[NEW FEATURE] Night/Dark theme for BCT

[vlad230]

I often find myself reading this forum late at night and would really appreciate a dark theme that is less annoying to my eyes.
Would you like a dark theme for BTC? Please vote.

I know you guys will probably say that this thing has been discussed in the past but after I have searched for it, I couldn't find the best option that would work for me or it was going to be done in the new forum software. Maybe we can install a theme now, before we switch to the new version.

The majority of the proposed solutions were to use a browser plugin/extension. I don't think that's a real option since you can easily compromise your security/privacy by installing various plugins and I would encourage you to avoid as much as possible installing anything like that on your computer.
If you would like a further read on why it's a bad idea to have these plugins/extensions you can take a look here.

The best option from a security and functionality stand-point would be to install a SMF theme. I have ran a forum like this one (but on a different topic) many years ago and have installed themes for my users to use as they please. It's not something hard to do but you do need admin rights to do it.

If I'm not mistaken we are currently using SMF 1.1 which was released in Dec 2006, so I have compiled a dozen dark themes that could work for our forum, found on the official SMF website.
Version 1.1:

• 1. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=614
• 2. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=1482
• 3. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=213
• 4. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=293
• 5. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=1408
• 6. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=1308
• 7. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=1100
• 8. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=869
• 9. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=1579
• 10. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=808
• 11. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=2182
• 12. https://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=669

Version 1.1.19:

• Black Rain
• BlackRainV.2
• BlackRain V3
• Black to Basics
• Black to the Future
• Breen
• tux Red Planet

At this moment changing themes is disabled on BCT but once we get new themes installed it can be easily changed, by every user, just by going to: Profile -> Look and Layout Preferences -> Current Theme (change)

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[bitmover]

This is an old topic....

There are many answers for it:

Will only be available at the new forum software.
You can use f.lux to reduce the blue light, if it hurts your eyes. This is an easy and excellent solution.

You can also use personalised themes, with browser addons

Theymos will probably not add those new themes to smf because it's not critical at the moment.

[Piggy]

This could easily be done with a chrome or firefox extension, if somebody got the time to do it and wants to make something specific for bitcointalk.
But as bitmover is saying there are probably ready solutions which will work well already.

[Quickseller]

This could easily be done with a chrome or firefox extension,

This is already addressed in the OP. This would cause security risks as you must trust the developer of the extension.

I would think this would be fairly trivial for theymos to implement.

[Piggy]

This could easily be done with a chrome or firefox extension,

This is already addressed in the OP. This would cause security risks as you must trust the developer of the extension.

I would think this would be fairly trivial for theymos to implement.

True they are a security risk and would be better to be implemented directly in the forum as a malicious extension could potentially drain your merit, write some post automatically or even worse.
However these extensions come with the source code, at least chrome extensions. So anybody can actually check what happen under the hood.

[mdayonliner]

At this moment changing themes is disabled on BCT but once we get new themes installed it can be easily changed, by every user, just by going to: Profile -> Look and Layout Preferences -> Current Theme (change)

For default¹ SMF, using multiple theme is not a big deal but once you custom an SMF then it's hard. I noticed different themes behave different with additional features. In some cases you will need to update manually both the theme files and the core files which is very complected.

If I am not mistaken then trust system, merit system, newbie restrictions, Evil IP, signature features for different ranks etc are theymos's own creations - there are no modules (AFAIK) developed by any SMF developer for such features. So, when you are asking to have multiple themes then you are basically asking to change the individual theme files which WILL be very complected and time consuming for theymos.

¹ No additional modules/features

[vlad230]

This is already addressed in the OP. This would cause security risks as you must trust the developer of the extension.

I would think this would be fairly trivial for theymos to implement.

Indeed, it would not be hard to implement and installing plugins/addons/extensions is not a solution if you value your privacy & security.

For default¹ SMF, using multiple theme is not a big deal but once you custom an SMF then it's hard. I noticed different themes behave different with additional features. In some cases you will need to update manually both the theme files and the core files which is very complected.
[...]

What are you talking about? Have you ever worked with themes?

Themes generally re-write the CSS of the webpage, it's a matter of using different colours than the default theme we use now.

Cyrus' solution seems the only one close to what we need to do. He actually created a new theme for SMF based on the CSS we're using in the default theme, here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=580171.0
Sadly, it didn't gain a lot of traction and it got buried in 2014. Maybe we can revive it now.

[mdayonliner]

What are you talking about? Have you ever worked with themes?

Themes generally re-write the CSS of the webpage, it's a matter of using different colours than the default theme we use now.

Cyrus' solution seems the only one close to what we need to do. He actually created a new theme for SMF based on the CSS we're using in the default theme, here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=580171.0
Sadly, it didn't gain a lot of traction and it got buried in 2014. Maybe we can revive it now.

I never worked professionally with themes however I have basics and understand CSS a bit. If you mean changing the color only means changing theme then you are absolutely right however I did not mean changing only colors. I meant changing with possible layouts as well. If you visit this URL then you will understand I was not only talking about color changing 


I often play with SMF software, try the different modules and stuffs. What I noticed is, not all themes actually reflect the same for some modules. You need to manually change their theme files and stuffs. On top of it - the modules theymos has added which I mentioned above are mostly hard coded (if I am not wrong since theymos himself done those) so It will not be very easily however doable.

Let's take "+Merit" link as an example. Don't you think if the forum wants to change the theme then areas like this needs extra attention? You can not just install a theme and expect to show the +Merit link.

[vlad230]

[...]
Let's take "+Merit" link as an example. Don't you think if the forum wants to change the theme then areas like this needs extra attention? You can not just install a theme and expect to show the +Merit link.

If you only change the CSS behind it you don't have to worry about that. If you want to change the whole layout then that's going to be a problem, of course, but a minor one You just need to include the link in the theme files.

Anything is doable but if we start saying "no" to everything and treat it as if it's heart surgery, nothing will get done around here.

Also, a correct evaluation of the issues or priorities can be done by the people working on them. I have added a few solutions to the new feature requirement and asked people to vote if they would like something like that. Until now I see 87% of people would like to see a dark theme here so, the "ball" is in theymos' court.

[mdayonliner]

If you want to change the whole layout then that's going to be a problem, of course, but a minor one You just need to include the link in the theme files.

That's what I was talking about   Other day I did the same for a module and it was pretty boring for me. I needed to change the same code in several places. I can't remember all the file names though.

Anything is doable but if we start saying "no" to everything and treat it as if it's heart surgery, nothing will get done around here.

Oops! Did I sound negative? In that case, excuse me please.

I see 87% of people would like to see a dark theme here so, the "ball" is in theymos' court.

There are so many balls in theymos' court that he is puzzled with everything except the recent changes on merit requirement and stuffs  

By the way, I almost forgot the vote and just now done it with a YES  
This makes 90% so far

[vlad230]

By the way, I almost forgot the vote and just now done it with a YES  
This makes 90% so far

Thanks a lot for voting Hopefully we can have something like this implement as soon as possible.

I would like to see more people voting here, I doubt only 10 people want to see this live.

[SFR10]

If I'm not mistaken we are currently using SMF 1.1 which was released in Dec 2006,

SMF 1.1.19, to be exact.

so I have compiled a dozen dark themes that could work for our forum, found on the official SMF website:

Honestly, I don't know much about SMF themes but I think those that you listed, aren't compatible (made for other versions).
- You might want to update your list with the following compatible ^(1.1.19) dark themes instead:

• Black Rain
• BlackRainV.2
• BlackRain V3
• Black to Basics
• Black to the Future
• Breen
• tux Red Planet

I also voted for "YES".

[vlad230]

Honestly, I don't know much about SMF themes but I think those that you listed, aren't compatible (made for other versions).
- You might want to update your list with the following compatible ^(1.1.19) dark themes instead:

• Black Rain
• BlackRainV.2
• BlackRain V3
• Black to Basics
• Black to the Future
• Breen
• tux Red Planet

I also voted for "YES".

Ok, I wasn't sure of the exact version but thanks a lot for pointing it out to me.

Those themes look great too, I've added them to the main post in this thread.

Thanks a lot for voting, I encourage everyone to vote here