For the past year, Daniel James has been developing the Dark Mode plugin for WordPress. The plugin is actively installed on more than 1K sites. Dark Mode replaces the white and grey colors in the backend with darker colors that are easier on the eyes.
James has published a proposal to merge the plugin into core. There are three things to know about Dark Mode up front. It does not have a high contrast mode to meet accessibility needs, is not a new admin color scheme for the backend, and is not a tool that helps people with vision issues.
By default, WordPress ships with eight admin color schemes. However, color schemes are only applied to the WordPress sidebar and Admin toolbar. Dark Mode is applied to the main content area of the dashboard. This gives users the ability to use Dark Mode and an Admin Color Scheme in tandem.
Dark Mode is not compatible with Gutenberg but is compatible with TinyMCE. Because of the speed at which Gutenberg is being developed as a plugin, James decided that a merge proposal without Gutenberg support is the best way forward. Compatibility with Gutenberg will likely arrive once it is merged into core.
Because Dark Mode affects the content area of the WordPress Dashboard, if it’s merged into core, plugins will need to support two different color schemes.
There is no easy way for Dark Mode to support every plugin, especially when many of them use custom user interface elements. This guide on the plugin’s GitHub page explains how developers can add support for Dark Mode.
Proposal Hits a Snag
Within the comments on the proposal, members of the core and accessibility teams weighed in. Gary Pendergast, a WordPress core developer, outlined a list of requirements from the Core Handbook that the plugin has yet to achieve.
James responded by explaining the process of merging a feature plugin into core as outlined in the Core Handbook does not lend itself to all projects.
“For example, weekly meetings, or kick-off posts etc,” James said. “I understand that Gutenberg is probably a top priority right now but it’d be great if I could have some help on what to do to push this forward. I think an introduction of Gutenberg and Dark Mode would be a great addition to shout about in 5.0.”
Some of the Benefits of Dark Mode
One of the obvious benefits is that Dark Mode is aesthetically pleasing, especially after sunset. Depending on the screen technology, darker colors are more energy efficient. It’s also a mode that’s gaining in popularity. For example, earlier this year, Apple announced Dark Mode will be available in macOS Mojave.
I find myself using Dark Mode on Reddit, the Twitter app on my iPhone, and now WordPress. I like to browse the web on my phone while laying in bed and my partner enjoys not seeing a bright screen shining in her direction.
Based on comments made to the proposal and on social media, there is a definitive interest in having a Dark Mode option in WordPress. Is Dark Mode something you’d like to see be part of core? Also, I’m curious as to which Admin Color scheme you use. Please vote in the poll below.
[poll id=”61″]
I like it, but I wish it was a bit more general. It doesn’t need to account for every plugin, I feel. I realize that css can be a pain, but this seems more complex than it really needs to be. Dunno. Will need to investigate further.
But core damn well needs a dark mode. One hundo.