Apply a Theme to all sub sites in SharePoint 2007

Apply a Theme to all sub sites:

(works for MOSS 2007 only, not WSS 3.0)

Change the top site to the theme of your choice using the normal method in Site Actions > Site Settings > Site Theme.
Navigate to the top site to see the newly applied theme.
View the HTML source of the SharePoint page using the theme you want.
Look for a link tag containing the .css file for the applied theme. It will look something like this:
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" id="onetidThemeCSS" href="/apps/afe/_themes/Belltown/Bell1011-65001.css?rev=12%2E0%2E0%2E4518"/>
Copy the href value to your clipboard or to a text file if you like. It should look something like:
/apps/afe/_themes/Belltown/Bell1011-65001.css
On your top level site, go to the Site Actions > Site Settings > Master Page screen.
Scroll to the bottom where the Alternate CSS URL section is. Select the "Specify a CSS file…" option.
Paste the path copied from the href above into the text box.
Check the Reset all sub-sites to inherit this alternate CSS URL option.
Click OK.
Navigate to your sub-sites and verify the theme has been applied.

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(Migrated Comments from my old blog)

When I view the Source code, there is no custom info.

I only see the default core.css

Am I looking in the wrong place?
at 1/3/2008 3:22 PM
Finding the style for the applied theme

Be sure to change the theme of your top level site first. You should then see a link similar to this. In this example, I chose the Belltown theme.

Mark at 1/11/2008 8:04 AM
Re: Apply a Theme to all sub sites in SharePoint 2007

Thank you very much Wagner. I have one more doubt like how can I remove the search box from top of the site from all the pages? I was unable to do that. Please helop me. Thanks in advance
at 2/21/2008 9:36 AM
Failed to do this operation

Hi Wagner,
I did all the steps you have mentioned. But, the master page is not applied to subsites..What could be the problem?
at 6/2/2008 7:53 AM
Re: Failed to do this operation

This will not apply the master page to all subsite. This only applies a custom style to the subsites. However, there is built-in support in MOSS 2007 to apply a master page to all subsites. You can refer to the same page. Go to Site Actions > Site Settings > Master Page. You will see an option to select a master page and also a checkbox to optionally apply it to all sub sites.
Mark at 6/6/2008 2:38 PM
Perfect

This worked like a charm! Great post, exactly what I was looking for!
at 6/25/2008 7:40 PM
Only Works if a custom theme has not been selected before

If a sub site has had a custom theme applied before then the steps outlined do not work. It is necessary to delete the _themes folder for the sub site(s) to ensure that inheritance will work.

JP
at 8/26/2008 10:52 AM
css on InfoPath forms

Hi, Great blog!

Was wondering, is it possible to apply css file to InfoPath forms used in workflows that are displayed using Forms Services? When I view source of a page I can see link references to css files – but can I change or override these with my own?

thanks
at 9/25/2008 3:56 AM
no alternate CSS link in Master Pages screen

There is no alternate CSS link in the Master pages screen. Just a list of master pages. What am I doing wrong? I am a full administrator.
at 10/2/2008 4:59 PM
Re: no alternate CSS link in Master Pages screen

This post discusses a feature that is available only in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007. You must be using WSS 3.0 and not MOSS 2007. WSS 3.0 does have a “Master pages” (note the plural page”s”) link under the Galleries section of Site Settings. This is the list of master pages available to the site collection.

MOSS 2007 has a “Master pages and page layouts” link under the Galleries section that provides the same list of master pages available to the site collection, but also supports page layouts. However, MOSS 2007, not WSS 3.0, also has a “Master page” link in the Look and Feel section of Site Settings. Again, this option is available only to MOSS 2007 and provides the ability to configure the settings for the Master Page settings for the current site.
Mark at 10/3/2008 1:21 PM
Re: no alternate CSS link

We are in fact using MOSS 2007 and many features of MOSS 2007 including MySite which we would not be able to use if this was only a WSS installation.

There is no “Master Page” link in the Look and Feel section of Site Settings. I wonder is there any way this could have been hidden or turned off? We pretty much did an out of the box installation for a small server farm.
at 10/7/2008 8:31 AM
Re: no alternate CSS link

We are in fact using MOSS 2007 and many features of MOSS 2007 including MySite which we would not be able to use if this was only a WSS installation.

I am using MOSS 2007 including MySite which isn’t available with just WSS.

Yet there is no master page link under Look and Feel section of site settings within our MOSS environment. What could have happened to it?
at 10/10/2008 12:18 PM
Cool Dude.

Thanks for the tip mate :)

at 11/12/2008 4:21 AM
Great tip

It feels a little like a hack, (why doesn’t SharePoint include a “apply to subsites” checkbox on the Themes page?) but thanks for the tip! Saved me a lot of time.
at 12/12/2008 10:21 AM
MySite Themes

Hi Wagner, i want to change the theme in public views of mysite, how can?
at 2/11/2009 10:30 AM
Application Theme

Hi Mark,

It has helped me tremendously.

I however, need to find out why the site theme is not applied to the application?

