Looking at your use case, you want Thyra to be a flexible base theme that can quickly adapt to different client needs (Editorial, Agency, etc.) without duplicating code or creating child themes. Here's my comprehensive plan:
Theme Variation System Architecture
- ACF Options-Based Theme Selector
- Single options page with theme variation selector
- Each variation defines: fonts, colors, typography scale, layout preferences
- Stored globally, accessible throughout the theme
- Dynamic Asset Loading Strategy
resources/css/ ├── app.css (base utilities, layout system, components) ├── variations/ │ ├── editorial/ │ │ ├── fonts.css │ │ ├── colors.css │ │ └── typography.css │ ├── agency/ │ │ ├── fonts.css │ │ ├── colors.css │ │ └── typography.css
- Conditional Template Loading
- Use View Composers to inject variation-specific data
- Blade conditionals to load different partials based on theme selection
- Template hierarchy that checks for variation-specific templates first
- Block Variation System
- Native blocks with variation-aware styling
- CSS custom properties that change based on selected theme
- Block patterns specific to each variation
- Font & Typography Management
- Dynamic font loading in setup.php based on selection
- Variation-specific font stacks and sizing scales
- CSS custom properties for typography that update per theme
- Layout Flexibility
- Different blog layouts (grid vs list vs masonry)
- Configurable single post templates
- Header/footer variations per theme type
Implementation Benefits
Speed: Switch themes instantly via admin panel Maintenance: Single codebase, no child theme complexityFlexibility: Easy to add new variations Client-Friendly: Non-technical theme switching Performance: Only loads assets for selected variation
File Structure Impact
- Keep app.css minimal (layout grid, utilities, base components)
- Move Editorial-specific styles to variation files
- Use Vite to compile variation bundles separately
- Dynamic enqueuing in setup.php based on ACF selection
This approach transforms Thyra into a true multi-purpose theme system where you can rapidly deploy different visual identities while maintaining code efficiency and WordPress best practices.
╭────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮ │ Ready to code? │ │ │ │ Here is Claude's plan: │ │ ╭────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮ │ │ │ Thyra Multi-Theme Variation System │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Goal │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Transform Thyra into a flexible base theme with selectable variations (Editorial, │ │ │ │ Agency, etc.) for rapid site deployment. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Implementation Plan │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 1. ACF Options Page Setup │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Create theme variation selector with ACF Composer │ │ │ │ - Options for: fonts, colors, typography scales, layout preferences │ │ │ │ - Global storage for theme-wide access │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 2. Asset Architecture Restructure │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Move Editorial-specific styles from app.css to variations/editorial/ │ │ │ │ - Create variations/agency/ with unique fonts, colors, typography │ │ │ │ - Update Vite config to compile variation bundles │ │ │ │ - Implement dynamic asset loading in setup.php │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 3. Template Variation System │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Create variation-aware View Composers │ │ │ │ - Implement conditional template loading via Blade │ │ │ │ - Build different blog/single layouts per variation │ │ │ │ - Add block patterns specific to each theme type │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 4. Dynamic Font & Typography │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Variation-specific font loading system │ │ │ │ - CSS custom properties that update based on selection │ │ │ │ - Unique typography scales per theme │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 5. Block System Enhancement │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ - Make existing blocks variation-aware │ │ │ │ - Create agency-specific block patterns │ │ │ │ - Implement CSS custom property switching │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ This creates a single theme that can instantly switch between Editorial and Agency (or │ │ │ │ other) variations through the WordPress admin, eliminating the need for multiple │ │ │ │ themes or child themes.