How to implement dark mode with Themes in Swift?

Define separate themes for light and dark modes (e.g., MyTheme instances), then switch ThemeManager.shared.currentTheme based on system settings or user input. Use the use() function in views to update colors and fonts in real-time.

Themes vs other iOS theming libraries like SwiftTheme?

Themes focuses on protocol-oriented design for full control over custom properties and JSON backing, while SwiftTheme offers more drop-in theming with extensions. Themes is better for granular control, but SwiftTheme might be quicker for simple cases.

Can Themes work with SwiftUI?

Not directly; Themes is designed for UIKit and uses protocol-oriented Swift. To integrate with SwiftUI, you'd need to wrap theme properties in ObservableObject or adapt the use() pattern, which isn't documented in the README.

How to load themes from a JSON file in Themes?

Create a theme struct conforming to the Theme protocol and add a custom initializer that parses JSON dictionary keys into properties like colors and fonts. Then instantiate themes from backend data, as shown in the usage snippet.

Does Themes support dynamic theme switching at runtime?

Yes, assigning a new theme to ThemeManager.shared.currentTheme triggers real-time updates across all views registered with the use() function, allowing seamless transitions like night mode toggles.

How to handle theme updates in a UITableView with Themes?

In your view controller's viewDidLoad, use the use() function to set table view properties and call reloadData() if needed. In cells, use it in awakeFromNib to update labels and backgrounds, as demonstrated in the README examples.

Themes — Swift Theme Management Library

What is Themes?

Themes is a Swift library for managing dynamic themes in Apple platform apps (iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS). It solves the problem of hard-coded UI values by allowing developers to define themes as structured data, switch between them at runtime, and update views in real-time. Themes can be initialized from JSON, enabling dynamic theming from backend sources.

Target Audience

Swift developers building apps for Apple platforms (iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS) who need to support multiple themes, dark mode, or dynamic styling.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Themes for its protocol-oriented design, which avoids replicating UIKit APIs and provides full control over theme properties. It centralizes theme definitions, supports real-time updates, and works across all Apple platforms.

👕👚 Theme management in Swift

Use Cases

Best For

Implementing dark mode or night themes in Swift apps
Creating seasonally skinned apps (e.g., holiday themes)
Building apps with user-customizable UI themes
Dynamic theming from backend JSON configurations
Managing consistent design tokens across iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS
Avoiding hard-coded color/font values in UIKit or SwiftUI projects

Not Ideal For

SwiftUI-exclusive projects relying on native @Environment or EnvironmentObject for theming
Apps with static themes that never require runtime changes or user customization
Teams seeking pre-styled, drop-in themes without custom definition and manual view updates

Pros & Cons

Pros

Universal Platform Support

Works across iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS, enabling consistent theming on all Apple devices without platform-specific code, as highlighted in the features list.

Real-time Theme Updates

UI components automatically react to theme changes via the use() function, eliminating manual tracking and allowing instant visual feedback, demonstrated in the demo GIFs.

JSON-backed Dynamic Theming

Supports initializing themes from JSON, enabling backend-driven theme configurations for dynamic skinning, as shown in the usage example with let unicornTheme = MyTheme(json).

Protocol-oriented Extensibility

Uses Swift protocols to define custom themes with any properties, avoiding UIKit API replication and giving developers full control over design tokens, per the philosophy section.

Cons

UIKit-Centric Design

Primarily targets UIKit with examples using UIColor and UIFont, lacking built-in support or documentation for SwiftUI's native theming systems, which may require additional adaptation.

Manual View Updates Required

Developers must explicitly call the use() function in each view to react to theme changes, leading to boilerplate code and potential maintenance overhead in large codebases.

No Built-in Themes

Doesn't include pre-defined themes or design tokens, requiring teams to create all styling from scratch, which increases initial setup time compared to libraries with ready-made options.

What is Themes?

Target Audience

Swift developers building apps for Apple platforms (iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS) who need to support multiple themes, dark mode, or dynamic styling.

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Implementing dark mode or night themes in Swift apps
Creating seasonally skinned apps (e.g., holiday themes)
Building apps with user-customizable UI themes
Dynamic theming from backend JSON configurations
Managing consistent design tokens across iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS
Avoiding hard-coded color/font values in UIKit or SwiftUI projects

Not Ideal For

SwiftUI-exclusive projects relying on native @Environment or EnvironmentObject for theming
Apps with static themes that never require runtime changes or user customization
Teams seeking pre-styled, drop-in themes without custom definition and manual view updates

Pros & Cons

Pros

Universal Platform Support

Works across iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS, enabling consistent theming on all Apple devices without platform-specific code, as highlighted in the features list.

Real-time Theme Updates

UI components automatically react to theme changes via the use() function, eliminating manual tracking and allowing instant visual feedback, demonstrated in the demo GIFs.

JSON-backed Dynamic Theming

Supports initializing themes from JSON, enabling backend-driven theme configurations for dynamic skinning, as shown in the usage example with let unicornTheme = MyTheme(json).

Protocol-oriented Extensibility

Uses Swift protocols to define custom themes with any properties, avoiding UIKit API replication and giving developers full control over design tokens, per the philosophy section.

Cons

UIKit-Centric Design

Primarily targets UIKit with examples using UIColor and UIFont, lacking built-in support or documentation for SwiftUI's native theming systems, which may require additional adaptation.

Manual View Updates Required

Developers must explicitly call the use() function in each view to react to theme changes, leading to boilerplate code and potential maintenance overhead in large codebases.

No Built-in Themes

Doesn't include pre-defined themes or design tokens, requiring teams to create all styling from scratch, which increases initial setup time compared to libraries with ready-made options.

Themes

What is Themes?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

Themes

What is Themes?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?