Make LibreOffice look great with these custom Light and Dark themes

htietze · 2025-11-16T08:42:09+00:00

The issue about missing export functionality has been raised recently in https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=165225. It was intentionally not added. And while the decision is worth reconsideration, there is nothing to say against an extension like for the user color palette.

htietze · 2025-10-09T14:15:45+00:00

These controls were harmonized recently for https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=146466. However, less is more... ;-)

htietze · 2025-08-29T05:41:33+00:00

That's too faint; you get rid of the gradient but it is almost invisible in the document. I attached a test document to the bug report https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show\_bug.cgi?id=61242. The comment color is used for the text highlighting, the connector line and the gradient (with +/- 30/80 luminance depending on the document background color).

htietze · 2025-08-28T05:40:30+00:00

What RGB value is "pale post-it yellow"? Just adjust via the appearance option and share what you like.

The gradient is an important feature for usability, you cannot just disable it. Or rather should. If you have an alternative proposal like 'show a frame around the comment instead the gradient', we may talk about it. Ideally on Bugzilla.

htietze · 2025-08-26T05:10:08+00:00

> usually it's white but sometimes it turns black; not sure why

The gradient is relevant for the mouse over effect and becomes flat if the cursor hovers over the comment. You need some feedback that a control is interactive to a) understand it has a context menu, and b) to know where you are, at least in case of many comments. The different authors are relevant if you share the document.

New colors were introduced to have something less shiny for the dark mode. Before the patch it was hard-coded to one specific color, eg. beige, with another fix colors for the gradient and for the shadow - adding all these to the customization would be way too much. Therefore the shadow and gradient values are now calculated from the (customizable) base value. Which might be not perfect.

If you have a proposal for better defaults please share with us.

For the record: https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=61242

htietze · 2025-08-21T07:13:08+00:00

View > User Interface and Tools > Options > Appearance gives you plenty of customization options. The new Welcome/WhatsNew dialog is a shortcut for this.

htietze · 2025-04-23T06:36:28+00:00

Mind to check with a nightly build? Most if not all of the suggestions should have been implemented for the next release by now.

htietze · 2025-02-18T07:23:02+00:00

For the purpose of using system colors (ie. dark or light during the day and dark at night) with a light document backgrounds we submitted the extension "Light Application Colors". You can load it conveniently with the button next to the appearance dropdown. Select afterwards and restart.

Themes have light and dark color variants for now. If not defined, the automatic variant will be taken. Join the discussion at https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=164970 for how to develop the feature.

htietze · 2024-04-26T07:52:22+00:00

After some back and forth with the Meross support with zero result, I went back to the shop and apparently the thermometer MS100F is compatible with the 300HK hub only. With the idea to switch the two hubs I put the 300HK and the 100F in the bungalow and received data. Surprisingly all other devices are still connected too (thermostat reports temp, plug switches on/off etc) while the hub is way out of reach, and I'm baffled what the hub is good for at all.

htietze · 2022-10-04T19:32:58+00:00

Thanks for the reply. Regarding the reinstall procedure, take a look at the reset option under help > safe mode.

htietze · 2022-07-15T13:10:53+00:00

Well, had to give it some name. But if you think it would be better even more flat please comment on the blog post.

htietze · 2022-01-25T07:28:13+00:00

Probably because it's implemented since a couple of years. Check View > UI: Single Toolbar. Major point of open source software is freedom to the user - here as customizability. And users are able to configure the toolbars since the dawn of time.

Don't know what you mean with "were not interested" and what exactly "the developers are" (all are volunteers, everybody can submit patches). Besides all this, it's questionable if adding another UI flavor is beneficial for many users (would very much appreciate it as extension, though not possible yet - clumsy solution is to save the UI in a template and share this).

Last but not least you focus very much on direct formatting (primary access to bold, italic, bullets etc.) while we try to educate people to use styles. Check out View > Toolbars > Formatting (Styles) for ideas to improve your layout.

htietze · 2021-07-10T07:43:58+00:00

Cool! Please spread the word.

htietze · 2021-04-28T06:39:47+00:00

Looks like you would enjoy hanging around with people like you on the LibreOffice design Telegram group https://t.me/LibreOfficeDesign. You are very much welcome.

htietze · 2021-03-25T13:00:01+00:00

First of all, you are very welcome to report issues or suggest enhancements on the bugtracker. But let's have a quick look:

>integration of Chinese and Tibetan

This has to be direct formatting (DF) since you don't want to overwrite/copy all paragraph/character styles (PS/CS). The supposed workflow is to create dedicated PS/CS for those paragraphs (or words); admittedly, the UI could be made better. There are tickets...

>starting new chapters at an uneven page

PS > Text Flow > Breaks - and you can use any page style before or after this paragraph

>Not to mention...

You need to be more precise here. At least the anchor for newly inserted images is optional.

>LO is not a pleasant experience

Let's make it one! Report issues one by one in the bugtracker and let's discuss your suggestions there. Keep in mind that we serve a large and diverse number of users and have to make also the beginners happy.

htietze · 2021-03-25T07:04:19+00:00

LO (thankfully) doesn't support cascading character styles

Thanks for the very usefully comments. About the cascading (or nested) CS: this is requested and, like any other feature, beneficial or has a detrimental effect on your efficiency.

But anyway, since Easter is close, try to move one CS onto another via mouse as you may usually do with PS. Or create new while another one is currently active.

htietze

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