Why do Sublime Text 3 Themes not affect the sidebar?

Question

I generally only use dark themes for coding, so it's really annoying that Sublime Text 3's sidebar stays light themed whatever theme you apply.

Does anyone know how to change this?

My configuration: Mac OSX 10.10.1 Yosemite, Sublime Text 3 Stable Channel, Build 3065

Solution 1

The most recent version of Sublime has fixed this issue, click on Preferences, click on Theme select Adaptive.sublime-theme. This will change the sidebar to a dark colored background.

Solution 2

You are looking for a Sublime UI Theme, which modifies Sublime's User Interface (e.g.: side bar). It's different from a Color Theme/Scheme, which modifies only the code part of Sublime's window. I tested a lot of UI Themes and the one I liked the most was Theme - Soda. You can install it using Sublime's Package Control. To enable it, go to Preferences >> Settings - User and add this line:

"theme": "Soda Dark 3.sublime-theme",

Here is a printscreen of my Sublime Text 3 with Soda Dark UI Theme and Twilight default Color Scheme:

Solution 3

You can manually change the sidebar style by editing Default.sublime-theme.

To do this, edit the “sidebar_tree”, “sidebar_heading” etc., classes in Packages/Theme - Default/Default.sublime-theme. You can override those defaults by putting this Default.sublime-theme inside the Packages/User folder.

From the Sublime Text menu, selecting “Preferences → Browse Packages…” will take you to it.

Solution 4

You need to restart Sublime completely in order for a theme to fully take effect. Just changing and saving Preferences.sublime-settings or using a theme-changing plugin won't do it. You need to use ⌘Q or Sublime Text -> Quit, not just close the window by clicking the red dot.

Solution 5

I thought I would put a note here that explains a basic misconception for a lot of people who are using these Text Editors... Sublime Text in particular (or at least that's the one I use, so I don't know how it works for other editors):

There are "Themes" and there are "Color Schemes". They are similar but affect different things. "Themes" actively change the entire UI, and can include a Color Scheme if you set it up that way. This typically includes the sidebar, and can also include options for the file tabs, and some even include icons for the sidebar as well. And then we have "Color Schemes" which only change the coding windows and nothing else... not the Sidebar, nor the File tabs, etc.

The confusion happens because some people call Color Schemes "Themes" which makes folks think that their "Theme" is going to change everything.... when technically, it's just a color scheme.

And an additional note: Themes don't automatically install for all users. When I install a Theme, I have to open my User preferences (under "preferences > Settings - User"), and then you have to add the line which says something like:

"theme": "Theme-Name.sublime-theme" 

(where "Theme-Name" is the name of your theme).

This is different than just activating a color scheme. If you've chosen a color scheme via the dropdown menus in Sublime Text, you will see a line in there like this:

"color_scheme": "Packages/Color-Scheme-Name.tmTheme"

(where "Color-Scheme-Name" is the name of your color scheme).

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Comments

[connexo]

Ofc I have done that. The sidebar never changes, whatever theme I apply.

[connexo]

Where can I find Default.sublime-theme? In ST3 there is no Theme - default folder inside the packages folder.

[pearpages]

From the sublime text menu, selecting “Preferences → Browse Packages…” will take you to it.

[connexo]

It takes me to a folder named "Packages" with the following subfolders: - bz2 - Colorsublime - Themes - PyV8 - Terminal - User None of those folders - or their subfolders - contains a file named Default.sublime-theme.

[pearpages]

You are right follow the hiperlink. And put the file int he folder. Than restart sublime as @MattDMo says

[connexo]

Hadn't noticed the hyperlink. Thx for the help, bro!

[renatov]

Restarting Sublime won't change the side bar. You need to install an UI Theme in order to change side bar appearance. Look at my answer.

[renatov]

You don't need to use these workarounds. The best way to smoothly merge a dark color scheme with the side bar appearance is installing a dark UI Theme for Sublime. Check my answer for more details.

[garg10may]

@Pere my sidebar changed to brown instead of black, also nowhere you have mentioned that file needs to be copied. It turned brown after copying.

[ankush981]

This helped me! I had installed Soda theme earlier but uninstalled instantly, horrified at the broken tabs and font anti-aliasing. But seeing your answer made me install it again and restart ST3 - and whoa, my life was never the same again! :D

[MattDMo]

Good answer. I didn't catch that the OP was using color schemes, not UI themes.

[renatov]

By the way, if you like Sublime, you should try Atom. It's open source, has the same Sublime features, is a lot better organized (there is even a Settings GUI) and more beautiful by default.

[acidjunk]

Sublime3, build 3114 needed a restart before sidebar was black

[elomage]

You can change the sidebar background color (aka tint) in the Default.sublime-theme by searching for class": "sidebar_tree", and modifying the "layer0.tint" values [R, G, B]. Make it black with [0,0,0] or whatever else you please, @garg10may .

[C4F]

I use this workaround because Visual Studio Dark doesn't sidebar UI coloring. If anyone is using this and cant get the "selected row background" in the tree colored properly, its // Sidebar row selected { "class": "tree_row", "attributes": ["selected"], "layer0.opacity": 0.55 },

[ecoe]

@Jay answer is the way to go, but if you're like me and stuck with an older sublime text version on Centos 6, then you can manually install this plugin by selecting Preferences >> Browse Packages... and then from the Packages directory clone this theme: git clone https://github.com/buymeasoda/soda-theme/ "Theme - Soda". Then make the changes to the user settings as described in this answer.

[Saikat]

This answer really helps because without adding anything you can change the sidebar appearance.

[Guo]

In my sublime3 build 3175, just click on Preferences->Theme then select "Adaptive.sublime-theme", the sidebar goes dark.

[slawrence10]

Wow, this is great - why is it not more obvious to enable?