Confluence theme plugin - extend default theme not basic theme

[alexbernotas]

Hi,

I would like to create a plugin that extends the "Default Theme" and not the "BasicTheme".

I'm following the "Create a Theme" tutorial (on atlassian.com) but all the examples are for extending the "BasicTheme" but this theme doesnt have the advance layouts like the "Defaul Theme" does.

Is this possible to achieve or I have to recreate the whole "Default Theme"?

All I want is to include a unique css file to restyle the content editing of theme theme in tinymce and globaly in some areas, the plugin Theme creation tutorial allows us to achieve what we want but we loose the default themes lyout features.

[discountrobot · Accepted solution]

Hey Alex, one way to achive the default layout paring with your own styles would be to use fetch the default layout vmd files here: http://localhost:1990/confluence/admin/listdecorators.action

and add them to your theme like so:

<theme>
...
        <layout key="${project.groupId}.${project.artifactId}:main"/>
        <layout key="${project.groupId}.${project.artifactId}:global"/>
        <layout key="${project.groupId}.${project.artifactId}:page"/>
...
</theme>

<layout key="main" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/main.vmd">
        <resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/main.vmd" />
    </layout>

    <layout key="global" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/global.vmd">
        <resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/global.vmd" />
    </layout>

    <layout key="page" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/page.vmd">
        <resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/page.vmd" />
    </layout>

    <layout key="space" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/space.vmd">
        <resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/space.vmd" />
    </layout>

You will have to override the hasSpaceSideBar() function in several of the layout files.

[alexbernotas]

Hi @DiscountrobotI tried adding the layout tags to the theme and looked at the suggested URL but I still get the message "You can not customise the site look and feel while a theme is active. You must first disable the currently configured theme." when I navigate to that URL.

I added the main.vmd file to project/src/main/resources/main.vmd

[alexbernotas]

@DiscountrobotI didnt notice the update you've done let me try that

[discountrobot]

You have to disable the current theme to see the default layout files.

What you're trying to do could essentially be achived by adding styles in the Look & Feel section and customising the default layout files

[alexbernotas]

@DiscountrobotI tried out the layout attributes that you just recently posted and now the theme is not appearing in the Themes section. i tried the exact example you posted (but just using main.vmd) and changed to BasicTheme as well which gives the same result:

<theme key="simpletheme" name="Simple Theme" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.BasicTheme">
        <description>A simple custom theme</description>
        <param name="includeClassicStyles" value="false"/>
        <resource type="download" name="default-theme.css" location="/includes/css/default-theme.css">
            <param name="source" value="webContext"/>
        </resource>

        <resource type="download" name="theme-tutorial.css" location="/css/theme-tutorial.css"/>

        <layout key="main" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.BasicTheme" overrides="/decorators/main.vmd">
            <resource type="simpletheme" name="decorator" location="/layouts/main.vmd" />
        </layout>

    </theme>

[discountrobot]

My mistake, the tinyMCE editor is crap here.

You have to define the overrides outside of the theme declaration and then reference them by the key

<theme>
    ...
    <layout key="${project.groupId}.${project.artifactId}:main"/>
    <layout key="${project.groupId}.${project.artifactId}:global"/>
    <layout key="${project.groupId}.${project.artifactId}:page"/>
    ...
</theme>

...

<layout key="main" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/main.vmd">
    <resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/main.vmd" />
</layout>

<layout key="global" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/global.vmd">
    <resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/global.vmd" />
</layout>

<layout key="page" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/page.vmd">
    <resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/page.vmd" />
</layout>

<layout key="space" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/space.vmd">
    <resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/space.vmd" />
</layout>

[alexbernotas]

Ok I'll try that

[alexbernotas]

@Discountrobotthanks man I was able to make it work. Cheers!

[Martin Bayer _MoroSystems_ s_r_o__]

Hello, I tried to follow the steps you described:

1. I created my own theme

2. then added:

   <theme>
   	...
   	<layout key="${project.groupId}.${project.artifactId}:main"/>
   	<layout key="${project.groupId}.${project.artifactId}:global"/>
   	<layout key="${project.groupId}.${project.artifactId}:page"/>
   	<layout key="${project.groupId}.${project.artifactId}:space"/>
   </theme>
   <layout key="main" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/main.vmd">
   		<resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/main.vmd" />
   	</layout>
   	<layout key="global" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/global.vmd">
   		<resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/global.vmd" />
   	</layout>
   	<layout key="page" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/page.vmd">
   		<resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/page.vmd" />
   	</layout>
   	<layout key="space" name="Main Decorator" class="com.atlassian.confluence.themes.VelocityDecorator" overrides="/decorators/space.vmd">
   		<resource type="velocity" name="decorator" location="/layouts/space.vmd" />
   	</layout>

3. I coppied all four layouts files to the "layouts" folder to the project's resources location

Did I understand it correctly or do I need to do anything else?

My problem is that I always get following exception when I try to use my theme plugin:

java.lang.RuntimeException: Error rendering template for decorator root
    at com.atlassian.confluence.setup.velocity.ApplyDecoratorDirective.render(ApplyDecoratorDirective.java:191)

caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Error rendering template for decorator page
    at com.atlassian.confluence.setup.velocity.ApplyDecoratorDirective.render(ApplyDecoratorDirective.java:191)

caused by: org.apache.velocity.exception.ResourceNotFoundException: Unable to find resource '/com/atlassian/confluence/plugins/labels/components/labels-editor.vm'
    at com.atlassian.confluence.util.velocity.ConfigurableResourceManager.loadResource(ConfigurableResourceManager.java:406)