It's time for UI update!
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UI improvement is desirable (but a little bit subjective what and how it could be).
IMHO Linux compatibility is a most important requisite to npp. Many users are migrating to Linux, many of them are missing it.
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Please DON’T change the UI to flat Win 10 style. If you have eyesight problems it’s ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!
What you need (and already have) are icons that are cartoony/black-bordered and with bright colors so you can tell them apart at a glance, and toolbars and menus that are gray, so they contrast well with icons’ colors, and which have drawn-out borders, handles, shadows etc, so you can easily tell what is on which toolbar/row.
Meanwhile the fashionable thing is having single-color icons, or bland colors and everything glares and blends together. It’s all probably on a colored toolbar as well because some genius decided gray toolbars are ugly. Or maybe it’s on an eye-searing white background. And so I end up having to lean in every 2 minutes to look, or hover my mouse over every icon to see what’s what. I didn’t even get to the ribbons…
So there’s no new functionality. It’s just making your old editor look cool and hip, and in 5 years time it will be out of date again. It’s not just that UI reinvents itself all the time, it’s that the Win 10 flat style is pretty much the same thing as bad old Windows 3.x. Search the net and see for yourself. In fact, 3.x has strong borders so 10 is actually even worse. So why did they bring it back? To waste the developers’ time, of course.
N++ devs, please don’t waste your time on Win10-type flat interface. Please spend that time making N++ run natively on Linux so I can ditch wine/Windows completely :)
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Hi All,
Can someone point me towards where I can update the gui? I have been reading through the code for a good while now and know where most things are at, but it’s taking me quite a bit. The goal would be to make it black or white with the windows 10 settings and leave the classic ui as an option via checkbox.
I will be doing this for my own sake, but will share the code on my own github page for if anyone wants it. Should people request it I can also add it to a pull request in the future once I am sure that it will not affect the apps current performance.
Regards!
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Are you wanting to change actual code for this??
Why not just use/create/modify a theme ? -
Hi Scott,
I actually want to change the UI similar to the dark theme in visual studio with a few tweaks.
Regards,
Pyre909 -
@Pyre909 I think you would have to recompile it from source in order to make such changes? From the little research i did it seemed liked the colors was hard coded somewhere.
But… you wrote that 2 months ago, what’s the current progress? -
I’m also for a new modern design, Tommie Hansen’s mockup looks pretty well, add some flat icons for the toolbar and it will look sick. I think it will attract a lot of new users too, in using Notepad++, users that are not programmers but do some moderate text manipulations from time to time, and don’t want to use some app that looks like it was made in windows 95 era.
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Cannot believe this this post is 4 years old and there is no 0.01% improvements.
Nowadays this editor looks ported from other OS, way outdated! (In most cases i’m skipping using it) -
feel free to contribute to this open source project.
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Hello from 2020!
Notepad continues to be an outdated UI style.
I switched to another text editor. But there is still little hope that developers will change the UI in 10-30 years, and add a dark style. -
hello, I have only just looked into customizing Npp and have noticed, that UI wise a few things are missing.
yes, the UI could be completely reworked… but i don’t think that’s necessary.
The features I am primarily missing are application background / foreground colors (menu bar, toolbar, status bar, areas inbetween)
aswell as removing that ugly win 95/98/2000 tab border.I have drawn a quick mockup of how that could look.
All of that would of course be options. I would never even consider forcing people to use one style or look over the other. its user choice to go for what suits them best. https://imgur.com/a/IUeYdZG
The next step after what I’ve drawn would be custom icon themes or a greater choice. LibreOffice for example has built in about 5 themes and a few variations of each and is capable on linux to use the system icon theme.
If themes like Breeze (black & white) or Tango were bundled and selectable through the options, that would be a great plus aswell. -
I guess you’d better get working on it.
The project accepts pull-requests.
Good luck; I await the fruits of your labors. -
@Alan-Kilborn I am fully aware of that, however I am not a win32 dev, I have never worked with that UI system and it would be a quite steep learning curve. i am considering to look into it, but I have other more important things to do as of now. Maybe you will see those changes in the future if i do manage to get it done. But for now I was just sharing how i would envision the changes. For others to decide if thats a good plan, and for devs (that actually know how win32 UIs and generally programming works) to get some idea for what to do.
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@Tayou said in It's time for UI update!:
and for devs to get some idea for what to do.
Perhaps the devs already know where they want to focus their efforts for their product, and don’t need big thinkers. Probably what would help is big doers.
but I have other more important things to do as of now.
Well, good thing you could stop by for a few minutes to lay out some future design work for Notepad++.
This post is made in jest, but there is some truth in it as well.
