How can I implement a theme from bootswatch or wrapbootstrap in an MVC 5 project?

I am about to create a new ASP.Net MVC5 web application. I would like to use a theme from bootswatch or wrapbootstrap in the application, but cannot find a set of instructions on how to do this.

Solution 1:

The steps to apply a theme are fairly simple. To really understand how everything works together, you'll need to understand what the ASP.NET MVC 5 template is providing out of the box and how you can customize it for your needs.

_{Note: If you have a basic understanding of how the MVC 5 template works, scroll down to the theming section.}

ASP.NET MVC 5 Template: How it works

This walk-through goes over how to create an MVC 5 project and what's going on under the hood. See all the features of MVC 5 Template in this blog.

Create a new project. Under Templates Choose Web > ASP.NET Web Application. Enter a name for your project and click OK.
On the next wizard, choose MVC and click OK. This will apply the MVC 5 template.
The MVC 5 template creates an MVC application that uses Bootstrap to provide responsive design and theming features. Under the hood, the template includes a bootstrap 3.* nuget package that installs 4 files: bootstrap.css, bootstrap.min.css, bootstrap.js, and bootstrap.min.js.

Bootstrap is bundled in your application by using the Web Optimization feature. Inspect Views/Shared/_Layout.cshtml and look for

@Styles.Render("~/Content/css")

and

@Scripts.Render("~/bundles/bootstrap")

These two paths refer to bundles set up in App_Start/BundleConfig.cs:

bundles.Add(new ScriptBundle("~/bundles/bootstrap").Include(
    "~/Scripts/bootstrap.js",
    "~/Scripts/respond.js"));

bundles.Add(new StyleBundle("~/Content/css").Include(
    "~/Content/bootstrap.css",
    "~/Content/site.css"));

This is what makes it possible to run your application without any configuring up front. Try running your project now.

Applying Bootstrap Themes in ASP.NET MVC 5

This walk-through covers how to apply bootstrap themes in an MVC 5 project

First, download the css of the theme you'd like to apply. For this example, I'll be using Bootswatch's Flatly. Include the downloaded flatly.bootstrap.css and flatly.bootstrap.min.css in the Content folder (be sure to Include in Project as well).

Open App_Start/BundleConfig.cs and change the following:

bundles.Add(new StyleBundle("~/Content/css").Include(
    "~/Content/bootstrap.css",
    "~/Content/site.css"));

to include your new theme:

bundles.Add(new StyleBundle("~/Content/css").Include(
    "~/Content/flatly.bootstrap.css",
    "~/Content/site.css"));

If you're using the default _Layout.cshtml included in the MVC 5 template, you can skip to step 4. If not, as a bare minimum, include these two line in your layout along with your Bootstrap HTML template:

In your <head>:
```
@Styles.Render("~/Content/css")
```
Last line before closing </body>:
```
@Scripts.Render("~/bundles/bootstrap")
```
Try running your project now. You should see your newly created application now using your theme.

Resources

Check out this awesome 30 day walk-through guide by James Chambers for more information, tutorials, tips and tricks on how to use Twitter Bootstrap with ASP.NET MVC 5.

Bootstrap
Bootstrap in the Visual Studio 2013 web project templates
Getting Started with ASP.NET MVC 5
Bootstrap 3 with ASP.NET MVC 5 – Step by Step by Twinkle
Bootswatch - free themes for Bootstrap

Solution 2:

This may be a little late; but someone will find it useful.

There's a Nuget Package for integrating AdminLTE - a popular Bootstrap template - to MVC5

Simply run this command in your Visual Studio Package Manager console

Install-Package AdminLteMvc

NB: It may take a while to install because it downloads all necessary files as well as create sample full and partial views (.cshtml files) that can guide you as you develop. A sample layout file _AdminLteLayout.cshtml is also provided.

You'll find the files in ~/Views/Shared/ folder

Solution 3:

First, if you are able to locate your

bootstrap.css file

and

bootstrap.min.js file

in your computer, then what you just do is

First download your favorite theme i.e. from http://bootswatch.com/

Copy the downloaded bootstrap.css and bootstrap.min.js files

Then in your computer locate the existing files and replace them with the new downloaded files.

NOTE: ensure your downloaded files are renamed to what is in your folder

i.e.

enter image description here

Then you are good to go.

sometimes result may not display immediately. your may need to run the css on your browser as a way of refreshing