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In some cases, you might want to create a whole different look for a specific page, adding some visually appealing design or color.
In this example, we will start with a fairly plain layout such as seen in the image below.
Original Page
With the changes made to background colors, borders and spacing, our page now looks like this!
Modified Page
Tip!
You can click on the images in this article to see them larger and with more detail.
Editing with the Style Editor
To complete the changes described in this page you will be using the Style Editor which is one of the Advanced Tools. Before beginning make sure you have enabled the Style Editor (see KB article Advanced Styling and Design Techniques) .
NOTE!
When using the Advanced Editing Tools, it is very important to ensure you are editing the correct element!
First open your page in Edit mode and open the Sidebar.
Select Advanced Tools using the icon at the top of the Sidebar
Select the Style Editor
Place your cursor into the element on your page that you want to edit.
At the top of the Style Editor a list of elements in the content area will appear.
Hover your mouse over each element to determine which element you will be editing
Select the element you are modifying
Changing/Adding Background Colors
After you have selected your element following the steps above, you can change the color of the background for that element.
To change the color of an element on a page, place your cursor on the page where you want the color added, and open the Style Editor:
Scroll down and open the Colors panel
Select the Background Color icon from the bar at the top of the Colors panel (first icon)
The current background color of the element will display below the item
Open the Basic Colors panel if it is not open
Select a new color from the Basic Colors, or
Open the Color Picker and select a color you want
Repeat this process for any items you want to add a background color. For example, you can add a background color to the heading of the content block:
Place your cursor in the heading element of the content block
Select the heading element at the top of the Style Editor
Select the Background Color icon from the bar at the top of the Colors panel
Select a new color from the Basic Colors or open the Color Picker and select a color you want.
In this example using the page pictured previously, we changed the background color of the page heading, the background of the heading for the content block, and added a background color to the text in the first content block.
Changing Text Colors
In some cases, after changing the background color of the content block heading, the text does not contrast well and is difficult to read. You can change the color of text to make sure it is accessible.
To change the color of text using the Style Editor, first select the text you will be changing:
Place your cursor in the field of the element you want to change (in this case the content block header)
Select the appropriate element from the item list at the top of the Style Editor
Highlight the text you want to change
Then determine your color choice in the Style Editor:
Select the Text Color icon from the Colors panel (second icon)
Select the color from the Basic Color table or the Color Picker
Adding Borders
Adding borders around a content block can draw attention to it.
To add a border using the Style Editor:
Place your cursor in the content block you want to add a border around
Select the appropriate element from the item list at the top of the Style Editor – make sure it is for the entire block
Scroll down and open the Border and Background panel
Determine how you want a border to appear. Using Border Direction, select where a border will appear:
All sides (for a border around the whole item) or
Any combination of individual borders: Top (T), Bottom (B) Left, (L), or Right (R)
Customize your border using the following options:
Determine the width of the border: Small (S), Medium (M), or Large (L), or set a specific size using pixels
Select a Border Style for the line: Dashed, Dotted, Solid Line, or Double Lin
Select a Border Color from the presets (You can change later)
If you want the bordered area to have rounded corners, select a Border Radius: Small (S), Medium (M), or Large (L), or set a specific size in pixels
Customize the area surrounded by the border:
Select a background color if you want the area to have a background color (in this example we do not select one)
Select a shadow if you want the bordered area to appear to float on the page
In this example, we have added borders and a shadow to change the appearance of the second content block:
Adjusting Margins, Spacing and Alignment
Sometimes when you add background colors or borders to a content block, the text runs right up to the edge, making it more difficult to read. You can adjust the margins of an item – in other words the space around the item on the page, the padding – the space inside the edges of the item, and the Alignment of items within the item.
To make these modifications, using the Style Editor:
Place your cursor in the content block. Select the appropriate element from the item list at the top of the Style Editor - make sure it is the entire block
Scroll down to the Spacing and Alignment panel
To set the margin (space between item and edges of page), you can either set them all equally with a preset (Small, Medium, or Large) or set each margin individually by selecting the cross icon
To set the padding within the area (space between edges of item and the content), you can also select from a preset (Small, Medium, or Large), or set each edge individually
You can determine how the items are aligned, floating items to the left, center or right.
