SharePoint 2013: Change Link Colors Tutorial
Hey guys! Are you looking to spice up your SharePoint 2013 site by changing the link colors? You've come to the right place! In this guide, we'll walk you through how to customize the link colors in your SharePoint 2013 site. Having a visually appealing and well-organized SharePoint site is crucial for user engagement and efficient navigation. One key aspect of site customization is the ability to change link colors, making it easier for users to identify and interact with different links on the page. So, let’s dive in and make your SharePoint site look awesome!
Why Customize Link Colors in SharePoint 2013?
Customizing link colors in SharePoint 2013 can significantly enhance the user experience and overall site aesthetics. Visually distinct links make navigation intuitive, allowing users to quickly find and access the information they need. By default, SharePoint uses a standard color scheme, which may not align with your organization's branding or the specific requirements of your site. Changing the link colors can help you:
- Improve Navigation: Different colors can highlight important links, making them stand out from regular text and guiding users through your content effectively.
- Reinforce Branding: Aligning link colors with your organization's brand identity creates a consistent and professional look, strengthening your brand image.
- Enhance Accessibility: Choosing appropriate colors ensures that users with visual impairments can easily distinguish links, promoting inclusivity.
- Increase Engagement: A visually appealing site encourages users to explore more content and stay longer, boosting overall engagement and productivity.
- Create Visual Hierarchy: Using different colors for various types of links helps in establishing a visual hierarchy, making it easier for users to understand the structure of your site.
Customizing link colors can transform a generic-looking SharePoint site into a vibrant and engaging platform that aligns perfectly with your organizational goals. Whether you're aiming to improve navigation, reinforce your brand, or enhance accessibility, changing link colors is a simple yet powerful way to achieve these objectives.
Methods to Change Link Colors in SharePoint 2013
There are several ways to change link colors in SharePoint 2013, each with its own advantages and level of complexity. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced user, there's a method that suits your needs. Let's explore the most common techniques:
1. Using SharePoint Designer
SharePoint Designer is a powerful tool that allows you to deeply customize your SharePoint site. It provides a user-friendly interface to modify the site's CSS, which controls the styling of various elements, including link colors. Here’s how you can use SharePoint Designer to change link colors:
-
Open SharePoint Designer: Launch SharePoint Designer and open your SharePoint site by entering the site URL.
-
Navigate to CSS Files: In the Navigation pane, click on “All Files,” then navigate to the “_catalogs” folder, followed by the “theme” folder, and finally the “THEME_NAME” folder (replace “THEME_NAME” with the name of your current theme). You’ll find the main CSS file here, typically named “spcolor.css” or “corev15.css”.
-
Edit the CSS File: Open the CSS file in advanced mode. Locate the CSS classes that define link styles, such as
.ms-core-listMenu-itemLink
,.ms-standardheader a
, and.ms-secondaryCommand a
. These classes control the appearance of different types of links on your site. -
Modify the Color Properties: Change the
color
property within these CSS classes to your desired color. For example, to change the color of the main navigation links, you might modify.ms-core-listMenu-itemLink
like this:.ms-core-listMenu-itemLink { color: #0078d4; /* Change this to your desired color */ }
-
Save and Publish: Save the CSS file and publish the changes to your SharePoint site. Refresh your site to see the updated link colors.
Using SharePoint Designer gives you fine-grained control over link colors, but it requires some knowledge of CSS. Make sure to back up your CSS file before making changes, just in case you need to revert to the original settings.
2. Using SharePoint Themes
SharePoint themes provide a simpler way to customize the overall look and feel of your site, including link colors. Themes are pre-designed sets of colors, fonts, and layouts that you can apply to your site with just a few clicks. Here’s how to use SharePoint themes:
- Access Site Settings: Go to your SharePoint site and click on the “Settings” gear icon, then select “Change the look.”
- Choose a Theme: Browse the available themes and select one that appeals to you. SharePoint will show you a preview of how the theme will look on your site.
- Customize Theme Elements: Within the theme customization options, you can change the main color scheme, background image, fonts, and link colors. Look for options related to “Accents” or “Hyperlinks” to modify the link colors.
- Apply the Theme: Once you’ve made your changes, click “Try it out” to preview the theme on your site. If you’re happy with the results, click “Yes, keep it” to apply the theme.
