Fix update-list loading messages, transparent tray menu, and search box text clipping

src/UniGetUI.Avalonia/Assets/Styles/Styles.WindowsMica.axaml

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="AppDialogPanelBackground"    Color="#80FFFFFF"/>
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="AppDialogSubtleBackground"   Color="#80FFFFFF"/>
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="AppDialogDarkBackground"     Color="#80FFFFFF"/>
-            <!-- Flyouts / menus / dropdowns / tooltips: DWM Mica backdrop with the card tint over it -->
+            <!-- Flyouts / menus / dropdowns / tooltips: DWM acrylic backdrop with the card tint over it -->
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="FlyoutPresenterBackground"     Color="#80FFFFFF"/>
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="MenuFlyoutPresenterBackground" Color="#80FFFFFF"/>
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ComboBoxDropDownBackground"    Color="#80FFFFFF"/>
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="AppDialogPanelBackground"    Color="#662C2C2C"/>
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="AppDialogSubtleBackground"   Color="#66393939"/>
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="AppDialogDarkBackground"     Color="#66181818"/>
-            <!-- Flyouts / menus / dropdowns / tooltips: MicaWindowHelper gives the popup window the same
-                 DWM Mica backdrop the app uses; this tint matches the cards so menus read identically -->
+            <!-- Flyouts / menus / dropdowns / tooltips: MicaWindowHelper gives the popup window a DWM
+                 acrylic backdrop (transient surfaces can't use Mica); this tint matches the cards -->
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="FlyoutPresenterBackground"     Color="#662D2D2D"/>
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="MenuFlyoutPresenterBackground" Color="#662D2D2D"/>
             <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ComboBoxDropDownBackground"    Color="#662D2D2D"/>

src/UniGetUI.Avalonia/Infrastructure/MicaWindowHelper.cs

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ internal static class MicaWindowHelper
     private const int DWMWA_BORDER_COLOR = 34;
     private const int DWMWA_SYSTEMBACKDROP_TYPE = 38;
     private const int DWMWCP_ROUND = 2;
-    private const int DWMSBT_MAINWINDOW = 2; // Mica — same backdrop as the rest of the app, so menus match
+    private const int DWMSBT_TRANSIENTWINDOW = 3; // Acrylic — for transient surfaces (menus/flyouts); Mica won't paint on these
     private const int DWMWA_COLOR_DEFAULT = unchecked((int)0xFFFFFFFF);
 
     private static bool _acrylicPopupsHooked;
@@ -69,23 +69,36 @@ public static void EnableAcrylicPopups()
             return;
         _acrylicPopupsHooked = true;
 
-        // Every flyout/menu/tooltip/combo popup is hosted in a PopupRoot; style it as it loads.
+        // In-app flyouts/menus/tooltips/combo popups are hosted in a PopupRoot; style each as it loads.
         Control.LoadedEvent.AddClassHandler<PopupRoot>((root, _) => ApplyAcrylicToPopup(root));
+
+        // The system-tray context menu is NOT a PopupRoot — Avalonia hosts it in its own Window
+        // (Avalonia.Win32.TrayIconImpl.TrayPopupRoot), so it misses the handler above and would
+        // render with no backdrop (transparent over the desktop). Catch it by type name and apply
+        // the same acrylic treatment. The other Windows (MainWindow/dialogs) are handled via Apply().
+        Control.LoadedEvent.AddClassHandler<Window>((win, _) =>
+        {
+            if (win.GetType().Name == "TrayPopupRoot")
+                ApplyAcrylicToPopup(win);
+        });
     }
 
-    private static void ApplyAcrylicToPopup(PopupRoot root)
+    private static void ApplyAcrylicToPopup(TopLevel root)
     {
-        // Transparent surface so the DWM acrylic shows; the presenter backgrounds are also
-        // transparent (Styles.WindowsMica) so only the acrylic + menu items are painted.
-        root.TransparencyLevelHint = new[] { WindowTransparencyLevel.Transparent };
+        // Request acrylic (not Transparent): the Transparent level makes a layered window, and DWM
+        // system backdrops never paint on those — so the popup ended up fully see-through with only
+        // the presenter tint, unreadable when shown over the desktop (e.g. the tray menu). AcrylicBlur
+        // gives a composited window DWM can actually fill. This path only runs when Mica is enabled
+        // (Win11 + transparency effects), so acrylic is always available here.
+        root.TransparencyLevelHint = new[] { WindowTransparencyLevel.AcrylicBlur, WindowTransparencyLevel.Blur };
         root.Background = Brushes.Transparent;
 
         if (root.TryGetPlatformHandle()?.Handle is not { } handle || handle == 0)
             return;
 
