Refine object change diff styling for improved readability

[eazelis]

NetBox version

v4.5.5

Feature type

Change to existing functionality

Proposed functionality

NetBox currently renders object change diffs using strong flat green/red fills for both full diff blocks and line-level added/removed data. While functional, this can make larger change records feel visually heavy and harder to scan.

I would like to propose a styling refinement for the object change detail view affecting:

• pre.change-data > span.added
• pre.change-data > span.removed
• pre.change-diff.change-added
• pre.change-diff.change-removed

Proposed change:

• keep the existing added/removed semantics
• replace the current heavy solid fills with softer tinted backgrounds
• add clearer structure to the main diff blocks using a subtle border
• keep text color neutral for readability

This would be a styling-only change. No model, API, template, or workflow changes are proposed.

Use case

Object change records are often reviewed during auditing, troubleshooting, and validation of automation-driven changes. In these cases, users need to quickly identify what changed without the diff styling overwhelming the content itself.

A softer, more structured visual treatment would improve readability for dense change records while preserving the same added/removed meaning.

Database changes

None.

External dependencies

None.

[eazelis]

I have a working implementation prepared for this on my fork:

https://github.com/eazelis/netbox/tree/change-diff-styling

Since this issue is already assigned, I did not open a PR yet. If you'd like, I can open one against main.

[jeremystretch]

Thanks for the offer @eazelis but I believe @pheus has already started work on this.