Regards,
Itumeleng Ramothata
at 6/25/2009 2:52 AM
Sharepoint themes

Nice post,

Sharepoint themes are not the so tuf as it is thought, its very simple to be made with your own design, to know more about it, look here to know how to make ur own theme,

http://santhoz-teaches.blogspot.com/2009/02/sharepoint-themes-unveiled.html

And to download lots of sharepoint themes, http://www.buytemplates.net

Regards,
Santhosh
http://santhoz-teaches.blogspot.com
at 7/1/2009 8:30 AM

2 thoughts on “Apply a Theme to all sub sites in SharePoint 2007”

Mark Wagner

September 27, 2010 at 9:29 am

(Migrated Comments from my old blog)

When I view the Source code, there is no custom info.

I only see the default core.css

Am I looking in the wrong place?
at 1/3/2008 3:22 PM
Finding the style for the applied theme

Be sure to change the theme of your top level site first. You should then see a link similar to this. In this example, I chose the Belltown theme.

Mark at 1/11/2008 8:04 AM
Re: Apply a Theme to all sub sites in SharePoint 2007

Thank you very much Wagner. I have one more doubt like how can I remove the search box from top of the site from all the pages? I was unable to do that. Please helop me. Thanks in advance
at 2/21/2008 9:36 AM
Failed to do this operation

Hi Wagner,
I did all the steps you have mentioned. But, the master page is not applied to subsites..What could be the problem?
at 6/2/2008 7:53 AM
Re: Failed to do this operation

This will not apply the master page to all subsite. This only applies a custom style to the subsites. However, there is built-in support in MOSS 2007 to apply a master page to all subsites. You can refer to the same page. Go to Site Actions > Site Settings > Master Page. You will see an option to select a master page and also a checkbox to optionally apply it to all sub sites.
Mark at 6/6/2008 2:38 PM
Perfect

This worked like a charm! Great post, exactly what I was looking for!
at 6/25/2008 7:40 PM
Only Works if a custom theme has not been selected before

If a sub site has had a custom theme applied before then the steps outlined do not work. It is necessary to delete the _themes folder for the sub site(s) to ensure that inheritance will work.

JP
at 8/26/2008 10:52 AM
css on InfoPath forms

Hi, Great blog!

Was wondering, is it possible to apply css file to InfoPath forms used in workflows that are displayed using Forms Services? When I view source of a page I can see link references to css files – but can I change or override these with my own?

thanks
at 9/25/2008 3:56 AM
no alternate CSS link in Master Pages screen

There is no alternate CSS link in the Master pages screen. Just a list of master pages. What am I doing wrong? I am a full administrator.
at 10/2/2008 4:59 PM
Re: no alternate CSS link in Master Pages screen

This post discusses a feature that is available only in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007. You must be using WSS 3.0 and not MOSS 2007. WSS 3.0 does have a “Master pages” (note the plural page”s”) link under the Galleries section of Site Settings. This is the list of master pages available to the site collection.

MOSS 2007 has a “Master pages and page layouts” link under the Galleries section that provides the same list of master pages available to the site collection, but also supports page layouts. However, MOSS 2007, not WSS 3.0, also has a “Master page” link in the Look and Feel section of Site Settings. Again, this option is available only to MOSS 2007 and provides the ability to configure the settings for the Master Page settings for the current site.
Mark at 10/3/2008 1:21 PM
Re: no alternate CSS link

We are in fact using MOSS 2007 and many features of MOSS 2007 including MySite which we would not be able to use if this was only a WSS installation.

There is no “Master Page” link in the Look and Feel section of Site Settings. I wonder is there any way this could have been hidden or turned off? We pretty much did an out of the box installation for a small server farm.
at 10/7/2008 8:31 AM
Re: no alternate CSS link

We are in fact using MOSS 2007 and many features of MOSS 2007 including MySite which we would not be able to use if this was only a WSS installation.

There is no “Master Page” link in the Look and Feel section of Site Settings. I wonder is there any way this could have been hidden or turned off? We pretty much did an out of the box installation for a small server farm.
at 10/7/2008 10:35 AM
Re: no alternate CSS link in Master Pages

I am using MOSS 2007 including MySite which isn’t available with just WSS.

Yet there is no master page link under Look and Feel section of site settings within our MOSS environment. What could have happened to it?
at 10/10/2008 12:18 PM
Cool Dude.

Thanks for the tip mate :)

at 11/12/2008 4:21 AM
Great tip

It feels a little like a hack, (why doesn’t SharePoint include a “apply to subsites” checkbox on the Themes page?) but thanks for the tip! Saved me a lot of time.
at 12/12/2008 10:21 AM
MySite Themes

Hi Wagner, i want to change the theme in public views of mysite, how can?
at 2/11/2009 10:30 AM
Application Theme

Hi Mark,

It has helped me tremendously.

I however, need to find out why the site theme is not applied to the application?

Regards,
Itumeleng Ramothata
at 6/25/2009 2:52 AM
Sharepoint themes

Nice post,

Sharepoint themes are not the so tuf as it is thought, its very simple to be made with your own design, to know more about it, look here to know how to make ur own theme,

http://santhoz-teaches.blogspot.com/2009/02/sharepoint-themes-unveiled.html

And to download lots of sharepoint themes, http://www.buytemplates.net

Regards,
Santhosh
http://santhoz-teaches.blogspot.com
at 7/1/2009 8:30 AM

Sonam

July 23, 2012 at 12:35 am

Hello in one of my subsites, the theme is not set to “Classic” but still it takes the theme from the uppersite. how to stop this.lease guide.

Maverick Limited

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

Apply a Theme to all sub sites in SharePoint 2007

2 thoughts on “Apply a Theme to all sub sites in SharePoint 2007”

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