Managing Themes
Themes control the visual appearance of your PteroCA panel, landing page, and email communications. This guide covers managing themes in the admin panel.
Accessing Theme Management
To manage themes:
Click Themes in the admin sidebar
You'll see a list of all installed themes
Required permission: access_themes or admin role
Theme Overview
What is a Theme?
A theme defines:
Visual appearance - Colors, fonts, layouts
Context - Panel, landing page, or email templates
Components - Templates and styling
Assets - Images, CSS, JavaScript files
Theme Contexts
PteroCA uses three separate theme contexts:
Panel - Admin panel and client area interface
Landing - Public-facing landing page
Email - Email template styling
Each context can have its own default theme.
Theme List
The theme list displays:
Theme name - Display name
Type - Context (panel, landing, or email)
Author - Theme creator
Version - Theme version number
Default - Whether it's the default for its context
Created - Installation date
Actions - View, edit, copy, export, delete
Viewing Theme Details
To view theme information:
Find theme in list
Click View or theme name
See theme details including:
Description
Author information
Version and changelog
Template files included
Asset files
Setting Default Themes
How to Set Default Theme
For each context:
Find the theme you want to use as default
Click Set as Default action
Theme becomes active for that context
Default themes:
Panel default - Used for admin panel and client area
Landing default - Used for landing page
Email default - Used for email communications
Context Separation
You can have different default themes for each context. For example: a modern theme for the panel, a promotional theme for landing, and a minimal theme for emails.
Changing Default Themes
To switch default theme:
Select new theme for the context
Click Set as Default
Previous default is automatically unset
Changes take effect immediately
What happens:
New visitors see new theme
Logged-in users may need to refresh
Emails use new template
Installing Themes
Uploading Theme Packages
To install a new theme:
Click Upload Theme or Add New
Select theme ZIP file
Upload and install
Theme appears in list
Theme package requirements:
Valid ZIP archive
Contains
template.jsonmanifestIncludes required template files
Valid theme structure
Theme Compatibility
Ensure themes are compatible with your PteroCA version. Incompatible themes may cause display issues or errors.
Theme Sources
Primary source:
PteroCA Marketplace (Recommended)
Visit marketplace.pteroca.com for:
✅ Security-reviewed themes
✅ Verified developers
✅ Community reviews and ratings
✅ Version compatibility checking
✅ Free and premium themes
✅ One-click downloads
Other sources:
Community developers (Discord, forums)
Custom development (commissioned themes)
GitHub repositories (open-source)
Security best practices:
Prefer themes from the official marketplace
Only install themes from trusted sources
Review theme code before installation
Test themes on staging environment first
Check theme reviews and ratings
Managing Installed Themes
Copying Themes
To create a copy:
Find theme in list
Click Copy or Duplicate action
New copy is created with modified name
Edit copy to customize
Use cases:
Create variations of existing theme
Test customizations without affecting original
Develop new theme based on existing one
Backup before major changes
What gets copied:
All template files
Assets (CSS, JavaScript, images)
Theme configuration
Manifest file
Exporting Themes
To export a theme:
Find theme in list
Click Export action
Download ZIP package
Use cases:
Backup themes
Share themes with others
Deploy to another PteroCA instance
Version control
Export includes:
Complete theme package
All templates and assets
Manifest and metadata
Ready for re-import
Deleting Themes
To delete a theme:
Find theme in list
Click Delete action
Confirm deletion
Restrictions:
Cannot delete default theme for any context
Must set different default before deleting
To delete default theme:
Set another theme as default for that context
Then delete the previous default theme
Permanent Deletion
Deleting a theme permanently removes all its files. Export a backup before deleting if you might need it later.
Theme Configuration
Customizing Themes
Basic customization:
Navigate to Theme Settings
Customize colors, logos, and styles
Changes apply to active themes
Advanced customization:
Edit theme templates directly (requires developer access)
Modify CSS and JavaScript
Override specific components
Add custom functionality
Theme Settings
Global theme settings:
Logo - Upload custom logo
Favicon - Browser tab icon
Colors - Primary, secondary, accent colors
Fonts - Typography settings
Layout - Spacing and structure
See Theme Settings for detailed configuration options.
Theme Health and Troubleshooting
Theme Compatibility Check
PteroCA automatically checks:
Theme version compatibility
Required files present
Valid template syntax
Asset availability
Healthy theme indicators:
Green checkmark or "Compatible" status
No error messages
Displays correctly in preview
Common Issues
Theme not displaying correctly:
Possible causes:
Browser cache
Missing assets
Template errors
Version incompatibility
Solutions:
Clear browser cache (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R)
Check theme compatibility with PteroCA version
Review error logs (Logs & Monitoring)
Reinstall theme package
Contact theme developer
Theme upload fails:
Possible causes:
Invalid ZIP structure
Missing template.json
File size too large
Corrupted archive
Solutions:
Verify ZIP package structure
Check template.json is valid JSON
Reduce asset file sizes
Re-download and re-upload theme
Check file upload limits in server configuration
Default theme not applying:
Possible causes:
Cache not cleared
Wrong context selected
Theme disabled
Browser session cache
Solutions:
Verify correct context (panel/landing/email)
Clear browser cache completely
Log out and log in again
Check theme is marked as default in list
Restart web server if necessary
Permissions Required
Theme Management Permissions
To manage themes, users need:
access_themespermission, oradminrole
Permission levels:
View themes - See theme list and details
Install themes - Upload new theme packages
Edit themes - Modify theme settings
Delete themes - Remove themes
Set default - Change default themes
See Managing Permissions for details on configuring roles and permissions.
Best Practices
Theme Management
Do:
Test themes on staging environment first
Backup themes before customization
Keep themes updated to latest versions
Use different themes for different contexts appropriately
Document custom theme changes
Export backups regularly
Don't:
Install untrusted themes
Edit default themes directly (copy first)
Delete themes without backups
Use panel themes for landing pages (wrong context)
Ignore theme compatibility warnings
Mix incompatible theme versions
Performance Optimization
For better performance:
Optimize theme assets (compress images, minify CSS/JS)
Remove unused themes
Use CDN for static assets
Enable browser caching
Choose lightweight themes for email context
Security Considerations
Theme security:
Only install themes from trusted sources
Review theme code for malicious scripts
Keep themes updated for security patches
Use official themes when possible
Avoid themes requesting unnecessary permissions
Related Documentation
User Guides
Theme Settings - Customize theme colors and styles
Landing Page - Configure landing page theme
Themes Overview - Complete theme documentation
Developer Guides
Creating Themes - Build custom themes
Theme Structure - Theme architecture
Template.json - Theme manifest reference
Twig Guide - Template syntax
Administration
Managing Plugins - Plugin management
Managing Permissions - Access control
Logs & Monitoring - Theme error logs
Need Help?
For theme management questions:
Check FAQ
Review Troubleshooting Guide
Join Discord Community
Contact technical support
Last updated