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.