This is how to do that with the Ambiance theme in Natty 11.04, but you can easily adapt this to any other theme.
1. Backup the default panel configuration file:
sudo cp /usr/share/themes/Ambiance/gtk-2.0/apps/gnome-panel.rc /usr/share/themes/Ambiance/gtk-2.0/apps/gnome-panel-original.rc
2. Edit the panel configuration file:
gksudo gedit /usr/share/themes/Ambiance/gtk-2.0/apps/gnome-panel.rc
- To disable the default background image, comment the red-marked entry as shown below.
- To modify the background color in case you don't use any background image, modify the hex color code of the green-marked entry.
- To modify the text colors of the panel items, add the blue-marked entries and modify the hex color codes.
# ============================================================================== # GNOME PANEL SPECIFIC SETTINGS # ============================================================================== style "panel" = "dark" { xthickness = 0 ythickness = 0 #bg_pixmap[NORMAL] = "img/panel.png" bg[NORMAL] = "#4b4a46" fg[NORMAL] = @fg_color_dark fg[PRELIGHT] = shade (1.15, @fg_color_dark) fg[ACTIVE] = @fg_color_dark fg[SELECTED] = @selected_fg_color_dark fg[INSENSITIVE] = shade (0.5, @fg_color_dark) engine "murrine" { #contrast = 1.0 textstyle = 2 text_shade = 0.35 } }
To also modify the style of the "ACTIVE" and "PRELIGHT" task buttons (red-marked), you can either
- set them transparent as well by applying the image set for the "NORMAL" and "INSENSITIVE" buttons (green-marked) to them.
- add custom images to the subdirectory "gtk-2.0/apps/img" and apply them to them.
- remove the respective image specs completely and set them just to colors by adding the blue-marked entries and modifying the hex color codes.
style "panel_task_button" = "dark" { xthickness = 3 xthickness = 3 GtkWidget::focus-line-width = 0 GtkWidget::focus_padding = 0 GtkWidget::interior_focus = 0 GtkWidget::internal_padding = 0 GtkButton::child_displacement_x = 0 GtkButton::child_displacement_y = 0 GtkButton::default_border = {0, 0, 0, 0} GtkButton::default_outside_border = {0, 0, 0, 0} GtkButtonBox::child_internal_pad_x = 0 GtkButtonBox::child_internal_pad_y = 0 GtkButtonBox::child_min_heigth = 0 bg[NORMAL] = @bg_color_dark bg[ACTIVE] = shade (0.8, @bg_color_dark) bg[SELECTED] = @selected_bg_color bg[PRELIGHT] = shade (1.0, "#4D4C48") bg[INSENSITIVE] = shade (0.85, @bg_color_dark) engine "pixmap" { image { function = BOX recolorable = TRUE state = NORMAL file = "img/panel-button-inactive.png" border = { 1, 1, 1, 1 } stretch = TRUE } image { function = BOX recolorable = TRUE state = PRELIGHT file = "img/panel-button-hover.png" border = { 1, 1, 1, 1 } stretch = TRUE } image { function = BOX recolorable = TRUE shadow = OUT state = PRELIGHT file = "img/panel-button-hover.png" border = { 1, 1, 1, 1 } stretch = TRUE } image { function = BOX recolorable = TRUE shadow = IN state = PRELIGHT file = "img/panel-button-hover.png" border = { 1, 1, 1, 1 } stretch = TRUE } image { function = BOX recolorable = TRUE state = ACTIVE file = "img/panel-button-active.png" border = { 4, 4, 4, 4 } stretch = TRUE } image { function = BOX recolorable = TRUE state = INSENSITIVE file = "img/panel-button-inactive.png" border = { 1, 1, 1, 1 } stretch = TRUE } } } #widget_class "*Panel*" style "panel" widget "*PanelWidget*" style "panel" widget "*PanelApplet*" style "panel" widget "*fast-user-switch*" style "panel" # workaround for Fast User Switch applet widget "*CPUFreqApplet*" style "panel" # workaround for CpuFreq Applet class "PanelApp*" style "panel" class "PanelToplevel*" style "panel" #widget_class "*Mail*" style "panel" widget_class "*notif*" style "panel" #widget_class "*?anel*utton" style "panel_task_button" # causing problems to monodevelop widget "*task*" style "panel_task_button" widget "*.tasklist-button" style "panel_task_button" widget "*PanelApplet*TaskTitle*" style "panel_task_button"
3. Save / Quit.
4. Re-apply the theme.
Have fun!