GTK

Mechanism

GTK apps (LibAdwaita, GTK3/4) do not read config files directly for theming. They rely on the DConf database (GNOME Settings Daemon). Changes must be made via gsettings commands or IPC calls. Persistence: Changes made via gsettings are written to disk (~/.config/dconf/user) and persist across reboots.

2. Themis’s Approach

We use the Exec pattern. We run a series of gsettings commands to update the relevant keys in the DConf database. These changes apply immediately to running applications.

3. User Setup

None. DConf is a system-level store (per user). No config file edits are required.

4. Equivalent Configuration

If this wasn’t built-in, a user would define it like this:

enroll:
  gtk:
    type: command # or 'script'
    commands:
      - "gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme '{{ preset.gtk_theme }}'"
      - "gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface icon-theme '{{ preset.icon_theme }}'"
      - "gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-theme '{{ preset.cursor_theme }}'"
      - "gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface font-name '{{ preset.font_name }}'"
      - "gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme 'prefer-{{ mode }}'"

5. Required Profile Variables

• gtk_theme (e.g., “Adwaita”)
• icon_theme
• cursor_theme
• font_name (e.g., “Cantarell 11”)
• mode (light/dark)