Dark Mode - Color Scheme Control

Utilities for controlling browser color scheme preferences. Uses CSS color-scheme property.

Core Classes

Class	Purpose
`slds-color-scheme--light`	Forces light mode only
`slds-color-scheme--dark`	Forces dark mode only
`slds-color-scheme--system`	Respects system preference

Common Patterns

<!-- Force light mode on entire application -->
<body class="slds-color-scheme--light">
  <!-- All content renders in light mode -->
</body>

<!-- Force dark mode on specific component -->
<div class="slds-card slds-color-scheme--dark">
  <!-- Card content renders in dark mode -->
</div>

<!-- System preference for modal -->
<div class="slds-modal slds-color-scheme--system">
  <!-- Modal adapts to user's OS preference -->
</div>

<!-- Mixed mode layout -->
<div class="slds-page">
  <nav class="slds-color-scheme--dark">
    <!-- Navigation always dark -->
  </nav>
  <main class="slds-color-scheme--system">
    <!-- Content follows system preference -->
  </main>
</div>

<!-- Override system preference locally -->
<body class="slds-color-scheme--system">
  <div class="slds-box slds-color-scheme--light">
    <!-- Box always light even if system is dark -->
  </div>
</body>

Implementation Details

How It Works

Uses CSS color-scheme property
Applies to element and descendants
When on <body>, affects entire document via :has() selector
Browser automatically adjusts form controls, scrollbars, and system colors

Property Values

Class	CSS Property	Effect
`slds-color-scheme--light`	`color-scheme: only light`	Forces light colors
`slds-color-scheme--dark`	`color-scheme: only dark`	Forces dark colors
`slds-color-scheme--system`	`color-scheme: light dark`	Allows both schemes

Best Practices

✅ Apply slds-color-scheme--system to <body> for app-wide system preference support ✅ Use slds-color-scheme--dark for navigation bars and headers ✅ Use slds-color-scheme--light for data-heavy tables and forms ✅ Test both light and dark modes for all components ✅ Use modern double-dash syntax (--) for new implementations

❌ Don't use deprecated underscore syntax (_) in new code ❌ Don't mix color scheme classes on the same element ❌ Don't assume dark mode without testing contrast ratios ❌ Don't override user system preference without clear UI controls

Deprecated Classes

The following BEM-style classes are deprecated. Use double-dash syntax instead:

Deprecated	Use Instead
`slds-color-scheme_light`	`slds-color-scheme--light`
`slds-color-scheme_dark`	`slds-color-scheme--dark`
`slds-color-scheme_system`	`slds-color-scheme--system`

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