#63·winfile

Native VS-like Dark Theme Support [Live screenshot included]

Author: NazmusLabsCreated Apr 10, 2018Updated Dec 10, 2023

windows 3 1 file manger true color on dosbox ss1804

Due to the flexibility of Windows 3.1 personalization control panel, I am able to re-color almost all standard Windows UI controls, including changing the color of highlights and shadows, allowing me to create a "flat", modern, dark theme. I used the UI colors of Blend for VS2017 and the highlight color of VS2017 to create a dark theme for Windows 3.1, which also applied to WinFile.

This screenshot is a live example (i.e. not photoshopped or concept art) showing WinFile sporting a dark theme. This can be used as reference to re-color the standard Windows components at the application level, which Windows 10 still supports.

Because WinFile uses native UI controls, it technically supports a dark theme color. And applications themselves can still apply their own color to these classic Windows UI components, including buttons, textboxes, etc (as long as they are not using a visual style, which WinFile isn't). So, it's not inconceivable that we would eventually be able to re-color the UI easily and without major modifications or re-skin to create the dark theme. The live screenshot is living proof that it works well with WinFile.