Add dark mode support across the application

[larrycaw]

Summary

• add application-wide dark mode support, including themed forms, controls, renderers, hosting helpers, and persisted settings
• update startup and configuration flow so theme preferences are loaded early and applied consistently
• add regression and settings coverage for dark mode and upstream release/version provider behavior

Key changes

• introduce shared theming infrastructure under UIHelpers/Theming
• apply dark mode support across the main forms and key controls
• move and persist dark mode settings in configuration
• add upstream release version retrieval support and related tests

Why

This branch primarily delivers end-to-end dark mode support across the WinForms application

Closes #299

[larrycaw]

@0xced @danielmarbach @Calinou @sjp @ErikMogensen

Could this be taken up to consideration?

[larrycaw]

And unlike #899 this implementation doesn't cause any freeze upon changing between light / dark mode.

[danielmarbach]

@0xced @danielmarbach @Calinou @sjp

Could this be taken up to consideration?

Sorry not a maintainer

[Copilot]

Copilot review overview

🟡 Changes recommended

Configuration compatibility and theme startup, transition, and threading issues remain unresolved.

Review effort: Balanced
Findings: 2 · 3

Open (5)

• Removing configuration sections breaks existing consumers · New
• Preference refresh updates handleless controls off the UI thread · New
• Disabled enum choices appear enabled in themed lists · New
• High-contrast transitions destroy original syntax colors · New
• Fresh launches incorrectly default to light mode · New

What changed in this PR

Adds shared dark-mode support across the WinForms application for #299, including persisted preferences and themed dynamic views.

Changes:

• Introduces shared palettes, rendering, color restoration, and themed forms.
• Integrates theme settings with startup, Options, and hosted controls.
• Adds theme regression tests and build-time upstream-release metadata support.

File	Description
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​Theming/​ThemeSnapshot.cs	Captures and restores original appearance.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​Theming/​ThemePalette.cs	Defines dark and high-contrast palettes.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​Theming/​ThemeNativeMethods.cs	Themes native captions, borders, and tabs.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​Theming/​ThemeManager.SpecialControls.cs	Themes editors, charts, and custom controls.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​Theming/​ThemeManager.Hosting.cs	Centralizes themed content replacement.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​Theming/​ThemeManager.Drawing.cs	Adds themed drawing handlers.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​Theming/​ThemeManager.cs	Coordinates registration and theme updates.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​Theming/​ThemeManager.Controls.cs	Applies and restores control styling.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​Theming/​IThemeAware.cs	Defines custom theme integration.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​Theming/​DarkToolStripRenderer.cs	Adds themed menu rendering.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​StandardValueEditor.cs	Registers dropdown editors for theming.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​LanguageDetector.cs	Refreshes themed syntax styles.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​UIHelpers/​DataGridViewDeleteButtonCell.cs	Themes delete-button cells.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Program.cs	Initializes theme infrastructure.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​UploadCertificateForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​ThemedForm.cs	Registers forms for theming on load.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​TextForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​SelectEntityForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​RegistrationsForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​RegistrationForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​ReceiveModeForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​ReceiveEventForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​PublishEventForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​ParameterForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​OptionForm.cs	Loads, saves, and applies theme preferences.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​NewVersionAvailableForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​MessageForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​MainForm.cs	Integrates settings and themed view hosting.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​FilterForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​EventGridConnectForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​EventDataForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​DeleteForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​DateTimeRangeForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​DateTimeForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​CreateEventGridTopicForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​CreateEventGridSubscriptionForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​ContainerForm.cs	Uses shared themed view hosting.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​ConnectForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​CollectionEditorForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​ClipboardForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​ChangeStatusForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​ChangeQueueStatusForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Forms/​AboutForm.cs	Adopts the themed base form.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Controls/​TestTopicControl.cs	Rethemes rebuilt charts.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Controls/​TestQueueControl.cs	Rethemes rebuilt charts.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Controls/​TestEventHubControl.cs	Rethemes rebuilt charts.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Controls/​Popup.cs	Registers popup content for theming.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Controls/​HandleSubscriptionControl.cs	Themes row-header text.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Controls/​HandleQueueControl.cs	Themes row-header text.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​Controls/​DashboardControl.cs	Preserves theme-aware alerts and labels.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer/​App.config	Adds dark defaults and prefixed configuration entries.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer.Tests/​ServiceBusExplorer.Tests.csproj	Adds theme and release-test references.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer.Tests/​Helpers/​VersionProviderTests.cs	Tests upstream metadata parsing.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer.Tests/​Helpers/​UpstreamReleaseVersionTests.cs	Tests upstream tag selection.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer.Tests/​Helpers/​MainSettingsDarkModeTests.cs	Tests theme defaults and persistence.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer.Tests/​Forms/​OptionFormDarkModeTests.cs	Tests theme options and layout.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer.Tests/​Forms/​DarkModeThemeTests.cs	Tests rendering, restoration, and hosting.
src/​ServiceBusExplorer.Tests/​Forms/​DarkModeReviewRegressionTests.cs	Adds targeted theme regressions.
src/​Common/​Helpers/​VersionProvider.cs	Adds upstream metadata accessors.
src/​Common/​Helpers/​TwoFilesConfiguration.cs	Adds prefixed settings lookup.
src/​Common/​Helpers/​MainSettings.cs	Adds dark-mode settings support.
src/​Common/​Helpers/​ConfigurationParameters.cs	Defines the dark-mode configuration key.
src/​Common/​Helpers/​ConfigurationHelper.cs	Loads the dark-mode preference.
src/​Common/​Common.csproj	Embeds upstream-release metadata.
README.md	Documents themes and upstream metadata.
GetUpstreamReleaseVersion.ps1	Resolves reachable stable upstream tags.
docs/​superpowers/​specs/​2026-10-03-dark-startup-and-view-host-design.md	Describes startup and hosting requirements.
docs/​superpowers/​plans/​2026-10-03-dark-startup-and-view-hosting.md	Records implementation and verification details.

