microsoft
Fix NVDA accessibility: Theme menu items not announcing selection state
This PR fixes an accessibility issue where screen readers like NVDA cannot announce the currently selected theme in the Options > Theme menu.
Problem
Screen reader users were unable to determine which theme is currently selected when navigating through the Theme submenu. The selected item (Light, Dark, or System) was not being announced by NVDA, making it difficult for users to confirm their current selection or make informed changes.
Root Cause
The theme MenuItems in MainWindow.xaml were using the IsChecked binding property to display the selection state visually, but were missing the IsCheckable="True" attribute. Without this attribute, WPF doesn't properly expose the checked state to UI Automation APIs, preventing screen readers from accessing the selection information.
Solution
Added IsCheckable="True" to all three theme MenuItems:
- Light theme MenuItem
- Dark theme MenuItem
- System theme MenuItem
Technical Details
The IsCheckable="True" attribute enables WPF to:
- Properly expose the checked/unchecked state through UI Automation APIs
- Allow screen readers to announce the selection state ("checked" or "unchecked")
- Maintain proper keyboard navigation patterns for accessibility
This change follows the same pattern already used by other checkable menu options in the same file (lines 122, 127).
Impact
- Accessibility: Screen readers now properly announce theme selection state
- Functionality: No changes to existing behavior - themes work exactly the same
- Compatibility: Uses standard WPF accessibility patterns, no breaking changes
The fix is minimal and surgical, affecting only the three theme MenuItems without changing any underlying functionality.
Fixes #2236.
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Copilot Post-Mortem:
- The code delta was easy for copilot.
- Testing is unfortunately beyond the capabilities of copilot right now because PerfView doesn't build or run on Linux.
- It would be nice to have UI-centric test capabilities at some point.
