klytos-design-system

name	klytos-design-system
description	Design principles, color philosophy, component composition patterns, and rules for maintaining visual consistency across the Klytos admin panel. Reference this BEFORE writing any HTML/CSS in admin pages. Covers design tokens, color usage, layout rules, button hierarchy, form patterns, badges, responsive design, CSS architecture, and checklist for new admin pages.

Klytos Design System

Design Principles

1. Dark-first — Dark mode is the default. All designs start dark, light mode adapts.
2. Warm neutrals — Backgrounds use warm-neutral tones (#1a1a1a, #262626, #333333), NOT cold navy/slate.
3. Generous whitespace — Prefer spacing over density. Use --klytos-space-lg (1.5rem) for section padding.
4. Subtle borders — Borders are barely visible separators (#3a3a3a dark, #e0e0e0 light), never heavy.
5. Blue accent — Interactive elements use --klytos-accent blue. Status colors (green/yellow/red) for feedback only.
6. Sidebar always dark — Even in light mode, the sidebar stays dark.
7. System font stack — No custom font loading. Use the system sans-serif (--klytos-font-sans).

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Color Usage Rules

When to use each token

Token	Use for
--klytos-bg	Page background
--klytos-bg-elevated	Cards, modals, dropdowns (things that "float")
--klytos-bg-sunken	Inset areas: code blocks, inputs, nested containers
--klytos-surface	Panel/card backgrounds within the main area
--klytos-surface-hover	Hover state for any surface
--klytos-border	Standard borders (cards, inputs, tables)
--klytos-border-subtle	Very light separators (table rows, internal dividers)
--klytos-text	Primary text
--klytos-text-secondary	Labels, help text, secondary info
--klytos-text-tertiary	Placeholders, disabled text, timestamps
--klytos-accent	Links, active tabs, primary buttons, toggle ON
--klytos-accent-subtle	Tinted backgrounds for accent (active sidebar item, selected row)
--klytos-success / -subtle / -text	Success state feedback
--klytos-warning / -subtle / -text	Warning state feedback
--klytos-error / -subtle / -text	Error state feedback, destructive buttons

NEVER do

• Hard-code colors (#2563eb, rgb(...)) — always use var(--klytos-*) tokens
• Use inline style="color:..." — use utility classes (.text-muted, .text-error) or component CSS
• Use --admin-* or --chat-* in new code — those are backward-compat aliases only
• Mix light and dark hardcoded values in the same component
• Use rgba() for subtle backgrounds — use the -subtle token variants instead

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Component Composition Patterns

Settings Page Layout

<div class="card">
    <div class="card-header">
        <h3>Section Title</h3>
        <span class="text-muted text-sm">Description</span>
    </div>

    <div class="form-group">
        <label>Field Label</label>
        <input type="text" class="form-control">
        <p class="form-help">Help text here</p>
    </div>

    <!-- Toggle setting (Claude-style) -->
    <div class="flex-between mb-2">
        <div>
            <strong>Feature Name</strong>
            <p class="text-muted text-sm">Description of this feature</p>
        </div>
        
            
            
        
    

Data Table

<div class="card">
    <div class="card-header">
        <h3>Items</h3>
        <button class="btn btn-primary btn-sm">Add New</button>
    </div>
    <div class="table-wrap">
        <table>
            <thead>
                <tr>
                    <th>Name</th>
                    <th>Status</th>
                    <th>Actions</th>
                </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
                <tr>
                    <td>Item name</td>
                    <td><span class="badge-status badge-active">Active</>
                    
                        Edit
                        Delete
                    
                
            
        
    

Connector/Integration List (Claude-style)

<div class="card">
    <div class="card-header">
        <h3>Connections</h3>
        <button class="btn btn-outline btn-sm">Explore</button>
    </div>
    <ul class="connector-list">
        <li class="connector-list-item">
            <div class="connector-icon"><img src="icon.svg" alt=""></div>
            <div class="connector-info">
                <div class="connector-name">Service Name</div>
                <div class="connector-detail">https://example.com</div>
            </div>
            <span class=>Connected
            Configure
        
    

Dashboard Stats

<div class="stats-grid">
    <div class="stat-card">
        <div class="stat-label">Total Pages</div>
        <div class="stat-value">42</div>
        <div class="stat-detail">3 published today</div>
    </div>
</div>

Selection Cards (radio/checkbox groups)

<div class="selection-cards cols-2">
    <label class="selection-card">
        <input type="radio" name="choice" value="a" checked>
        <div class="selection-card-body">
            <span class="selection-card-title">Option A</span>
            <span class="selection-card-desc">Description of option A</span>
        </div>
    </label>
    <label class="selection-card">
        <input type="radio" name="choice" value="b">
        <div class="selection-card-body">
            <span class="selection-card-title">Option B</span>
            < =>Description of option B
        
    

Variants: .cols-2, .cols-3 for grid columns. .selection-card-body.horizontal for side-by-side layout. .selection-card-body.centered for icon-centered cards (like the importer). JS in footer.php auto-highlights on change.