Files not reviewed (2)

• src/ServiceBusExplorer/Forms/MainForm.Designer.cs: Generated file
• src/ServiceBusExplorer/Forms/OptionForm.Designer.cs: Generated file

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[larrycaw]

@ErikMogensen Comments by copilot has been resolved ✅

[larrycaw]

Figured out the version dialog still wasn't dark modified, so I added that as well in this commit. 7aa891b

Oh also enabled the link in debug for well.. debugging and testings sake :)

[eveneveneven]

@larrycaw Would you consider supporting a setting like this?

[larrycaw]

@larrycaw Would you consider supporting a setting like this?

@eveneveneven

[ErikMogensen]

Here is the output from Claude. I haven't looked through it, so I don't know if I agree with it. I am quitting for the day and won't be able to continue for 48 hours so I wanted to send it to you anyway:

The code review of PR #902 ("Add dark mode support across the application") is complete. 10 findings reported, ranked by severity:

1. MainForm.cs:349 – Two conflicting implementations set the empty main panel's background color in light mode (one in ThemeManager.Hosting.cs, one in MainForm.SetEmptyMainPanelBackground), so whichever runs last wins.
2. MainForm.cs:431 – DEBUG build regression: removes the Enabled = false line on the "Debug Version" link label, reverting the fix from PR In debug version inform user do not ask for new version #888.
3. ThemeManager.cs:31 – Unguarded registry read (Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey) in a static field initializer can crash startup on locked-down environments (Citrix/RDS/GPO).
4. OptionForm.cs:722 – SetThemeMode gets called twice per Options-dialog save, doubling the full re-theme/repaint cost and causing a visible double-flicker.
5. ThemeManager.cs:283 – PreferencesChanged re-themes everything on any UserPreferenceChanged event, not just color-related ones, causing stutter on unrelated system events.
6. ThemeManager.cs:101 – Apply() reads the theme flag without lock protection across two tree-walk passes, risking an orphaned/unrestored snapshot if the theme changes mid-call.
7. ThemeNativeMethods.cs:79 – InputBorderWindow handles WM_PRINT but not WM_PRINTCLIENT (unlike sibling TabWindow), likely a copy-paste omission causing stale border overlays in some redraw paths.
8. ThemeManager.Hosting.cs:31 – Control.InvokeRequired returns false for handle-less controls, so the UI-thread guard in ReplaceHostedContent can be silently bypassed.
9. ThemeManager.Drawing.cs:258 – Four separate color heuristics disagree on whether the same color (e.g., DarkOrange) is a warning or error, causing inconsistent theming across control types.
10. TwoFilesConfiguration.cs:375 – New 56-line method GetHashtableFromAppSettingsPrefix is dead code duplicating existing merge logic, with no call sites anywhere.

Also flagged (not a PR defect, but a heads-up): the locally checked-out main (commit 56c5bba) already has its own independently-built dark-mode implementation that diverged from the same ancestor as PR #902 — merging #902 as-is will conflict across MainForm.cs, OptionForm.cs, DataGridViewDeleteButtonCell.cs, etc. with two separate dark-mode features.

result: Code review of PR #902 (dark mode) complete — 10 findings reported, led by two conflicting theming implementations for the main panel background and a DEBUG-build regression that re-enables a link label disabled in PR #888; also flagged that local main already has a separately-built, diverged dark-mode feature that will conflict with #902 on merge.

