var windowSystem = new ConsoleWindowSystem(new NetConsoleDriver(RenderMode.Buffer));

// Register custom themes
windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.RegisterTheme("SolarizedDark", new SolarizedDarkTheme());
windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.RegisterTheme("Dracula", new DraculaTheme());

var mainWindow = new WindowBuilder(windowSystem)
    .WithTitle("Theme Manager")
    .WithSize(60, 20)
    .Centered()
    .Build();

// Add theme selector button
mainWindow.AddControl(new MarkupControl(new List<string>
{
    "[bold yellow]Available Themes:[/]",
    ""
}));

// Create buttons for each theme
foreach (var themeName in windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.GetRegisteredThemes())
{
    mainWindow.AddControl(
        Controls.Button($"Switch to {themeName}")
            .OnClick((sender, e, window) =>
            {
                windowSystem.ThemeRegistry.SetTheme(themeName);
                windowSystem.NotificationStateService.ShowNotification(
                    "Theme Changed",
                    $"Active theme: {themeName}",
                    NotificationSeverity.Success
                );
            })
            .Build()
    );
}

// Add keyboard shortcut
mainWindow.KeyPressed += (sender, e) =>
{
    if (e.KeyInfo.Key == ConsoleKey.F9)
    {
        windowSystem.ShowThemeSelectorDialog();
        e.Handled = true;
    }
};

windowSystem.AddWindow(mainWindow);
windowSystem.Run();

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