Windows Appearances vs RadControls Theme

[Corey]

Hi,

I'm new to RadControls.  We're in the process of replacing our existing grid control with RadControls' GridView.  I've been tasked with theming GridView to look like the existing grid.

The existing grid is very conservative and uses standard scrollbars.  If a user changes their Windows Appearance settings through the Windows Control Panel > Display, the color scheme they select will affect the scrollbars of our existing grid.  Is it possible to achieve the same thing with RadControls GridView?

I've been trying to find the answer and haven't had much luck finding others talking about this issue.  Thank you for any assistance you might be able to provide in pointing me in the right direction.

Thanks,

-C.Scott

[Nikolay]

Hi Corey,

Thank you for this question.

In RadGridView we are using our own scrollbars. Since they are not the Microsoft ones, they do not respect the system adjustments. The only way to change their look is to make a special theme and to apply it to the scrollbars.

Themes are created with the Visual Style Builder. For more information about this application, please refer to our Online Help Documentation or take a look at these videos: video1, video2.

If I can be of further assistance, do not hesitate to contact me.
 

Sincerely yours,
Nikolay
the Telerik team

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[Corey]

Hi Nikolay,

Thanks for the information.  I've been experimenting with the Visual Style Builder and I think I've discovered something promising: named system colors such as ActiveBorder, ControlDark, ControlDarkDark, etc..  I'm going to assign these named colors and see if the controls reflect the theme/appearance selected in Windows display properties when changed.

I'll post the results when I'm through.

Thanks,
Corey

[Corey]

Just to be sure, is there any way to disable Telerik theming of specific controls entirely, so that the standard Windows theme will show through?

Thanks,
Corey

[Nikolay]

Hi Corey,

Thank you for getting back to me.

RadControls for WinForms use their own theming mechanism, different from the Windows theming. There is no way to turn off our theming in order to display the Windows one.

A nice workaround in this case is to use System colors. They will be altered according to the Windows color scheme. However, this will not happen 'on the fly' - i.e. when you change the color scheme and you have a particular form opened, the color modifications will not reflect on the form's RadControls until you do something to the them - close and reopen the form or mouse hover the controls.

If you have additional questions, feel free to contact me.

All the best,
Nikolay
the Telerik team

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[Mark Griebling]

Nikolay ,

I am also new to the Windows controls after having used the ASP.Net controls for close to three years.

Is there any chance a default theme will be added that uses only the system colors?

Thanks,
Mark

[Nikolay]

Hi Mark Griebling,

Thank you for your suggestion. Unfortunately, we do not have a theme that uses the system colors yet, but we are considering its implementation since we have had several requests for this already.

For the time being, you can set System colors according to your preferences in existing themes or in new ones. Our  WinForms themes are modified with an application called Visual Style Builder. As I mentioned before, you can refer to video1 and video2 or to our Online Help Documentation for more information.

If you have additional questions, feel free to contact me.
 

All the best,
Nikolay
the Telerik team

Check out Telerik Trainer, the state of the art learning tool for Telerik products.