README

An aurora-inspired theme for Flarum featuring animated gradient backdrops, glassmorphic panels, glowing accents, and a dark night-sky palette.

Flarum 1.x users: this branch targets Flarum 2.0. For Flarum 1.8.x see the 1.x branch.

Screenshots

Forum index

Animated aurora backdrop, glassmorphic discussion cards, gradient text on unread titles, a glowing pill for unread counts, stat widgets inside the welcome hero, and the user-facing palette picker popover (shown open).

Discussion view

Glassy posts with gradient usernames, accent-bordered blockquotes, themed inline code and code blocks, and gradient-glow avatars.

Admin settings

Live color swatches, a gradient preview, and toggles for glassmorphism, glow, and background animation.

Highlights

Animated aurora backdrop — drifting radial gradients in violet, cyan, teal, pink, and magenta on a deep night-sky base.
User palette picker — a circular gradient button in the header opens a popover with six presets (Aurora, Sunset, Ocean, Forest, Nebula, Ember). Choice persists per-visitor via localStorage and applies instantly.
Hero widgets — Members, Discussions, Posts, and Online-now stat tiles embedded inside the welcome hero, with live trend lines.
Glassmorphic surfaces — frosted header, sidebar, discussion cards, composer, modals, and dropdowns.
Gradient buttons & badges — primary buttons shimmer; unread counts pulse with a cool glow.
Glowing avatars & focus rings — soft cyan/pink halos on hover and focus.
Gradient scrollbar & text — gradient-clipped headings, usernames, and scrollbar thumb.
Configurable — admin settings for gradient colors, accent color, and toggles for glassmorphism, glow, and background animation.
Accessible — honors prefers-reduced-motion, visible focus rings.

Palette presets

Preset	Gradient
Aurora	`#7c3aed` → `#4f46e5` → `#22d3ee` → `#14b8a6` (default)
Sunset	`#f97316` → `#f43f5e` → `#d946ef` → `#7c3aed`
Ocean	`#1e40af` → `#3b82f6` → `#06b6d4` → `#22d3ee`
Forest	`#15803d` → `#10b981` → `#22d3ee` → `#0ea5e9`
Nebula	`#a855f7` → `#d946ef` → `#6366f1` → `#3b82f6`
Ember	`#b91c1c` → `#ea580c` → `#f59e0b` → `#fbbf24`

Add or override a preset by extending PALETTES in js/src/forum/palettes.js.

Installation

composer require ernestdefoe/aurora

Then enable Aurora Theme under Admin → Extensions.

Configuration

Open Admin → Extensions → Aurora Theme to customize:

Setting	Default	Description
Primary gradient — start	`#7c3aed`	First color of the primary gradient.
Primary gradient — end	`#22d3ee`	Last color of the primary gradient.
Accent color	`#f472b6`	Warm accent used for hover halos.
Enable glassmorphism	`on`	Frosted-glass panels with backdrop blur.
Enable glow effects	`on`	Soft glows on hover, focus, and unread items.
Animate aurora background	`on`	Drifting gradient blobs in the backdrop.

Development

git clone https://github.com/ernestdefoe/aurora.git
cd aurora/js
npm install
npm run build      # production bundle
npm run dev        # watch mode

Project layout

extend.php              Flarum extension bootstrap
composer.json           Package manifest
less/
  forum.less            Forum-facing styles
  admin.less            Admin-facing styles
  variables.less        Color palette, radii, easings
  mixins.less           .aurora-glass, .aurora-text-gradient, ...
  animations.less       drift, shimmer, pulse, float, fade-up
js/
  forum.js, admin.js          Webpack entry points
  src/forum/index.js          Frontend bootstrap: settings, scroll header, ripple
  src/forum/palettes.js       Palette presets + apply/load/store helpers
  src/forum/palette-picker.js Header button + popover injection
  src/forum/hero-widgets.js   Welcome-hero stat tiles
  src/admin/index.js          Admin entrypoint (re-exports extend)
  src/admin/extend.js         Flarum 2 Admin extender — settings registry
  dist/                       Compiled bundles (committed)
resources/locale/
  en.yml                English admin strings

Compatibility

Flarum core ^2.0.0-beta (built against 2.0.0-rc.1)
PHP ^8.3
Modern browsers with backdrop-filter support. Older browsers gracefully degrade to solid dark surfaces.

Need Flarum 1.x? Switch to the 1.x branch — it targets flarum/core ^1.8.0 and uses the legacy app.extensionData settings API.

ernestdefoe / aurora

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