Theme Switcher Development - TallCMS Documentation

Overview

TallCMS supports runtime theme switching using daisyUI's theme system. Users can switch between light, dark, and other color schemes without page reloads. The theme preference is stored in localStorage and persists across sessions.

How It Works

Theme declares available presets in theme.json
TallCMS detects if multiple presets are available
Theme renders a switcher UI (drawer, dropdown, etc.)
JavaScript sets data-theme attribute on <html> and stores preference

Enabling Theme Switching

1. Configure theme.json

Add multiple presets to enable the switcher:

{
    "name": "My Theme",
    "slug": "my-theme",
    "daisyui": {
        "preset": "light",
        "prefersDark": "dark",
        "presets": ["light", "dark", "corporate", "business"]
    },
    "supports": {
        "theme_controller": true
    }
}

Preset Options:

Value	Description
`"all"`	All 29 daisyUI presets available
`["light", "dark"]`	Specific presets only
`["light"]`	Single preset (disables switcher)

2. Update Theme CSS

Include all configured presets in resources/css/app.css:

@import "tailwindcss";
@plugin "@tailwindcss/typography";

@plugin "daisyui" {
    themes: light --default, dark --prefersdark, corporate, business;
}

3. Build Theme

cd themes/my-theme
npm run build

Helper Functions

Check Theme Controller Support

// Returns true if theme has multiple presets
supports_theme_controller(): bool

// Get available presets
daisyui_presets(): array

Usage in Blade

@if(supports_theme_controller())
    {{-- Render theme switcher UI --}}
    @include('theme.my-theme::components.theme-switcher')
@endif

Implementing the Switcher UI

Drawer Pattern (Recommended)

The drawer pattern provides a full list of available themes:

{{-- Layout wrapper --}}
@if(supports_theme_controller())
<div class="drawer drawer-end">
    <input id="theme-drawer" type="checkbox" class="drawer-toggle" />
    <div class="drawer-content">
@endif
        {{-- Page content here --}}
@if(supports_theme_controller())
    </div>

    {{-- Theme drawer sidebar --}}
    <div class="drawer-side z-[60]">
        <label for="theme-drawer" class="drawer-overlay"></label>
        <div class="bg-base-200 min-h-full w-80 p-4">
            <h2 class="text-lg font-bold mb-4">Choose Theme</h2>
            <ul class="menu w-full p-0 gap-1">
                @foreach(daisyui_presets() as $preset)
                    <li>
                        <button type="button" class="theme-btn" data-theme-value="{{ $preset }}">
                            <span class="badge badge-sm" data-theme="{{ $preset }}">
                                <span class="w-2 h-2 rounded-full bg-primary"></span>
                                <span class="w-2 h-2 rounded-full bg-secondary"></span>
                                <span class="w-2 h-2 rounded-full bg-accent"></span>
                            </span>
                            {{ ucfirst($preset) }}
                        </button>
                    </li>
                @endforeach
            </ul>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>
@endif

Toggle Button

{{-- Opens the theme drawer --}}
<label for="theme-drawer" class="btn btn-ghost btn-sm btn-circle">
    <svg class="w-5 h-5" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" stroke="currentColor">
        <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2"
              d="M7 21a4 4 0 01-4-4V5a2 2 0 012-2h4a2 2 0 012 2v12a4 4 0 01-4 4zm0 0h12a2 2 0 002-2v-4a2 2 0 00-2-2h-2.343M11 7.343l1.657-1.657a2 2 0 012.828 0l2.829 2.829a2 2 0 010 2.828l-8.486 8.485M7 17h.01"/>
    </svg>
</label>

JavaScript Implementation

Add this script to handle theme switching and persistence:

(function() {
    function setTheme(theme) {
        document.documentElement.setAttribute('data-theme', theme);
        localStorage.setItem('theme', theme);

        // Update active button styling
        document.querySelectorAll('.theme-btn').forEach(btn => {
            btn.classList.toggle('btn-active', btn.dataset.themeValue === theme);
        });

        // Close drawer after selection
        const drawer = document.getElementById('theme-drawer');
        if (drawer) drawer.checked = false;
    }

    function initThemeButtons() {
        const savedTheme = localStorage.getItem('theme') ||
                          document.documentElement.getAttribute('data-theme') ||
                          'light';

        document.querySelectorAll('.theme-btn').forEach(btn => {
            btn.classList.toggle('btn-active', btn.dataset.themeValue === savedTheme);
            btn.addEventListener('click', function() {
                setTheme(this.dataset.themeValue);
            });
        });
    }

    // Initialize on page load
    initThemeButtons();

    // Re-initialize after Livewire navigation
    document.addEventListener('livewire:navigated', initThemeButtons);
})();

Prevent Flash of Wrong Theme

Add this in <head> before any stylesheets:

<script>
    (function() {
        const savedTheme = localStorage.getItem('theme');
        if (savedTheme) {
            document.documentElement.setAttribute('data-theme', savedTheme);
        } else if (window.matchMedia('(prefers-color-scheme: dark)').matches) {
            document.documentElement.setAttribute('data-theme', 'dark');
        }
    })();
</script>

Mega Menu Integration

The Mega Menu plugin automatically includes theme switcher support when supports_theme_controller() returns true. The switcher appears in:

Desktop navbar (via theme-switcher partial)
Mobile drawer footer

No additional configuration needed - install the Mega Menu plugin and it works with your theme's presets.

Configuration Reference

theme.json Fields

Field	Type	Description
`daisyui.preset`	string	Default theme preset
`daisyui.prefersDark`	string	Preset for `prefers-color-scheme: dark`
`daisyui.presets`	string\|array	Available presets (`"all"` or array)
`supports.theme_controller`	bool	Declares switcher support (informational)

Available daisyUI Presets

light, dark, cupcake, bumblebee, emerald, corporate, synthwave,
retro, cyberpunk, valentine, halloween, garden, forest, aqua,
lofi, pastel, fantasy, wireframe, black, luxury, dracula, cmyk,
autumn, business, acid, lemonade, night, coffee, winter, dim, nord, sunset

Common Pitfalls

"Theme switcher not appearing"Ensure daisyui.presets has more than one preset. Single preset = no switcher.

"Theme resets on page load"Add the flash-prevention script in <head> before stylesheets load.

"Theme not persisting after Livewire navigation"Re-apply theme in livewire:navigated event handler.

"Preset colors not matching"Ensure CSS @plugin "daisyui" includes all presets listed in theme.json.