Dark Mode
SftTree/OCX 8.0 supports dark mode. By default the tree control uses the light palette. An application opts in by setting the DarkMode property to darkSftTreeAuto so the control follows the Windows "Choose your mode" setting automatically - users who have selected Dark see a dark color palette and users who have selected Light see the traditional palette, and the control re-renders when the user flips between them. darkSftTreeOn always uses the dark palette regardless of the Windows setting.
What changes in dark mode: the tree background, item text, , selection highlight, column headers, column footers, row headers, the row/column-header corner, the row/column-footer corner and the splitter bar (in a split tree control) all switch to dark-palette colors. Cell edit controls and tooltips inherit the dark palette automatically.
The DarkMode property has three values (see SftTreeDarkModeConstants):
| Value | Description |
|---|
| darkSftTreeAuto | Follow the Windows "Choose your mode" setting. The control re-renders when the system setting flips. |
| darkSftTreeOn | Always use the dark palette, regardless of the Windows setting. Useful when the hosting application has its own Light / Dark toggle and wants the tree to follow it. |
| darkSftTreeOff (default) | Always use the light palette, regardless of the Windows setting. Useful when the application does not yet support dark mode end-to-end and mixing dark and light controls would look wrong. |
The DarkModeChange event is fired each time the active dark mode state flips (darkSftTreeAuto only) so the application can repaint its own chrome around the tree control. The DarkModeActive property reports the current state at any time.
Caller-supplied color overrides (per-column colors, permanent background, odd-row colors, selection colors, grid colors) are still honored in dark mode - the control does not override application-chosen colors. If you need specific cells to stand out in dark mode, pick accent colors that read well on both a light and a dark background (mid-tone saturated values in the RGB 30-210 range tend to work in both).
Windows themes are suppressed while dark mode is active. Header, footer and other chrome elements fall back to the tree's built-in dark-aware rendering path so they match the control's dark palette instead of the system's light-themed header style.
Dark mode and Windows High Contrast are independent settings. If the user has both enabled, high contrast takes precedence. See High Contrast.
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