# Styles, presets and themes in NetPlottr DiagramTool

## What are styles, presets and themes?

A network diagram is only truly useful when others grasp it at a glance. In NetPlottr DiagramTool you control how your drawing looks on three separate levels, which you can set independently:

- **Style presets** apply a consistent visual language across your whole diagram in one click. You choose between Standard, Minimal, Bold and Monitoring.
- **Interface themes** set the color palette and mood of your canvas, such as a dark or light background. There are 15 of them.
- **Color accents** are set per component, so you can visually separate groups or roles.

The nice part is that these three work together without getting in each other's way. For example, you can pick the Minimal preset for a calm drawing, work in the dark theme because it is easy on the eyes, and then export in a light theme because that fits better in a report.

NetPlottr DiagramTool is a Chrome extension that runs entirely inside your browser. No login and no cloud are needed: your style choices, themes and colors simply stay with you on your own computer. You can find more on [netplottr.com](https://netplottr.com).

## Style presets: a consistent look, fast

A style preset is a preconfigured combination of shapes, borders and accents that NetPlottr applies to your diagram all at once. Instead of tweaking every element separately, the preset gives you a recognizable, consistent style instantly.

The four presets:

- **Standard**, a balanced look that works fine for most network diagrams. A good starting point.
- **Minimal**, clean and quiet, with little visual noise. Ideal when you have many components and clarity comes first.
- **Bold**, with more emphasis and contrast. Handy for presentations or slides where your drawing has to stay readable from a distance.
- **Monitoring**, tuned for status overviews where OK, warning and error stand out immediately. A good fit for diagrams you use to show the health of your infrastructure.

:::tip title="Start with a preset, then refine"
First pick the preset closest to your goal, then only adjust the elements that genuinely differ. That keeps your whole drawing consistent without having to set every component by hand.
:::

:::howto title="Applying a style preset"
1. Open your diagram in NetPlottr DiagramTool.
2. Go to the style section of the extension.
3. Choose one of the presets: Standard, Minimal, Bold or Monitoring.
4. Watch your diagram update instantly and pick the preset that fits best.
5. Refine per component where needed: shape (rounded, square or pill), width and height.
:::

## The 15 interface themes

Where a preset is mostly about shape, an interface theme sets the colors and mood of your canvas. NetPlottr ships 15 themes, so you always have a background that is comfortable to work in and suits what you are using the drawing for.

A selection of the themes:

- **NetPlottr Dark**, the default theme. A dark background that is easy on the eyes during long sessions.
- **Professional White**, a light, clean theme that looks great in documents and reports.
- **Cloud Captains blue**, in Cloud Captains' blue brand style.
- **Material variants**, based on the well-known Material color system.
- **Solarized, Nord and Dracula**, popular palettes that many IT people recognize from their code editor.

The theme's background and colors work together with the color accents you set per component. A component with a red accent stands out differently against a dark background than against a white one. It therefore pays to choose your accents in the theme you will ultimately export in.

:::info title="Themes only change the look"
Switching themes changes nothing about your components, connections or data such as IP addresses and DNS records. So you can freely experiment with themes without changing the content of your drawing.
:::

## A separate theme for export

A handy feature of NetPlottr is that you can choose a different theme for export than the one you edit in. That sounds small, but in practice it saves a lot of work.

Say you like working in NetPlottr Dark because it is easy on the eyes, but your drawing has to go into a Word document or a presentation with a white background. Then you set the export theme to, for example, Professional White, and NetPlottr delivers your image in the right style right away. You do not have to switch your canvas or touch it up afterwards.

:::howto title="Exporting in a different theme"
1. Finish your diagram in the theme you find comfortable to edit in, for example NetPlottr Dark.
2. When exporting, pick the theme the image should appear in, for example Professional White.
3. Export as PNG (automatically cropped), as GIF for an animation, or copy a PNG straight to your clipboard.
4. Paste or place the image into your document or presentation.
:::

:::tip title="The clipboard saves a step"
Need your drawing in a chat message or document fast? Copy a PNG straight to your clipboard and paste it directly. This is the only reason NetPlottr asks for the clipboardWrite permission, and everything still stays local.
:::

## Color accents for a readable drawing

Beyond presets and themes, you give every component its own color accent. This is your most powerful tool for keeping a busy drawing clear. A few smart ways to use accents:

- Give all parts of the same layer or zone the same color, so groups are instantly recognizable.
- Use a striking color for critical parts such as firewalls or the internet connection.
- Combine color accents with the status indicator (OK, warning, error) for a diagram that shows the health of your infrastructure at a glance.

:::warn title="Do not overdo the colors"
Too many different colors actually make a drawing unreadable. Stick to a handful of meaningful accents and keep the rest neutral. A calm base with a few targeted colors always reads better than a rainbow.
:::

:::tip title="Match accents to your export theme"
Choose your accent colors in the theme you will ultimately export in. A color that glows nicely in NetPlottr Dark can look washed out on a white background, and the other way around. A quick check in the export theme avoids surprises.
:::

## Everything stays local

Whatever you set for style, themes or colors: it all happens inside your own browser. NetPlottr DiagramTool has no login and no cloud. You save your projects locally as a .frank file, and you export your images to your own disk or clipboard. Your style preferences never leave your computer. For IT staff, administrators and DevOps working with sensitive infrastructure, that is a reassuring property.

:::faq
### What is the difference between a preset and a theme?
A style preset mainly sets the shape and consistency of your components (Standard, Minimal, Bold, Monitoring). An interface theme sets the colors and mood of your canvas, such as a dark or light background. You set them independently and combine them as you like.

### How many themes does NetPlottr have?
There are 15 interface themes. NetPlottr Dark is the default. Other examples are Professional White, Cloud Captains blue, several Material variants, Solarized, Nord and Dracula.

### Can I export in a different theme than the one I work in?
Yes. You can choose a different theme for export than for editing. So you can work in NetPlottr Dark, for instance, but deliver an image in Professional White for a document with a white background.

### Does a different theme change my data?
No. Switching themes only changes the look. Your components, connections and data such as IP addresses and DNS records stay unchanged.

### Are my style choices stored online anywhere?
No. NetPlottr DiagramTool works 100% locally in your browser, with no login and no cloud. You keep your projects as a .frank file on your own computer.

### Which preset should I pick for a presentation?
For a presentation or slides the Bold preset often works best, because it gives more contrast and keeps your drawing readable from a distance. Optionally combine it with a light export theme such as Professional White.
:::