[larrycaw]

Here is the output from Claude. I haven't looked through it, so I don't know if I agree with it. I am quitting for the day and won't be able to continue for 48 hours so I wanted to send it to you anyway:

The code review of PR #902 ("Add dark mode support across the application") is complete. 10 findings reported, ranked by severity:

1. MainForm.cs:349 – Two conflicting implementations set the empty main panel's background color in light mode (one in ThemeManager.Hosting.cs, one in MainForm.SetEmptyMainPanelBackground), so whichever runs last wins.
2. MainForm.cs:431 – DEBUG build regression: removes the Enabled = false line on the "Debug Version" link label, reverting the fix from PR In debug version inform user do not ask for new version #888.
3. ThemeManager.cs:31 – Unguarded registry read (Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey) in a static field initializer can crash startup on locked-down environments (Citrix/RDS/GPO).
4. OptionForm.cs:722 – SetThemeMode gets called twice per Options-dialog save, doubling the full re-theme/repaint cost and causing a visible double-flicker.
5. ThemeManager.cs:283 – PreferencesChanged re-themes everything on any UserPreferenceChanged event, not just color-related ones, causing stutter on unrelated system events.
6. ThemeManager.cs:101 – Apply() reads the theme flag without lock protection across two tree-walk passes, risking an orphaned/unrestored snapshot if the theme changes mid-call.
7. ThemeNativeMethods.cs:79 – InputBorderWindow handles WM_PRINT but not WM_PRINTCLIENT (unlike sibling TabWindow), likely a copy-paste omission causing stale border overlays in some redraw paths.
8. ThemeManager.Hosting.cs:31 – Control.InvokeRequired returns false for handle-less controls, so the UI-thread guard in ReplaceHostedContent can be silently bypassed.
9. ThemeManager.Drawing.cs:258 – Four separate color heuristics disagree on whether the same color (e.g., DarkOrange) is a warning or error, causing inconsistent theming across control types.
10. TwoFilesConfiguration.cs:375 – New 56-line method GetHashtableFromAppSettingsPrefix is dead code duplicating existing merge logic, with no call sites anywhere.

Also flagged (not a PR defect, but a heads-up): the locally checked-out main (commit 56c5bba) already has its own independently-built dark-mode implementation that diverged from the same ancestor as PR #902 — merging #902 as-is will conflict across MainForm.cs, OptionForm.cs, DataGridViewDeleteButtonCell.cs, etc. with two separate dark-mode features.

result: Code review of PR #902 (dark mode) complete — 10 findings reported, led by two conflicting theming implementations for the main panel background and a DEBUG-build regression that re-enables a link label disabled in PR #888; also flagged that local main already has a separately-built, diverged dark-mode feature that will conflict with #902 on merge.

Thanks for sending this over, Erik. I’ve worked through the report and implemented fixes for items 1–6 and 8–10.
The changes make the main panel consistently white in light mode, restore the disabled debug-version link, handle registry access failures, remove the duplicate Options refresh, filter unrelated preference events, and protect theme capture/application. Hosted-content replacement now checks UI-thread ownership before changing controls. Shared warning/error colors use one classification, while custom tree colors and syntax highlighting remain intentionally distinct. I also removed the unused configuration helper.
Item 7 is unchanged for now. WM_PRINTCLIENT draws client content, whereas the input-border overlay draws the non-client border. Copying the tab handler’s behavior could paint in the wrong coordinates, so I’d want a reproducible redraw case before changing it.
The main-branch divergence warning remains open. I haven’t attempted merge/rebase reconciliation as part of these fixes; that needs a separate comparison against the intended target branch before merging.

[Copilot]

🟡 Changes recommended

Invalid theme settings can prevent startup, and a new regression test throws before reaching its assertions.

5 open findings

• Configure CI to fetch the upstream release baseline · New
• Validate parsed theme mode before applying it · New
• Use known release baseline for update checks · New
• Remove null Image.Palette assignment from theming test · New
• Use swatch-contrast colors for ColorCell labels · New

5 resolved since last review

• Preference refresh updates handleless controls off the UI thread
• Removing configuration sections breaks existing consumers
• Fresh launches incorrectly default to light mode
• High-contrast transitions destroy original syntax colors
• Disabled enum choices appear enabled in themed lists

Files not reviewed (2)

• src/ServiceBusExplorer/Forms/MainForm.Designer.cs: Generated file
• src/ServiceBusExplorer/Forms/OptionForm.Designer.cs: Generated file

🧠 Review effort: Balanced

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