Central manager for styles in the Layers framework.

The controller loads, manages, and provides access to all styles. It handles inheritance resolution and link resolution.

For related JSON syntax, file organization, and resource compiling, see the Layers README. This documentation covers the C++ interface for working with the controller in code.

A default controller instance is available via the lController macro.

Loading Developer Styles

Compiled developer styles should be loaded via library initializers to ensure proper load order:

// mylib_init.cpp

namespace Layers::Resources {
    extern void initResources_styles();
}

class Initializer {
public:
    Initializer() {
        Layers::Resources::initResources_styles();
        lController.include("/styles/mylib");
    }
} static initializer;

This ensures styles load before main() and in dependency order.

Loading User Styles

User styles are toggleable customizations loaded from a directory:

lController.load_user_styles("/path/to/user/styles");

Toggle them on or off by name:

lController.toggle_custom_style("Square Corners");

Get a list of currently active custom styles:

LStyleList active = lController.active_custom_styles();

Finding Styles

Find styles by path:

LStyle* button = lController.find_style("Button");

LAttribute* fill = button->find_attribute("Fill");

Iterate through all loaded styles:

for (auto& [path, style] : lController.custom_styles())
    cout << path << endl;

Loading Order

The proper sequence matters:

1. Load developer styles (via library initializers)
2. Load user styles with load_user_styles() (optional)

This ensures inheritance resolves and links establish correctly.