SharePoint themes offer a quick and easy way to change link colors without needing to dive into CSS code. However, the customization options may be limited compared to using SharePoint Designer.
3. Using CSS in Content Editor Web Parts
If you want to change link colors on a specific page or section of your site, you can use a Content Editor Web Part to inject custom CSS. This method is ideal for making targeted changes without affecting the entire site. Here’s how to do it:
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Edit the Page: Go to the page where you want to change link colors and click “Edit” to enter edit mode.
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Add a Content Editor Web Part: Insert a Content Editor Web Part onto the page. You can find this web part in the “Media and Content” category.
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Edit the Web Part: Click the dropdown arrow on the web part and select “Edit Web Part.”
-
Add CSS Code: In the web part editor, click “Click here to add new content.” Then, switch to HTML source mode by clicking the “HTML” button in the ribbon. Insert your custom CSS code within
<style>
tags. For example:<style> .your-custom-class a { color: #0078d4; /* Change this to your desired color */ } </style>
Remember to replace
.your-custom-class
with a CSS class that applies to the links you want to change. You may need to inspect the HTML of your page to find the appropriate class names. -
Save and Publish: Save your changes and publish the page. The link colors within the scope of your custom CSS will be updated.
Using Content Editor Web Parts is a flexible way to make localized changes to link colors, but it requires a good understanding of CSS and HTML. Also, remember that this method only affects the page where the web part is added.
4. Using Master Pages and Custom CSS Files
For a more advanced and maintainable approach, you can modify the master page of your SharePoint site and include a custom CSS file. This method allows you to apply changes across your entire site consistently. Here’s how:
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Access SharePoint Designer: Open SharePoint Designer and connect to your SharePoint site.
-
Navigate to Master Pages: In the Navigation pane, click on “Master Pages.”
-
Edit the Master Page: Find the master page currently in use (usually “seattle.master” or “oslo.master”) and create a copy of it. Edit the copied master page.
-
Link to Custom CSS: In the
<head>
section of the master page, add a<link>
tag to reference your custom CSS file. For example:<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/Style Library/CustomStyles/custom.css" />
This tag tells SharePoint to load your custom CSS file, which you’ll create in the next steps.
-
Create Custom CSS File: In SharePoint Designer, navigate to the “Style Library” and create a new folder (e.g., “CustomStyles”). Inside this folder, create a new CSS file (e.g., “custom.css”).
-
Add CSS Rules: Add your CSS rules to the custom CSS file to change link colors. For example:
a { color: #0078d4; /* Change this to your desired color */ }
-
Save and Publish: Save the master page and the custom CSS file. Publish the changes to your SharePoint site.
Modifying the master page and using a custom CSS file is a powerful way to control the appearance of your entire SharePoint site. However, it requires a solid understanding of SharePoint architecture and CSS. It’s also crucial to test your changes thoroughly to ensure they don’t break anything.
Step-by-Step Guide: Changing Link Colors Using SharePoint Designer
For those who want a more detailed walkthrough, let’s go through the process of changing link colors using SharePoint Designer step-by-step. This method provides a good balance of control and accessibility for many users.
Step 1: Open SharePoint Designer and Connect to Your Site
First, launch SharePoint Designer on your computer. If you don’t have it installed, you can download it for free from Microsoft’s website. Once SharePoint Designer is open, connect to your SharePoint site by clicking “Open Site” and entering your site’s URL. Click “Open” to proceed.
Step 2: Navigate to the CSS Files
In the Navigation pane on the left side of SharePoint Designer, you’ll see a list of site elements. Click on “All Files” to display the site’s file structure. Navigate to the following folders:
_catalogs
theme
YOUR_THEME_NAME
(ReplaceYOUR_THEME_NAME
with the name of the theme currently applied to your site. It could be something like “15” or the name of a custom theme.)
Inside the theme folder, you’ll find the CSS files that control your site’s styling. The main CSS file is often named spcolor.css
or corev15.css
. Double-click the CSS file to open it.
Step 3: Edit the CSS File
The CSS file will open in the main editing area. To make changes, you might need to switch to advanced mode. Look for a button or option labeled “Advanced Mode” and click it. This will allow you to edit the CSS code directly.
Now, you need to locate the CSS classes that define the link styles you want to change. Common classes include:
.ms-core-listMenu-itemLink
: Controls the appearance of links in the quick launch menu (left navigation)..ms-standardheader a
: Affects links in headers and titles..ms-secondaryCommand a
: Styles secondary command links.
