Table of Contents

Accent Colors

Accent colors provide visual emphasis and brand identity in WPF UI applications. The library manages accent color resources that automatically adapt to light and dark themes.

Tip

Use SystemThemeWatcher.Watch(this) in your main window constructor to automatically sync accent colors with Windows personalization settings.

Apply System Accent

Use the system's personalization accent color:

using Wpf.Ui.Appearance;

ApplicationAccentColorManager.ApplySystemAccent();

Apply Theme with Accent

Apply theme and accent together:

using Wpf.Ui.Appearance;
using Wpf.Ui.Controls;

ApplicationThemeManager.Apply(
    ApplicationTheme.Dark,
    WindowBackdropType.Mica,
    updateAccent: true  // Automatically applies system accent
);

Available backdrop types: None, Auto, Mica, Acrylic, Tabbed.

Important

Always use DynamicResource (not StaticResource) for accent color bindings to receive runtime updates when accent changes.

Apply Custom Accent

Set a custom accent color:

ApplicationAccentColorManager.Apply(
    Color.FromArgb(0xFF, 0xEE, 0x00, 0xBB),
    ApplicationTheme.Dark
);

Retrieve the Windows colorization color programmatically:

Color colorizationColor = ApplicationAccentColorManager.GetColorizationColor();
ApplicationAccentColorManager.Apply(colorizationColor, ApplicationTheme.Dark);

Accent Color Resources

WPF UI provides these accent color resources:

System Accent Colors

Base accent colors that update when you call ApplicationAccentColorManager.Apply():

  • SystemAccentColor - Primary system accent
  • SystemAccentColorPrimary - Lighter/darker variant for light/dark themes
  • SystemAccentColorSecondary - More prominent variant (most commonly used)
  • SystemAccentColorTertiary - Strongest variant
<Border Background="{DynamicResource SystemAccentColorSecondaryBrush}" />
Tip

SystemAccentColorSecondary is the most commonly used variant for interactive elements and provides optimal contrast in both light and dark themes.

Accent Text Colors

For text and interactive elements like links:

  • AccentTextFillColorPrimaryBrush - Primary accent text (rest/hover state)
  • AccentTextFillColorSecondaryBrush - Secondary accent text
  • AccentTextFillColorTertiaryBrush - Tertiary accent text (pressed state)
  • AccentTextFillColorDisabledBrush - Disabled accent text
<ui:Anchor
    Content="WPF UI Documentation"
    NavigateUri="https://wpfui.lepo.co/"
    Foreground="{DynamicResource AccentTextFillColorPrimaryBrush}" />

Accent Fill Colors

For button backgrounds and filled surfaces:

  • AccentFillColorDefaultBrush - Default accent fill
  • AccentFillColorSecondaryBrush - Secondary fill (90% opacity)
  • AccentFillColorTertiaryBrush - Tertiary fill (80% opacity)
  • AccentFillColorDisabledBrush - Disabled state fill
<Button Background="{DynamicResource AccentFillColorDefaultBrush}" />

Text on Accent Colors

For text displayed on accent-colored backgrounds. These resources automatically adjust to black or white based on accent brightness:

  • TextOnAccentFillColorPrimary - Primary text color on accent backgrounds
  • TextOnAccentFillColorSecondary - Secondary text on accent backgrounds
  • TextOnAccentFillColorDisabled - Disabled text on accent backgrounds
Note

Text colors automatically switch between black and white when accent brightness exceeds 80% HSV to maintain readability.

Theme-Specific Behavior

Accent variants adjust automatically based on the application theme:

Dark Theme:

  • Primary: Base color + 17 brightness, -30% saturation
  • Secondary: Base color + 17 brightness, -45% saturation
  • Tertiary: Base color + 17 brightness, -65% saturation

Light Theme:

  • Primary: Base color - 10 brightness
  • Secondary: Base color - 25 brightness
  • Tertiary: Base color - 40 brightness
Note

Brightness adjustments are calculated in HSV color space. Negative values darken the color, positive values lighten it.

Advanced: Custom Accent Variants

Specify all accent variants manually:

ApplicationAccentColorManager.Apply(
    systemAccent: Color.FromArgb(0xFF, 0x00, 0x78, 0xD4),
    primaryAccent: Color.FromArgb(0xFF, 0x00, 0x67, 0xC0),
    secondaryAccent: Color.FromArgb(0xFF, 0x00, 0x3E, 0x92),
    tertiaryAccent: Color.FromArgb(0xFF, 0x00, 0x1A, 0x68)
);
Caution

Manually specified accent variants won't automatically adjust when theme changes. Consider using automatic variant generation unless you need precise color control.

Accessing Current Accent

Read current accent colors from ApplicationAccentColorManager:

Color currentSystemAccent = ApplicationAccentColorManager.SystemAccent;
Color currentPrimaryAccent = ApplicationAccentColorManager.PrimaryAccent;
Color currentSecondaryAccent = ApplicationAccentColorManager.SecondaryAccent;
Color currentTertiaryAccent = ApplicationAccentColorManager.TertiaryAccent;

Brush accentBrush = ApplicationAccentColorManager.SystemAccentBrush;

Theme Changed Event

Monitor accent changes when theme is applied:

ApplicationThemeManager.Changed += (theme, accent) =>
{
    Debug.WriteLine($"Theme changed to {theme}, accent: {accent}");
};

Automatic System Theme Tracking

Use SystemThemeWatcher to automatically update theme and accent when Windows settings change:

using Wpf.Ui.Appearance;

public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
    public MainWindow()
    {
        // Watch system theme changes with Mica backdrop and accent updates
        SystemThemeWatcher.Watch(this);
        
        InitializeComponent();
    }
}

With custom backdrop and accent settings:

SystemThemeWatcher.Watch(
    this,
    WindowBackdropType.Acrylic,
    updateAccents: true
);

Stop watching for theme changes:

SystemThemeWatcher.UnWatch(this);
Note

SystemThemeWatcher monitors WM_WININICHANGE messages and automatically applies system theme and accent when Windows personalization settings change.

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