Merge pull request #977 from MarekSpodBiedry/issue-951

Follow the desktop light/dark setting for the System theme on Linux (#951)

Cargo.lock

@@ -3800,6 +3800,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "soundcraft-video",
  "soundcraft-vst3-host",
  "toml",
+ "zbus",
 ]
 
 [[package]]

crates/ui-egui/Cargo.toml

@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ serde_json.workspace = true
 log.workspace = true
 image.workspace = true
 
+[target.'cfg(target_os = "linux")'.dependencies]
+zbus = "5"
+
 [dev-dependencies]
 egui_kittest = { workspace = true, features = ["wgpu", "snapshot"] }
 

crates/ui-egui/src/appearance.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+//! The desktop's dark/light setting for the System theme on Linux, where eframe/winit reports no
+//! system theme to egui.
+//!
+//! The XDG settings portal (`org.freedesktop.appearance` / `color-scheme`) is read once on a worker
+//! thread, which then follows its `SettingChanged` signal and wakes the UI only when the value
+//! changes. Nothing is polled. Elsewhere egui's own report (`Context::system_theme`) is enough.
+
+/// egui's own report when it has one, otherwise the desktop's.
+pub fn resolve(reported: Option<egui::Theme>, desktop: impl FnOnce() -> Option<egui::Theme>) -> Option<egui::Theme> {
+    reported.or_else(desktop)
+}
+
+/// The desktop's appearance, or `None` when it is unknown or this platform has no portal.
+/// Unit tests never ask the real desktop, so they do not depend on the machine's setting.
+pub fn desktop_theme(ctx: &egui::Context) -> Option<egui::Theme> {
+    #[cfg(all(target_os = "linux", not(test)))]
+    {
+        linux::current(ctx)
+    }
+    #[cfg(any(not(target_os = "linux"), test))]
+    {
+        let _ = ctx;
+        None
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+#[cfg_attr(test, allow(dead_code))]
+mod linux {
+    use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU8, Ordering};
+    use std::sync::{Arc, OnceLock};
+
+    const PORTAL_NAMESPACE: &str = "org.freedesktop.appearance";
+    const PORTAL_KEY: &str = "color-scheme";
+
+    /// The last `color-scheme` seen: 0 = unknown or no preference, 1 = dark, 2 = light.
+    static STATE: OnceLock<Arc<AtomicU8>> = OnceLock::new();
+
+    pub fn current(ctx: &egui::Context) -> Option<egui::Theme> {
+        let state = STATE.get_or_init(|| {
+            let value = Arc::new(AtomicU8::new(0));
+            let (worker_value, worker_ctx) = (Arc::clone(&value), ctx.clone());
+            // If the thread cannot start, the value stays 0 and System keeps following egui only.
+            let _ = std::thread::Builder::new().name("appearance-portal".into()).spawn(move || watch(&worker_value, &worker_ctx));
+            value
+        });
+        decode(u32::from(state.load(Ordering::Relaxed)))
+    }
+
+    fn portal_proxy() -> Option<zbus::blocking::Proxy<'static>> {
+        let conn = zbus::blocking::connection::Builder::session().ok()?.method_timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(2)).build().ok()?;
+        zbus::blocking::Proxy::new(&conn, "org.freedesktop.portal.Desktop", "/org/freedesktop/portal/desktop", "org.freedesktop.portal.Settings").ok()
+    }
+
+    fn watch(value: &AtomicU8, ctx: &egui::Context) {
+        let Some(proxy) = portal_proxy() else { return };
+        // Subscribe before Read so a change during startup is queued rather than lost.
+        let Ok(signals) = proxy.receive_signal("SettingChanged") else { return };
+        let initial: Option<zbus::zvariant::OwnedValue> = proxy.call("Read", &(PORTAL_NAMESPACE, PORTAL_KEY)).ok();
+        publish(value, ctx, initial.and_then(portal_code).and_then(decode));
+        // Blocks until the portal sends a signal: no polling.
+        for message in signals {
+            let Ok((namespace, key, changed)) = message.body().deserialize::<(String, String, zbus::zvariant::OwnedValue)>() else {
+                continue;
+            };
+            if namespace == PORTAL_NAMESPACE && key == PORTAL_KEY {
+                publish(value, ctx, portal_code(changed).and_then(decode));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn publish(value: &AtomicU8, ctx: &egui::Context, theme: Option<egui::Theme>) {
+        if value.swap(code_of(theme), Ordering::Relaxed) != code_of(theme) {
+            ctx.request_repaint();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// The `u32` inside a portal value. `Settings.Read` answers a variant, and some portals nest
+    /// another variant inside it.
+    fn portal_code(value: zbus::zvariant::OwnedValue) -> Option<u32> {
+        let mut value: zbus::zvariant::Value<'_> = value.into();
+        for _ in 0..4 {
+            match value {
+                zbus::zvariant::Value::Value(inner) => value = *inner,
+                other => return u32::try_from(other).ok(),
+            }
+        }
+        None
+    }
+
+    /// The portal's `color-scheme`: 0 = no preference, 1 = prefer dark, 2 = prefer light.
+    pub(super) fn decode(code: u32) -> Option<egui::Theme> {
+        match code {
+            1 => Some(egui::Theme::Dark),
+            2 => Some(egui::Theme::Light),
+            _ => None,
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn code_of(theme: Option<egui::Theme>) -> u8 {
+        match theme {
+            Some(egui::Theme::Dark) => 1,
+            Some(egui::Theme::Light) => 2,
+            None => 0,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn desktop_setting_is_used_only_when_egui_reports_nothing() {
+        assert_eq!(resolve(None, || Some(egui::Theme::Light)), Some(egui::Theme::Light));
+        assert_eq!(resolve(None, || None), None);
+        assert_eq!(resolve(Some(egui::Theme::Dark), || Some(egui::Theme::Light)), Some(egui::Theme::Dark));
+        let asked = std::cell::Cell::new(false);
+        let theme = resolve(Some(egui::Theme::Light), || {
+            asked.set(true);
+            None
+        });
+        assert_eq!(theme, Some(egui::Theme::Light));
+        assert!(!asked.get(), "must not ask the desktop");
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+    #[test]
+    fn portal_color_scheme_codes() {
+        assert_eq!(linux::decode(1), Some(egui::Theme::Dark));
+        assert_eq!(linux::decode(2), Some(egui::Theme::Light));
+        assert_eq!(linux::decode(0), None);
+        assert_eq!(linux::decode(7), None);
+    }
+}

