Pimp My Safari

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Change the appearance of Safari's RSS view.

May 21, 07:00 pm

Here’s how to change the appearance of Safari’s RSS view. These are just html pages styled with CSS, so if you’re familiar with CSS, you can easily alter how the display looks.

The first step is to find the css file found here:

System > Library > PrivateFrameworks > SyndicationUI.framework > Themes>default.syndtheme > Contents > Resources > Articles.css

However, some users have found the location to be:

System > Library > PrivateFrameworks > SyndicationUI.framework > A > Resources > Themes > default.syndtheme > Contents > Resources > Articles.css

The location seems to depend on whether you upgraded to Tiger, or did an archive and install. (The folder name ‘default.syndtheme’ makes me think that there will be an option to use your own themes in the future – if not by Apple, then by a plugin developer.)

As this file ‘belongs’ to the system, you may have problems with permissions. If you know what you’re doing with the Terminal, you can follow the instructions here. However, I found it easier to simply delete the original file (you will be asked for an administrator password) and copy in my own.

Here are the changes I’ve made – not a great deal of difference. I just wanted to take the text size down a bit, use Lucida Grande, and introduce the glassy header strip I used in the delicious skin. There’s also an icon to highlight new articles, and read article titles become greyer. Generally, make it look a bit more ‘Newsfire’:

Customised RSS view

Download the replacement files here

Posted by Jon Hicks

My path is System > Library > PrivateFrameworks > SyndicationUI.framework > A > Resources > Themes > default.syndtheme > Contents > Resources > Articles.css
I don’t know if that depends on what type of installation one did when upgrading to 10.4. (I didn’t do an “archive & install”, I just upgraded.)
#1 Massimo Fiorentino 22/05/2005
How to use own theme
1. Quit Safari.
2. Make folder ”/Users/YOU/Library/Syndication/Themes”
3. Copy “default.syndtheme” into there and rename (such as “sample.syndtheme”).
4. Edit sample.syndtheme/Contents/Info.plist.
CFBundleName = same as syndtheme (such as “sample”).
CFBundleIdentifier = must unique (such as “com.mycompany.Syndication.theme.sample”).
5. In Terminal
defaults write “com.apple.Syndication” “Theme.ID” “CFBundleIdentifier of your theme”
6. Finish. Launch Safari.

How to restore to default is
defaults delete “com.apple.Syndication” “Theme.ID”

Here is screenshot for reference
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hetima/15327699/
#2 hetima 24/05/2005
Those folders dont even exist on my hd. I wipe and installed…

I tried viewing the safari rss pages source but it uses @import commands with a dash of evil coder who doesn’t want me to know where the damn file is. Any help?

Thanks,
Karan
#3 Karan Lyons 25/05/2005
I just tried Spotlighting that file; couldn’t be found. Are there some areas Spotlight won’t index by default – like the System files? Yes, it probably is a security feature, but undocumented…
#4 sentinel 06/06/2005
No, its a system file, and spotlight won’t bring it up as a result
#5 Jon Hicks 06/06/2005