---
template: overrides/main.html
---
# Customization
Project documentation is as diverse as the projects themselves and Material for
MkDocs is a good starting point for making it look great. However, as you write
your documentation, you may reach a point where some small adjustments are
necessary to preserve your brand's style.
## Adding assets
[MkDocs][1] provides several ways to customize a theme. In order to make a few
tweaks to an existing theme, you can just add your stylesheets and JavaScript
files to the `docs` directory.
[1]: https://www.mkdocs.org
### Additional stylesheets
If you want to tweak some colors or change the spacing of certain elements,
you can do this in a separate stylesheet. The easiest way is by creating a
new stylesheet file in the `docs` directory:
```
mkdir docs/stylesheets
touch docs/stylesheets/extra.css
```
Then, add the following line to `mkdocs.yml`:
``` yaml
extra_css:
- stylesheets/extra.css
```
Spin up the [live preview server][2] and start typing your changes in your
additional stylesheet file – you should see them almost instantly after saving.
[2]: creating-your-site.md#previewing-as-you-write
### Additional JavaScript
The same is true for additional JavaScript. If you want to integrate another
syntax highlighter or add some custom logic to your theme, create a new
JavaScript file in the `docs` directory:
```
mkdir docs/javascripts
touch docs/javascripts/extra.js
```
Then, add the following line to `mkdocs.yml`:
``` yaml
extra_javascript:
- javascripts/extra.js
```
Further assistance can be found in the [MkDocs documentation][3].
[3]: https://www.mkdocs.org/user-guide/styling-your-docs/#customizing-a-theme
## Extending the theme
If you want to alter the HTML source (e.g. add or remove some part), you can
extend the theme. MkDocs supports [theme extension][4], an easy way to override
parts of a theme without forking and changing the main theme.
[4]: https://www.mkdocs.org/user-guide/styling-your-docs/#using-the-theme-custom_dir
### Setup and theme structure
Reference the original theme as usual in `mkdocs.yml`, and create a new folder
for `overrides` which you reference using `custom_dir`:
``` yaml
theme:
name: material
custom_dir: overrides
```
!!! warning "Theme extension prerequisites"
As the `custom_dir` variable is used for the theme extension process,
Material for MkDocs needs to be installed via `pip` and referenced with the
`name` parameter in `mkdocs.yml`. It will not work when cloning from `git`.
The structure in the `overrides` directory must mirror the directory structure
of the original theme, as any file in the `overrides` directory will replace the
file with the same name which is part of the original theme. Besides, further
assets may also be put in the `overrides` directory.
The directory layout of the theme is as follows:
``` sh
.
├─ .icons/ # Bundled icon sets
├─ assets/
│ ├─ images/ # Images and icons
│ ├─ javascripts/ # JavaScript
│ └─ stylesheets/ # Stylesheets
├─ partials/
│ ├─ integrations/ # Third-party integrations
│ │ ├─ analytics.html # - Google Analytics
│ │ └─ disqus.html # - Disqus
│ ├─ language/ # Localized languages
│ ├─ footer.html # Footer bar
│ ├─ header.html # Header bar
│ ├─ hero.html # Hero teaser
│ ├─ language.html # Localized labels
│ ├─ logo.html # Logo in header and sidebar
│ ├─ nav.html # Main navigation
│ ├─ nav-item.html # Main navigation item
│ ├─ palette.html # Color palette
│ ├─ search.html # Search box
│ ├─ social.html # Social links
│ ├─ source.html # Repository information
│ ├─ source-date.html # Last updated date
│ ├─ source-link.html # Link to source file
│ ├─ tabs.html # Tabs navigation
│ ├─ tabs-item.html # Tabs navigation item
│ ├─ toc.html # Table of contents
│ └─ toc-item.html # Table of contents item
├─ 404.html # 404 error page
├─ base.html # Base template
└─ main.html # Default page
```
### Overriding partials
In order to override the footer, we can replace the `footer.html` partial with
our own partial. To do this, create the file `partials/footer.html` in the
`overrides` directory. MkDocs will now use the new partial when rendering the
theme. This can be done with any file.
### Overriding blocks
Besides overriding partials, it's also possible to override (and extend) so
called _blocks_, which are defined inside the templates and wrap specific
features. To override a block, create a `main.html` inside the `overrides`
directory and define the block, e.g.:
``` html
{% extends "base.html" %}
{% block htmltitle %}
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
{% endblock %}
```
Material for MkDocs provides the following template blocks:
| Block name | Wrapped contents |
| ------------ | ----------------------------------------------- |
| `analytics` | Wraps the Google Analytics integration |
| `announce` | Wraps the announcement bar |
| `config` | Wraps the JavaScript application config |
| `content` | Wraps the main content |
| `disqus` | Wraps the Disqus integration |
| `extrahead` | Empty block to add custom meta tags |
| `fonts` | Wraps the font definitions |
| `footer` | Wraps the footer with navigation and copyright |
| `header` | Wraps the fixed header bar |
| `hero` | Wraps the hero teaser (if available) |
| `htmltitle` | Wraps the `` tag |
| `libs` | Wraps the JavaScript libraries (header) |
| `scripts` | Wraps the JavaScript application (footer) |
| `source` | Wraps the linked source files |
| `site_meta` | Wraps the meta tags in the document head |
| `site_nav` | Wraps the site navigation and table of contents |
| `styles` | Wraps the stylesheets (also extra sources) |
| `tabs` | Wraps the tabs navigation (if available) |
For more on this topic refer to the [MkDocs documentation][5].
[5]: https://www.mkdocs.org/user-guide/styling-your-docs/#overriding-template-blocks
## Theme development
Material for MkDocs uses [Webpack][6] as a build tool to leverage modern web
technologies like [TypeScript][7] and [SASS][8]. If you want to make more
fundamental changes, it may be necessary to make the adjustments directly in
the source of the theme and recompile it.
[6]: https://webpack.js.org/
[7]: https://www.typescriptlang.org/
[8]: https://sass-lang.com
### Environment setup
In order to start development on Material for MkDocs, a [Node.js][9] version of
at least 12 is required. First, clone the repository:
```
git clone https://github.com/squidfunk/mkdocs-material
```
Next, all dependencies need to be installed, which is done with:
```
cd mkdocs-material
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install mkdocs-minify-plugin
npm install
```
[9]: https://nodejs.org
### Development mode
Start the Webpack watchdog with:
```
npm start
```
Then, in a second session, start the MkDocs server with:
```
mkdocs serve
```
Point your browser to [localhost:8000][10] and you should see this documentation
in front of you.
!!! warning "Automatically generated files"
Never make any changes in the `material` directory, as the contents of this
directory are automatically generated from the `src` directory and will be
overridden when the theme is built.
[10]: http://localhost:8000
### Building the theme
When you're finished making your changes, you can build the theme by invoking:
```
npm run build
```
This triggers the production-level compilation and minification of all
stylesheets and JavaScript sources. When the command exits, the final files are
located in the `material` directory. Add the `theme_dir` variable pointing to
the aforementioned directory in the original `mkdocs.yml`.
Now you can run `mkdocs build` and you should see your documentation with your
changes to the original theme.