Alert Messages

<div class="alert alert-success">Settings saved successfully.</div>
<div class="alert alert-warning">This action requires confirmation.</div>
<div class="alert alert-error">An error occurred.</div>

Modal Dialog

<div class="modal-overlay" id="my-modal">
    <div class="modal">
        <h3>Confirm Action</h3>
        <p class="text-muted">Are you sure?</p>
        <div class="flex-end flex-gap mt-3">
            <button class="btn btn-outline" onclick="closeModal()">Cancel</button>
            <button class="btn btn-danger">Delete</button>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>

---

Layout Rules

• Page structure: Always use header.php → sidebar.php → content → footer.php
• Content width: Pages fill admin-main (padded 1.5rem). No max-width by default.
• Cards: Use .card for any content block. Don't use bare <div> with inline bg/border.
• Grids: Use .grid-2, .grid-3, .grid-2-1 classes. All collapse to 1-column on mobile.
• Spacing: Use utility classes (.mb-2, .mt-1, .flex-gap) instead of inline style="margin:...".
• Flexbox: Use .flex-center, .flex-between, .flex-end instead of inline flex styles.

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Button Hierarchy

Priority	Class	Use for
Primary	.btn .btn-primary	Main action per page (Save, Create, Publish)
Outline	.btn .btn-outline	Secondary actions (Cancel, Back, Configure)
Ghost	.btn .btn-ghost	Tertiary actions, table row actions (Edit, View)
Danger	.btn .btn-danger	Destructive actions (Delete, Remove)
Icon	.btn .btn-icon	Icon-only buttons (close, settings, hamburger)

Use .btn-sm for buttons inside tables, cards, or compact areas.

---

Form Patterns

• Always wrap inputs in .form-group with a <label> and optional .form-help
• Use .form-control for all inputs, selects, and textareas
• Use .toggle-switch for boolean on/off settings (preferred over checkboxes)
• Required fields: add <span style="color:var(--klytos-error);">*</span> inside the label
• Dark mode: .form-control gets --klytos-bg-sunken background automatically

---

Badge / Status Patterns

Use .badge-status + variant class for all status indicators:

State	Class	Color
Active/Published	.badge-active / .badge-published	Green
Draft/Inactive	.badge-draft / .badge-inactive	Gray / Red
Warning/In Progress	.badge-premium / .badge-in_progress	Yellow
Error/Urgent	.badge-urgent	Red
Info/Open	.badge-open / .badge-medium	Blue

---

Responsive Rules

• 768px: Sidebar collapses to 60px icons-only. Grids become 1-column. Cards reduce padding.
• 480px: Stats grid becomes 1-column.
• Editor (782px): Sidebar hidden, header compressed to 48px.
• Always test new components at 768px before merging.

---

CSS Architecture

File organization

installer/admin/assets/css/
├── klytos-tokens.css      ← Design tokens (EDIT HERE to change colors globally)
├── klytos-base.css        ← Reset, body, layout (admin-layout, topbar, admin-main)
├── klytos-components.css  ← All reusable components (buttons, cards, forms, etc.)
├── klytos-sidebar.css     ← Admin sidebar navigation
├── klytos-utilities.css   ← Utility classes (grid, flex, spacing, text)
├── ai-chat.css            ← AI chat page (uses --chat-* mapped to --klytos-*)
├── klytos-editor.css      ← Gutenberg editor overrides + dark mode
├── klytos-logs.css        ← Log viewer page
└── klytos-plugins.css     ← Plugin management page

Adding new styles

1. Component styles → add to klytos-components.css
2. Utility classes → add to klytos-utilities.css
3. Page-specific styles → create klytos-{page}.css, load via admin.stylesheets filter
4. Plugin styles → plugin's own CSS file, using --klytos-* tokens
5. NEVER add styles inline in PHP <style> blocks or style="" attributes

Token fallback pattern

Always include a fallback when using tokens, for resilience:

color: var(--klytos-text, #e8e8e8);

---

Hooks for Styling

• klytos_apply_filters('admin.stylesheets', []) — add CSS URLs to load
• klytos_do_action('admin.head', $cspNonce) — inject <style> with nonce (last resort)
• klytos_do_action('admin.head_meta', $cspNonce) — add meta tags

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Checklist for New Admin Pages

• Uses header.php / sidebar.php / footer.php template structure
• All colors use --klytos-* tokens (no hardcoded hex)
• Uses .card, .btn, .form-group, etc. component classes
• No inline style="" (use utility classes instead)
• Responsive at 768px (test collapsed sidebar)
• Dark and light modes both look correct
• All <script> tags have nonce="<?= klytos_esc_attr($cspNonce) ?>"
• Action hooks present: admin.{page}.before, admin.{page}.after
• Form CSRF: uses klytos_csrf_field() and klytos_verify_csrf()

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Source Files

• Tokens: installer/admin/assets/css/klytos-tokens.css
• Components: installer/admin/assets/css/klytos-components.css
• Base layout: installer/admin/assets/css/klytos-base.css
• Sidebar: installer/admin/assets/css/klytos-sidebar.css
• Utilities: installer/admin/assets/css/klytos-utilities.css
• Header template: installer/admin/templates/header.php