crates/ui-egui/src/lib.rs

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 //! executing commands. It can be replaced without touching anything below it.
 #![deny(clippy::unwrap_used, clippy::expect_used, clippy::panic, clippy::unimplemented, clippy::todo, clippy::unreachable)]
 
+pub mod appearance;
 pub mod bounce;
 pub mod control;
 pub mod credits;

crates/ui-egui/src/theme.rs

@@ -393,12 +393,13 @@ pub fn is_light() -> bool {
     LIGHT_THEME.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
 }
 
-/// Resolve each frame from the integration's current OS appearance. Unknown uses Dark.
+/// Resolve each frame from the integration's current OS appearance, or on Linux the desktop's own
+/// setting when egui reports none. Unknown uses Dark.
 pub fn wants_light(ctx: &egui::Context, mode: ThemeMode) -> bool {
     match mode {
         ThemeMode::Light => true,
         ThemeMode::Dark => false,
-        ThemeMode::System => ctx.system_theme() == Some(egui::Theme::Light),
+        ThemeMode::System => crate::appearance::resolve(ctx.system_theme(), || crate::appearance::desktop_theme(ctx)) == Some(egui::Theme::Light),
     }
 }
 

docs/control-protocol.md

@@ -83,9 +83,11 @@ script events such as `{"system_theme": "dark"}` to change it on subsequent fram
 
 Appearance defaults to Dark. `ui.theme {"mode":"system"}` follows the appearance supplied by
 the native or web integration at launch and on later frames, while the saved choice stays System.
-When the integration cannot report an appearance, System uses Dark. Manual Light and Dark stay
-fixed when the OS appearance changes. An offscreen render without `--system-theme` supplies no
-OS appearance and therefore resolves System to Dark.
+When the integration cannot report an appearance, as on Linux, System reads the desktop's
+settings portal (`org.freedesktop.appearance` `color-scheme`) and follows its changes; without
+a portal answer it uses Dark. Manual Light and Dark stay fixed when the OS appearance changes.
+An offscreen render without `--system-theme` supplies no OS appearance and therefore resolves
+System to Dark, or on Linux to the desktop's portal setting when one is available.
 
 ## Panel docking