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Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

  • 1.  Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/19/25 11:29 AM

    I'm trying to customize our Cognos Analytics Theme and it all seems a bit hit or miss
    Is there a particular requirement for FAVICON size and/or naming conventions and/or file type?

    Is there a particular requirement for BRANDICON size and/or naming conventions and/or file type?

    Is there a particular requirement for BRANDTEXT (min/max size?)

    On the homepage sometimes the BRANDICON and BRANDTEXT are displayed and sometimes they are not

    I have all of the above working in one form or another, but not consistently in any one theme.  If anyone can offer any advise it would be much appreciated, thanks



    ------------------------------
    Bobby Davison
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/20/25 01:57 AM

    Hi Bobby,

    You will need to create an extension that you will install for Manage / Customization / Themes.

    You want create a theme available for all users or a specfic theme for a role.

    Each release (v11.2, v12.0 or v12.1), you will need to update your theme because the default home page is not always the same.

    Here is a sample with spec.json:

    {
    "name": "ThemeCompanyName",
    "schemaVersion": "3.0",
    "brandText": " ",
    "brandTextSmall": "CompanyName",
    "images": {
    "brandIcon": "images/Logo_CompanyName.png",
    "favicon": "images/favicon.png"
    },
    "paletteId": "IBM_Modern",
    "uiShellTheme": "light",
    "colors": {
    "appbarBackground": "#3e0d81"
    }
    }
    Depending on your screen resolution, some information might not be displayed.
    Feel free to contact me if I can help you.
    Best regards,


    ------------------------------
    Patrick Neveu
    BSL Consulting
    IBM Champion
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/20/25 03:47 AM

    Thanks Patrick, yes I'm generating my own theme based on exporting one of the default themes.  My screen resolution is set quite high but seeing inconsistencies with the display of brand icon and brand text. In some versions of my theme its displaying the brand icon and in some it is not, even though its the same png file.  Sometimes I increase or reduce the characters in the brand text and it doesn't get displayed.  I notice when zooming my screen that brand text is wrapped when it would otherwise extend beyond the centre of the screen so perhaps screen resolution is a factor.



    ------------------------------
    Bobby Davison
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/21/25 06:29 AM

    Hi, When creating my own themes, I used the following sizes for the images BrandIcon = 200x200, Brandiconsmall = 20x20, and Favicon = 30x30. It appears in 12.1.1 that they have also added additional color control options to the themes https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cognos-analytics/12.1.x?topic=themes-expanded-theming-groups-color-control.



    ------------------------------
    Bob Smith
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/25/25 06:13 AM

    Thanks Bob, its helpful to get the preferred graphic sizes



    ------------------------------
    Bobby Davison
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/25/25 10:38 AM

    I cant work out how to reply to a personal message but thanks for the follow-up message Bob, some interesting new customisations now to be tested..



    ------------------------------
    Bobby Davison
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/25/25 11:57 AM

    Hi,

    With Cognos Analytics v12.1.1, I'm trying to change the black color from this screen to another color with no luck:

    Any idea would be appreciated.

    Best regards,



    ------------------------------
    Patrick Neveu
    BSL Consulting
    IBM Champion
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/25/25 12:12 PM

    Based on this video, it doesn't look like its supported yet

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DutN2woizxs

     

    Bobby

     




    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/26/25 01:34 AM

    Hi @Patrick Neveu,

    for this requirement CSS comes in handy. Open the page you'd like to modify, press F12 in your browser (I use Edge) and go to the "</> Elements" tab. Use the "element selector" (CTRL+Shift+C) and hover over the desired area. In 12.0.4 the black bar on the top of the home screen is named "ca-home-welcomeBanner". In 12.1.1 I see it as "ca-home-welcomeBanner-welcome".

    Write a small extension that just inserts CSS into Cognos - e voila, the banner has changed.

    Tested with CA 12.0.4 on-premise.

    spec.json:

    {
  "name": "BrandNew_Style",
  "schemaVersion": "1.0",
  "extensions": [
    {
      "features": [{"id":"BrandNew_GEMU_Style",
        "cssStyles": ["v1/ext/BrandNew_Style/styles.css"]
      }],
      "perspective": "common"
    }
    
  ]
}

    css file:

    .ca-home-welcomeBanner{
	background-color:#79295E;
}

    I don't have CA 12.1.1 here for testing. Can you verify?



    ------------------------------
    Robert Dostal
    Principal Expert BI
    GEMÜ Gebr. Müller Apparatebau GmbH & Co. KG
    Kupferzell
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/27/25 11:55 AM

    Hi Robert, can you provide some guidance on the placement of the json and css files please? Or is there guidance online somewhere?