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A Alan Kilborn referenced this topic on Mar 24, 2024, 2:16 AM
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@Paweł-Szmajda said in It's time for UI update!:
I love Notepad++ In terms of functions, it’s hands down the best text/code editor out there. But in terms of UI, it’s still looking like a Windows XP app. It would be great to see Notepad++ with modern UI, nicely integrating with new versions of Windows, dark color scheme for the whole app, not just the text editor area and updated, flat icons.
While Notepad++ is undoubtedly one of the best text/code editors in terms of functionality, it’s true that its UI feels outdated compared to modern design standards. A more contemporary interface, along with full dark mode for the entire app and updated icons, would make it even better. An upgrade in UI would offer a smoother integration with newer Windows versions, making it not only powerful but also visually appealing. The community has been voicing these suggestions, so hopefully, we’ll see changes in future updates.
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@Kevin-Huis said in It's time for UI update!:
While Notepad++ is undoubtedly one of the best text/code editors in terms of functionality, it’s true that its UI feels outdated compared to modern design standards. A more contemporary interface, along with full dark mode for the entire app and updated icons, would make it even better. An upgrade in UI would offer a smoother integration with newer Windows versions, making it not only powerful but also visually appealing. The community has been voicing these suggestions, so hopefully, we’ll see changes in future updates.
I prefer the look and behavior of Windows NT and Windows XP and am very happy with Notepad++'s old school, obsolete, retro, look.
Implementing dark mode turns out to be painful. There are many, possibly thousands, of details that we take for granted in the overall Windows plus application experience that keep showing up as bugs or issues as dark mode support gets added and improved.
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@Kevin-Huis said in It's time for UI update!:
along with full dark mode for the entire app and updated icons, would make it even better.
Can you give an example of some portion of the app in v8.7 that isn’t full dark mode? I know there were some dialogs and panels that were missing some Darkening in the early 8.x days, but I’d thought everything in the core application had been fully Dark-Moded by v8.7.
However, I admit it’s still likely that Notepad++'s core application might need a few more hooks to allow plugins to also fully embrace Dark Mode, and there are probably a lot of the plugins – which each have a separate developer, and are not under the control of the Notepad++ Developer – which haven’t made use of even the Dark Mode features that Notepad++ currently provides for plugins, so there are many plugins that will make the whole Notepad++ - plus - plugin experience feel not as Dark Modey as vanilla Notepad++ does.
But since you only gave vague assertions, rather than explicit examples, I am assuming that you haven’t actually tried recent Notepad++ versions in Dark Mode. If you haven’t, try v8.7, then come back with specific instances of where it doesn’t meet your Dark Mode expectations.
BTW, you replied to a post from 2015, and that user is long gone, and Notepad++ has come a long way since then – and if I post the same text that you replied to into ChatGPT, it gives me a reply that sounds very much like your post. Let this post serve as a reminder to you that this forum specifically forbids using generative AI for “answering” or otherwise replying to posts.
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@Paweł-Szmajda Heck, no. It’s not. Don’t change things for the sake of changing. Learn the actual reasons not to.
Keep in mind that user paradigm: when it’s working for such a long time, don’t touch it. Users don’t want changes that change their way of doing things. -
@Alex-De-Lara ,
Agreed. I use the Open-Shell UI, because I like the older Windows layout and menus, and I hate when people change things for everyone just for the sake of change.Google is just as bad for this, as are supermarket marketing idiots that think changing where things are placed will make a shopper cover more sales area they want them to see things at, to spur impulse shopping…when in reality, they are alienating their customers and making them buy less out of frustration for not being able to find their favorite items where they their favorite items used to be. It’s human nature to categorize and memorize where things are at, and by doing things like this, they are just losing their customers business.
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@Paweł-Szmajda said in It's time for UI update!:
I love Notepad++ In terms of functions, it’s hands down the best text/code editor out there. But in terms of UI, it’s still looking like a Windows XP app. It would be great to see Notepad++ with modern UI, nicely integrating with new versions of Windows, dark color scheme for the whole app, not just the text editor area and updated, flat icons.
I’ve been using Notepad++ for years, and honestly, it’s still one of the most powerful and lightweight editors out there. The plugin system, syntax highlighting, and overall speed make it a go-to for anything from quick edits to full coding sessions.
That said, I do feel the UI could really benefit from a refresh. It still feels very much like a Windows XP-era app — the menus, icons, and layout haven’t kept pace with modern design standards. A more polished interface, consistent dark mode throughout the entire app (not just the editor area), and flat, minimalist icons would really elevate the overall experience. Even simple changes like rounded corners, better spacing, or native Windows 11 design elements could make it feel way more modern.
I’ve seen some users experiment with tweaks, themes, and external tools to improve the visual side. If anyone’s looking for those kinds of customizations, I recently compiled a helpful collection of Notepad++ tools and visual enhancements that might be worth checking out.
Still, credit where it’s due — Notepad++ delivers unmatched functionality. With just a UI revamp, it could easily dominate both in power and appearance.
