Import Theme Size / Select Default Font / Small Design Fixes

[onesounds]

What's the PR

Feature-related

• Changed the default setting of the placeholder text to be enabled.

• Changed the default font on first launch and reset to the OS's default font per language.

  • Fonts are displayed and stored based on their English names in the combo box and internally.

  • The previous default fonts were not suitable for WPF and caused text to appear pixelated on screen.

  • This is suspected to be the main reason why users are still posting blurry screenshots, even after all known issues affecting screen clarity have been fixed.

  • If the Noto Sans font is available, it is given priority. If not, the next default font is used. If that also fails, fall back to Segoe UI.

    • Since font names differ by language, a separate mapping table is used to match them accordingly.

• Added Import Theme Size feature. When the button is clicked, if the theme has specified size values, they are loaded into the settings.

  • A feature that makes it easier for theme designers to convey their intended design while preserving user customizations.

Design-related

• Redesign Combobox
• Moved values that were fixed on the control and couldn't be changed from the theme to base.xaml.
• Adjusted the window colors of the two blur themes to make the effect more noticeable.
• Reduced the default query font size from 20 to 16. This also applies when resetting.
• Added a message indicating that the backdrop effect is not applied to the preview area.

Font Issue reference

WPF uses a DirectWrite-based text rendering engine, which is different from the GDI+ rendering used in Windows Forms (System.Drawing). Because of this, font handling works differently between the two.

🔤 System.Drawing.FontFamily.GenericSansSerif vs System.Windows.Media.FontFamily

• System.Drawing.FontFamily.GenericSansSerif is one of the generic font families used in GDI+, and it typically maps to fonts like Microsoft Sans Serif.

• However, WPF’s System.Windows.Media.FontFamily does not support generic font families like GDI+ does. You need to specify font names directly (e.g., "Segoe UI", "Arial", etc.).

❗ Issue: Using GDI+ Fonts in WPF

• Fonts like Microsoft Sans Serif are optimized for GDI+.

• When used in WPF, the rendering might appear slightly blurry.

• This is due to differences in subpixel rendering, DPI handling, and how text is rasterized in WPF compared to GDI+.

✅ Recommendation

• Use fonts that are optimized for WPF, such as Segoe UI.

• Alternatively, consider using SystemFonts.MessageFontFamily, which gives you the system’s default font for WPF.

Todo

• Added a “Preset from Theme” button and its functionality. (When clicked, this button retrieves the height and size values defined in the theme and applies them to the settings.)
• Fixed a minor issue where the ComboBox would shift by 1px when clicked and released.

Test Case

• The code-behind for font handling and theme import functionality needs to be checked.
• When the reset button is clicked in each size customization menu, the default font for the OS based on the current language should be automatically selected.
• The Import Theme Size feature must apply the settings correctly when executed.

[coderabbitai]

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🧩 Analysis chain

🏁 Script executed:

#!/bin/bash
# Let's first get a summary of the changes in this PR to better understand the scope
git log --oneline -n 10 HEAD

# Check the specific files changed in this PR
git diff --name-status HEAD~1

# Let's examine the changes to the Settings.cs file since it seems central to the font handling changes
git diff HEAD~1 Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/UserSettings/Settings.cs | grep -A 15 "GetSystemDefaultFont"

# Let's examine the import feature in the SettingsPaneThemeViewModel
git diff HEAD~1 Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/ViewModels/SettingsPaneThemeViewModel.cs | grep -A 15 "Import"

# Let's look at the UI changes to SettingsPaneTheme.xaml
git diff HEAD~1 Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/Views/SettingsPaneTheme.xaml

Length of output: 1065

---

🏁 Script executed:

#!/bin/bash
# Let's list the files to understand the directory structure
find . -type f -name "*.cs" | grep -E "Settings|Theme" | sort

# Let's look at the content of key files mentioned in the PR summary
cat Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/UserSettings/Settings.cs | grep -A 20 "GetSystemDefaultFont"

# Look at the Theme class to understand the change to GetCurrentResourceDictionary
cat Flow.Launcher.Core/Resource/Theme.cs | grep -A 10 "GetCurrentResourceDictionary"

