
theme-creation
by etewiah
Create a fully featured real estate website on Rails in minutes! ⛺
SKILL.md
name: theme-creation description: Create new themes for PropertyWebBuilder. Use when creating custom themes, styling websites, or modifying theme templates. Handles theme registration, view templates, CSS, and asset configuration.
Theme Creation for PropertyWebBuilder
Theme System Overview
PropertyWebBuilder uses a multi-tenant theme system where each website can have its own theme. The system supports:
- Theme inheritance - Child themes extend parent themes
- Color palettes - Multiple pre-defined color schemes per theme
- Page Part Library - 20+ pre-built, customizable sections
- CSS custom properties - Native CSS variables for easy customization
- Per-tenant customization - Each website can override theme defaults
- WCAG AA accessibility - Built-in contrast checking utilities
- Dark mode support - Automatic or explicit dark mode colors
Current Themes (January 2025)
| Theme | Parent | Status | Palettes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
default | None | Active | 6 | Base Tailwind/Flowbite theme |
brisbane | default | Active | 6 | Luxury real estate (gold/navy) |
bologna | default | Active | 4 | Traditional European style |
barcelona | default | Disabled | 4 | Incomplete - needs work |
biarritz | default | Disabled | 4 | Needs accessibility fixes |
Key Components
| Component | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Theme Registry | app/themes/config.json | Theme definitions |
| Theme Model | app/models/pwb/theme.rb | ActiveJSON model with inheritance |
| Palette Loader | app/services/pwb/palette_loader.rb | Load palettes from JSON |
| Palette Validator | app/services/pwb/palette_validator.rb | Validate against schema |
| Color Utils | app/services/pwb/color_utils.rb | WCAG contrast, shade generation |
| Palette Compiler | app/services/pwb/palette_compiler.rb | Compile CSS for production |
| Website Styleable | app/models/concerns/pwb/website_styleable.rb | Per-website styles |
| CSS Templates | app/views/pwb/custom_css/_*.css.erb | Dynamic CSS generation |
Theme Resolution Flow
- Request comes in with subdomain (tenant identification)
ApplicationController#set_theme_pathdetermines theme from:- URL parameter
?theme=name(if whitelisted) - Website's
theme_namefield - Fallback to "default"
- URL parameter
- Theme view paths are prepended (child first, then parent)
- Views render from theme directory, falling back through inheritance chain
Creating a New Theme
Step 1: Register the Theme in config.json
Add to app/themes/config.json:
{
"name": "mytheme",
"friendly_name": "My Custom Theme",
"id": "mytheme",
"version": "1.0.0",
"enabled": true,
"parent_theme": "default",
"description": "A custom theme for my agency",
"author": "Your Name",
"tags": ["modern", "clean"],
"supports": {
"page_parts": [
"heroes/hero_centered",
"heroes/hero_split",
"features/feature_grid_3col",
"testimonials/testimonial_carousel",
"cta/cta_banner"
],
"layouts": ["default", "landing", "full_width"],
"color_schemes": ["light", "dark"],
"features": {
"sticky_header": true,
"back_to_top": true,
"animations": true
}
},
"style_variables": {
"colors": {
"primary_color": {
"type": "color",
"default": "#your-brand-color",
"label": "Primary Color"
},
"secondary_color": {
"type": "color",
"default": "#your-secondary-color",
"label": "Secondary Color"
}
},
"typography": {
"font_primary": {
"type": "font_select",
"default": "Open Sans",
"label": "Primary Font",
"options": ["Open Sans", "Roboto", "Montserrat"]
}
}
}
}
Step 2: Create Directory Structure
mkdir -p app/themes/mytheme/views/layouts/pwb
mkdir -p app/themes/mytheme/views/pwb/welcome
mkdir -p app/themes/mytheme/views/pwb/components
mkdir -p app/themes/mytheme/views/pwb/sections
mkdir -p app/themes/mytheme/views/pwb/pages
mkdir -p app/themes/mytheme/views/pwb/props
mkdir -p app/themes/mytheme/views/pwb/search
mkdir -p app/themes/mytheme/views/pwb/shared
