Starting in Nintex Automation K2 version 5.8.1, newly created forms will now default to the Dynamic theme. This change helps ensure a more modern, consistent styling experience right from the start—no extra configuration required.

What’s changing?

In previous versions, new forms defaulted to the legacy theme unless manually changed. With this update, the “Use Legacy Theme” setting is now unchecked by default. New forms will automatically use the Dynamic theme, aligning with a modern design standard and streamlined styling.

This change only affects newly created forms. All existing forms, previously upgraded collateral, and SharePoint-generated forms will retain their original theme settings.

Why this matters

The Dynamic theme offers a more contemporary design and consistent color styling. With its default style profile, forms automatically apply a unified set of colors, such as main accents, page backgrounds, and content areas, ensuring a cohesive look across your applications.

What if I still want the legacy theme?

You're still in control. If your use case requires the legacy theme or a specific predefined style, you can re-enable it at any time. Simply check the “Use Legacy Theme” property in the form settings. The ability to switch between themes remains unchanged.

Try it yourself

To see this change in action, follow these steps in the Designer:

Create a new form

• Go to the Designer and create a new form.

Check the theme setting

• In the form's properties, notice that the “Use Legacy Theme” checkbox is now unchecked by default.

Add a view

• Place a view (or any control) on the canvas. This helps visualize the theme styling in action.

Switch to the legacy theme

• In the form properties, check “Use Legacy Theme.”
• Notice how the form updates visually to reflect the older styling.

Toggle back to Dynamic

• Uncheck the “Use Legacy Theme” box again to return to the Dynamic theme.

Use the legacy Dynamic theme if preferred

If you prefer the look and feel of the original Dynamic theme from version 5.8 and earlier, you can manually configure it as a custom style profile. This is helpful if you want to retain the previous styling while still using style profiles.

How to use the legacy Dynamic theme:

1. Download and extract the provided file containing the legacy Dynamic theme files.

2. Follow the instructions in the Community article Extend SmartForms with the Style Profile Designer – Part 2 to configure a custom style profile.

How to use the legacy Dynamic theme as a base

1. Download and extract the .zip containing all the required files
2. Create a backup of the current _Dynamic.css and _Dynamic.less files in ..\..\K2\K2 smartforms Runtime\Styles\Themes
3. Create a backup of the entire _Dynamic folder in ..\..\K2\K2 smartforms Runtime\Styles\Themes
4. Copy the files from the extracted folder to  ..\..\K2\K2 smartforms Designer\Styles\Themes and  ..\..\K2\K2 smartforms Runtime\Styles\Themes
5. Restart the K2 Host Server and do an IISReset

Note: All style profiles are based on the default Dynamic theme. Replacing these files will affect all profiles and will need to be reapplied after each upgrade.

Style profiles automatically switch forms to the Dynamic theme

When linking a style profile to a form, the “Use Legacy Theme” setting is now automatically updated to match the Dynamic theme.

Behavior details:

• If a form is using the legacy theme and you link a style profile, the form automatically switches to the Dynamic theme (Use Legacy Theme = false).

• The same applies when switching between style profiles—the form will always update to use the Dynamic theme.

Try it yourself:

• In the Designer, create a new form and two new style profiles.

• Open the new form. Under the advanced section in the properties pane, notice that the “Use Legacy Theme” box is unchecked by default.

• Manually set “Use Legacy Theme” to true.

• Link one of the style profiles to the form. Note that the “Use Legacy Theme” setting is automatically set to false.

• Re-check the “Use Legacy Theme” box.

• Switch to the second style profile. Again, the setting is reset to false.

Summary

With version 5.8.1, Nintex Automation K2 makes it easier to build better-looking forms from the start. By defaulting new forms to the Dynamic theme, you’ll experience a more polished design while still having the flexibility to choose the style that best suits your needs.

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