matrix-docker-ansible-deploy/docs/configuring-playbook-client-element.md

Configuring Element (optional)

By default, this playbook installs the Element Matrix client web application. If that's okay, you can skip this document.

Disabling Element

If you'd like for the playbook to not install Element (or to uninstall it if it was previously installed), you can disable it in your configuration file (inventory/host_vars/matrix.<your-domain>/vars.yml):

matrix_client_element_enabled: false

Configuring Element settings

The playbook provides some customization variables you could use to change Element's settings.

Their defaults are defined in roles/custom/matrix-client-element/defaults/main.yml and they ultimately end up in the generated /matrix/element/config.json file (on the server). This file is generated from the roles/custom/matrix-client-element/templates/config.json.j2 template.

If there's an existing variable which controls a setting you wish to change, you can simply define that variable in your configuration file (inventory/host_vars/matrix.<your-domain>/vars.yml) and re-run the playbook to apply the changes.

Alternatively, if there is no pre-defined variable for an Element setting you wish to change:

• you can either request a variable to be created (or you can submit such a contribution yourself). Keep in mind that it's probably not a good idea to create variables for each one of Element's various settings that rarely get used.

• or, you can extend and override the default configuration (config.json.j2) by making use of the matrix_client_element_configuration_extension_json_ variable. You can find information about this in roles/custom/matrix-client-element/defaults/main.yml.

• or, if extending the configuration is still not powerful enough for your needs, you can override the configuration completely using matrix_client_element_configuration_default (or matrix_client_element_configuration). You can find information about this in roles/custom/matrix-client-element/defaults/main.yml.

Themes

To change the look of Element, you can define your own themes manually by using the matrix_client_element_setting_defaults_custom_themes setting.

Or better yet, you can automatically pull it all themes provided by the aaronraimist/element-themes project by simply flipping a flag (matrix_client_element_themes_enabled: true).

If you make your own theme, we encourage you to submit it to the aaronraimist/element-themes project, so that the whole community could easily enjoy it.

Note that for a custom theme to work well, all Element instances that you use must have the same theme installed.