Lotus Theme

Introduction #

The Redmineflux Lotus Theme Plugin is a comprehensive UI theme for Redmine that transforms the default interface into a modern, clean, and visually polished experience. Designed for teams who demand a professional project management interface, it delivers a complete layout overhaul — including a fixed top navigation bar, a collapsible left sidebar with dual-mode navigation, responsive overflow handling, tracker border colour coding, custom priority icons, and a rich project cards view — all without requiring any database changes.

Author: Redmineflux — Powered by Zehntech Technologies Inc.

Version: 1.0.0

Version Compatibility #

Redmine Versions
5.0.x, 5.1.x
6.0.x

Installation #

To install the Redmineflux Lotus Theme Plugin, follow these steps:

1. Make sure you have a working installation of Redmine.
2. Download the Lotus Theme Plugin from Redmineflux.com. The plugin is distributed as a ZIP file.
3. Extract the plugin ZIP file into Redmine’s plugins/ directory. Do not rename the plugin folder — it must remain Redmineflux_lotus.
   /path/to/redmine/plugins/Redmineflux_lotus/
4. Run the following command to install required dependencies:
   bundle install
5. Start the Redmine server:
   rails s
6. Activate the theme by navigating to Administration → Settings → Display, selecting “Redmineflux Lotus” from the Theme dropdown, and clicking Save.

The plugin also auto-installs a companion theme on first server start. If the theme does not appear in the dropdown, you can install it manually:

bundle exec rake Redmineflux_lotus:install_theme RAILS_ENV=production

Configuration #

Accessing Plugin Settings #

1. Log in to your Redmine instance as an administrator.
2. Navigate to Administration → Plugins.
3. Find “Redmineflux Lotus Theme Plugin” in the list.
4. Click “Configure” to open the settings page.

The settings page has two tabs:

Tab 1: Tracker Border Colors #

Assign a unique border colour to each issue tracker type. When configured, a coloured left border and matching text colour appear on issue ID cells throughout Redmine’s issue lists, related issues, and subtask tables — making it easier to visually distinguish tracker types at a glance.

• Each tracker defined in your Redmine instance appears with a colour picker.
• You can pick a colour visually or type a hex code (e.g., #0094FF) directly into the input field.
• A live preview swatch is shown inline.
• Changes take effect immediately after saving.

Tab 2: Priority Icons #

Replace Redmine’s default text-based priority labels with custom icons on the issue list page.

• Each issue priority appears with an icon upload option.
• Supported formats: SVG, PNG, JPG, GIF (maximum file size: 100 KB, dimensions: 16–64 px).
• You may either upload a file from your computer or enter a direct URL to an external image.
• A built-in icon picker modal is available with 120+ pre-built icons, searchable by name, with 8 colour options to choose from.
• A live preview of the selected icon is shown inline before saving.

Usage Guide #

How to Activate the Theme #

1. Log in as an administrator.
2. Go to Administration → Settings → Display.
3. In the Theme dropdown, select “Redmineflux Lotus”.
4. Click Save.

The Lotus layout, fonts, icons, and styles will be applied immediately across all pages.

How to Toggle the Sidebar #

The left sidebar displays navigation links that change based on the current page context.

• Click the hamburger toggle button (with animated chevron) in the top-left corner of the top bar to collapse or expand the sidebar.
• Your preference is saved automatically in your browser and persists across page reloads and sessions on the same device.
• When collapsed, tooltips appear on hover over sidebar items to show their labels.
• A user card with avatar initials and name link appears at the bottom of the sidebar.

How to Configure Tracker Border Colors #

1. Go to Administration → Plugins → Configure (next to Redmineflux Lotus Theme Plugin).
2. Click the “Tracker Border Colors” tab.
3. For each tracker listed, click the colour swatch to open the colour picker, or type a hex code directly into the input field.
4. Click Save to apply.

Issue ID cells in issue lists, related issues, and subtask tables will now display a left border and matching text colour in the configured colour for each tracker type.

How to Upload Custom Priority Icons #

1. Go to Administration → Plugins → Configure.
2. Click the “Priority Icons” tab.
3. For each issue priority:
   • Enter an image URL in the “Icon URL” field, or
   • Click “Choose File” to upload a local image (SVG, PNG, JPG, or GIF; max 100 KB), or
   • Click the icon picker button to browse 120+ built-in icons with colour customisation.
4. A preview of the selected icon appears inline.
5. Click Save to apply.

