WebSpark.Bootswatch 1.10.2

WebSpark.Bootswatch

A .NET Razor Class Library for integrating Bootstrap 5 themes from Bootswatch into ASP.NET Core applications. This library simplifies the process of applying modern, responsive themes to your web applications, leveraging the power of Bootstrap 5.

Theme Switching Prerequisites

To enable dynamic theme switching and fetch the list of available Bootswatch themes (as demonstrated in the demo project), you must:

1. Install the required NuGet packages:

   • WebSpark.Bootswatch
   • WebSpark.HttpClientUtility (required for fetching the list of themes)

   Install both via NuGet Package Manager or .NET CLI:

   dotnet add package WebSpark.Bootswatch
   dotnet add package WebSpark.HttpClientUtility
   

2. Add required configuration to appsettings.json: The WebSpark.HttpClientUtility package requires the following configuration for HTTP request resilience and output folder:

   "CsvOutputFolder": "c:\\websites\\WebSpark\\CsvOutput",
   "HttpRequestResultPollyOptions": {
     "MaxRetryAttempts": 3,
     "RetryDelaySeconds": 1,
     "CircuitBreakerThreshold": 3,
     "CircuitBreakerDurationSeconds": 10
   }
   

   Example appsettings.json snippet:

   {
     "Logging": {
       "LogLevel": {
         "Default": "Information",
         "Microsoft.AspNetCore": "Warning"
       }
     },
     "AllowedHosts": "*",
     "CsvOutputFolder": "c:\\websites\\WebSpark\\CsvOutput",
     "HttpRequestResultPollyOptions": {
       "MaxRetryAttempts": 3,
       "RetryDelaySeconds": 1,
       "CircuitBreakerThreshold": 3,
       "CircuitBreakerDurationSeconds": 10
     }
   }
   

Note: Without these dependencies and configuration, theme switching and dynamic theme listing will not function in your application or the demo project.

Quick Links

• Demo Site: https://bootswatch.markhazleton.com/
• NuGet Package: https://www.nuget.org/packages/WebSpark.Bootswatch
• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/MarkHazleton/WebSpark.Bootswatch

Features

• Seamless integration of Bootswatch themes with ASP.NET Core applications.
• Built on Bootstrap 5, offering modern, responsive, and mobile-first design.
• NEW! Integrated theme switcher component with light/dark mode support.
• Easy runtime theme switching with cookie persistence.
• Includes custom themes (e.g., Mom, Texecon) alongside standard Bootswatch themes.
• Built-in caching mechanism for improved performance through StyleCache service.
• Fully documented with IntelliSense support.

Benefits of Bootstrap 5

• Responsive Design: Build mobile-first, responsive web applications effortlessly.
• Modern Components: Access a wide range of pre-designed components.
• Customizable: Easily customize themes to match your branding.
• No jQuery Dependency: Bootstrap 5 removes the dependency on jQuery, making it lighter and faster.

Installation

Install the package via NuGet Package Manager:

Install-Package WebSpark.Bootswatch

Or via .NET CLI:

dotnet add package WebSpark.Bootswatch

Quick Start

1. Register Services

In the Program.cs file of your ASP.NET Core application, register the Bootswatch services. If you use the Tag Helper, also add AddHttpContextAccessor():

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// Add services to the container
builder.Services.AddRazorPages();

// (Optional) If you use the Tag Helper, add HttpContextAccessor
builder.Services.AddHttpContextAccessor();

// Add Bootswatch theme switcher services (includes StyleCache)
builder.Services.AddBootswatchThemeSwitcher();

var app = builder.Build();

// Configure the HTTP request pipeline
if (!app.Environment.IsDevelopment())
{
    app.UseExceptionHandler("/Error");
    app.UseHsts();
}

app.UseHttpsRedirection();

// Use all Bootswatch features (includes StyleCache and static files)
app.UseBootswatchAll();

// (Optional) Add custom static file logging middleware if desired
// app.Use(...)

app.UseStaticFiles();
app.UseRouting();
app.MapRazorPages();
app.Run();

2. Update Your Layout

In your _Layout.cshtml, place the theme switcher Tag Helper outside the <ul class="navbar-nav flex-grow-1"> and after the navigation links, as shown in the demo:

<ul class="navbar-nav flex-grow-1">
    
</ul>
<bootswatch-theme-switcher />

This ensures the theme switcher appears in the correct place in the navigation bar, matching the demo project.

Register the Tag Helper in your _ViewImports.cshtml:

@addTagHelper *, WebSpark.Bootswatch

If you use the manual method, do not place both the Tag Helper and the manual HTML helper in the same layout to avoid duplicate selectors.

Manual alternative:

@Html.Raw(BootswatchThemeHelper.GetThemeSwitcherHtml(StyleCache, Context))

The rest of your layout setup remains the same. See the included sample layout file for a full example.

No JavaScript implementation is needed—the theme switcher functionality is built into the library!

Advanced Usage

Using the Integrated StyleCache Service

The package includes a built-in StyleCache service for improved performance:

// In your Controller or Razor Page
using WebSpark.Bootswatch.Services;

public class HomeController : Controller
{
    private readonly StyleCache _styleCache;

    public HomeController(StyleCache styleCache)
    {
        _styleCache = styleCache;
    }

    public IActionResult Index()
    {
        // Get all available styles
        var styles = _styleCache.GetAllStyles();
        
        // Get a specific style by name
        var defaultStyle = _styleCache.GetStyle("default");
        
        return View();
    }
}

Theme Switcher Helpers

The library includes the BootswatchThemeHelper class with useful methods. In Razor Pages, use Context:

// Get the current theme name
var themeName = BootswatchThemeHelper.GetCurrentThemeName(Context);

// Get the current color mode (light/dark)
var colorMode = BootswatchThemeHelper.GetCurrentColorMode(Context);

// Get the URL for a theme
var themeUrl = BootswatchThemeHelper.GetThemeUrl(StyleCache, themeName);

// Get HTML for the theme switcher component
var switcherHtml = BootswatchThemeHelper.GetThemeSwitcherHtml(StyleCache, Context);

For more details on the theme switcher, see ThemeSwitcherGuide.md.