mkdir -p app/themes/mytheme/palettes # For color palette JSON files
mkdir -p app/themes/mytheme/page_parts # For custom page part templates
Step 3: Create Default Palette
Create app/themes/mytheme/palettes/default.json:
{
"id": "default",
"name": "Default",
"description": "Default color scheme for mytheme",
"is_default": true,
"preview_colors": ["#3498db", "#2c3e50", "#e74c3c"],
"colors": {
"primary_color": "#3498db",
"secondary_color": "#2c3e50",
"accent_color": "#e74c3c",
"background_color": "#ffffff",
"text_color": "#333333",
"header_background_color": "#ffffff",
"header_text_color": "#333333",
"footer_background_color": "#2c3e50",
"footer_text_color": "#ffffff",
"light_color": "#f8f9fa",
"link_color": "#3498db",
"action_color": "#3498db"
}
}
Step 4: Copy and Customize Layout
Copy from parent theme:
cp app/themes/default/views/layouts/pwb/application.html.erb app/themes/mytheme/views/layouts/pwb/
Edit app/themes/mytheme/views/layouts/pwb/application.html.erb:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="<%= I18n.locale %>">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title><%= yield(:page_title) || @current_website&.site_name %></title>
<%= yield(:page_head) %>
<%# Tailwind CSS for this theme %>
<%= stylesheet_link_tag "tailwind-mytheme", "data-turbo-track": "reload" %>
<%# Flowbite components %>
<link href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/flowbite/2.3.0/flowbite.min.css" rel="stylesheet" />
<%# Material Symbols for icons %>
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Material+Symbols+Outlined:opsz,wght,FILL,GRAD@24,400,0,0&display=swap" rel="stylesheet" />
<%# Dynamic CSS variables %>
<style>
<%= custom_styles("mytheme") %>
</style>
<%= javascript_include_tag "pwb/application", async: false %>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/flowbite/2.3.0/flowbite.min.js"></script>
<%= csrf_meta_tags %>
</head>
<body class="tnt-body mytheme-theme <%= @current_website&.body_style %> bg-gray-50 text-gray-900">
<div class="flex flex-col min-h-screen">
<%= render partial: '/pwb/header', locals: { not_devise: true } %>
<main class="flex-grow">
<%= render 'devise/shared/messages' %>
<%= yield %>
</main>
<%= render partial: '/pwb/footer', locals: {} %>
</div>
<%= yield(:page_script) %>
</body>
</html>
Step 5: Create Theme CSS Partial
Create app/views/pwb/custom_css/_mytheme.css.erb:
/* Theme: mytheme */
<%
# Get palette colors merged with website overrides
styles = @current_website&.style_variables || {}
primary_color = styles["primary_color"] || "#3498db"
secondary_color = styles["secondary_color"] || "#2c3e50"
accent_color = styles["accent_color"] || "#e74c3c"
background_color = styles["background_color"] || "#ffffff"
text_color = styles["text_color"] || "#333333"
header_bg = styles["header_background_color"] || "#ffffff"
header_text = styles["header_text_color"] || "#333333"
footer_bg = styles["footer_background_color"] || "#2c3e50"
footer_text = styles["footer_text_color"] || "#ffffff"
font_primary = styles["font_primary"] || "Open Sans"
border_radius = styles["border_radius"] || "0.5rem"
%>
<%= render partial: 'pwb/custom_css/base_variables',
locals: {
primary_color: primary_color,
secondary_color: secondary_color,
accent_color: accent_color,
background_color: background_color,
text_color: text_color,
font_primary: font_primary,
border_radius: border_radius
} %>
:root {
--header-bg: <%= header_bg %>;
--header-text: <%= header_text %>;
--footer-bg: <%= footer_bg %>;
--footer-text: <%= footer_text %>;
}
/* Theme-specific overrides */
.mytheme-theme header {
background-color: var(--header-bg);
color: var(--header-text);
}
.mytheme-theme footer {
background-color: var(--footer-bg);
color: var(--footer-text);
}
/* Custom raw CSS from admin */
<%= @current_website&.raw_css %>
Step 6: Create Tailwind Input File
Create app/assets/stylesheets/tailwind-mytheme.css:
@import "tailwindcss";
/* Font imports */
@font-face {
