Lauren Alamo

Modern applications need flexible theming systems. Users expect dark mode support, but they also want apps that reflect brand identity and adapt to different contexts. Building themes traditionally meant maintaining separate stylesheets, duplicating CSS rules, and coordinating updates across multiple files.

webforJ takes a different approach with a theming system built around CSS variables and semantic color palettes. You can implement dark mode, create custom brand themes, and switch between them at runtime.

Let's walk through how it all works together.

I've spent the better part of a year building webforJ demos and documentation, and honestly, it's taught me that I knew a lot less about CSS than I thought. I thought I knew enough to get by, some selectors, basic properties, maybe a flexbox here and there. Turns out there's a difference between writing CSS that works and writing CSS that actually makes sense.

Working on webforJ's styling system has changed how I approach CSS. It handles common tasks well and gets out of your way for the interesting parts. Plus, I no longer spend half my time wondering why my styles disappeared into the void.