How to Integrate WebSpark.Bootswatch into an Existing ASP.NET Core Web Application

Follow these steps to add Bootswatch theme support and the integrated theme switcher to your existing ASP.NET Core Razor Pages or MVC project:

1. Install the NuGet Package

Install the package via NuGet Package Manager or .NET CLI:

Install-Package WebSpark.Bootswatch

or

dotnet add package WebSpark.Bootswatch

2. Register Bootswatch Services

In your Program.cs, register the Bootswatch services after adding Razor Pages:

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// Add services to the container
builder.Services.AddRazorPages();

// Add Bootswatch theme switcher services (includes StyleCache)
builder.Services.AddBootswatchThemeSwitcher();

var app = builder.Build();

// Configure the HTTP request pipeline
if (!app.Environment.IsDevelopment())
{
    app.UseExceptionHandler("/Error");
    app.UseHsts();
}

app.UseHttpsRedirection();

// Use all Bootswatch features (includes StyleCache and static files)
app.UseBootswatchAll();

app.UseRouting();
app.MapRazorPages();

app.Run();

3. Update Your Layout File

In your main layout file (e.g., _Layout.cshtml), add the following:

• Inject the StyleCache service.
• Use the BootswatchThemeHelper methods with Context (for Razor Pages) or HttpContext (for MVC) to set the theme and render the switcher.
• Add the Bootswatch theme switcher JavaScript.

Example for Razor Pages:

@using WebSpark.Bootswatch.Services
@using WebSpark.Bootswatch.Helpers
@inject StyleCache StyleCache
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en" data-bs-theme="@(BootswatchThemeHelper.GetCurrentColorMode(Context))">
<head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <title>@ViewData["Title"]</title>
    @{
        var themeName = BootswatchThemeHelper.GetCurrentThemeName(Context);
        var themeUrl = BootswatchThemeHelper.GetThemeUrl(StyleCache, themeName);
    }
    <link id="bootswatch-theme-stylesheet" rel="stylesheet" href="@themeUrl" />
    <script src="/_content/WebSpark.Bootswatch/js/bootswatch-theme-switcher.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
    @Html.Raw(BootswatchThemeHelper.GetThemeSwitcherHtml(StyleCache, Context))
    @RenderBody()
    <script src="~/lib/jquery/dist/jquery.min.js"></script>
    <script src="~/lib/bootstrap/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"></script>
    @await RenderSectionAsync("Scripts", required: false)
</body>
</html>

4. (Optional) Use the StyleCache Service in Controllers or Pages

You can inject and use the StyleCache service to access available styles or theme information in your controllers or pages.

public class HomeController : Controller
{
    private readonly StyleCache _styleCache;
    public HomeController(StyleCache styleCache)
    {
        _styleCache = styleCache;
    }
    public IActionResult Index()
    {
        var styles = _styleCache.GetAllStyles();
        var defaultStyle = _styleCache.GetStyle("default");
        return View();
    }
}

Minimal Startup Example

Add these lines to your Program.cs:

builder.Services.AddBootswatchThemeSwitcher();
app.UseBootswatchAll();

Tag Helper Usage (Optional)

You can use the built-in Tag Helper to render the theme switcher in your layout:

<bootswatch-theme-switcher />

Register the Tag Helper in your _ViewImports.cshtml:

@addTagHelper *, WebSpark.Bootswatch

Sample Layout File

A sample layout file is included in the NuGet package at:

contentFiles/any/any/BootswatchLayoutExample.cshtml

Copy or reference this file to quickly set up your layout.

Demo Project

For a complete example of how to integrate WebSpark.Bootswatch, refer to the WebSpark.Bootswatch.Demo project included in this repository. It demonstrates:

• Registering Bootswatch services.
• Using the theme switcher component.
• Applying themes dynamically in the layout.
• Using the StyleCache service for efficient theme management.

Release Notes

v1.10.2 (2025-05-20)

• Patch release. No breaking changes; all integration steps remain the same as v1.10.1.

v1.10.1 (2025-05-18)

• Improved logging and diagnostics for static file and theme CSS requests in the demo project.
• Updated Privacy.cshtml.cs to log the current color mode and use required members for better compatibility.
• Minor code cleanup and documentation improvements in the demo and main library.
• Updated project files for compatibility with .NET 9 (demo) and .NET 7 (library).
• No breaking changes; all integration steps remain the same as v1.10.0.

v1.10.0 (2025-05-15)

• Added a Bootswatch theme switcher Tag Helper (<bootswatch-theme-switcher />) for easy integration in layouts and navigation bars.
• Included a sample layout file in the NuGet package for quick reference and copy-paste setup.
• Updated documentation and demo to use the Tag Helper as the preferred method.
• Added instructions and support for AddHttpContextAccessor() when using the Tag Helper.
• Improved README and install guide to clarify integration steps and best practices.
• Ensured static files and theme switcher JS are always available and documented correct middleware order.
• Cleaned up demo layout to avoid duplicate theme switchers and match recommended usage.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.