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Theme Customization Guide

Quick Reference

Feature: Dark/light theme support with system detection Supported Themes: Dark, Light, Auto (system-aware) Customization: Font sizes, color schemes, icon themes Use Case: Adapt BBDrop to your working environment

What is Theme Customization?

BBDrop includes a professional theming system that allows you to customize the application's appearance. This guide covers how to switch themes, adjust font sizes, and troubleshoot display issues.

The theming system provides: - Dark Mode - Eye-friendly dark interface (recommended for evening work) - Light Mode - Traditional light interface (bright environments) - Auto Mode - Automatic system detection (Windows 11 & modern Linux) - Font Scaling - Adjust text size throughout the application

Available Themes

Dark Theme

Dark theme features a dark background with light text, designed to reduce eye strain during extended use.

Color Scheme: - Background: #1e1e1e (dark gray) - Text: #e6e6e6 (light gray) - Buttons: #2d2d2d (darker gray) - Selection: #2f5f9f (blue highlight) - Icons: Optimized for dark backgrounds

Best For: - Evening and night work - Reduced eye strain - Low-light environments - Professional workflows

Light Theme

Light theme uses a traditional white background with dark text for clear visibility in bright environments.

Color Scheme: - Background: #ffffff (white) - Text: #333333 (dark gray) - Buttons: #f0f0f0 (light gray) - Selection: #3399ff (blue highlight) - Icons: Optimized for light backgrounds

Best For: - Daytime use - Bright office environments - Printing documentation - Traditional workflows

Auto Theme (System Detection)

Auto mode automatically detects your system theme setting and applies the matching theme.

Platform Support: - Windows 11 - Reads Registry setting automatically - Windows 10 - May require manual selection - Linux (modern) - Detects GNOME, KDE, or Xfce theme preference - macOS - System appearance detection

How It Works: 1. Application starts and checks system settings 2. Auto-selects dark or light theme accordingly 3. Follows system theme changes if OS supports it 4. Falls back to dark theme if detection fails

Switching Themes

Method 1: View Menu

Steps: 1. Click View menu in menu bar 2. Select Themes 3. Choose from: - Dark Theme - Light Theme - Auto (System)

Menu Location: 

File  Edit  View  Tools  Help
              +- Themes
                  +- Dark Theme
                  +- Light Theme
                  +- Auto (System)

Method 2: Settings Dialog

Steps: 1. Press Ctrl+, or go to File -> Settings 2. Click General section 3. Under "Appearance," find Theme 4. Select desired theme from dropdown 5. Click Save

Changes apply immediately - no restart needed.

Method 3: Theme Toggle Button

The theme toggle button in the toolbar provides quick switching:

  1. Look for the theme icon (usually sun/moon symbol) in the top toolbar
  2. Click to switch between dark and light
  3. Tooltip shows next theme when you hover

Theme Components

When you switch themes, the following elements update automatically:

Window & Backgrounds

  • Main window background
  • Table backgrounds
  • Dialog backgrounds
  • Menu backgrounds

Text & Labels

  • Gallery names and text
  • Status messages
  • Button text
  • Log viewer text

Interface Elements

  • Progress bars (fill colors)
  • Table row highlighting
  • Button borders and hover states
  • Dialog borders and frames

Icons & Graphics

  • Status icons (queued, uploading, completed, failed)
  • File host logos
  • Action buttons (start, pause, stop)
  • Navigation tabs

Dialogs & Menus

  • Settings dialog styling
  • Context menus appearance
  • Tooltips background/text
  • Input fields borders

Font Size Adjustment

Font sizes can be adjusted independently from theme selection.

Accessing Font Size Settings

Via Settings Dialog: 1. Press Ctrl+, to open Settings 2. Click General section 3. Find Font Size slider or input 4. Current options: 8pt to 14pt (default: 9pt) 5. Click Save

Changes Apply To: - Gallery table rows - Column headers (slightly smaller) - Log viewer text - Dialog text - Labels throughout interface

Font Size Recommendations

Size Best For Notes
8pt High-resolution displays Very compact, requires good eyesight
9pt Standard displays Default, balanced
10pt 1080p monitors Slightly larger, easier to read
11pt 1440p+ displays Large text, spacious layout
12pt TV/projector display Very large, for distance viewing

Tip: If table rows appear cramped, increase font size to 10pt or 11pt.

Theme Persistence

Theme settings are automatically saved in your configuration:

Windows: 

Registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\BBDrop\BBDropGUI
Settings: ui/theme (value: "dark", "light", or "auto")

Linux: 

File: ~/.config/BBDrop/BBDropGUI.conf
Settings: ui/theme=dark

Persistence Features: - Theme preference saved on switch - Font size saved with every change - Settings restored when application starts - Survives application restart and updates

Platform Notes

Windows 11

Auto Theme Support: Full support - Application reads Windows Settings - Automatically detects dark/light preference - Updates when system theme changes (if supported) - No manual action needed

Dark Theme Look: - Matches Windows 11 dark mode - Compatible with system taskbar theme - Icons refresh for dark backgrounds

Light Theme Look: - Matches Windows 11 light mode - Clean white interface - Consistent with system dialogs

Windows 10

Auto Theme Support: Limited - May not auto-detect system theme - Recommend manual selection (dark/light) - No dynamic system theme following

Workaround: If auto theme shows incorrect theme, manually select dark or light in View > Themes.

Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, etc.)

Auto Theme Support: Partial (depends on desktop) - GNOME: Full support (auto-detects) - KDE: Full support (auto-detects) - Xfce: Partial (may need manual selection) - Other DEs: May default to dark theme

Manual Override: If auto-detect doesn't match your system theme, manually select dark or light.

Troubleshooting

Theme Not Applying

Problem: Theme appears not to change when selected

Solutions:

  1. Check theme selection
  2. View > Themes to confirm selection

  3. Look at menu to see checkmark next to active theme

  4. Restart application

  5. Close BBDrop completely
  6. Wait 2 seconds
  7. Reopen application

  8. Check if theme persisted

  9. Verify settings save

  10. Open Settings (Ctrl+,)
  11. Change theme
  12. Click "Save" button

  13. Confirm dialog closes successfully

  14. Clear settings cache (if nothing works)

  15. Close application
  16. Delete: ~/.bbdrop/bbdrop.ini (Linux) or Registry keys (Windows)
  17. Restart application
  18. Theme will reset to default (dark)

Theme Looks Different from Expected

Problem: Theme colors don't match screenshots or descriptions

Possible Causes:

  1. System settings override
  2. Windows: Check Windows Settings > Personalization > Colors
  3. Linux: Check system theme in Settings

  4. May conflict with BBDrop theme

  5. High Contrast mode enabled

  6. Windows: Settings > Ease of Access > High Contrast
  7. Temporarily disable to test

  8. BBDrop themes designed for standard contrast

  9. Display color profile

  10. Monitor calibration affects appearance
  11. Test on another monitor if available
  12. Check display settings for "color temperature"

Icons Appear Wrong in Theme

Problem: Icons are too dark/light for selected theme

Solutions:

  1. Verify theme is actually applied
  2. View > Themes should show checkmark

  3. Window background should match theme (dark/light)

  4. Refresh icon cache

  5. Close application
  6. Delete: ~/.bbdrop/.icon_cache/ (if exists)
  7. Restart application

  8. Icons will regenerate with correct theme

  9. Check icon files exist

  10. Icons should be in: assets/hosts/logo/ and assets/ directory
  11. If files missing, application falls back to placeholder icons
  12. Try reinstalling BBDrop to restore icon files

Text Too Small or Too Large

Problem: Font size doesn't match what you set

Solutions:

  1. Check font size in Settings
  2. Ctrl+, > General section
  3. Verify font size slider is at desired position

  4. Confirm "Save" was clicked

  5. Verify system DPI settings

  6. Windows: Settings > Display > Scale and Layout
  7. Standard DPI is 100% - if set higher, text appears larger

  8. BBDrop font size + Windows DPI = final size

  9. Reset to defaults

  10. In Settings, look for "Reset to Defaults" button
  11. Will restore default font size (9pt)

Theme Flicker or Flickering on Startup

Problem: Theme flickers or shows wrong theme briefly when starting

Causes: - Normal on slower systems - Application loads default theme, then applies saved preference - Takes 1-2 seconds on most systems

Workaround: - Increase startup speed by closing other applications - Clear log viewer to reduce memory usage (Ctrl+L > Clear) - Try lighter theme (light theme loads faster than dark on some systems)

Best Practices

For Dark Theme Users

  1. Enable Auto-Scroll in Log Viewer
  2. Settings > Logging > Auto-scroll

  3. Prevents needing to scroll manually

  4. Use 9-10pt Font Size

  5. Default 9pt is optimal for dark theme

  6. Larger fonts (11pt+) may look odd on dark backgrounds

  7. Enable Tray Icon

  8. Settings > General > Show system tray icon
  9. Allows minimizing to tray in dark theme

For Light Theme Users

  1. Consider Font Size 10pt
  2. Light theme with 9pt can feel cramped

  3. 10pt provides better spacing

  4. Use in Bright Environments

  5. Light theme designed for bright daylight

  6. May cause eye strain in dark rooms

  7. Monitor Contrast Settings

  8. Light theme relies on contrast
  9. Ensure monitor brightness is moderate (not too dim)

For Auto Theme Users

  1. Verify System Detection Works
  2. Switch your system to dark/light theme
  3. Check if BBDrop follows (requires app restart)

  4. If not, manually select dark or light

  5. Consistent Environment

  6. If you switch system themes frequently, use manual selection
  7. Auto theme only checks on startup

Keyboard Shortcuts

Theme Control (when available): - Ctrl+Shift+T - Toggle between dark and light theme (if configured) - Ctrl+, - Open Settings to adjust theme

No dedicated keyboard shortcut exists for theme toggle by default. If needed, use the View menu or Settings dialog.

See Also