Priority icons will appear as visual indicators in the priority column of issue list tables.

How to Customize the Login Page #

The Lotus Theme applies a modern split-screen design to the Redmine login page — a blue panel on the left featuring a project illustration, and the login form on the right. This is applied automatically when the theme is activated and does not require additional configuration.

To use a custom background image or messaging on the login page, contact the Redmineflux support team.

How to Use the “More” Menu in Top Navigation #

If your Redmine instance has many top-level navigation items that exceed the available horizontal space in the top navigation bar, overflow items are automatically collected into a “More” dropdown button on the right side of the top menu.

• This happens automatically on every page load and window resize.
• The dropdown includes proper ARIA accessibility attributes.
• No manual configuration is required.

How to Use the Project Cards View #

On the Projects index page, you can switch between two view modes:

• Grid View: Displays projects as rich cards showing project name, description, Customer and Project Manager (from custom fields), a progress bar, member avatars, dates, bookmark indicators, and expandable subproject hierarchies.
• List View: Displays projects in a traditional table format with enhanced styling.

To switch views:

1. Navigate to the Projects index page.
2. Click the Grid or List toggle buttons in the page toolbar.
3. Use the Filter button to show or hide the project filter panel.
4. Use the live search field to filter project cards by name in real time.

How to Use the Activity Page #

The Activity page features an enhanced layout with:

• Filter pills: Date range pill and user filter pill for quick filtering — no dropdown menus.
• Scope toggle: Switch between project-level and global activity scope in one click.
• Collapsible day groups: Each day’s activities are grouped into a card with a header and chevron toggle. The most recent day starts expanded; older days are collapsed by default.
• Tracker colour-coding: Activity items are colour-coded by tracker type (Bug, Feature, Enhancement, Support) for quick visual scanning.

How to Use Filters on the Issue List #

The issue list filter panel can be toggled open or closed:

• Click the “Filter” button (injected automatically into the toolbar) to expand or collapse the filter panel.
• The Apply and Clear buttons appear when the filter panel is visible.

UI Overview #

The Redmineflux Lotus Theme gives Redmine a fresh, modern look and feel. Here is what you will see:

Top Menu Bar #

A sleek bar at the top of every page with the Redmineflux logo on the left, your project navigation links in the centre, and quick access to search, your account, and logout on the right. If there are too many navigation links to fit, they automatically go into a “More” dropdown.

Left Sidebar Menu #

A clean sidebar on the left side that shows different navigation links depending on where you are — general links (Projects, Activity, Issues, Spent Time, Settings) on global pages, and project-specific links (Roadmap, Wiki, Files, Issues) when you are inside a project. You can collapse it at any time to get more screen space, and it remembers your preference. Your name and avatar also appear at the bottom.

Content Area #

The main working area where all your project content appears. Filters and options can be expanded or collapsed to keep things tidy. Action buttons and totals are neatly organised together on list pages.

Login Page #

A modern split-screen design with an attractive blue panel on the left featuring a project illustration, and the login form on the right. It looks great on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.

Enhanced Pages #

The Lotus Theme gives a fresh, redesigned look to many Redmine pages for a more polished and consistent experience:

Page	What’s Improved
Home / Welcome Page	A welcoming hero section with a personalised greeting, today’s date, quick links to “My Page” and “Projects”, useful stats, and latest news
Projects Index	Switch between a card view and list view, search projects instantly, and filter with ease
Project Card	Project cards showing key details — Customer, Project Manager, progress, team members, and subprojects at a glance
Project Overview	A cleaner project summary page with easy-to-access action buttons
Issue List	A tidier issue list with a collapsible filter panel, organised action buttons, and a quick-access import button
Issue Edit	A cleaner, card-style layout for editing issues
Activity Page	Daily activities grouped into collapsible sections with date and user filter pills, colour-coded by tracker type
Roadmap / Versions	Cleaner version pages with collapsible related issues and better-looking progress bars
Timelog Index	A refreshed time log page matching the clean issue list style
Login Page	A modern two-panel login screen with an attractive illustration
Password Recovery Page	A styled password reset page that matches the login page look
Administration Pages	A cleaner admin interface with less clutter in the sidebar

Troubleshooting #

Theme not appearing after installation

Ensure the theme was activated: go to Administration → Settings → Display and verify that “Redmineflux Lotus” is selected in the Theme dropdown. If the theme does not appear in the dropdown, run the following command and restart the server:

bundle exec rake Redmineflux_lotus:install_theme RAILS_ENV=production

Sidebar toggle button not appearing

The hamburger toggle button is rendered inside the top bar by the plugin JavaScript. Ensure that the Lotus theme is selected and there are no JavaScript errors in the browser console.

