How to create a SharePoint theme and apply to OOB & custom web parts?

Let’s start from creating a custom theme for MOSS 2007 and WSS3.0. Here are the steps :-

1) Copy the “WHEAT” folder from “C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\THEMES” and paste it in the same folder. Change the new folder name to “Navdeep”.

2) Rename the WHEAT.INF to NAVDEEP.INF inside the “Navdeep” folder.

3) Open the NAVDEEP.INF file in a notepad. Change the [info]’s title from “Wheat” to “Navdeep” as shown in the following table :-

[info] title=Wheat codepage=65001 version=3.00 format=3.00 readonly=true refcount=0

[info] title=Navdeep codepage=65001 version=3.00 format=3.00 readonly=true refcount=0

4) Change the “Wheat” to “Navdeep” under the [titles] as shown in the following table :-

[titles] 1031=Wheat 1036=Wheat 1040=Wheat 3082=Wheat 1043=Wheat 1046=Wheat 1053=Wheat 1044=Wheat 1030=Wheat 1035=Wheat 1041=Wheat 1042=Wheat 1028=Wheat 2052=Wheat 1029=Wheat 1045=Wheat 1032=Wheat 1038=Wheat 1055=Wheat 2070=Wheat 1025=Wheat 1037=Wheat 1054=Wheat

[titles] 1031=Navdeep 1036=Navdeep 1040=Navdeep 3082=Navdeep 1043=Navdeep 1046=Navdeep 1053=Navdeep 1044=Navdeep 1030=Navdeep 1035=Navdeep 1041=Navdeep 1042=Navdeep 1028=Navdeep 2052=Navdeep 1029=Navdeep 1045=Navdeep 1032=Navdeep 1038=Navdeep 1055= Navdeep 2070=Navdeep 1025=Navdeep 1037=Navdeep 1054=Navdeep

5) Open the “ C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\LAYOUTS\1033\SPTHEMES.XML “ and add the following code :-

<Templates>

<TemplateID>Navdeep</TemplateID>

<DisplayName>Navdeep</DisplayName>

<Description>Navdeep has a golden background with brown control areas.</Description>

<Thumbnail>images/Navdeep.gif</Thumbnail>

<Preview>images/Navdeep.gif</Preview>

</Templates>

6) Paste the Navdeep.gif file at the images folder i.e “C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\IMAGES”

7) Do an IISRESET and Go to Site settings -> Site themes.

In one case, in a newly created theme and “theme.css” has been hard coded the OOB web parts. Here is the sample example :-

/* this gives every web part a white bg*/

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ1,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ2,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ3,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ4,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ5,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ6,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ7,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ8,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ9,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ10,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ11,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ12,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ13,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ14,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ15,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ16,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ17,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ19,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ20,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ21,

#MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ22,

{

background-color:#000;

padding: 10px;

font-size: 10pt;

}

NOTE :- MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ1, MSOZoneCell_WebPartWPQ2 etc are client side ids for the web parts DIV.

Because of this modication, OOB web parts get the new setting but the custom web parts didn’t get the same look and feel. To workaround this, we have done the following changes :-

1) Created a new class named “Navdeep” in the theme.css file :-
.Navdeep{

background-color:#000;

padding: 10px;

font-size: 10pt;

}

2) Added the following javascript in all the custom web parts :-

 protected override void Render(HtmlTextWriter writer)
         {
             
             string elementID = "MSOZoneCell_WebPart" this.ClientID.ToString();
             writer.Write("<script language='javascript'>var obj = document.getElementById('" + elementID + "');  obj.setAttribute('className','Navdeep');</script>");
             base.Render(writer);
            
         }