font-family: 'Open Sans';
font-weight: 400;
src: url('https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@fontsource/open-sans@5.2.5/files/open-sans-latin-400-normal.woff2');
}
/* Theme configuration */
@theme {
--color-primary: var(--primary-color, #3498db);
--color-secondary: var(--secondary-color, #2c3e50);
--color-accent: var(--accent-color, #e74c3c);
--font-family-sans: 'Open Sans', var(--font-primary, system-ui, sans-serif);
--radius: var(--border-radius, 0.375rem);
}
/* PWB utility classes */
@layer utilities {
.bg-pwb-primary { background-color: var(--pwb-primary); }
.bg-pwb-secondary { background-color: var(--pwb-secondary); }
.text-pwb-primary { color: var(--pwb-primary); }
.text-pwb-secondary { color: var(--pwb-secondary); }
.border-pwb-primary { border-color: var(--pwb-primary); }
}
Step 7: Add Build Scripts
Add to package.json:
{
"scripts": {
"tailwind:mytheme": "npx @tailwindcss/cli -i ./app/assets/stylesheets/tailwind-mytheme.css -o ./app/assets/builds/tailwind-mytheme.css --watch",
"tailwind:mytheme:prod": "npx @tailwindcss/cli -i ./app/assets/stylesheets/tailwind-mytheme.css -o ./app/assets/builds/tailwind-mytheme.css --minify"
}
}
Step 8: Test the Theme
# Via Rails console
theme = Pwb::Theme.find_by(name: 'mytheme')
theme.view_paths # Verify path resolution
theme.palettes # Check palettes loaded
theme.default_palette_id # Verify default palette
# Update a website to use the theme
website = Pwb::Website.first
website.update(theme_name: 'mytheme')
# Build Tailwind CSS
npm run tailwind:mytheme:prod
# Via URL parameter (if enabled)
http://localhost:3000/?theme=mytheme
Creating Color Palettes
Palette File Structure
Palettes are stored in app/themes/[theme]/palettes/*.json:
{
"id": "my_palette",
"name": "My Palette",
"description": "A beautiful color palette",
"is_default": false,
"preview_colors": ["#primary", "#secondary", "#accent"],
"colors": {
"primary_color": "#e91b23",
"secondary_color": "#2c3e50",
"accent_color": "#3498db",
"background_color": "#ffffff",
"text_color": "#333333",
"header_background_color": "#ffffff",
"header_text_color": "#333333",
"footer_background_color": "#2c3e50",
"footer_text_color": "#ffffff",
"light_color": "#f8f9fa",
"link_color": "#e91b23",
"action_color": "#e91b23"
}
}
Required Colors (9 mandatory)
| Key | Purpose |
|---|---|
primary_color | Main brand color for CTAs and links |
secondary_color | Supporting color for secondary elements |
accent_color | Highlight color for special elements |
background_color | Main page background |
text_color | Primary text color |
header_background_color | Header/nav background |
header_text_color | Header/nav text |
footer_background_color | Footer background |
footer_text_color | Footer text |
Dark Mode Support
For explicit dark mode colors, use the modes structure:
{
"id": "modern_dark",
"name": "Modern with Dark Mode",
"modes": {
"light": {
"primary_color": "#3498db",
"background_color": "#ffffff",
"text_color": "#333333"
},
"dark": {
"primary_color": "#5dade2",
"background_color": "#121212",
"text_color": "#e8e8e8"
}
}
}
If you only provide colors, dark mode is auto-generated using ColorUtils.generate_dark_mode_colors().
Validation & Tools
# Validate all palettes
rake palettes:validate
# List available palettes for a theme
rake palettes:list[mytheme]
# Check WCAG contrast compliance
rake palettes:contrast[mytheme,my_palette]
# Generate shade scale for a color
rake palettes:shades[#3498db]
# In Rails console
loader = Pwb::PaletteLoader.new
palettes = loader.load_theme_palettes("mytheme")
light = loader.get_light_colors("mytheme", "my_palette")
dark = loader.get_dark_colors("mytheme", "my_palette")
# Validate a palette
validator = Pwb::PaletteValidator.new
result = validator.validate(palette_hash)
result.valid? # => true/false
result.errors # => ["Missing required color: primary_color"]
Search Page Layout Requirements
IMPORTANT: Search pages MUST follow responsive layout requirements.
