- What is david-griffiths/nova-dark-theme?
- It is a community dark theme for Laravel Nova. The package provides stylesheet overrides and a Vue-based toggle, with v1.0 Artisan commands that scaffold the toggle into Nova templates. It is presentation-layer only and does not touch routing, auth, queues, or persistence models unless you choose a server-side preference.
- Does david-griffiths/nova-dark-theme support Laravel Nova 4 or Nova 5?
- It was built for the Nova 1.x/2.x era and its last tagged release was in February 2019. Modern Nova releases use a different frontend stack and markup, so a 2019-era Vue component and selector set is unlikely to work without rework. Check composer.json for a declared Nova constraint and test against your exact Nova version rather than relying on the README.
- How do I install david-griffiths/nova-dark-theme in Laravel Nova?
- Install it with Composer using composer require david-griffiths/nova-dark-theme, then register the service provider if auto-discovery is not available in your setup. v1.0 also adds Artisan commands that scaffold a toggle into Nova templates, so review and run those commands deliberately. Test on a staging copy first because the scaffold changes application files.
- How is the dark theme preference stored or configured?
- The package forces a design decision about where the theme preference lives: localStorage, a session cookie, or a user column. A client-side choice is stateless and easy to reverse; a user column requires a nullable, reversible migration and a default for existing users. The available context does not prescribe one, so confirm the implementation before adopting it.
- Does the package modify my Laravel Nova application files?
- Yes, at least for v1.0. Beyond Composer and service-provider registration, its Artisan commands inject a toggle into Nova templates, which means it mutates files inside your application. Treat the generated diff as the audit artifact and check whether there is a dry-run or documented uninstall before running it.
- How do I uninstall nova-dark-theme cleanly?
- There is no documented uninstall path in the available context. Reverse the Composer requirement and service-provider registration, revert the scaffolded template changes from your diff, and roll back any preference migration if you added a user column. Clear compiled views and caches, then verify the Nova UI in staging.
- Is david-griffiths/nova-dark-theme still maintained?
- No recent maintenance is evident: the last tagged release is 2019-02-16, with 71 stars and zero dependents. Treat it as an accelerator and reference implementation, not a strategic dependency. Pin the version and plan to own the CSS and toggle if you need current Nova support.
- Is the dark theme toggle accessible and keyboard friendly?
- The toggle is hand-rolled, so verify keyboard focus, switch semantics such as role="switch" or aria-pressed, a visible label, and an OS-level prefers-color-scheme fallback. Also test for a flash of the wrong theme if persistence is split between client and server. These are common gaps in small theme packages and should be checked before rollout.
- Does it work with a customized Nova admin panel?
- Support is high for a stock Nova panel from the package's era and moderate-to-low for a customized one. CSS selector overrides and template scaffolding can conflict with custom views, and Nova is closed source, so you cannot patch the vendor layer around incompatibilities. Audit the scaffold diff and test interactive Nova screens.
- Should I use this package or build a custom dark theme for Nova?
- Build in-house if the package needs material rework for your Nova version. A CSS-variable theme plus a small persisted preference is only a few dozen lines and gives you control over accessibility, uninstall, and upgrades. Use this package as a demoable cost ceiling and a build-vs-buy comparison point, not as a long-term dependency.