You can use the search function (Ctrl+F) to find these classes within the CSS file.
Step 4: Modify the Color Properties
Once you’ve found the CSS class you want to modify, look for the color
property within that class. Change the value of the color
property to your desired color. You can use hexadecimal color codes (e.g., #0078d4
for blue), named colors (e.g., blue
, red
, green
), or RGB values (e.g., rgb(0, 120, 215)
). For example:
.ms-core-listMenu-itemLink {
color: #0078d4; /* Change this to your desired color */
}
Repeat this process for any other CSS classes that control the link colors you want to change.
Step 5: Save and Publish the Changes
After making your changes, save the CSS file by clicking the “Save” icon or pressing Ctrl+S. Then, publish the changes to your SharePoint site. To do this, right-click the CSS file in the Navigation pane and select “Publish.”
Finally, refresh your SharePoint site in your web browser to see the updated link colors. If the changes don’t appear immediately, try clearing your browser’s cache or performing a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R).
Best Practices for Choosing Link Colors
Choosing the right link colors is crucial for usability and aesthetics. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
- Contrast: Ensure sufficient contrast between the link color and the background color. This makes links easily visible and accessible, especially for users with visual impairments. Aim for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, as recommended by WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
- Consistency: Use a consistent color scheme throughout your site. This helps users quickly identify links and understand how to interact with your content. Avoid using too many different colors, as this can make your site look cluttered and confusing.
- Brand Alignment: Choose colors that align with your organization’s brand identity. This reinforces your brand image and creates a cohesive look and feel across your site. Use your brand colors as a starting point and adjust them as needed to ensure readability and accessibility.
- User Experience: Consider the overall user experience when choosing link colors. Use colors that are visually appealing and don’t distract from the content. Avoid using bright or jarring colors that can strain the eyes.
- Visited Links: Use a different color for visited links to help users keep track of where they’ve been. This is a simple but effective way to improve navigation and prevent users from revisiting the same pages unnecessarily.
- Hover and Active States: Provide visual feedback when users hover over or click on a link. This can be achieved by changing the link color, adding an underline, or using a different style altogether. This feedback lets users know that they’re interacting with the link and that their action is being registered.
By following these best practices, you can choose link colors that enhance the usability and visual appeal of your SharePoint site, creating a better experience for your users.
Common Issues and Troubleshooting
Even with the best instructions, you might encounter some issues when changing link colors in SharePoint 2013. Here are some common problems and how to troubleshoot them:
- Changes Not Appearing: If you’ve made changes to the CSS but they’re not showing up on your site, try clearing your browser’s cache or performing a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R). Sometimes, the browser is displaying a cached version of the CSS file.
- CSS Conflicts: If your custom CSS is being overridden by other styles, you may have CSS specificity issues. Ensure that your CSS rules are specific enough to override the default styles. You can use more specific selectors or add
!important
to your CSS properties (though overuse of!important
is generally discouraged). - Incorrect CSS Classes: If you’re targeting the wrong CSS classes, your changes won’t affect the links you intend to modify. Use your browser’s developer tools (usually accessed by pressing F12) to inspect the HTML and identify the correct CSS classes for the links you want to style.
- Master Page Issues: If you’re modifying the master page and your changes are causing unexpected behavior, make sure you’ve created a backup of the original master page. You can revert to the backup if necessary. Also, double-check your code for syntax errors or incorrect references to CSS files.
- SharePoint Designer Problems: If SharePoint Designer is behaving erratically, try restarting the application or clearing its cache. Sometimes, a fresh start can resolve minor issues.
If you’re still having trouble, consult SharePoint’s documentation or community forums for additional help. There are many experienced SharePoint users who can provide valuable insights and solutions.
Conclusion
Changing link colors in SharePoint 2013 is a fantastic way to personalize your site, improve navigation, and reinforce your brand. Whether you choose to use SharePoint Designer, themes, Content Editor Web Parts, or modify the master page, the key is to understand the different methods and choose the one that best fits your needs and skill level. Remember to follow best practices for color selection and troubleshoot any issues that arise.
So, go ahead and experiment with different colors and make your SharePoint site a visually appealing and user-friendly environment. Happy customizing, guys!