• Chapter 11
• UI Framework & Theming
  • UIkit: The Foundation
  • Pink-Cupcake: UserFrosting's Theme
  • What This Chapter Covers
  • Learning Path

Chapter 11#

UI Framework & Theming#

Building a beautiful, functional user interface requires more than just reactive JavaScript—it needs a solid foundation of CSS components, thoughtful design patterns, and consistent styling. UserFrosting provides this foundation through UIkit and the Pink-Cupcake theme.

This chapter focuses on the visual and interactive layer of your application: how to use pre-built UI components, style your interfaces, work with forms and tables, and customize the theme to match your brand.

UIkit: The Foundation#

UIkit is a lightweight, modular CSS framework that powers UserFrosting's default interface. Unlike heavier frameworks, UIkit provides:

• Lightweight: Smaller bundle size means faster page loads
• Modular: Import only the components you need
• Comprehensive: Rich library of components from buttons to complex layouts
• Responsive: Mobile-first design that works on all screen sizes
• Customizable: LESS-based theming with extensive variables

Pink-Cupcake: UserFrosting's Theme#

The Pink-Cupcake theme is UserFrosting's default theme, built on top of UIkit. It provides:

• Modern, professional styling out of the box
• Pre-built Vue components that integrate UIkit with reactive data
• Consistent design patterns across all pages
• Customizable variables for easy branding
• Accessible, user-friendly interfaces

What This Chapter Covers#

This chapter teaches you everything about UserFrosting's UI layer:

• UIkit Introduction: Core UIkit components and patterns
• Components Overview: Available Pink-Cupcake components
• Forms: Building beautiful, validated forms
• Tables: Data tables with sorting and filtering
• Collections: Managing lists of items
• Alerts: User notifications and feedback
• Sprunjes: Advanced data tables with server-side processing
• Customizing Themes: Brand your application

Learning Path#

If you're building forms: Start with Forms to see validation, AJAX submission, and error handling.

If you're displaying data: Check out Tables and Sprunjes for powerful data display.

If you're customizing the look: Jump to Customizing Themes to learn about LESS variables and theming.

Ready to build beautiful user interfaces? Let's get started!