Mate QT or a way to get a global dark theme?

I tried KDE Plasma, not really a fan. I love Mate, any way to get all app to fo to dark mode? A Mate done with QT would be great.

You’ve already been told how to get a dark theme. You set it in mate appearance for gtk and qt5-settings and kvantum for qt.

EDIT:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Uniform_look_for_Qt_and_GTK_applications

Just install/use a dark GTK theme. Darkness does not require QT.

I think this is what your looking for. You don’t need to watch the video as the instructions are in the description. Worked for me trying to get Vlc to follow my theme.

The first half is bassically useless … as qt4 is unlikely to be used … On my KDE system there is no qt4.
The second half is non-optimal in a few ways, including lack of configuration, and a reliance on gtk2.
Also manjaro wiki has info:

Which is already done. You still need to set the theme/style in qt5ct, aka “QT5 Settings” in the menu. You can set it to kvantum and then use kvantum to set the theme.

Installing qt5-styleplugins does add back the gtk2 option (to qt5ct), which crashes atm so may need a reboot/re-login after install. Of course it does require a gtk2 and gtk3 compatible theme, and may break at some point.

Also qt5-styleplugins is now only available in the AUR, and has been flagged out of date.

It gets the theme from the settings for gtk.

Hoping that the automatic port from the environment variable will work, especially considering it sets and thus requires an old (gtk2) version is not as configurable as setting qt5ct and being able to make a theme selection along with other options. Its also in a user home file instead of as a system (root) file in the docs, meaning it wont be hard-set for all users.

You set gtk2 as the style in qt5ct and it uses the gtk theme, I imagine that sets the environment variable(s). Just another way of defining that setting, I think.

Either way I’d use qt5ct (and kvantum) to set the theme/style.

I think themes should be user specific anyway.

I think you misunderstand.
The example I was replying to did not apply the setting per-user, but as a global environment variable.
And qt5ct gives many options, including framework, color, icons, etc. Not just ‘whatever you think from gtk2’.
Soooo … I was opining that the official documentation is superior to the yt video.
Of course end users can do whatever they like.

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You’re absolutely right, I think it’s time for bed. :grin:

So you suggest installing another qt thing into a gtk based interface when the suggestion I posted worked. QT is the problem here and installing more of it is not a solution as far as I’m concerned. I don’t like QT apps for the most part. They can be ugly and hard on the eyes to use. Other than KDE most QT based interfaces seem to look mismatched with no continuity. This is also becoming more of a problem with GTK with the use of CSD. Menus all over the place and consuming screen realestate.

That is a good point KDE wasn’t like I remember it from the SuSE 8.1 days. I remembered it looking better. I have qt5style-plugging, evruthing is not dark mode. So app are still white. The font one those & buttons are to faint for me.

@Edward78

Have you set the style to gtk2 in QT5 Settings?

Have you rebooted since installing qt5-styleplugins?

What theme are you using?

This is vlc using nothing more than the instructions I posted earlier. I use a xfwm4 standlone as a base and built out the gtk interface with available apps and software. This happens to be a Debian sid install here with adwaita dark as a theme.

I take it you’re talking to @cscs, since I didn’t get notified, but here goes anyway.

If you’re talking about qt5ct then it’s already installed by default in mate, but kvantum isn’t.

Your solution involves installing qt5-styleplugins which of course contains plugins for QT. So I guess installing more QT is a solution as far as you’re concerned. :grin:

It’s also in the link in my post, which admittedly wasn’t there when you initially posted.

The problem is that you’re using two different toolkits, of course it’s going to take work to make things look the same, and in some cases it won’t be possible.

Perhaps that’s because everything else uses GTK or another toolkit. If you want things to match stick to a single toolkit.

Also most software in KDE is made by KDE, whilst most other software is made by random people.

GTK2 is not a real solution, it will stop working eventually and of course it isn’t the same as GTK3 or GTK4 so it won’t always look the same. It also needs a theme that is compatible with both GTK2 and GTK3.

Indeed.

You don’t need a global environment variable. You can accomplish the same thing by setting it in qt5ct aka Qt5 Settings. However it requires a compatible theme.

EDIT:

@Edward78

If you haven’t already seen it, you might want to look at this: