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Overview

Themes in Godot provide a powerful system for styling UI elements. A Theme resource stores colors, fonts, icons, constants, and StyleBoxes that can be applied to Control nodes, allowing consistent visual design across your entire application.
Theme resources can be shared across multiple controls and even exported as separate files for reuse across projects.

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Theme System

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Applying Themes

Themes can be applied at three levels:
  1. Project-wide - Set in ProjectSettings.gui/theme/custom
  2. Branch-level - Assign to a control’s theme property
  3. Local overrides - Use add_theme_*_override() methods
# Apply a theme to a control
var button = Button.new()
var theme = load("res://my_theme.tres")
button.theme = theme
add_child(button)

// Apply a theme to a control
var button = new Button();
var theme = ResourceLoader.Load<Theme>("res://my_theme.tres");
button.Theme = theme;
AddChild(button);

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Theme Inheritance

Themes propagate from parent to child controls automatically: 
# Set theme on parent - all children inherit it
var panel = PanelContainer.new()
panel.theme = my_theme
add_child(panel)

var button = Button.new()
panel.add_child(button)  # Automatically uses my_theme
Local overrides always take precedence over theme settings, allowing fine-tuned customization.

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Local Theme Overrides

Override specific theme properties for individual controls:

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Color Overrides

var label = Label.new()
label.add_theme_color_override("font_color", Color(1, 0.5, 0))
add_child(label)

# Reset to theme default
label.remove_theme_color_override("font_color")

var label = new Label();
label.AddThemeColorOverride("font_color", new Color(1, 0.5f, 0));
AddChild(label);

// Reset to theme default
label.RemoveThemeColorOverride("font_color");

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Font Overrides

var button = Button.new()
var custom_font = load("res://fonts/my_font.ttf")
button.add_theme_font_override("font", custom_font)
button.add_theme_font_size_override("font_size", 24)

var button = new Button();
var customFont = ResourceLoader.Load<Font>("res://fonts/my_font.ttf");
button.AddThemeFontOverride("font", customFont);
button.AddThemeFontSizeOverride("font_size", 24);

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Constant Overrides

var grid = GridContainer.new()
grid.add_theme_constant_override("h_separation", 20)
grid.add_theme_constant_override("v_separation", 15)

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StyleBox

StyleBox is an abstract base class for drawing stylized boxes for UI elements like buttons, panels, and backgrounds.

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StyleBoxFlat

Create solid color backgrounds with borders, rounded corners, and shadows: 
var style = StyleBoxFlat.new()
style.bg_color = Color(0.2, 0.3, 0.4)
style.border_width_all = 3
style.border_color = Color(0, 1, 0.5)
style.corner_radius_all = 10

var button = Button.new()
button.add_theme_stylebox_override("normal", style)

var style = new StyleBoxFlat();
style.BgColor = new Color(0.2f, 0.3f, 0.4f);
style.BorderWidthAll = 3;
style.BorderColor = new Color(0, 1, 0.5f);
style.CornerRadiusAll = 10;

var button = new Button();
button.AddThemeStyleboxOverride("normal", style);
Key Properties:
  • bg_color - Background color
  • border_width_* - Border width for each side
  • border_color - Border color
  • corner_radius_* - Corner radius for rounded corners
  • shadow_* - Shadow properties
  • content_margin_* - Internal padding

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StyleBoxTexture

Use textures for UI backgrounds with nine-patch scaling: 
var style = StyleBoxTexture.new()
style.texture = load("res://ui/button_normal.png")
style.texture_margin_left = 10
style.texture_margin_right = 10
style.texture_margin_top = 10
style.texture_margin_bottom = 10

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Common StyleBox States

Many controls have multiple visual states:
StateDescription
normalDefault appearance
hoverWhen mouse is over the control
pressedWhen control is being clicked
disabledWhen control is disabled
focusWhen control has keyboard focus
var button = Button.new()

# Create different styles for each state
var normal = StyleBoxFlat.new()
normal.bg_color = Color(0.3, 0.3, 0.3)

var hover = StyleBoxFlat.new()
hover.bg_color = Color(0.4, 0.4, 0.4)

var pressed = StyleBoxFlat.new()
pressed.bg_color = Color(0.2, 0.2, 0.2)

button.add_theme_stylebox_override("normal", normal)
button.add_theme_stylebox_override("hover", hover)
button.add_theme_stylebox_override("pressed", pressed)

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Creating Theme Resources

Create themes programmatically: 
var theme = Theme.new()

# Set default font
var font = load("res://fonts/main_font.ttf")
theme.default_font = font
theme.default_font_size = 16

# Set colors for all buttons
theme.set_color("font_color", "Button", Color.WHITE)
theme.set_color("font_hover_color", "Button", Color(0.95, 0.95, 1.0))

# Set StyleBox for buttons
var button_normal = StyleBoxFlat.new()
button_normal.bg_color = Color(0.25, 0.5, 0.75)
theme.set_stylebox("normal", "Button", button_normal)

# Save theme to file
ResourceSaver.save(theme, "res://my_theme.tres")

var theme = new Theme();

// Set default font
var font = ResourceLoader.Load<Font>("res://fonts/main_font.ttf");
theme.DefaultFont = font;
theme.DefaultFontSize = 16;

// Set colors for all buttons
theme.SetColor("font_color", "Button", Colors.White);
theme.SetColor("font_hover_color", "Button", new Color(0.95f, 0.95f, 1.0f));

// Set StyleBox for buttons
var buttonNormal = new StyleBoxFlat();
buttonNormal.BgColor = new Color(0.25f, 0.5f, 0.75f);
theme.SetStylebox("normal", "Button", buttonNormal);

// Save theme to file
ResourceSaver.Save(theme, "res://my_theme.tres");

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Theme Type Variations

Create variations of existing themes for specialized controls: 
var theme = Theme.new()

# Create a danger button variation
theme.set_type_variation("DangerButton", "Button")

var danger_style = StyleBoxFlat.new()
danger_style.bg_color = Color(0.8, 0.2, 0.2)
theme.set_stylebox("normal", "DangerButton", danger_style)

# Apply variation to a button
var button = Button.new()
button.theme_type_variation = "DangerButton"

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Content Margins

StyleBoxes define content margins that control internal padding: 
var style = StyleBoxFlat.new()
style.content_margin_left = 20
style.content_margin_right = 20
style.content_margin_top = 10
style.content_margin_bottom = 10
Positive content margin values reduce the available space for content, while negative values are ignored.

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See Also

Control Nodes

Learn about UI elements that can be themed

Containers

Apply themes to container layouts

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