Editing Branding Stylesheets

You can open a branding stylesheet and edit the settings. The elements in the project that are associated with those branding variables will automatically display the changes when you build and view the output.

Permission Required?

Editing content and project files is an activity available to users with the Author status. By default, users with Author status have the following permissions set:

  • If this is deselected, then viewing files in a read-only mode is allowed. On the left side of the page, the Files vertical three-dot menu is not available.

  • If this is deselected, the XHTML in the Code view is read-only.

    Editing code is regarded as a capability for an advanced user. If not done properly, the code can become malformed quickly. Administrators can prevent users from editing the code by deselecting the Edit Code permission.

For more information about permissions, see Setting User Permissions or Setting Team Permissions.

How to Edit a Branding Stylesheet

  1. Open a project, and select the Files tab at the top.

  2. From the left side of the page, with All Files showing, navigate to and select a branding stylesheet file.

    Tip Click the All Files drop-down, and select Stylesheets. This filters only the cascading stylesheet (CSS) files (or folders that might contain them).

  3. In the Branding Stylesheet Editor, click Edit.

    Tip From the left side of the page, you can right-click to select and open a branding stylesheet directly in editing mode. From this menu, you can also rename, delete, or view raw (i.e., opens the file code in a browser). See Renaming Branding Stylesheets, and Deleting Branding Stylesheets.

  4. You can choose branding colors, a font family, logo, and hero image to apply to your project.

    Colors

    You can type a hexadecimal number (e.g., #000000) directly in the field, or you can click the circle to the right of the field to open a popup. From the popup, you can click to select a color.

    • Primary The main brand color. For example, the primary color might impact H1 headings for some templates.

    • Secondary Another brand color.

    • Lightest The lightest color (e.g., white, off-white) for ancillary purposes.

    • Light A light color for ancillary purposes.

    • Medium A medium color for ancillary purposes.

    • Dark A dark color for ancillary purposes.

    • Darkest The darkest color (e.g., black, dark gray) for ancillary purposes.

      Note The branding colors are designed to progress from lighter to darker shades. The colors are used for the preview and throughout the rest of the project, so use caution when changing a color from one extreme to another. For example, if you change a lighter element to a darker color, this could display dark content on top of other dark content. For the best results, adhere to the gradient progression.

      Tip You can change the colors from a light theme to a dark mode by selecting the reverse type of color that the color field suggests. For example, for the Lightest field you would select the darkest color and the Darkest field would be the lightest. It is a good idea to test the colors in the output to make sure they look the way you intend.

    Font

    • FontFamily You can type a specific font family (e.g., Arial, Tahoma, Verdana) directly in the field. If you clear the field and click it, you can select from a variety of font families.

      In addition, you can type a series of fonts (i.e., a font set) into the field, separated by commas. A font set is a collection of font families. You can create a font set in order to designate the substitute fonts to use when the preferred font is not available on the user's computer. If the first (i.e., preferred) font family in the set is not found on the user's computer, the second font family in the set is used. If the second font family is not found, the third font family is used, and so on. Because different types of computers and operating systems do not always have the same fonts, it is recommended that you try to include fonts that cover all of the circumstances.

      Example You want to use Arial if possible. Therefore, you list that font type first in the font set. Next you might add a similar font that is found on Mac computers, such as Helvetica, since Macs might not use Arial. And third, you might add a generic font type, such as Sans-serif. So in the end you would enter Arial, Helvetica, Sans-serif.

      Note When using a factory project template, a font family is automatically set for the body style in the regular stylesheet. All lower elements in the hierarchy use it. To use a different font for an element within body, you can change it in the regular stylesheet. For example, you might want to update the h2 and h3 styles to a different font (other than the inherited body style).

    Images

    • HeroImage The main hero image shown on the home or cover page of the output. This lets you select an image for the background. Click in the field to select an image file. The default banner image at the top of online output, or the large image on a PDF title page, is replaced with the selected hero image file.

    • LogoImage The main logo of your company or product. This lets you select an image for the background. Click in the field to select an image file. The default logo is replaced with the selected logo image file. A raster image (e.g., PNG) is suitable for online output.

    • LogoImagePrint The main logo of your company or product, intended for print-based output. This lets you select an image for the background. Click in the field to select an image file. Templates that include a PDF allow you to select a vector image (e.g., EPS, SVG), which is made up of geometric elements and provides more clarity for printed output. If you use a raster image it might appear pixelated in the output.

    • BigLogo The main logo of your company or product. This is used only in Flare's Brochure factory template to display a large version of the logo in one of panels. By default it is set to use a PNG file, but you can select a different file format, including a vector image.

  5. Click Commit. (Or click Cancel, to back out of the process.)

  6. In the Create New Commit dialog, enter a Commit Message.

  7. Click Commit.

Note From the top of the interface, you can select Edit Code to add, edit, or remove items in the XML code directly. The editor only displays properties that it can edit. It is recommended that only more advanced authors use this editing mode.