WD2000: How to Modify a Theme

A theme is a set of unified design elements and color schemes for background images, bullets, fonts, horizontal lines, and other document elements. A theme helps you easily create professional and well-designed documents for viewing in Word, in e-mail, or on the Web.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This article explains how to change the graphics, styles, and colors used in a theme by making those changes in Microsoft FrontPage. A theme cannot be modified in Microsoft Word.

Unlike a Word template, a theme does not provide AutoText entries, custom toolbars, macros, menu settings, or shortcut keys. A theme provides a custom look for your document by using color, fonts, and graphics.

When you apply a theme to a Word document, the following elements are applied to the document:

• Background color or graphic
• Body and heading styles
• Bullets
• Horizontal lines
• Hyperlink colors
• Table border color

IMPORTANT NOTE: A theme comprises two files (an .elm file and an .inf file) and cannot be modified in Microsoft Word. To edit a theme, you must make the changes in Microsoft FrontPage.

Themes are saved to the following folder: To create a new theme, you must change an existing one and then save your changes under a new name. To save the theme, click Save As, type a name for the new theme, and then click OK.


You can change each of the following attributes in a theme:

Change the Colors Used in a Theme

You can change the colors that are used in a particular theme. For example, active hyperlinks in the Artsy theme are green; you can change this color to red. You can also change the colors of other page and text elements, such as the color of body and heading text, banner text, navigation bar labels, table borders, and the background. In addition, each theme has two color sets--normal and vivid. You can specify the colors to use for both sets.

When you modify a preset theme, you must save your changes to a new theme; you cannot overwrite a preset theme. For example, if you modify the Artsy theme, save your changes to a new theme called "My Theme".

To change the colors used in a theme, follow these steps in Microsoft FrontPage:

1. On the Format menu, click Theme.
2. In the list, click the theme that you want to modify.
3. Click Modify, click Colors, and then click the Custom tab.
4. Under Theme color set, specify whether you want to change colors in the normal or vivid color set.
5. In the Item box, click the item for which you want to change the color, and then specify the color you want to use in the Color box.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each item for which you want to change the color.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Save As, type a new name for the theme (unless you modified a custom theme), and then click OK.

Change the Graphics Used in a Theme

You can replace the graphics that are used in a particular theme with graphics of your own. For example, you can replace the background picture used in the Blends theme with a graphic that you create. You can also change other graphical elements, such as the page banner, bullets, navigation buttons, and horizontal line. You can also specify the font to use for those graphical elements that are displayed with text.

In addition, each theme has two sets of graphics--normal and active. You can specify the graphics to use for either set. When you apply the theme, be sure to select the graphic set that you customized.

When you modify a preset theme, you must save your changes to a new theme; you cannot overwrite a preset theme. For example, if you modify the Blends theme, save your changes to a new theme called "My Theme".

To change the graphics used in a theme, follow these steps in Microsoft FrontPage:

1. On the Format menu, click Theme.
2. In the list, click the theme that you want to modify.
3. Click Modify, and then click Graphics.
4. Under Theme graphic set, specify whether you want to change graphics in the normal or active set (if Background Picture is selected on the Picture tab, you cannot specify the graphic set to change).
5. On the Picture tab in the Item box, click the graphical element that you want to change.
6. Specify the picture or pictures that you want to use; depending on the element that you select, one or more options are displayed. For example, for Bullet List, you can specify three different bullets. To find the graphic in the current Web or file system, click Browse.
   
   NOTE: If the graphical element that you select displays text, the options on the Font tab are available, and you can change the font.
7. Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 for each graphical element that you want to change.
8. Click OK.
9. Click Save As, type a new name for the theme (unless you modified a custom theme), and then click OK.

Change the Styles Used in a Theme

You can change the styles that are used in a particular theme. For example, you can change the font of body and heading styles in the Capsules theme from Arial to Times New Roman. However, if you want to change the font that is displayed on a graphical element (for example, the font used on page banners), you must change the graphic.

When you modify a preset theme, you must save your changes to a new theme; you cannot overwrite a preset theme. For example, if you modify the Capsules theme, save your changes to a new theme called "My Theme".

To change the styles used in a theme, follow these steps in Microsoft FrontPage:

1. On the Format menu, click Theme.
2. In the list, click the theme that you want to modify.
3. Click Modify, and then click Text.
4. In the Item box, click the style that you want to change. Under Font, click the font that you want to use. Repeat this step for each style that you want to change.
5. To change styles further (for example, to change the font attributes for a particular style), click More Text Styles, modify styles as needed, and then click OK to return to the Modify Theme dialog box.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Save As, type a new name for the theme (unless you modified a custom theme), and then click OK.

For more information about themes in Microsoft Word, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type themes in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

For more information about themes in Microsoft FrontPage, click Microsoft FrontPage Help on the Help menu, type themes in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.