         int corner = DWMWCP_ROUND;
         NativeMethods.DwmSetWindowAttribute(handle, DWMWA_WINDOW_CORNER_PREFERENCE, ref corner, sizeof(int));
-        int backdrop = DWMSBT_MAINWINDOW;
+        int backdrop = DWMSBT_TRANSIENTWINDOW;
         NativeMethods.DwmSetWindowAttribute(handle, DWMWA_SYSTEMBACKDROP_TYPE, ref backdrop, sizeof(int));
     }
 

src/UniGetUI.Avalonia/ViewModels/SoftwarePages/PackagesPageViewModel.cs

@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@
     public readonly bool MegaQueryBoxEnabled;
     public readonly bool DisableFilterOnQueryChange;
     public readonly bool DisableReload;
+    public readonly bool LoadsOnStart;
     public readonly bool RoleIsUpdateLike;
     public bool SimilarSearchEnabled { get; private set; }
     public readonly string NoPackagesText;
@@ -188,7 +189,7 @@
     // ─── Events (replace abstract methods) ───────────────────────────────────
     public event Action<ReloadReason>? PackagesLoaded;
     public event Action? PackageCountUpdated;
     public event Action<IPackage>? ShowingContextMenu;
     public event Action? FocusListRequested;
 
     // ─── Events: view-side dialog/navigation requests ─────────────────────────
@@ -206,6 +207,7 @@
         DisableFilterOnQueryChange = data.DisableFilterOnQueryChange;
         MegaQueryBoxEnabled = data.MegaQueryBlockEnabled;
         DisableReload = data.DisableReload;
+        LoadsOnStart = !data.DisableAutomaticPackageLoadOnStart;
         _showLastCheckedTime = data.ShowLastLoadTime;
         NoPackagesText = data.NoPackages_BackgroundText;
         NoMatchesText = data.NoMatches_BackgroundText;
@@ -516,7 +518,14 @@
         UpdateSubtitle();
         PackageCountUpdated?.Invoke();
 
-        if (FilteredPackages.Count == 0)
+        bool loadingOrPending = Loader.IsLoading || (LoadsOnStart && !Loader.IsLoaded);
+
+        if (loadingOrPending && FilteredPackages.Count == 0)
+        {
+            BackgroundText = _stillLoadingSubtitle;
+            BackgroundTextVisible = true;
+        }
+        else if (FilteredPackages.Count == 0)
         {
             BackgroundText = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(query) ? NoPackagesText : NoMatchesText;
             BackgroundTextVisible = !MegaQueryBoxEnabled || !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(query);
@@ -533,7 +542,6 @@
         if (!Loader.IsLoading && (!Loader.IsLoaded
             || reason is ReloadReason.External or ReloadReason.Manual or ReloadReason.Automated))
         {
-            Loader.ClearPackages(emitFinishSignal: false);
             await Loader.ReloadPackages();
         }
     }
@@ -827,7 +835,7 @@
     // ─── Subtitle ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     public void UpdateSubtitle()
     {
-        if (Loader.IsLoading)
+        if (Loader.IsLoading || (LoadsOnStart && !Loader.IsLoaded))
         {
             Subtitle = _stillLoadingSubtitle;
             return;

src/UniGetUI.Avalonia/Views/MainWindow.axaml

@@ -362,6 +362,8 @@
                              FontSize="15"
                              CornerRadius="0"
                              BorderThickness="0"
+                             VerticalContentAlignment="Center"
+                             Padding="8,0,4,0"
                              Background="Transparent"
                              PlaceholderText="{Binding GlobalSearchPlaceholder}"
                              IsEnabled="{Binding GlobalSearchEnabled}"

src/UniGetUI.PackageEngine.PackageLoader/AbstractPackageLoader.cs

@@ -144,12 +144,17 @@ public virtual async Task ReloadPackages()
                     return;
                 }
 
-                ClearPackages(emitFinishSignal: false);
                 LoadOperationIdentifier = new Random().Next();
                 int current_identifier = LoadOperationIdentifier;
                 IsLoading = true;
                 StartedLoading?.Invoke(this, EventArgs.Empty);
 
+                // Clear packages only after signaling the load started, so the UI shows the
+                // loading state instead of briefly flashing the "no packages found" message.
+                PackageReference.Clear();
+                IsLoaded = false;
+                InvokePackagesChangedEvent(false, [], []);
+
                 if (REQUIRES_INTERNET)
                 {
                     await CoreTools.WaitForInternetConnection();

src/UniGetUI/Pages/SoftwarePages/AbstractPackagesPage.xaml.cs

@@ -697,7 +697,6 @@ protected async Task LoadPackages(ReloadReason reason)
                 )
             )
             {
-                Loader.ClearPackages(emitFinishSignal: false);
                 await Loader.ReloadPackages();
             }
         }