    ------------------------------
    Bobby Davison
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/28/25 02:35 AM

    Hi @Bobby Davison,

    there's a documentation on the IBM website for how to create extensions:

    Extensions - IBM Documentation

    There's no need to place the files locally on the CA servers anymore. Youi just have to create the spec.json and the style.css file, modify them for your needs and zip them. Afterwards just upload the zip file via Hamburger menu -> Manage -> Customizations -> Extensions. Log out and log in again and you should see the difference.



    ------------------------------
    Robert Dostal
    Principal Expert BI
    GEMÜ Gebr. Müller Apparatebau GmbH & Co. KG
    Kupferzell
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/28/25 03:28 AM

    Brilliant, thanks



    ------------------------------
    Bobby Davison
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/28/25 04:09 AM

    Hi Bobby,

    You might have a theme (such as Mytheme.zip) that you will load via Hamburger menu -> Manage -> Customizations ->Themes.

    And as Robert accurately noted, an extension provides the capability to further customize and extend Cognos Analytics portal.

    Best regards,



    ------------------------------
    Patrick Neveu
    BSL Consulting
    IBM Champion
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/26/25 04:02 AM

    Update:
    for 12.1.1 it's ".ca-home-welcomeBanner-simplified-home-page .ca-home-welcomeBanner-welcome.default-banner "

    .ca-home-welcomeBanner-simplified-home-page .ca-home-welcomeBanner-welcome.default-banner {
    background-color:#79295E;
	background:#79295E;
}


    ------------------------------
    Robert Dostal
    Principal Expert BI
    GEMÜ Gebr. Müller Apparatebau GmbH & Co. KG
    Kupferzell
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 15.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/26/25 04:31 AM

    Hi Robert,

    I was ready to share this correction with 

    .ca-home-welcomeBanner-simplified-home-page .ca-home-welcomeBanner-welcome.default-banner

    You've been faster than me. Thank you again for sharing this solution.

    Best regards,



    ------------------------------
    Patrick Neveu
    BSL Consulting
    IBM Champion
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 16.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/28/25 04:45 AM

    Woohoo!
    Thanks Guys, it worked!!
    I wasn't sure about the location of the json and css files in the zip file but worked in the root of the zip file.  The path in the json file to the css file must also be respected as shown in Robert's post above



    ------------------------------
    Bobby Davison
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 17.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 11/28/25 06:16 AM

    Great, we could help.

    The only down side: why do we as customers have to find these tweaks with trial and error whilst IBM as vendor could easily supply a list of CSS classes/elements or a better theming that allows us to customize more than just primary, secondary colors and some banner settings....



    ------------------------------
    Robert Dostal
    Principal Expert BI
    GEMÜ Gebr. Müller Apparatebau GmbH & Co. KG
    Kupferzell
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 18.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 12/01/25 05:35 AM

    FYI - I created an 'idea' to enhance the OOTB theming to include this particular element.



    ------------------------------
    Bob Smith
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 19.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 12/02/25 10:25 AM

    The reason why this is not documented or updated is because you are accessing private/unsupported areas of the product by injecting/overriding CSS selectors. Same could be said for injecting javascript.
    IBM has a limited supported API for theming. (See official documentation). 12.1.1 introduced the ability to theme more of the Carbon UX beyond the appBar.
    However, you can appreciate that since the entire web UX is based on CSS and javascript and extensions provide the ability to override any/all of these factory things. The onus is on the extension developer to understand they are "hacking" the system this way and that only public APIs are supported and are tested to still work after upgrade.
    It's a bitter/sweet reality. Cognos could limit introduction of CSS/javascript but it would hamper power users from enhancing the product in private ways that make the product more useful to them . However, this same power in the wrong hands (ie those who do not understand the technology and/or support) can shoot themselves in the foot.





    ------------------------------
    Shawn Crook
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 20.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 04/07/26 06:54 AM

    Hi Robert,

    I made my own modified Theme (CA version 12.1.2) , but I was not able to add that "Cognos user group" logo to application banner which you had in your example picture. Could you please advice how to add picture and brandTextSmall ? 

    BR

    Jaakko



    ------------------------------
    Jaakko Forsberg
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 21.  RE: Customize Theme - seems hit or miss

    Posted 04/07/26 07:09 AM

    Hi Jaakko,


    that's also done by CSS uploaded as extension to Cognos as 12.1.x does not support a logo in the header anymore. The solution has been written by @Jens Bäumler, I don't want to share it w/o permission. Jens, chime in if u like.



    ------------------------------
    Robert Dostal
    Principal Expert BI
    GEMÜ Gebr. Müller Apparatebau GmbH & Co. KG
    Kupferzell
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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