Report preparation
What happened?
What happened?
The status indicators for TNF, CWX, DVK, and FDX at the bottom of the GUI are currently indistinguishable. They rely on three subtle levels of grey to represent different states. Because AetherSDR is exclusively a Dark Theme application, these low-contrast grey tones blend into the background, making it impossible to tell at a glance if a feature is active.
What did you expect?
While SmartSDR (Light Theme) and AetherSDR (Dark Theme) have different color palettes, the UI logic should be consistent. The status indicators should use distinct, high-contrast colors to indicate "On" vs. "Off" states, rather than just varying shades of grey.
The goal is to provide a "SmartSDR-like" experience where the user doesn't have to squint to verify if FDX (Full Duplex) or a TNF is engaged.
Steps to reproduce
Observe the TNF, CWX, DVK, and FDX indicators in the bottom status bar.
Toggle these features (e.g., turn FDX on).
Note that the change is indicated only by a slight shift in the grey luminosity of the text or button background.
Try to distinguish between "Disabled," "Ready," and "Active" from a normal operating distance (difficult/impossible).
Radio model & firmware
Model: FLEX-6600
Firmware: 4.1.5.39794
OS & version
OS: Windows (AetherSDR v0.8.15 / Qt 6.7.3)
Developer Notes
Since AetherSDR does not have a light theme to fall back on, the Dark Theme QSS needs to be more "opinionated" with its status colors to remain functional.
Potential Root Causes:
Grayscale Mapping: The indicators likely use the default @mid and @light palette variables from the QSS, which are too close in value on a dark background.
Lack of Semantic Coloring: There are no specific style rules to apply "Flex Blue" or "Success Green" to these specific status flags when their boolean state is true.
Related Files & Functions:
src/gui/resources/themes/dark_theme.qss: Search for .StatusLabel or widgets located in the StatusBar.
src/gui/widgets/StatusBar.cpp: Look for the logic that updates the TNF/FDX labels. It should be updated to use dynamic properties that the QSS can "see" (e.g., setProperty("active", true)).
Suggested Fix:
Instead of three levels of grey, use high-contrast accents optimized for Dark Mode:
Off/Inactive: Mid-grey text (low visibility).
Active/On: Bright "Flex Blue" (#0078d7) or "Vibrant Yellow" background/text with bold font.
Armed/Standby: A secondary accent color (like Orange or Amber) to clearly differentiate from both Off and Active.
Suggested Logging for Diagnostics:
Enable gui.events to verify that the state transitions for these buttons are being triggered in the code, confirming the issue is purely a style/visibility deficiency.
Note that since this affects the GUI aesthetics any fix should be reviewed and approved by Ten9876 before being implemented.
What did you expect?
No response
Steps to reproduce
No response
Radio model & firmware
No response
Linux distro & Qt version
Windows 11
Report preparation
What happened?
What happened?
The status indicators for TNF, CWX, DVK, and FDX at the bottom of the GUI are currently indistinguishable. They rely on three subtle levels of grey to represent different states. Because AetherSDR is exclusively a Dark Theme application, these low-contrast grey tones blend into the background, making it impossible to tell at a glance if a feature is active.
What did you expect?
While SmartSDR (Light Theme) and AetherSDR (Dark Theme) have different color palettes, the UI logic should be consistent. The status indicators should use distinct, high-contrast colors to indicate "On" vs. "Off" states, rather than just varying shades of grey.
The goal is to provide a "SmartSDR-like" experience where the user doesn't have to squint to verify if FDX (Full Duplex) or a TNF is engaged.
Steps to reproduce
Observe the TNF, CWX, DVK, and FDX indicators in the bottom status bar.
Toggle these features (e.g., turn FDX on).
Note that the change is indicated only by a slight shift in the grey luminosity of the text or button background.
Try to distinguish between "Disabled," "Ready," and "Active" from a normal operating distance (difficult/impossible).
Radio model & firmware
Model: FLEX-6600
Firmware: 4.1.5.39794
OS & version
OS: Windows (AetherSDR v0.8.15 / Qt 6.7.3)
Developer Notes
Since AetherSDR does not have a light theme to fall back on, the Dark Theme QSS needs to be more "opinionated" with its status colors to remain functional.
Potential Root Causes:
Grayscale Mapping: The indicators likely use the default @mid and @light palette variables from the QSS, which are too close in value on a dark background.
Lack of Semantic Coloring: There are no specific style rules to apply "Flex Blue" or "Success Green" to these specific status flags when their boolean state is true.
Related Files & Functions:
src/gui/resources/themes/dark_theme.qss: Search for .StatusLabel or widgets located in the StatusBar.
src/gui/widgets/StatusBar.cpp: Look for the logic that updates the TNF/FDX labels. It should be updated to use dynamic properties that the QSS can "see" (e.g., setProperty("active", true)).
Suggested Fix:
Instead of three levels of grey, use high-contrast accents optimized for Dark Mode:
Off/Inactive: Mid-grey text (low visibility).
Active/On: Bright "Flex Blue" (#0078d7) or "Vibrant Yellow" background/text with bold font.
Armed/Standby: A secondary accent color (like Orange or Amber) to clearly differentiate from both Off and Active.
Suggested Logging for Diagnostics:
Enable gui.events to verify that the state transitions for these buttons are being triggered in the code, confirming the issue is purely a style/visibility deficiency.
Note that since this affects the GUI aesthetics any fix should be reviewed and approved by Ten9876 before being implemented.
What did you expect?
No response
Steps to reproduce
No response
Radio model & firmware
No response
Linux distro & Qt version
Windows 11