Priority icons not displaying

Ensure that the Redmine web server has proper file write permissions. Uploaded icons are stored inside the Redmine public directory. Re-upload the icons from the plugin settings if they were lost during a server migration.

Tracker border colors not applied

After saving colours, perform a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R) to bypass any cached stylesheets. A server restart is not needed — colours take effect on the next page load.

Brief flash of unstyled content on page load

The plugin uses a lotus-theme-loading CSS class to prevent FOUC (flash of unstyled content). If you notice a brief layout flash, check that JavaScript is loading correctly and no browser extensions are blocking script execution.

Layout conflicts with another plugin

If another plugin also modifies the main Redmine layout, conflicts may occur. Try disabling other layout-modifying plugins to confirm. Check the Redmine log for any view template errors.

Frequently Asked Questions #

Q: Does the plugin require database changes?

A: No. The Redmineflux Lotus plugin does not create any database tables. All settings are stored using Redmine’s built-in plugin settings system.

Q: Can I install the plugin without activating the theme?

A: Yes. The plugin can be installed without activating the Lotus theme. All visual changes are only applied when “Redmineflux Lotus” is selected in Administration → Settings → Display. Until then, Redmine looks and behaves exactly as before.

Q: How is the sidebar state saved?

A: The sidebar collapsed/expanded state is saved in your browser’s localStorage and persists across page reloads and sessions on the same device. Each user controls their own preference independently.

Q: Can I upload animated GIFs as priority icons?

A: Yes. The plugin accepts GIF files for priority icon uploads, in addition to SVG, PNG, and JPG formats. The maximum allowed file size is 100 KB.

Q: What is the built-in icon picker?

A: The Priority Icons settings tab includes a modal with 120+ pre-built icons that you can browse and search by name. Each icon can be customised with 8 different colour options before being applied to a priority level.

Q: Is the plugin compatible with other Redmineflux plugins?

A: Yes. The Lotus plugin is designed to work seamlessly with other Redmineflux plugins, including the Dashboard, Agile Board, Workload, Timesheet, and Helpdesk plugins. The theme automatically repositions Timesheet and Helpdesk sidebar content for better layout integration.

Q: Will the theme affect other users immediately?

A: Yes. Once an administrator activates the Lotus theme, the new layout is applied for all users across the Redmine instance.

Q: Does the plugin support Redmine 5.x?

A: Yes. The plugin includes automatic version branching to ensure full compatibility with both Redmine 5.x and 6.x.

Uninstallation #

To uninstall the Redmineflux Lotus Theme Plugin:

1. Deactivate the theme first: go to Administration → Settings → Display, select a different theme (e.g., Default), and click Save.
2. (Optional) Remove the companion theme files:
   bundle exec rake Redmineflux_lotus:uninstall_theme RAILS_ENV=production
3. Delete the plugin directory from your Redmine installation:
   rm -rf /path/to/redmine/plugins/Redmineflux_lotus
4. No database rollback is required — the plugin has no database tables.
5. Restart the Redmine server:
   rails s

The Lotus theme, all custom icons, and all plugin settings will be removed from your Redmine instance.

Conclusion #

The Redmineflux Lotus Theme Plugin transforms Redmine into a modern, professional project management interface that your team will find easier to navigate every day. With its collapsible dual-mode sidebar, rich project cards view, enhanced activity page, built-in icon picker, configurable tracker border colours, and a polished login page — it brings a complete visual upgrade without touching your database or disrupting your workflow.

Whether you are managing a small team or a large organisation, Lotus makes Redmine feel like a structured, professional environment right out of the box.

For questions, support, or feature requests, visit Redmineflux.com.