theming [FR] Enhance macOS native color support in themes

[Chris Messina]

In working on my Monterey Theme pack, I realized that macOS does many more sophisticated things when rendering its UI than what Alfred allows me to control when designing my themes.

 

I realize that keeping the theming system simple should be a goal, but nuance and consistency can be added without adding too much complexity.

 

For example, when I right-click on an item to set its color, there is a list of "Theme colours", but these could include a submenu that includes System Colors or Dynamic System Colors:

 

 

Other enhancements that could go a long way:

 

1. Allow me to set a gradient on the window and Selected Result Background.¹
2. Allow me to access or use the AppleHighlightColor as a color variable.
3. Allow me to control the background blur setting on the window (this setting has been deprecated)
4. Allow me to access SwiftUI API System Colors.
5. Allow me to access AppKit API Dynamic System Colors.
6. Update the preview rendering to be more accurate (the Visual Effect blur effect seems to create a false rendering of the window. ²

 

¹ Based on a Sketch file that Apple distributes, it appears that the Selection Focus is actually a gradient with a de-saturated Background Blur:

 

 

² Compare the look of the rendered preview (which has an ugly 1px border):

 

 

With the actual:

 

Edited July 5, 2021 by Chris Messina
added link to Apple's design resources

[Chris Messina]

Just spotted this open source Glassmorphism CSS Generator via Product Hunt — might be a cool UI (the top bar with sliders) for achieving what I'm seeking in the Alfred Theme Editor!