View source for Themes FAQ

{{Themes}}
==How do I install a new theme?==

# Unzip the .zip file to an empty local directory.
# Upload folder to your web server to the /moodle/theme/[Theme Name]. (Replace [Theme Name] with the name of the theme you have downloaded.) Ensure the new theme folder and its contents are readable by the webserver.  Change Read and Write permissions (CHMOD) for the files and folder to 755 - Owner read/write/execute, Group read/execute, Everyone read/execute.  Incorrect permissions may prevent display of the newly installed theme.
# Choose your new theme from within Moodle via ''Administration > Appearance > Themes > Theme selector''  (or ''Administration > Configuration > Themes'' in versions of Moodle prior to 1.7).

=== How do I install a new theme when using cPanel? ===

# Upload your new theme .zip file to your web server via cPanel. 
# Then using cPanel install the new theme to your Moodle theme's folder.  The new theme will be installed into its own folder at /moodle/theme/[mytheme] (where [mytheme] is the name of your new theme.
# Ensure the new theme folder and its contents are readable by the webserver. If necessary  change Read and Write permissions (CHMOD) for the files and folder to 755 - Owner read/write/execute, Group read/execute, Everyone read/execute.  Incorrect permissions may prevent display of the newly installed theme.
# Choose your new theme from within Moodle via ''Administration > Appearance > Themes > Theme selector''  (or ''Administration > Configuration > Themes'' in versions of Moodle prior to 1.7).

==How do I create a custom theme?==

See [[Creating a custom theme]] and/or [[Make your own theme]].

==Can I assign a specific theme to a course?==

Yes. In the course settings, use the "Force theme" dropdown box.

== Where shall I put my custom CSS code? ==

Instead of modifying the theme's CSS files you better put your own code in a separate CSS file and make your theme aware of that file by modifying its config.php file (be sure add your own CSS file as the last one in the list so that you will override all prior settings). See this posting for [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=128599#p564055 detailed instructions]. 

See also the instructions on creating your own theme mentioned above.

==How can I get the New Moodle2 theme for my site?==
Not til Moodle 2.x comes out and it will be a "sort of".  The new look (refered to as "Moodle2") for Moodle.org was made public just before the close of 2008. The Moodle2 look has various things hard coded into its fabric.   The good news is that many pieces of the look are available.

==Will I lose my courses, language files, logo, etc. if I switch my theme?==
Switching themes only changes the appearance of your site, not the content within it. The logo is a part of the theme and will be lost when you switch.

Follow these instructions to [[Creating_a_custom_theme#Adding_a_Logo|add a logo]] to a theme.

== Are there tools which help me creating and editing themes? ==

=== Clear Cache Button ===
This useful Firefox add-on let's you add a button to your tool bar for easily clearing your cache while working on your theme: https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/1801

<p class="note">Please note that the following tools are only for development. They only change the way ''you'' see your Moodle site, not the Moodle site itself. Any changes you make using these tools will not be visible to anyone else who uses your site. For this you will have to make those changes permanent by changing your theme's CSS files for example.</p>

=== Firebug ===
The single most useful tool is the [[Development:Firebug|Firebug]] add-on for the [[Firefox]] web browser. Firebug integrates with Firefox to put a wealth of development tools at your fingertips while you browse. You can edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page... And there are additional add-ons for making Firebug an even more powerful tool.

==== Firebug enhancements ====
You can enhance Firebug even further. See [[Firebug]] for more information.

=== Web Developer Toolbar ===
Another great tool for any web developer is the [[Web developer extension]], another Firefox add-on. One very useful feature is the option to '''disable your browser's cache''' while working on your theme. That way you are sure you're always presented with your latest modifications and not with an older, cached version.

Now also available for Google's Chrome browser: [http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2010/03/23/chrome-web-developer-toolbar/ "The Web Developer Toolbar Comes to Chrome"]

=== Stylish ===
Modifications made with Firebug are lost when refreshing your page. If you want your CSS changes to be a bit more permanent, for example to try them with different pages of your Moodle installation, you can use another Firefox plugin: [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2108 Stylish]. That way you can change your site's CSS with a simple mouse click without having to change Moodle code.

