Standard Theme Variant
The Standard variant is the original Shades of Purple theme that has been used by over 5 million developers worldwide. It features a carefully balanced color palette with hand-picked shades of purple designed to reduce eye strain during long coding sessions.This is the default theme variant and is optimized for most lighting conditions and use cases.
What Makes it Special
The Standard variant offers:- Perfect Balance: Mid-tone purple backgrounds that work well in various lighting conditions
- High Contrast: Carefully selected foreground colors for excellent readability
- Professional Look: Polished appearance ideal for presentations and screencasts
- Eye Comfort: Color palette optimized to reduce eye strain during extended coding
- Universal Appeal: Works great for all programming languages and file types
Key Color Values
The Standard theme uses these primary colors:- Background Colors
- Syntax Colors
- UI Accents
| Element | Color | Hex Value |
|---|---|---|
| Editor Background | #2D2B55 | #2D2B55 |
| Sidebar Background | #222244 | #222244 |
| Activity Bar | #28284E | #28284E |
| Status Bar | #1E1E3F | #1E1E3F |
Best Suited For
The Standard variant excels in these scenarios:- Daily Development: Perfect for regular coding sessions in any lighting
- Presentations: High contrast makes code easily visible on projectors and screens
- Teaching & Screencasts: Excellent visibility for educational content
- Team Collaboration: Universal appeal that works well for shared screens
- Mixed Lighting: Balanced tones work in both bright and dim environments
Activation Instructions
Make sure you have installed the Shades of Purple theme extension from the VSCode marketplace.
Method 1: Using the Command Palette
- Open the Command Palette with
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P - Type “Color Theme” and select Preferences: Color Theme
- Choose Shades of Purple from the list
Method 2: Via Settings
Add this to yoursettings.json:
Method 3: Quick Open
- Press
Cmd/Ctrl + KthenCmd/Ctrl + T - Select Shades of Purple from the theme list
The theme takes effect immediately without requiring a restart.
What Users Say
175+ five-star ratings from developers worldwide who love this theme.
“Once you switch to this theme you’ll never switch back. There’s nothing quite like it.” — Kim Takala
“In my 18+ years of coding experience, this is by far the most pleasing theme I’ve ever used.” — Muneeb Karim
Next Steps
- Explore the Super Dark variant for a darker experience
- Check out recommended settings for optimal experience
- See the color palette reference for all color values
- Learn about customization options