# Dynamic Theme System for @librechat/client
This theme system allows you to dynamically change colors in your React application using CSS variables and Tailwind CSS. It combines dark/light mode switching with dynamic color theming capabilities.
## Table of Contents
- [Overview](#overview)
- [How It Works](#how-it-works)
- [Basic Usage](#basic-usage)
- [Available Theme Colors](#available-theme-colors)
- [Creating Custom Themes](#creating-custom-themes)
- [Environment Variable Themes](#environment-variable-themes)
- [Dark/Light Mode](#darklight-mode)
- [Migration Guide](#migration-guide)
- [Implementation Details](#implementation-details)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
## Overview
The theme system provides:
1. **Dark/Light Mode Switching** - Automatic theme switching based on user preference
2. **Dynamic Color Theming** - Change colors at runtime without recompiling CSS
3. **CSS Variable Based** - Uses CSS custom properties for performance
4. **Tailwind Integration** - Works seamlessly with Tailwind CSS utilities
5. **TypeScript Support** - Full type safety for theme definitions
## How It Works
The theme system operates in three layers:
1. **CSS Variables Layer**: Default colors defined in your app's CSS
2. **ThemeProvider Layer**: React context that manages theme state and applies CSS variables
3. **Tailwind Layer**: Maps CSS variables to Tailwind utility classes
### Default Behavior (No Custom Theme)
- CSS variables cascade from your app's `style.css` definitions
- Light mode uses variables under `html` selector
- Dark mode uses variables under `.dark` selector
- No JavaScript intervention in color values
### Custom Theme Behavior
- Only applies when `themeRGB` prop is provided
- Overrides CSS variables with `rgb()` formatted values
- Maintains compatibility with existing CSS
## Basic Usage
### 1. Install the Component Library
```bash
npm install @librechat/client
```
### 2. Wrap Your App with ThemeProvider
```tsx
import { ThemeProvider } from '@librechat/client';
function App() {
return (
);
}
```
### 3. Set Up Your Base CSS
Ensure your app has CSS variables defined as fallbacks:
```css
/* style.css */
:root {
--white: #fff;
--gray-800: #212121;
--gray-100: #ececec;
/* ... other color definitions */
}
html {
--text-primary: var(--gray-800);
--surface-primary: var(--white);
/* ... other theme variables */
}
.dark {
--text-primary: var(--gray-100);
--surface-primary: var(--gray-900);
/* ... other dark theme variables */
}
```
### 4. Configure Tailwind
Update your `tailwind.config.js`:
```js
module.exports = {
content: [
'./src/**/*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx}',
// Include component library files
'./node_modules/@librechat/client/dist/**/*.js',
],
darkMode: ['class'],
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
// Map CSS variables to Tailwind colors
'text-primary': 'var(--text-primary)',
'surface-primary': 'var(--surface-primary)',
'brand-purple': 'var(--brand-purple)',
// ... other colors
},
},
},
};
```
### 5. Use Theme Colors in Components
```tsx
function MyComponent() {
return (
Hello World
);
}
```
## Available Theme Colors
### Text Colors
- `text-text-primary` - Primary text color
- `text-text-secondary` - Secondary text color
- `text-text-secondary-alt` - Alternative secondary text
- `text-text-tertiary` - Tertiary text color
- `text-text-warning` - Warning text color
### Surface Colors
- `bg-surface-primary` - Primary background
- `bg-surface-secondary` - Secondary background
- `bg-surface-tertiary` - Tertiary background
- `bg-surface-submit` - Submit button background
- `bg-surface-destructive` - Destructive action background
- `bg-surface-dialog` - Dialog/modal background
- `bg-surface-chat` - Chat interface background
### Border Colors
- `border-border-light` - Light border
- `border-border-medium` - Medium border
- `border-border-heavy` - Heavy border
- `border-border-xheavy` - Extra heavy border
### Other Colors
- `bg-brand-purple` - Brand purple color
- `bg-presentation` - Presentation background
- `ring-ring-primary` - Focus ring color
## Creating Custom Themes
### 1. Define Your Theme
```tsx
import { IThemeRGB } from '@librechat/client';
export const customTheme: IThemeRGB = {
'rgb-text-primary': '0 0 0', // Black
'rgb-text-secondary': '100 100 100', // Gray
'rgb-surface-primary': '255 255 255', // White
'rgb-surface-submit': '0 128 0', // Green
'rgb-brand-purple': '138 43 226', // Blue Violet
// ... define other colors
};
```
### 2. Use Your Custom Theme
```tsx
import { ThemeProvider } from '@librechat/client';
import { customTheme } from './themes/custom';
function App() {
return (
);
}
```
## Environment Variable Themes
Load theme colors from environment variables:
### 1. Create Environment Variables
```env
# .env.local
REACT_APP_THEME_BRAND_PURPLE=171 104 255
REACT_APP_THEME_TEXT_PRIMARY=33 33 33
REACT_APP_THEME_TEXT_SECONDARY=66 66 66
REACT_APP_THEME_SURFACE_PRIMARY=255 255 255
REACT_APP_THEME_SURFACE_SUBMIT=4 120 87
```
### 2. Create a Theme Loader
```tsx
function getThemeFromEnv(): IThemeRGB | undefined {
// Check if any theme environment variables are set
const hasThemeEnvVars = Object.keys(process.env).some(key =>
key.startsWith('REACT_APP_THEME_')
);
if (!hasThemeEnvVars) {
return undefined; // Use default themes
}
return {
'rgb-text-primary': process.env.REACT_APP_THEME_TEXT_PRIMARY || '33 33 33',
'rgb-brand-purple': process.env.REACT_APP_THEME_BRAND_PURPLE || '171 104 255',
// ... other colors
};
}
```
### 3. Apply Environment Theme
```tsx
```
## Dark/Light Mode
The ThemeProvider handles dark/light mode automatically:
### Using the Theme Hook
```tsx
import { useTheme } from '@librechat/client';
function ThemeToggle() {
const { theme, setTheme } = useTheme();
return (
);
}
```
### Theme Options
- `'light'` - Force light mode
- `'dark'` - Force dark mode
- `'system'` - Follow system preference
## Migration Guide
If you're migrating from an older theme system:
### 1. Update Imports
**Before:**
```tsx
import { ThemeContext, ThemeProvider } from '~/hooks/ThemeContext';
```
**After:**
```tsx
import { ThemeContext, ThemeProvider } from '@librechat/client';
```
### 2. Update ThemeProvider Usage
The new ThemeProvider is backward compatible but adds new capabilities:
```tsx
```
### 3. Existing Components
Components using ThemeContext continue to work without changes:
```tsx
// This still works!
