In Canvas, you can use the Theme Editor to brand your account. However, if you want to apply additional branding that is currently not supported in the Theme Editor, you can upload custom cascading style sheets (CSS) and JavaScript (JS) files to your account. Files are hosted directly in Canvas. Any theme applied to the account also applies to all sub-accounts, though you can upload CSS/JS files for individual sub-accounts.
The Theme Editor supports desktop and mobile upload files. Standard CSS/JS files are applied to HTML pages in the Canvas desktop application, which can include the login page for mobile devices. Mobile CSS/JS files are only applied to user content displayed within the Canvas iOS or Android apps, as well as in third-party apps using the Canvas API, but mobile files do not apply to user content displayed in mobile browsers.
Custom JavaScript and CSS files are subject to the same account and sub-account branding inheritance rules as when creating a theme in the Theme Editor.
Before adding custom JavaScript and CSS files, you must contact your Customer Success Manager to enable custom branding for your account and any sub-accounts. Once custom branding is enabled, the option to upload custom CSS and JS files is available in the account and all sub-accounts.
Custom File Risks
If you cannot use the native Theme Editor options for branding, you must be aware of the associated risks of using custom files, which may cause accessibility issues or conflicts with future Canvas updates:
Notes:
- The Theme Editor is not available for Free-For-Teacher accounts.
- If you are a sub-account admin and the Themes link is not visible in Account Navigation, Themes has not been enabled for sub-accounts. If the CSS/JS Upload tab is not visible, file uploads have not been enabled for sub-accounts.
Open Theme Template
If you do not yet have a Canvas theme for your account, use a template to create a new theme. You can choose from the Default Canvas template, a minimalist template, and a State U. template. If your Customer Success Manager has enabled the K12-specific feature setting, the K12 Theme also appears as a template.
To create a new theme, hover over a template and click the Open in Theme Editor button [1], or click the Add Theme button [2] and select a template from the list.
Open Saved Theme
If you previously created and saved a theme, you can edit saved themes at any time. Saved themes display in the My Themes section. To open a saved theme, hover over the name of the theme and click the Open in Theme Editor button [1].
To create a new theme based on a saved theme, click the Add Theme button [2] and select the name of the saved theme from the list [3]. This option helps you avoid overwriting your previously saved theme.
Apply Theme
To apply your theme to your account, click the Apply theme button [1].
To exit the theme and return to the Themes page, click the Exit button [2]. You can open the theme and apply it to your account at any time.
Note: If your account allows sub-accounts to customize their own themes, any applicable changes you made will also filter down to any associated sub-accounts. Canvas shows the status of your Theme Editor updates; when the process for each sub-account is complete, the sub-account disappears from the progress window. When all sub-accounts have been updated, the Theme Editor redirects back to the Themes page.