PromptPlus

# PromptPlus ## **Styles** [![NuGet](https://img.shields.io/badge/NuGet-PromptPlus-blue)](https://www.nuget.org/packages/PromptPlus) [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) [![.NET](https://img.shields.io/badge/.NET-8%20%7C%209%20%7C%2010-512BD4)](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/)

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PromptPlus colors every control through the Style type from ConsolePlus. This page explains what a Style is, how to apply one to a control, and the one setting that affects styling globally (contrast).

ℹ️ There is no global “set this style for all controls” API. Styling is applied per control instance via each control’s .Styles(...) method. The only style-related global setting is ContrastRatio. (Earlier drafts referenced a PromptPlus.Config.Styles(...) method and a PromptPlusStyles enum — neither exists in the library.)

What is a `Style`?

A Style is a small immutable value with three parts:

public readonly struct Style(Color foreground, Color background, Overflow overflowStrategy = Overflow.None)

Component	Type	Meaning
`Foreground`	`Color`	Text color
`Background`	`Color`	Color behind the text
`OverflowStrategy`	`Overflow`	What to do when content is wider than the line (`None`, `Crop`, `Ellipsis`)

using PromptPlusLibrary;
using ConsolePlusLibrary;   // Color, Style, Overflow live here

// Foreground + background
var s1 = new Style(Color.White, Color.Navy);

// A Color converts implicitly to a foreground-only Style (background = terminal default)
Style s2 = Color.Lime;

⚠️ There is no text-decoration concept (no bold / italic / underline) — a Style is colors plus an overflow strategy. See ConsolePlus → Styles & Overflow for the full Style API, builder helpers (ForeGround, Background, Overflow, Colors), and the Overflow strategies.

Styling a control

Every control exposes a fluent .Styles(<ControlEnum>, style) method. Each control has its own enum of regions, and each region is styled independently. A bare Color is accepted as shorthand for a foreground-only style.

using ConsolePlusLibrary;
using PromptPlusLibrary;

PromptPlus.Controls
    .Select<string>("Pick one")
    .AddItems(["Alpha", "Beta", "Gamma"])
    .Styles(SelectStyles.Selected, Color.Yellow)                  // Color shorthand
    .Styles(SelectStyles.Prompt,   new Style(Color.White, Color.Default))
    .Run();

Apply the same style to every control by setting it in a small helper (or a config-loading routine) that you call for each control — the library does not broadcast a style for you.

Per-control style enums

Each control defines its own regions. The exact list lives on that control’s Styles page; common region names include Prompt, Answer, Description, Selected, UnSelected, Disabled, Error, Pagination, Tooltips.

Control	Style enum
Input / Secret	`InputStyles`
KeyPress / Confirm	`KeyPressStyles`
Select	`SelectStyles`
MultiSelect	`MultiSelectStyles`
MaskEdit family	`MaskEditStyles`
Calendar	`CalendarStyles`
Slider	`SliderStyles`
Switch	`SwitchStyles`
ProgressBar	`ProgressBarStyles`
Task	`TaskStyles`
MultiTasks	`MultiTasksStyles`
Timer	`TimerStyles`
TableSelect	`TableSelectStyles`
TableMultiSelect	`TableMultiSelectStyles`
TreeSelect	`TreeSelectStyles`
TreeMultiSelect	`TreeMultiSelectStyles`
File	`FileStyles`
MultiFile	`MultiFileStyles`
ChartBar	`ChartBarStyles`

Contrast enforcement (the one global style setting)

PromptPlus enforces a minimum contrast ratio between foreground and background so text stays readable on any terminal theme. When a chosen foreground falls below the ratio against its background, it is adjusted automatically.

// Default is 2.7
PromptPlus.Config.ContrastRatio = 0;     // disable enforcement (use any colors as-is)
PromptPlus.Config.ContrastRatio = 4.5;   // WCAG AA target

A ratio of 0 disables the check entirely. Higher values improve readability but may not be achievable with every color pair, in which case PromptPlus picks the closest compliant color.

Practical example — a consistent theme

Because there is no global style broadcast, centralize your theme in one place and apply it per control:

using ConsolePlusLibrary;
using PromptPlusLibrary;

static ISelectControl<T> Themed<T>(ISelectControl<T> c) => c
    .Styles(SelectStyles.Prompt,   Color.Cyan)
    .Styles(SelectStyles.Answer,   Color.Green)
    .Styles(SelectStyles.Tooltips, Color.Grey);

var result = Themed(PromptPlus.Controls.Select<string>("Color").AddItems(colors)).Run();