Desktop Layout (>=1024px)
Filters MUST be displayed BESIDE results (side-by-side), NOT above them:
+--------------------------------------------------+
| +------------+ +----------------------------+ |
| | Filters | | Search Results | |
| | (1/4) | | (3/4 width) | |
| +------------+ +----------------------------+ |
+--------------------------------------------------+
Required HTML Structure
<div class="flex flex-wrap -mx-4">
<!-- Sidebar Filters (1/4 on desktop, full on mobile) -->
<div class="w-full lg:w-1/4 px-4 mb-6 lg:mb-0">
<button class="lg:hidden w-full ..."
data-controller="search-form"
data-action="click->search-form#toggleFilters">
Filter Properties
</button>
<div id="sidebar-filters" class="hidden lg:block">
<%= render 'pwb/searches/search_form_for_sale' %>
</div>
</div>
<!-- Search Results (3/4 on desktop, full on mobile) -->
<div class="w-full lg:w-3/4 px-4">
<div id="inmo-search-results">
<%= render 'search_results' %>
</div>
</div>
</div>
PWB CSS Class Naming
Use semantic PWB classes for consistency:
/* Colors */
.bg-pwb-primary { background-color: var(--pwb-primary); }
.bg-pwb-secondary { background-color: var(--pwb-secondary); }
.text-pwb-primary { color: var(--pwb-primary); }
/* Buttons */
.pwb-btn--primary { background-color: var(--pwb-primary); }
.pwb-btn--secondary { background-color: var(--pwb-secondary); }
.pwb-btn--outline { border: 2px solid var(--pwb-primary); }
/* Cards */
.pwb-card { border-radius: var(--pwb-border-radius); }
/* Grid */
.pwb-grid--2col { grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); }
.pwb-grid--3col { grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr); }
.pwb-grid--4col { grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 1fr); }
WCAG Accessibility Requirements
Contrast Ratios (WCAG 2.1 AA)
| Text Type | Minimum Ratio |
|---|---|
| Normal text (<18px) | 4.5:1 |
| Large text (>=18px bold or >=24px) | 3:1 |
| UI components & graphics | 3:1 |
Check Contrast in Ruby
# Check if colors meet WCAG AA
Pwb::ColorUtils.wcag_aa_compliant?('#ffffff', '#333333')
# => true (14.0:1 ratio)
# Get exact contrast ratio
Pwb::ColorUtils.contrast_ratio('#ffffff', '#9ca3af')
# => 2.9 (fails AA - needs 4.5:1)
# Get suggested text color for a background
Pwb::ColorUtils.suggest_text_color('#1a2744')
# => '#ffffff' (white for dark backgrounds)
Theme Inheritance
How It Works
Child themes inherit from parent themes:
theme = Pwb::Theme.find_by(name: 'brisbane')
theme.parent_theme # => "default"
theme.parent # => <Pwb::Theme name="default">
theme.inheritance_chain # => [brisbane, default]
theme.view_paths # => [brisbane/views, default/views, app/views]
View Resolution Order
- Check child theme:
app/themes/brisbane/views/ - Check parent theme:
app/themes/default/views/ - Check application:
app/views/
Troubleshooting
Theme Not Loading
- Check entry exists in
app/themes/config.json - Verify
"enabled": trueis set - Verify JSON syntax is valid
- Restart Rails server after config changes
- Check:
Pwb::Theme.find_by(name: 'mytheme')
Styles Not Applying
- Verify CSS partial exists:
app/views/pwb/custom_css/_mytheme.css.erb - Verify Tailwind CSS is built:
app/assets/builds/tailwind-mytheme.css - Check body class matches theme name (
.mytheme-theme) - Clear Rails cache:
Rails.cache.clear
Palette Not Found
- Check file exists:
app/themes/mytheme/palettes/default.json - Validate JSON syntax
- Run:
rake palettes:validate - Check:
Pwb::PaletteLoader.new.load_theme_palettes('mytheme')
Documentation Reference
docs/theming/README.md- Documentation indexdocs/theming/THEME_AND_COLOR_SYSTEM.md- Complete architecturedocs/theming/color-palettes/COLOR_PALETTES_ARCHITECTURE.md- Palette systemdocs/theming/THEME_CREATION_CHECKLIST.md- Step-by-step checklistapp/themes/shared/color_schema.json- Palette JSON schema
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