November 19, 2014

Sitecore Tip: Set a Custom Desktop Background

By: Craig Taylor
November 19, 2014

Custom Sitecore Background
When I work on a new project, oftentimes one of the first things I'll do after getting Sitecore running is to create custom desktop backgrounds for each environment.  This really comes in handy as I switch between environments and lose track of where I am. (dev, stage, prod, etc)

It's very simple to change the desktop background and based on the feedback I've received from other developers, it's something that is often overlooked.

Create a New Background Image

The easiest way to create a new image is to take an existing Sitecore background from "/sitecore/shell/Themes/Backgrounds" and edit it to include whatever text or identifiers will help you differentiate it from the other environments.  In my case, I just borrowed the "Blue.jpg" image and added my text.

Save the Image

A bit of a spoiler from the 'create' section above as to where to save the image, but save it to the 'backgrounds' directory at "/sitecore/shell/Themes/Backgrounds."

Change the Background Image

There are actually two ways to change the desktop background image.
  1. Log into Sitecore using the "Desktop" interface, right-click on the desktop, choose "Properties" and then select your new image.
  2. Log into Sitecore using the "Desktop" interface, click the "Sitecore" button, choose "Control Panel", choose "Preferences", click "Change Your Desktop Background" and then select your new image.
Note that changing the background only changes it for the current user.  All your other users are free to use whichever background suits them.

So as you can see, it's a super-simple way of giving you an additional cue to which environment you are about to install that potentially unstable package to . . .