Using themes in Insights

In Insights, a theme is a collection of settings that you can apply to multiple analyses and dashboards. Insights includes some themes, and you can add your own by using the theme editor. You can share themes with permissions levels set to user or owner. Anyone who has access to the theme can apply it to analyses and dashboards, or use Save as to make their own copy of it. Theme owners can also edit the theme and share it with others.

An analysis can have only one theme applied. If you apply a theme to an analysis (by using the Apply button), it instantly changes it for everyone—both analysis and dashboard viewers. To explore and save color options without applying them, avoid editing and saving the applied theme.

All colors come in pairs of background and foreground colors. The foreground colors are meant to specifically appear above their matching background color, so choose something that contrasts well.

The following table defines the different settings.

Group Setting What the setting changes
Main Primary background The background color used for visuals and other high emphasis UI.
Main Primary foreground The color of text and other foreground elements that appear over the primary background regions such as grid lines, borders, table banding, icons, and so on.
Main Secondary background The background color used for the sheet background and sheet controls.
Main Secondary foreground The foreground color used for any sheet title, sheet control text, or UI that appears over the secondary background.
Main Accent

This setting is used as an interactive hint for the following:

  • Buttons

  • Borders around the selected visual

  • Loading indicators

  • Narration customizations

  • Links

  • Filter panes for embedded dashboards
Main Accent foreground The foreground color applies to any text or other elements that appear over the accent color.
Main Font The font to use for all of the text. You can choose from a variety of fonts supported by Insights.
Data Data colors These are the data colors that charts rotate through when assigning colors to groups. You can add or remove colors to this list, or choose a color to change it.

Data

Min max gradient

The default minimum and maximum gradient colors to use when a gradient is used as a scale, for example in heat maps.

Data

Empty fill color

This is the color used with your data colors to indicate a lack of data. For example, this color appears in the empty portion of the progress bars that are shown in key performance indication (KPI) and gauge charts, or for empty heat map cells.

Layout

Border

This setting toggles the border around the visuals that aren't currently selected. The selected visual's border still displays the accent color.

Layout

Margin

This setting toggles the space between the sheet boundaries and the visuals.

Layout

Gutter

This setting shows or hides the space between visuals in the grid.

Other

Success

Success foreground

These colors are used for success messages, for example the check mark for a successful download.

Other

Warning

Warning foreground

These colors are used for warning and informational messages.

Other

Danger

Danger foreground

These colors are used for error messages.

Other

Dimension

Dimension foreground

These colors are used for the names of fields that are identified as dimensions. This option also sets the color for dimensions in the filter panel of embedded dashboards.

Other

Measure

Measure foreground

These colors are used for the names of fields that are identified as measures. These colors also apply to measures in the filter panel of embedded dashboards.

To take a short tour of the theme viewer and editor

  1. Open an analysis, or create a new one. You must have an analysis open to work with themes. However, the view you see with the theme applied is only a preview.

    Themes are separate from analyses. No changes are made to your analysis, even when you save a theme.

  2. Choose Themes on the left. The theme panel opens.

  3. The list of themes shows the following:

    • Applied theme shows the theme that is currently applied to this analysis and its dashboards.

    • My themes shows themes that you created and themes that are shared with you.

    • Starter themes shows themes created by Insights.

  4. Each theme has context menu that you can access from the … icon.

    The actions that are available to you on each theme depend on your level of access.

    • Theme owners – If you created the theme, or someone shared it with you and made you an owner, you can do the following:

      • Edit – Change the settings for the theme, and save them.

      • Save – Save changes you made to the theme. If you edit the applied theme save your changes, the new theme settings apply to all the analyses and dashboards that use it. An informational message displays before you overwrite an applied theme.

      • Share – Share the theme and assign user or owner permissions to other people.

      • Delete – Delete a theme. You can't undo this action. An informational message displays before you confirm deletion.

    • Theme users – If someone shared the theme with you, or if it's an Insights theme, you can do the following:

      • Apply – Apply the theme to the current analysis. This option also applies the theme to dashboards created from the analysis. An informational message displays before you overwrite an applied theme.

      • Save as – Save the current theme to another name, so you can edit it.

    • Analysis authors – If you have access to the analysis, but not the theme, you can do the following:

      • You can see the analysis with the theme applied.

      • You can see the theme in the Theme panel.

      • You can use Save as to create your own copy of the theme.

    • Dashboard viewers – If you have access to the dashboard, but not the theme, you can do the following:

      • You can see the dashboard with the theme applied.

      • You can't see the theme or its settings. Dashboard users can't see the Theme panel.

  5. To explore a theme's settings, choose the icons on the left to see settings for colors.

The following procedure walks you through creating a theme. You can start on the analysis, or a copy of the analysis, that you want to use to preview the colors. Or you can start a new analysis. After you save the theme, you can apply it to the current analysis or to other analyses. If you share it, other people can use it too.

To use the theme editor

  1. Open an analysis, or create a new one. Choose Themes at left.

    You must have an analysis open to work with themes. However, the view you see with the theme applied is only a preview. Themes are separate from analyses. No changes are made to your analysis, even when you save a theme.

  2. Choose Main. The color picker used in each of these settings is the standard one used throughout Insights.

    Set colors for Primary background and Primary foreground to use in visuals and other high impact UI.

    Set colors for Secondary background and Secondary foreground to use in sheets and sheet controls.

    Set colors for Accent and Accent foreground to use in interactive hints including buttons, borders around selected visuals, loading indicators, narration customizations, links, and the filter pane in embedded dashboards.

  3. Choose Data.

    Set the Colors to use as data colors. Charts rotate through these when assigning colors. You can add or delete colors, or change the order they're in by dragging and dropping. To change an existing color, select it to open the color editor.

    Set colors for Min max gradient to use when a gradient is used as a scale, for example in heat maps.

    Set the color for Empty fill to use when showing a lack of data, for example the unfilled part of a progress bar.

  4. Choose Layout.

    Enable or disable the Border check box to show or hide the border around the visuals that aren't currently selected.

    Enable or disable the Margin check box to show or hide the space between the sheet boundaries and the visuals.

    Enable or disable the Gutter check box to show or hide the space between visuals in the grid.

  5. Choose Other.

    Set the color for Success to use in success messages, for example when you successfully download a .csv file. The success foreground color isn't currently used.

    Set the color for Warning to use in warning and informational messages. The warning foreground color isn't currently used.

    Set the color for Danger to use in error messages. The danger foreground color isn't currently used.

    Set the color for Dimension to use for the names of fields that are identified as dimensions. This option also sets the color for dimensions in the filter panel of embedded dashboards.

    Set the color for Measure to use for the names of fields that are identified as measures. This option also sets the color for measures in the filter panel of embedded dashboards.

  6. To save the theme, choose Main and give the new theme a name, and then choose Save at the upper-right of the browser.

    Saving a theme doesn't apply it to the analysis, even though you can see a preview of the colors that uses the current analysis.

  7. To share the theme, save or close the theme you are viewing. Find the theme in your theme collection. Choose Share from the context menu (…).

  8. To apply the theme, save or close the theme you are viewing. Find the theme in your theme collection. Choose Apply from the context menu (…).