# Check the implementation of the Import command in SettingsPaneThemeViewModel
cat Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/ViewModels/SettingsPaneThemeViewModel.cs | grep -A 50 "Import"

# Examine the changes to the UI in SettingsPaneTheme.xaml
cat Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/Views/SettingsPaneTheme.xaml | grep -A 10 "Import Theme Size"

Length of output: 10037

---

🏁 Script executed:

#!/bin/bash
# Let's check the UI changes to the theme settings page
cat Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/Views/SettingsPaneTheme.xaml | grep -A 20 -B 5 "Button"

# Let's look at the language resource additions
cat Flow.Launcher/Languages/en.xaml | grep -A 1 -E "resetCustomizeToolTip|ImportThemeSize|BackdropInfo"

# Let's examine the ComboBox styling changes
cat Flow.Launcher/Resources/CustomControlTemplate.xaml | grep -A 20 "ComboBox"

# Let's check the font size changes
grep -A 2 "QueryBoxFontSize" Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/UserSettings/Settings.cs

Length of output: 40462

---

@onesounds Looking at this pull request, I can see you've made several significant enhancements to improve the font handling and theme customization in Flow Launcher.

The key improvements include:

1. Font Handling Improvements:

   • Changed the default fonts to prioritize Noto Sans fonts based on user's language
   • Added a robust system font detection method with proper fallbacks
   • Reduced the default query font size from 20 to 16 for better readability

2. Theme Import Feature:

   • Added a new "Import Theme Size" feature to load size values from themes
   • Made GetCurrentResourceDictionary() public to enable this functionality
   • Implemented smart extraction of font sizes and layout dimensions

3. UI Enhancements:

   • Redesigned the ComboBox with bullet indicators for selected items
   • Added visual feedback improvements for hover and selection states
   • Fixed the issue with ComboBox shifting during interaction
   • Added informational message about backdrop effect limitations

4. Default Setting Changes:

   • Changed placeholder text to enabled by default
   • Adjusted window colors for improved visibility with blur themes

These changes should significantly improve the user experience, especially addressing the pixelated text and blurry screenshots issues you mentioned in the PR description. The font selection prioritizing Noto Sans with language-specific variants is a particularly good approach for WPF compatibility.

Very solid work on enhancing both the functionality and aesthetics of Flow Launcher!

[Copilot]

Copilot reviewed 3 out of 15 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

Files not reviewed (12)

• Flow.Launcher/Languages/en.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Resources/CustomControlTemplate.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Resources/Dark.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Resources/Light.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/ResultListBox.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/Views/SettingsPaneGeneral.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/Views/SettingsPaneTheme.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/SettingWindow.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/Base.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/Circle System.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/SlimLight.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/Win11Light.xaml: Language not supported

[Copilot]

Pull Request Overview

This PR updates the default font settings and improves theme import functionality to enhance UI clarity and ensure fonts are optimized for WPF. Key changes include:

• Replacing hard-coded default fonts with a system-derived default using language-specific mapping.
• Reducing the default QueryBoxFontSize from 20 to 16.
• Adding an "Import Theme Size" command that loads size values from the active theme's resource dictionary.

Reviewed Changes

Copilot reviewed 3 out of 15 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

File	Description
Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/ViewModels/SettingsPaneThemeViewModel.cs	Updates default font handling and introduces the Import command.
Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/UserSettings/Settings.cs	Adjusts default font settings and QueryBoxFontSize, and adds language-based font mapping.
Flow.Launcher.Core/Resource/Theme.cs	Exposes the current resource dictionary and introduces a style-copy helper.

