Native Look and Feel

Native Look and Feel is a Dyalog option that affects the appearance of the controls provided by the Dyalog GUI Interface and those used by the Dyalog Session. It is implemented by the XPLookAndFeel parameter.

Most of the Dyalog controls (with the notable exception of the Dyalog Grid) are standard Windows user-interface components provided by the Windows Common Controls library comctl32.dll. Successive versions of Windows have introduced new versions of the Windows Common Control Library which typically provide additional features as well as certain differences in appearance. However, each version of Windows continues to support older versions of the Common Control Library as well as the latest one. The decision as to which is loaded is made at run-time.

A second factor that affects the appearance of user-interface controls is the application of Visual Styles1 and Themes. These features enable users to tailor the UI to accommodate their individual needs and preferences. From Windows 8 onwards, the default appearance of certain Common Controls is overridden by the Visual Styles in use. However, this applies only if Native Look and Feel is enabled.

If Native Look and Feel is enabled, Windows loads the latest version of comctl32.dll (and potentially other Windows dlls) that is appropriate for the version of Windows in use. If Native Look and Feel is disabled, an earlier version may be loaded. The specific version that is loaded is not determined by Dyalog, but by Windows.

The Dyalog for Microsoft Windows Object Reference Guide identifies which features require Native Look and Feel to be enabled. It documents the typical appearance of controls with Native Look and Feel disabled but does not specify how the appearance of controls is affected by enabling Native Look and Feel, which is in any case affected by the Visual Styles selected by the user.

The following pictures illustrate the appearance of a simple Button created with and without Native Look and Feel under Windows 10.

native look and feel_w10 no
Figure 1: native look and feel_w10 no

native look and feel_w10 yes
Figure 2: native look and feel_w10 yes

The next shows the appearance of ToolButttons with Style Buttons under Windows 10 with Native Look and Feel disabled. The appearance is the same in earlier versions of Windows.

toolcontrol style buttons nlf off w10
Figure 3: toolcontrol style buttons nlf off w10

When Native Look and Feel is enabled, the buttons become transparent and Windows applies the Visual Styles associated with the current theme. This in turn implies that with Native Look and Feel enabled the Styles Button and FlatButton have the same appearance.

toolcontrol style buttons nlf on w10
Figure 4: toolcontrol style buttons nlf on w10

  1. See msdn.microsoft.com for details. ↩