See [[Stylish]] for detailed instructions and examples.

== How do I check for cross-browser compatibility? ==
There are some tools (standalone and online) which can show you how your site looks in different browsers. See this [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=127746 forum discussion] for details.

== Concrete examples for modifying Moodle themes ==
<p class="note">
The following examples were taken from the former ''Theme Scrapbook'':
<br />
"The Moodle '''Theme Scrapbook''' is a collection of small how-to descriptions. You theme designers and Moodle users working with themes add your knowledge here to help new Moodle users with tips and tricks for their theme work. 
<br />
Feel free to add to this list! Don't know how? Read our [[MoodleDocs:Guidelines_for_contributors|Guidelines for contributors]]."
</p>

=== Changing things ===

==== Colors ====
* [[Forcing the colour of the chat discussion pane (pop-up mode)]]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=142765 Changing background colour of a topic box]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=152357 How to change the colour of the popup event's header and background]

==== Logo and icons ====
* [[Alternate Icon Set|Using an alternate icon set in Moodle]]
* [[Favicon|Change the favicon that shows in front of the web address]]
* [[Footer replacement|Replace the logo in the footer with your web address and/or or own logo]]
*[[Header logo|Replace the logo in the header]]

==== Layout ====
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=136546 Overriding the $menu / $button variables] using PHP regular expressions in header.html
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=143411 Changing the view of course categories] - work in progress
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=145077 Sub categories and courses layout] - work in progress
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=151370 Tracker 'components' list too small]

=== Adding things ===
* [[Header logo|Adding a logo to the theme header]]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=157935 How to add a different img-bullet to each category?]

=== Hiding things ===
* Hiding an element with CSS is generally achieved using the [http://reference.sitepoint.com/css/display display: none;] property on the element.
* See [[Print style]] and [[Stylish#Print style for Database records]] for an example how to hide parts of a page not meant for printing.

=== Moving things ===
* [[Center Forum Posts|Centre smaller forum posts on the page]]
* [[Footer positioning|Positioning the page footer]]
* [[Left-align quiz|Left align quiz questions and answers]]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=121847 Indentation for nested categories]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=128599 Positioning login and choose language field]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=145179 Match question type - position answers nearer to the questions]

=== Miscellaneous ===
* [[Fixed-width theme|Creating a fixed-width theme]]
* [[Homepage design|Homepage design of moodle.org]]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=146763 Is there a way to fix oversized HTML Editor using CSS?]

==How can I see theme changes when using the Windows Complete Installer package==
In the [http://download.moodle.org/windows/ Windows Complete Installer package], the eAccelerator in the XAMPP install can cause some issues with changes to your theme's CSS and HTML files from showing.

Open the php.ini file inside of the server\php folder from your install in notepad and search for "eAccelerator" you should see a line that reads: 
 extension=eaccelerator.dll

Insert a semi-colon (turns the line into a comment) at the start of this line so it now reads: 
 ;extension=eaccelerator.dll

Restart the Moodle server using the "stop moodle" and then the "start moodle" programs in your server folder. You should now find that all of your changes to your CSS are reflected as soon as you save the file and refresh your browser cache (usually you can refresh your cache by pressing F5). This FAQ from a discussion at [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=151562#p663950 Deactivating caching with XAMPP installations]

== See also ==

* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?f=29 Themes forum]
* [[CSS FAQ]]
* [http://learn.open.ac.uk/mod/oublog/view.php?user=155976 "Understanding Moodle Themes"] - Blog post by [http://moodle.org/user/view.php?id=78896&course=5 Christopher Douce] (Open University)
* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=149534 Testing 2.0. Use for modern vs old browsers] forum discussion



[[Category:FAQ]]
[[de:Designs_FAQ]]