theme.xml

Theme metadata and registrations — the layout registry is only one part of this file.

Metadata

Name, version, author, compatibility (2.3.2), summary, keywords. Re-save the theme in the Theme Manager after any change here — the file is read on (re)activation, not on every request.

Layout registry

Layout	Title (admin)	custompages
full	Full page (horizontal header, boxed width)	—
auth	Splash (auth pages)	login fpw signup
page	Boxed page with page titles (default)	page faq
sidebar	Sidebar (page header, right menu column)	news
home	Home (full width)	FRONTPAGE
memberdesk	Memberdesk (member area pages)	—
raw	Raw (output only)	—

custompages maps scripts/routes to layouts; FRONTPAGE is a special keyword for the site front page. Details per layout in Theme layouts.

The <libraries> block

<libraries>
    <library name="bootstrap" version="5" scope="front" files="none" />
    <library name="fontawesome" version="6" scope="front" files="css" />
</libraries>

• Registering bootstrap makes theme_handler::loadLibrary() define the BOOTSTRAP constant and call e_parse::setBootstrap(5). Dozens of core code paths branch on these — without them core serves legacy (pre-Bootstrap) output. A manual define() in theme.php is not equivalent, because it does not set the parser state.

• files="none" loads no library files: Tabler bundles the complete Bootstrap 5 CSS and JS, and loading the core copies on top would duplicate the JS event handlers (dropdowns opening and closing again instantly).

• fontawesome registers the local FontAwesome 6 that ships with core, so toGlyph() / {GLYPH=...} output works everywhere.

Library registrations are read on theme (re)activation and the detection is cached. After changing <libraries>: re-save the theme in the Theme Manager and clear the system cache.