New update changed how my CSS targets new/unread topic background colors and I don't know how to fix it

Development

AI-generated summary

A user, Kartoon, reports that a recent update to Discourse broke their custom CSS for changing the background color of read topics, which previously worked with the Blackout theme. The CSS no longer targets the read topic backgrounds, leaving them as grey instead of the desired deep black. Another user, pfaffman, suggests using color palettes instead, but Kartoon explains the CSS was part of a third color mode and wants to understand the change. Moin points out that new color variables were introduced in a recent commit, likely affecting the styling of visited topics. darkpixlz, the theme creator, acknowledges the issue and plans to fix it, noting the theme hasn’t been updated since 2023 Kartoon, pfaffman, Moin, darkpixlz.

1

I was previously using the CSS from GitHub - pyxfluff/Blackout · GitHub to change the background to a deeper black (you can see examples Blackout - A Theme For OLED Displays ). It was working fine, but today after I updated all the read topics on the main page have defaulted to the grey color of the underlying theme (unread remains the same). I’ve been trying dozens of changes and none of them have made a difference.

This specifically

body, .boxed.white, .admin-detail, .admin-controls, .admin-controls .controls, .user-content,.group-details-container,
div.edit-category .edit-category-title-bar, .user-main .about, .user-main .about .details .primary,
.user-main .about .details, .user-stream .item, .user-stream .user-stream-item, .search-container .search-header,
.search-container .search-filters .search-advanced-filters, .search-container .search-bar,
.search-container .search-filters {
background-color:#000!important;
}

When removed resets the entire background back to the same matching color. So obviously something here isn’t targeting the “read” backgrounds anymore, but nothing I add makes a difference.

Screenshot 2025-07-10 062810
Screenshot 2025-07-10 062810487×206 7.61 KB

Want all the topics in both states to still look like the bottom, not the top . Is this still possible to do? I don’t know what or how to target that and AI just keeps giving me more non-working CSS too when I try to get that to figure it out.

2

Why not just change the colors in a color pallette?

3

it was used as third color mode for a couple skins so you could have light/dark/this. It’s not super important I more just wanted to understand what exactly changed and how to do something about it so that when something breaks I can actually fix it instead of hoping it just doesn’t. Especially when it didn’t break from something I did and I had no control

4

Recently, new color variables were added.
https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/20f57aec12a5d2291c79a447d18eb3f164877c61

I think this added, for example, the background color on visited topics:

Screenshot_20250710_160842_Firefox
Screenshot_20250710_160842_Firefox1711×1038 202 KB

5

I haven’t updated the theme since 2023 or so, some breakage is to be expected. I wasn’t even sure anybody was actually using the theme but I’ll fix it when I get some time free, thanks for letting me know.