Changing the theme of a layout
You can change the theme of an existing layout. When you change a layout’s theme, FileMaker Pro applies the attributes of the new theme to all objects on the layout, with the following exceptions:
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For objects containing text, the font color and font family change to the default style defined in the theme. However, all other text properties, such as text size, are retained.
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Buttons created using versions of FileMaker Pro earlier than version 12 retain their original formatting.
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If objects on the layout and the layout background are filled with an image, the image is retained. However, layout parts filled with an image display the fill defined in the new theme.
To change the theme of a layout:
1.
In Layout mode, display the layout you want to change.
You see the name of the current theme in the layout bar.
2.
In the status toolbar, click Layout Theme button to display the Change Theme dialog box.
Tip  You can also choose Layouts menu > Change Theme.
 
To
Do this
Apply a theme from this file
Select a theme in the Layout themes list to display a preview of each theme.
Apply a theme from another FileMaker Pro file
Click Import Themes, choose the file containing the theme(s) you want to import, and click Open. Select one or more themes in the Import Themes dialog box, and click OK. Then select a theme in the Layout themes list.
3.
Click OK to apply the selected theme to the current layout.
Notes
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The styles of layout objects are controlled by the layout’s theme. If the pre-designed themes do not display the object styles you want, you can create a custom theme. For information about creating a theme, see Saving and managing layout themes.
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Any objects you add to a layout are formatted according to the new theme’s attributes. You can use the Inspector to apply styles to objects or reformat the font and buttons after you change the theme, or you can copy and paste font styles from the original text objects to new text objects. See Copying formatting attributes between layout objects, parts, or backgrounds.
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When you change the theme of a layout:
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if the same name is used for saved custom styles in the old and new themes, the attributes of the new theme's style will be used (names that differ only in case, for example, BULLET and bullet, are considered to be the same)
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any unsaved changes to styles stored at the layout level are deleted (see Creating and working with styles for layout objects, parts, and the layout background)
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If you change the theme of a layout and then undo the change, you have two levels of undo. The first undo keeps the new theme but reveals any attributes previously applied to your objects that were not saved as styles. The second undo reverts to how the layout looked before you changed the theme.
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You might need to resize layout parts and layout objects after the theme is applied for the layout to display properly. See Using tools to precisely position objects.
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If the current layout theme has a border, the border corresponds to the width of the layout. If you resize the layout in Layout mode, the border resizes proportionally. To allow the layout border to resize in Browse mode when database users resize the FileMaker Pro window, specify that objects automatically resize horizontally on the layout. See Setting auto-resize options for layout objects.
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Some themes have additional predefined styles for some objects. If you switch to a theme that doesn’t support additional predefined styles, any objects formatted with additional styles are reset to default styles. If you later switch to a theme that again supports additional predefined styles, objects retain the default style setting. You can use the Styles tab in the Inspector to reapply the additional predefined style. See About layout object, part, and background styles.
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To make data easier to read in portal fields, consider using predefined styles named Minimal. See Viewing and applying layout object, part, or background styles.
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Occasionally FileMaker Pro software updates include formatting changes for the predefined themes. If a solution uses an older version of a predefined theme (or a custom theme based on an older version of a predefined theme) and you have write permission for the file, FileMaker Pro applies formatting changes automatically when you switch to Layout mode, switch to a different layout, or change the layout's theme.
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If you’re creating a layout to be used with FileMaker Go, choose one of the Touch themes.
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If you’re creating a layout to be printed, choose one of the Print themes.
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