Creating Emacs custom themes

Why?

Apart from the fact that of course we want Emacs to look pretty the right theme can help to increase your productivity and optimise your coding workflow: in the best case a theme makes it easy to read your code and spot mistakes while being friendly for your eyes.

How?

Creating the theme

Creating themes in Emacs is really easy :) Just type M-x customize-create-theme (for Emacs newbies: "M" means the alt key). You'll be asked if you want to have common faces inserted into your theme, that's pretty handy. Then you can choose a creative title and write a description for your new theme:

Probably you also want to add additional faces for the modes you use, you can do so with the "Insert Additional Face" option close to the end of the buffer:

Themes don't only contain faces but also variables, you can set them in this bufffer, too.

Selecting the theme

When your outburst of creativity is over and you're done with customizing your theme save it by either using the "Save Theme" button or typing C-x C-s (for Emacs newbies: "C" means the control key). The theme is saved as "your-creative-theme-name"-theme.el in the directory specified by the variable custom-theme-directory. So if you haven't changed that variable you'll probably find your new theme in the ~/.emacs.d/ directory.

To select the eyecandy you just created as your new theme type M-x customize-themes or (if your prefer to use the Menu Bar) click Options->Customize Emacs->Custom Themes. You'll find yourself in the Custom Themes buffer where you can select one or more themes.

Emacs looks for the themes displayed in this buffer in custom-theme-directory and etc/themes of your Emacs installation (that's where the themes that come with Emacs are located). If you want to add additional directories just add them to the list "custom-theme-load-path" (for example sth. like (add-to-list 'custom-theme-load-path "~/.my-special-theme-dir"...).

Save the theme(s) with the "Save Theme Settings" button or by typing C-x C-s.

Alternatively you can load a theme in your current session by typing M-x load-theme. (or if it's been loaded before with M-x enable-theme, guess the command for disabling it ;)).

Note that loading a theme executes Lisp code, so make sure you know what you're loading.

I'm lazy

The method described above is not that much effort ;) But if it's still too much effort (and I totally understand that) for you you could use the Emacs Theme Creator by Martin Haesler:

And a link to it.

What else?

Since themes in Emacs are simply lisp files you can also edit them directly. You should have a call to deftheme at the beginning of your file and provide-theme at the end. The function custom-theme-set-faces contains your face settings, if you have custom variables you can set them in custom-theme-set-variables.

As an example, here's my cactus-theme (feel free to use it and add the faces you need):

(deftheme cactus
  "Cactus Theme")

(custom-theme-set-faces
 'cactus
 '(cursor ((t (:background "cadet blue"))))
 '(border ((t (:foreground "gray6"))))
 '(default ((t (:background "gray20" :foreground "light sea green"))))
 '(error ((t (:foreground "goldenrod" :weight bold))))
 '(match ((t (:background "gray31"))))
 '(mouse ((t (:foreground "goldenrod"))))
 '(region ((t (:background "cadet blue"))))
 '(scroll-bar ((t (:background "black" :foreground "cadet blue"))))
 '(tool-bar ((t (:background "cadet blue" :foreground "black" :box (:line-width 1 :style released-button)))))
 '(tooltip ((t (:inherit variable-pitch :background "pale goldenrod" :foreground "black"))))
 '(warning ((t (:foreground "deep sky blue" :weight bold))))


 '(beacon-fallback-background ((t (:background "goldenrod"))))
 '(bold ((t (:foreground "light sea green" :weight bold))))

 '(comint-highlight-input ((t (:foreground "dark gray" :weight bold))))
 '(comint-highlight-prompt ((t (:foreground "dark goldenrod"))))