const { theme, setTheme } = useContext(ThemeContext);
```
## Implementation Details
### File Structure
```
packages/client/src/theme/
├── context/
│ └── ThemeProvider.tsx # Main theme provider
├── types/
│ └── index.ts # TypeScript interfaces
├── themes/
│ ├── default.ts # Light theme colors
│ ├── dark.ts # Dark theme colors
│ └── index.ts # Theme exports
├── utils/
│ ├── applyTheme.ts # Apply CSS variables
│ ├── tailwindConfig.ts # Tailwind helpers
│ └── createTailwindColors.js
├── README.md # This documentation
└── index.ts # Main exports
```
### CSS Variable Format
The theme system uses RGB values in CSS variables:
- CSS Variable: `--text-primary: rgb(33 33 33)`
- Theme Definition: `'rgb-text-primary': '33 33 33'`
- Tailwind Usage: `text-text-primary`
### RGB Format Requirements
All color values must be in space-separated RGB format:
- ✅ Correct: `'255 255 255'`
- ❌ Incorrect: `'#ffffff'` or `'rgb(255, 255, 255)'`
This format allows Tailwind to apply opacity modifiers like `bg-surface-primary/50`.
## Troubleshooting
### Common Issues
#### 1. Colors Not Applying
- **Issue**: Custom theme colors aren't showing
- **Solution**: Ensure you're passing the `themeRGB` prop to ThemeProvider
- **Check**: CSS variables in DevTools should show `rgb(R G B)` format
#### 2. Circular Reference Errors
- **Issue**: `--brand-purple: var(--brand-purple)` creates infinite loop
- **Solution**: Use direct color values: `--brand-purple: #ab68ff`
#### 3. Dark Mode Not Working
- **Issue**: Dark mode doesn't switch
- **Solution**: Ensure `darkMode: ['class']` is in your Tailwind config
- **Check**: The `` element should have `class="dark"` in dark mode
#### 4. TypeScript Errors
- **Issue**: Type errors when defining themes
- **Solution**: Import and use the `IThemeRGB` interface:
```tsx
import { IThemeRGB } from '@librechat/client';
```
### Debugging Tips
1. **Check CSS Variables**: Use browser DevTools to inspect computed CSS variables
2. **Verify Theme Application**: Look for inline styles on the root element
3. **Console Errors**: Check for validation errors in the console
4. **Test Isolation**: Try a minimal theme to isolate issues
## Examples
### Dynamic Theme Switching
```tsx
import { ThemeProvider, defaultTheme, darkTheme } from '@librechat/client';
import { useState } from 'react';
function App() {
const [isDark, setIsDark] = useState(false);
return (
);
}
```
### Multi-Theme Selector
```tsx
const themes = {
default: undefined, // Use CSS defaults
ocean: {
'rgb-brand-purple': '0 119 190',
'rgb-surface-primary': '240 248 255',
// ... ocean theme colors
},
forest: {
'rgb-brand-purple': '34 139 34',
'rgb-surface-primary': '245 255 250',
// ... forest theme colors
},
};
function App() {
const [selectedTheme, setSelectedTheme] = useState('default');
return (
);
}
```
### Using with the Main Application
When using the ThemeProvider in your main application with localStorage persistence:
```tsx
import { ThemeProvider } from '@librechat/client';
import { getThemeFromEnv } from './utils';
function App() {
const envTheme = getThemeFromEnv();
return (
{/* Your app content */}
);
}
```
**Important**: Props passed to ThemeProvider will override stored values on initial mount. Only pass props when you explicitly want to override the user's saved preferences.
## Contributing
When adding new theme colors:
1. Add the type definition in `types/index.ts`
2. Add the color to default and dark themes
3. Update the applyTheme mapping
4. Add to Tailwind configuration
5. Document in this README
## License
This theme system is part of the @librechat/client package.