Ways to modify and change color scheme of "vs-dark" or "vs" uiTheme palette

When it comes to VSCode, there are limitations in theming due to the grouping of themes into just two ui themes: "vs" for light themes and "vs-dark" for dark themes.

This restriction hinders the ability to create color themes that do not fit into these predefined categories. I am interested in finding a way to access and modify uiTheme colors through a custom extension in order to introduce more unique and engaging color schemes. Perhaps this can be achieved with the use of custom CSS? If so, I would appreciate guidance or an example demonstrating how this can be done.

EDIT: The resource responsible for this is located at:

C:/Users/micha/AppData/Local/Programs/Microsoft%20VS%20Code/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.main.css

It appears that I will need a css file along with the vscode-custom-css extension. However, I am unsure of how to identify the specific resource I want to customize. It seems like accessing developer mode in VSCode might be necessary, but I am unsure about the next steps.

cssvisual-studio-codethemes

Answer №1

After some experimentation, I was able to successfully customize VSCode using the vscode-custom-css and vscode-vibrancy extensions. These extensions allowed me to inject custom CSS code to modify parts of VSCode that are not usually customizable. Initially, I replaced the code folding icons and eventually settled on using the Vibrancy extension due to compatibility issues with the other option. The added bonus of a Vibrancy feature for blur transparency also caught my attention. I incorporated this custom code (MIT opensource) into my own theme extension.

To create the custom CSS, I utilized VSCode's Developer mode to inspect its existing CSS and made the necessary modifications. Here is the CSS code snippet used:

body {
  background: transparent !important;
}
.monaco-editor.vs-dark .margin-view-overlays .folding,
body {
background-image: url(../themes/images/arrow_down.png);
}
.monaco-editor.vs-dark .margin-view-overlays .folding.collapsed,
body {
background-image: url(../themes/images/arrow_right.png);
}

.monaco-editor .inline-folded,
body {
background-image: url(../themes/images/fold.png);
}

You can find my customized VSCode Extension here:

MKANET Theme V2

https://i.sstatic.net/28n5i.jpg

Answer №2

When it comes to developing unique themes, the choice between dark and light primarily involves the following aspects:

  • The foundational theme colors that are utilized. Custom themes have the ability to override these base colors.

  • Determining which style of icons to incorporate (icons suitable for a dark background as opposed to those designed for a light background). Themes also have the flexibility to customize certain icon hues.

  • Identifying the category under which the theme will be displayed when users are selecting a theme (dark or light).

Nevertheless, opting for a dark or light theme does not restrict the color palette that can be employed within a custom theme. For instance, a light theme could utilize various shades of dark grey for its UI elements, or even feature a vibrant rainbow of neon colors.

To sum up: there is no requirement to invent new theme categories beyond dark or light, and resorting to custom CSS should not be necessary.

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