 '(company-echo-common ((t (:foreground "white smoke"))))
 '(company-preview ((t (:background "light sky blue" :foreground "dim gray"))))
 '(company-preview-common ((t (:inherit company-preview :foreground "goldenrod"))))
 '(company-preview-search ((t (:inherit company-preview :background "sky blue"))))
 '(company-scrollbar-bg ((t (:background "light gray"))))
 '(company-scrollbar-fg ((t (:background "dim gray"))))
 '(company-template-field ((t (:background "royal blue" :foreground "white"))))
 '(company-tooltip ((t (:background "royal blue" :foreground "white smoke"))))
 '(company-tooltip-annotation ((t (:foreground "light blue"))))
 '(company-tooltip-common ((t (:foreground "cyan2"))))
 '(company-tooltip-selection ((t (:background "light blue"))))

 '(compilation-mode-line-exit ((t (:inherit compilation-info :foreground "blue3" :weight bold))))
 '(compilation-mode-line-fail ((t (:inherit compilation-error :foreground "dark cyan" :weight bold))))

 '(custom-button ((t (:background "cadet blue" :foreground "black" :box (:line-width 2 :style released-button)))))
 '(custom-button-pressed-unraised ((t (:inherit custom-button-unraised :foreground "dark gray"))))
 '(custom-invalid ((t (:background "blue1" :foreground "white smoke"))))
 '(custom-rogue ((t (:background "black" :foreground "white"))))
 '(custom-state ((t (:foreground "cornflower blue"))))
 '(custom-modified ((t (:background "steel blue" :foreground "white"))))
 '(custom-themed ((t (:background "cornflower blue" :foreground "white"))))

 '(diary ((t (:foreground "goldenrod"))))

 '(escape-glyph ((t (:foreground "medium aquamarine"))))
 '(font-lock-builtin-face ((t (:foreground "medium aquamarine"))))
 '(font-lock-comment-face ((t (:foreground "gray40"))))
 '(font-lock-constant-face ((t (:foreground "aquamarine"))))
 '(font-lock-function-name-face ((t (:foreground "cyan3"))))
 '(font-lock-keyword-face ((t (:foreground "dark goldenrod"))))
 '(font-lock-negation-char-face ((t (:foreground "cyan"))))
 '(font-lock-string-face ((t (:foreground "dark gray"))))
 '(font-lock-type-face ((t (:foreground "dark goldenrod"))))
 '(font-lock-variable-name-face ((t (:foreground "medium aquamarine"))))
 '(font-lock-warning-face ((t (:foreground "deep sky blue"))))
 '(fringe ((t (:background "gray12"))))
 '(haskell-constructor-face ((t (:foreground "DarkGoldenrod3"))))
 '(header-line ((t (:inherit mode-line :background "grey20" :foreground "light gray" :box nil))))
 '(helm-action ((t (:foreground "cyan4" :underline t))))
 '(helm-buffer-archive ((t (:foreground "goldenrod"))))
 '(helm-buffer-directory ((t (:background "LightGray" :foreground "gray15"))))
 '(helm-buffer-not-saved ((t (:foreground "goldenrod"))))
 '(helm-buffer-process ((t (:foreground "dark goldenrod"))))
 '(helm-buffer-saved-out ((t (:background "black" :foreground "dark gray"))))

