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Creating a Child Theme

Why Create a Child Theme?

When you install Generator from the HubSpot Marketplace, it's read-only by default. You can build pages with it as-is, but you won't be able to edit the theme's code.

Creating a child theme gives you access to Generator's CSS, JS, and templates — so if you ever need a developer to make changes down the line, that option is available. It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

How to Create a Child Theme

  1. In HubSpot, go to Content → Design Manager
  2. Open the Marketplace folder — this is where Generator saves itself after installation
  3. Look for the Generator folder. Folders with a pencil icon are themes
  4. Right-click on the Generator theme and select Create Child Theme
  5. Give your child theme a name and choose a location (the root folder is fine)
  6. Click Create Child Theme

How to Make Sure Your Pages Use the Child Theme

You only need to do this once — HubSpot will apply it to all future pages automatically.

  1. Open any website page in HubSpot
  2. Click Edit and check the theme name in the settings — if it shows the Marketplace version, you'll need to switch it
  3. Go to Settings → Template → Use a Different Template
  4. In the Template Selector, click Theme
  5. Find and select your Generator child theme
  6. Click Set Active Theme

Your pages will now use the child theme going forward.

This lesson covered what a child theme is and why it's worth creating — primarily to unlock code-level access to the Generator theme.

We walked through creating the child theme in Design Manager and confirmed it's set as the active theme for your pages. Next, we'll start building with the child theme.