Dark Mode for website

Is there a way to change to ‘dark mode’ to view this forum? As a person with ES, my eyes are overly sensitive to the bright white background. I didn’t see an option in the Preferences so thought I’d check in. I’d prefer to not use a browser extension. Thanks in advance!

I will pass this on to those more tech savvy than me!

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you might be able to change general PC settings or browser settings. Like on Firefox I think you can set dark mode as default. And Windows 10 setting can be changed to maybe

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Thanks I’m running FireFox on a Mac. To get dark mode on websites, I require a plug-in and I prefer not to go that route.

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@Siren - I LOVE your new avatar! Very colorful!

Just had a thought, as a Mac user you should be able to turn down the brightness of your screen using the key to the right of the “esc” key in the top row on the laptop keyboard. I have a MacBook Air & that’s where my brightness/dimmer keys are. That may be helpful until a dark mode is worked out for the Ben’s Friends forums.

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Hi. I understand completely the benefit of having different colour schemes selectable for websites and I’ve had a look at how this one is configured to allow a “dark” theme to be selectable (even automatic!) and I think the truth is that we set this site up several years ago with fixed colours that need to change to be more modern algorithmically-determined colours. What I mean is that rather than storing a colour as a fixed RGB triple, the colours within a scheme need to change to things like “this colour is 80% of this theme colour and 20% of this theme colour” so that they adapt with a different base theme better and that requires a different way of setting the colours.

As a consequence, I don’t have the knowledge to do this and effectively I’ll need to pay someone to do that work. I’ve had a go and until the colours are coded in a different way, it is horrible! It really wouldn’t add to your ability to access the site. e.g. black text on a very dark background: I need the striping of the pages and the text colour to adapt to the theme and at the moment, they’re fixed.

I will definitely put this work on the list of things we need to do to improve accessibility but it isn’t something I think we can afford to do at this time.

Sorry not to be able to do this quicker. If I had been able to get it done today, I would have got it done but there’s obviously a coding of adaptive colours that changed in about 2020 that we need to catch up with before we can switch on a dark mode.

Pester me again if I go quiet on you for too long!

Richard
Patient Experience Officer
Ben’s Friends

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All,

I just want to let you know that with the switch to the new colour theme, Dark Mode now works on the site. It’s a feature that was first asked for here and I recognised the value of it and have been keen to get included. I hope it helps some people along.

To enable Dark Mode, just select it on the phone / tablet / computer that you’re using to access Living With Eagle.

Very best wishes,

Richard
Former Patient Experience Officer
Ben’s Friends

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Yay! thank you so much! I had noticed and was thinking, “Oh they must have updated it”. Much easier on the eyes. Much appreciated.

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I’m hoping that we will be able to put different contrast modes together for people to select but I haven’t asked Rose to experiment with that yet as we have had an issue with the themes that we were using before that needed to be resolved by September, so she has been busy working to get a scheme agreed with the leadership team and get it implemented across something like 35 different communities, so it was important not to add any “would like to have” requirements. However, for some of our brain injury forums, being able to choose colour schemes that fit one’s need would be a great way to help a minority of people. I guess that some colour schemes may also help some dyslexic folk who may be in any community.

At some point, probably after we understand how we do in the usual autumn/winter fundraising round, we may be able to go a bit further.

If people ever find things that could be much better, do speak up because I’m all for helping people along. It’s exactly what this community and our other communities were created for.

Very glad to be able to help,

Richard

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