# How do we access all the themes?

**URL:** <https://the.fmsoup.org/t/how-do-we-access-all-the-themes/4639>\
**Category:** Questions\
**Created:** [February 3, 2025, 9:14am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/how-do-we-access-all-the-themes/4639 "2025-02-03T09:14:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Malcolm](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/malcolm/32/196_2.png) [@Malcolm](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Malcolm)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2025, 9:14am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/how-do-we-access-all-the-themes/4639/1 "2025-02-03T09:14:29Z")

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There are a lot more themes built into FileMaker than we see displayed in the theme selector. I recognise a lot of them from earlier versions of FileMaker. I'm wondering how FileMaker decides which themes to offer us. Looking at the manifest in the different themes I'm struggling to find differences in the XML that would trigger FileMaker to say "ignore me." Does anyone know what causes themes to be displayed in the selector?

For the record, here's the list of themes including in FileMaker v21

1. apex\_blue
2. bamboo
3. beach
4. black
5. blue
6. canyon
7. Classic
8. cool
9. cool\_brown
10. cool\_gray
11. cool\_gray\_touch
12. cosmos
13. dark
14. desert
15. electric
16. enlightened
17. enlightened\_print
18. enlightened\_touch
19. forest
20. green
21. ice
22. light
23. luminous
24. luminous\_touch
25. meadow
26. minimalist
27. minimalist\_touch
28. ocean
29. ocean\_touch
30. onyx
31. onyx\_touch
32. pine
33. purple
34. quarry
35. red
36. retro
37. river
38. river\_touch
39. shell
40. silver
41. sky
42. sophisticated
43. sophisticated\_touch
44. stone
45. tranquil
46. tranquil\_touch
47. universal\_touch
48. vibrant
49. vibrant\_touch
50. warm
51. warm\_blue
52. warm\_bronze
53. warm\_green
54. wave
55. wave\_touch

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**Author:** ![weetbicks](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/weetbicks/32/206_2.png) [@weetbicks](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/weetbicks)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/how-do-we-access-all-the-themes/4639/2 "2025-02-03T19:34:47Z")

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They're hidden when the `butt_ugly` flag is set to 1 🙂

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**Author:** ![planteg](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/planteg/32/627_2.png) [@planteg](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/planteg)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2025, 11:34pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/how-do-we-access-all-the-themes/4639/3 "2025-02-03T23:34:56Z")

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My guess is that a lot of these themes are from older versions and are still hanging around just in case a user would open an old file. «Claris doesn't want to push them anymore.

Cold there be some flag for those older themes that would mean 'don't list me' ?

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**Author:** ![Malcolm](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/malcolm/32/196_2.png) [@Malcolm](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Malcolm)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2025, 1:27am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/how-do-we-access-all-the-themes/4639/4 "2025-02-04T01:27:12Z")

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@weetbicks 😆 I was always fond of bamboo. I want a rule: anybody who dunks on themes should submit a PNG of one of their own themes.

The other thing about themes is that every single theme packaged was better than every layout designed before themes came along.

@planteg They must be doing something internally. I was hoping that the manifest.xml would carry an element or an attribute but it doesn't seem to be.

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**Author:** ![TKnTexas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@TKnTexas](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/TKnTexas)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2025, 3:39pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/how-do-we-access-all-the-themes/4639/5 "2025-02-18T15:39:15Z")

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@Malcolm I liked 'bamboo' as well. I HATE Apex Blue. I wish the default was Minimalist.

I created my own theme when upgrading from FMP19.6 to FMP21.1. I have 20 files that serve many purposes , only six or so are used daily by us in accounting.

I wanted them all to look the same. I eliminated the use of Table-View (for the most part).