I spent a good part of the summer learning about macOS Mojave’s new Dark Mode theme, and how Mac apps can support the theme both in technical and practical ways. I adapted MarsEdit, Black Ink, FlexTime, and FastScripts to the new interface style.

During that process, I learned a lot about where to look for advice, and how to handle common scenarios. I’d like to share that advice with folks who have yet to undertake this work.

The gist of what I have to share comes from tackling challenge after challenge in my own apps. Some interfaces adapted effortlessly to Dark Mode, some needed only a little finessing, while others demanded relatively hard-core infrastructural changes.

My advice will focus on the dichotomy of Light Mode and Dark Mode. The Mac’s appearance support is more nuanced than that. NSAppearance supports a hierarchy of appearances that build upon one another. The light and dark modes are the two most prominent user-facing examples, but variations such as high contrast modes should also be considered.

These articles are loosely organized in order from more fundamental to more arcane, with a priority on establishing knowledge and techniques in earlier articles that you may need to reference in later articles. Feel free to jump around if you’re looking for something special:

• Supporting Dark Mode: Educational Resources
• Supporting Dark Mode: Opting In
• Supporting Dark Mode: Checking Appearances
• Supporting Dark Mode: Responding to Change
• Supporting Dark Mode: Adapting Colors
• Supporting Dark Mode: Appearance-Sensitive Preferences
• Supporting Dark Mode: Adapting Images
• Supporting Dark Mode: In-App Web Content