Android Jetpack Compose Material3 Theme ColorScheme

Question

I am seeking guidance on efficiently utilizing color schemes. While we understand that MaterialTheme.colorScheme allows us to apply colors uniformly across various components, I'm curious if there are specific recommendations for leveraging each aspect of the color scheme. For instance, what is the ideal use case for the primary color?
How about the onPrimary color?
And what role does the primaryContainer color serve?

here is all of the ColorScheme attributes:

ColorScheme(
    primary: Color,
    onPrimary: Color,
    primaryContainer: Color,
    onPrimaryContainer: Color,
    inversePrimary: Color,
    secondary: Color,
    onSecondary: Color,
    secondaryContainer: Color,
    onSecondaryContainer: Color,
    tertiary: Color,
    onTertiary: Color,
    tertiaryContainer: Color,
    onTertiaryContainer: Color,
    background: Color,
    onBackground: Color,
    surface: Color,
    onSurface: Color,
    surfaceVariant: Color,
    onSurfaceVariant: Color,
    surfaceTint: Color,
    inverseSurface: Color,
    inverseOnSurface: Color,
    error: Color,
    onError: Color,
    errorContainer: Color,
    onErrorContainer: Color,
    outline: Color,
    outlineVariant: Color,
    scrim: Color
)

Maybe somebody has a guideline for using it?

Thanks

Answer 1

In short,

Role	Explanation
Surface	A role used for backgrounds and large, low-emphasis areas of the screen.
Primary, Secondary, Tertiary	Accent color roles used to emphasize or de-emphasize foreground elements.
Container	Roles used as a fill color for foreground elements like buttons. They should not be used for text or icons.
On	Roles starting with this term indicate a color for text or icons on top of its paired parent color. For example, on primary is used for text and icons against the primary fill color.
Variant	Roles ending with this term offer a lower emphasis alternative to its non-variant pair. For example, outline variant is a less emphasized version of the outline color.
Inverse	Inverse roles are applied selectively to components to achieve colors that are the reverse of those in the surrounding UI, creating a contrasting effect.

Read this for details