 '(helm-candidate-number ((t (:background "gray" :foreground "black"))))
 '(helm-ff-denied ((t (:background "black" :foreground "gold"))))
 '(helm-ff-directory ((t (:background "LightGray" :foreground "orange4"))))
 '(helm-ff-executable ((t (:foreground "gainsboro"))))
 '(helm-ff-invalid-symlink ((t (:background "steel blue" :foreground "black"))))
 '(helm-ff-prefix ((t (:background "dark goldenrod" :foreground "black"))))
 '(helm-ff-socket ((t (:foreground "gold"))))
 '(helm-ff-suid ((t (:background "dark goldenrod" :foreground "white"))))
 '(helm-grep-file ((t (:foreground "cyan" :underline t))))
 '(helm-grep-finish ((t (:foreground "gainsboro"))))
 '(helm-header-line-left-margin ((t (:background "dark goldenrod" :foreground "black"))))
 '(helm-locate-finish ((t (:foreground "gainsboro"))))
 '(helm-mode-prefix ((t (:background "gold" :foreground "black"))))
 '(helm-prefarg ((t (:foreground "gainsboro"))))
 '(helm-resume-need-update ((t (:background "gainsboro"))))
 '(helm-selection ((t (:background "cadet blue" :distant-foreground "black"))))
 '(helm-separator ((t (:foreground "dark goldenrod"))))
 '(helm-visible-mark ((t (:background "cadet blue" :foreground "black"))))
 '(highlight ((t (:background "dark cyan" :foreground "black"))))
 '(info-node ((t (:foreground "light gray" :slant italic :weight bold))))
 '(isearch ((t (:background "light sea green" :foreground "white"))))
 '(lazy-highlight ((t (:background "dim gray"))))
 '(link ((t (:foreground "deep sky blue" :underline t))))
 '(link-visited ((t (:inherit link :foreground "steel blue"))))
 '(minibuffer-prompt ((t (:foreground "dark cyan"))))
 '(mode-line ((t (:background "cadet blue" :foreground "black" :box (:line-width -1 :style released-button)))))
 '(mode-line-buffer-id ((t (:foreground "pale goldenrod" :weight bold))))
 '(mode-line-highlight ((t (:box (:line-width 2 :color "medium aquamarine" :style released-button)))))
 '(mode-line-inactive ((t (:inherit mode-line :background "PaleTurquoise4" :foreground "grey80" :box (:line-width -1 :color "grey40") :weight light))))
 '(org-agenda-calendar-event ((t (:foreground "dark cyan"))))
 '(org-agenda-calendar-sexp ((t (:foreground "dark cyan"))))
 '(org-agenda-clocking ((t (:background "dim gray" :foreground "black"))))
 '(org-agenda-column-dateline ((t (:background "dark cyan" :foreground "gray"))))
 '(org-agenda-current-time ((t (:foreground "goldenrod"))))
 '(org-agenda-date-weekend ((t (:foreground "deep sky blue" :weight bold))))
 '(org-agenda-done ((t (:foreground "goldenrod"))))
 '(org-checkbox ((t (:foreground "cyan" :weight bold))))
 '(org-checkbox-statistics-done ((t (:foreground "gold" :weight bold))))
 '(org-checkbox-statistics-todo ((t (:foreground "gainsboro" :weight bold))))
 '(org-date-selected ((t (:foreground "dark gray" :inverse-video t))))
 '(org-done ((t (:foreground "cyan" :weight bold))))
 '(org-drawer ((t (:foreground "dark gray"))))
 '(org-formula ((t (:foreground "gold3"))))
 '(org-level-1 ((t (:foreground "light sea green"))))
 '(org-level-2 ((t (:foreground "cyan"))))
 '(org-level-3 ((t (:foreground "goldenrod"))))
 '(org-level-4 ((t (:foreground "medium aquamarine"))))
 '(org-mode-line-clock-overrun ((t (:inherit mode-line :background "gold"))))
 '(org-scheduled ((t (:foreground "medium spring green"))))
 '(org-scheduled-today ((t (:foreground "turquoise1"))))
 '(org-todo ((t (:foreground "gold" :weight bold))))

 '(scroll-bar ((t (:background "black" :foreground "cadet blue"))))
 '(show-paren-mismatch ((t (:background "dark goldenrod" :foreground "white"))))
 '(success ((t (:foreground "dark turquoise" :weight bold))))

 '(trailing-whitespace ((t (:background "dark goldenrod"))))
 '(tty-menu-disabled-face ((t (:background "dark cyan" :foreground "lightgray"))))
 '(tty-menu-enabled-face ((t (:background "dark cyan" :foreground "yellow" :weight bold))))
 '(tty-menu-selected-face ((t (:background "DarkSlateGray3" :foreground "black"))))
 '(vimish-fold-overlay ((t (:background "dim gray" :foreground "cadet blue"))))
 '(widget-button-pressed ((t (:foreground "gray"))))
 '(widget-documentation ((t (:foreground "cyan"))))
 '(window-divider ((t (:foreground "gray15")))))

(provide-theme 'cactus)