Styles & Skins: combination problem - 12.2.1.2.0

Question

Hi Team,

I followed https://docs.oracle.com/middleware/11119/biee/BIESG/answersconfigset.htm#BABEDDEC to create a customized look and feel for our OBIEE deployment.
However, if I set a the default skin in instanceconfig.xml to mazda and I choose a style in a dashboard, it doesn't get applied.
(It's like the custom skin takes priority over the custom style?)

Goal:
- create a grey look and feel for OBIEE via a custom skin 
- create a dark grey look and feel for certain dashboards via a custom style

Procedure to reproduce:
- create folder $installdir/instances/instance1/bifoundation/OracleBIPresentationServicesComponent/coreapplication_obips1/analyticsRes/res
- unzip file Mazda_UI.zip to created folder
  (contains files for Custom skin Mazda + custom style Mazda + custom style MazdaDark)
- install application AnalyticsRes with this folder via console
- restart presentation services
- RESULT: when dashboard is configured to use style MazdaDark, it works CORRECTLY

- update instanceconfig.xml - set default skin to Mazda
- RESULT: default skin Mazda is applied CORRECTLY on the UI, but when a dashboard is configured to use style MazdaDark, it is NOT APPLIED!

So the question becomes: How can I create/apply a custom skin, while still being able to apply a custom style on top?

Note: the same classes are defined in the master.css file of the Mazda skin and the MazdaDark style - though with differentbackground colors for masterSecondaryLayer & masterTertiaryLayer

Thanks & regards,

Akshay

Gianni Ceresa · Answer

No, you are correct in what you saw (and the understanding wasn't right), the style doesn't stop at the dashboard and its content but cover the full OBIEE interface (the most visible part being the top banner with colors and logo defined by the default style).

So the default style will apply to all dashboard not having a different style configured or any other page where you don't define a style (so admin, homepage, answers, catalog, login/logout etc.).

That's why you set as default the most generic style and if you need some dashboard to be different that second style will be set by the dashboard.

Akshay Ligade-Oracle · Answer

Hi Gianni,

Thanks for your response.

So I understand a skin and a style are supposed to contain different style elements and I should only change things like the background-color of .mPDTC in master.css of the custom STYLE, not in a custom SKIN.

My understanding was however the elements defined in a style are ONLY applied in dashboards.
But from what I can see now, if you define the default style in instanceconfig.xml to be the custom one, all those elements will be applied in OBIEE catalog, report, admin view, ... - not just in the dashboard.

Is my understanding then correct?

Regards,
Akshay

Gianni Ceresa · Answer

Hi,

In your description you jump from skin to style all the time: a grey look and feel in a skin, but a dark grey look and feel for some dashboards in a style etc.

Skin and style aren't the same thing, that's why the generally go together, they customize different things of your screen.

For example you talk about master.css of both skin and style, but in skin this file isn't supposed to exist, or for sure not in the same location with the same role as the master/master.css file of the style.

So aren't you mixing up things a bit? ( => no chance to make it work as you want )

PS: tell Mazda the light grey one is better ...