# Desktop Theme

Andrew Lake
2013-06-02
&kde; 4.11
KDE System Settings desktop theme plasma

## Theme tab

A list of available themes is displayed on this tab. Select a theme by clicking on an item in the list.

Use the Get New Themes button to launch the Get Hot New Stuff dialog and download additional themes from the Internet.

## Details tab

A &kde; plasma desktop theme is made up of several components or items, consisting mostly in svg backgrounds and colors schemes. This module allows you to customize your desktop Plasma theme and to replace theme items with items from other themes or from files.

Desktop theme items consist in panel theme item, kickoff theme item, analog clock, ...

If you want to change your current theme for a full new theme (for example from Air to Glassified) then you can do so in the Theme tab.

### Quick start

First download one or several themes you want to use to customize your desktop items by clicking the Get New Themes... button in the Theme tab.

All the available themes will be displayed on top, the current one being highlighted.

In the theme list, select a base theme that will be used for most widgets and start customizing each item you want to change with a new theme, for example you can have the panel in Glassified theme, the widget backgrounds in Air and so on.

Here Air is the theme for most widgets and we changed the panel background to Glassified, the Analog clock to Glassified and the Notes to Oxygen.

Customizing your plasma theme

Customizing your plasma theme

Clicking the Apply will create a new theme named (Customized) and will apply it to your desktop.

### Creating a custom theme

When the module is opened, it will show items from the current desktop theme. If you would like to start customizing with a different theme, select it from the box above the list of theme items. This theme from the box is the starting theme, the base for your new customized desktop theme.

In the list of items, for each item you would like to replace, select replacement item from the drop list for that item. You may select the corresponding item from another theme, or you may select a file. &plasma; desktop theme items are svg files, except for the color scheme which is a &kde; color scheme file.

Click Apply when all the changes have been made. This will create a new theme named (Customized) which you can select from the Appearance Settings dialog on the desktop.

Your custom theme

Customized

The theme items listed are the most visible components of the plasma desktop theme. Other theme components are not listed. Your newly created theme will use these unlisted components from the theme that you selected at the start of creating the customized theme.

### Naming a custom theme

To provide a name for your customized theme, click on the More checkbox and enter the name of the theme. You may also provide your name (author), a theme version and a description of your theme. Click Apply when done.

### Removing a theme

Select the theme you would like to remove from the box above the list of theme items. Click on the More check box. Click the Remove Theme button to remove the selected theme.

### Exporting a theme to a file

You can share your newly customized theme with the community by exporting the theme to a file. Select your customized theme from the box above the list of theme items. Click on the More check box. Click the Export Theme to File.... Enter the name of the zip file to which the theme will be saved.