Files not reviewed (12)

• Flow.Launcher/Languages/en.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Resources/CustomControlTemplate.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Resources/Dark.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Resources/Light.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/ResultListBox.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/Views/SettingsPaneGeneral.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/Views/SettingsPaneTheme.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/SettingWindow.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/Base.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/Circle System.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/SlimLight.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/Win11Light.xaml: Language not supported

Comments suppressed due to low confidence (1)

Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/ViewModels/SettingsPaneThemeViewModel.cs:26

• [nitpick] Consider marking DefaultFont as readonly if its value is not intended to be modified after initialization.

private string DefaultFont = Settings.GetSystemDefaultFont();

[Copilot]

Pull Request Overview

This PR updates the theme and font initialization logic to improve UI clarity and design consistency in Flow Launcher. Key changes include:

• Changing the default font source to use the OS's default and mapping language-specific fonts.
• Introducing an Import Theme Size feature that updates UI element sizes from a theme.
• Minor design fixes and adjustments to default query font size and control styling.

Reviewed Changes

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 16 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

File	Description
Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/ViewModels/SettingsPaneThemeViewModel.cs	Updates default font retrieval and query font size, and adds the Import command for theme size values.
Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/Win32Helper.cs	Adds language-specific Noto Sans mapping and updates GetSystemDefaultFont logic.
Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/UserSettings/Settings.cs	Changes default font settings and adjusts placeholder/show fields to match new design.
Flow.Launcher.Core/Resource/Theme.cs	Alters theme resource retrieval to public, and introduces a CopyStyle method for preview style updates.

Files not reviewed (12)

• Flow.Launcher/Languages/en.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Resources/CustomControlTemplate.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Resources/Dark.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Resources/Light.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/ResultListBox.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/Views/SettingsPaneGeneral.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/Views/SettingsPaneTheme.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/SettingWindow.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/Base.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/Circle System.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/SlimLight.xaml: Language not supported
• Flow.Launcher/Themes/Win11Light.xaml: Language not supported

Comments suppressed due to low confidence (1)

Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/UserSettings/Settings.cs:310

• [nitpick] Consider explicitly initializing _hideNotifyIcon (e.g. = false) for clarity and consistency with other field declarations.

private bool _hideNotifyIcon;

[github-actions]

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[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 0

🧹 Nitpick comments (1)

Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/Win32Helper.cs (1)

603-669: Consider adding a comment explaining the font selection strategy.

While the implementation is solid, adding a high-level comment at the beginning of the region would help other developers understand the rationale behind the font selection strategy, particularly why Noto Sans fonts are prioritized for different languages.

 #region System Font
+// This region implements a system-aware font detection strategy that prioritizes:
+// 1. Language-specific Noto Sans fonts that work well with WPF's DirectWrite rendering
+// 2. The system's default message font if appropriate Noto Sans isn't available
+// 3. Segoe UI as a final fallback
+// This approach addresses issues with pixelated text and blurry fonts reported by users.

 private static readonly Dictionary<string, string> _languageToNotoSans = new()

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📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between b2a3782 and 5cea434.

📒 Files selected for processing (3)

• Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/UserSettings/Settings.cs (6 hunks)
• Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/Win32Helper.cs (3 hunks)
• Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/ViewModels/SettingsPaneThemeViewModel.cs (4 hunks)

🚧 Files skipped from review as they are similar to previous changes (2)

• Flow.Launcher/SettingPages/ViewModels/SettingsPaneThemeViewModel.cs
• Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/UserSettings/Settings.cs

🔇 Additional comments (4)

Flow.Launcher.Infrastructure/Win32Helper.cs (4)

2-20: Appropriate using statements added for new functionality.

The added using statements are necessary for the new System Font functionality, including Collections.Generic for Dictionary, Linq for font queries, Markup for XmlLanguage, and the SystemFonts alias to avoid ambiguity.

---

605-629: Well-structured language-to-font mapping dictionary.

The dictionary comprehensively maps language codes to appropriate Noto Sans font variants for a wide range of languages, addressing the PR's goal of improving font handling across different writing systems. The static readonly approach is appropriate for this immutable mapping.

---

631-662: Robust system font detection implementation with appropriate fallbacks.

The implementation follows a sensible priority order:

1. Try language-specific Noto Sans font if available
2. Fall back to system default message font if Noto Sans isn't available
3. Use "Segoe UI" as a last resort

The try-catch block ensures the method always returns a valid font name, preventing crashes in the UI.

---

664-667: Concise helper method improving code readability.

The TryGetNotoFont method encapsulates the dictionary lookup logic, making the main method cleaner and more maintainable.