MFE Custom Theming - Configuration Changes Not Applying to Frontend

anastasiouxrhstos
Tue, 22 Jul 2025 08:20:13 +0000
Tutor Help

Problem:

Hello everyone.
I am trying to implement custom MFE theming in Tutor OpenedX 19.0.5, but the configuration changes are not showing up in the frontend despite successful saves and restarts.

What I am trying to achieve:

Custom header navigation links in MFE

Blue color scheme with custom styling

Tab styling with active states

Approaches tried:

1. MFE Configuration Method:

config.yml

MFE_CONFIG_OVERRIDES:
HEADER_BACKGROUND_COLOR: ‘#1e40af’
PRIMARY_COLOR: ‘#1e40af’
MAIN_MENU_LINKS:
- type: “external”
href: “http://local.openedx.io”
content: “Home”
Result: Colors work, navigation links don’t appear

2. CSS Injection Method:

MFE_CUSTOM_CSS_OVERRIDES: .navbar,.header{background:#1e40af!important}.nav-tabs .nav-link.active{background:#1e40af!important}
Result: Basic styling works, complex navigation CSS doesn’t apply

3. Plugin Development:

Created custom tutor plugins with theme configurations and CSS injection.
Result: Either didn’t apply or caused system instability

Main Issue:

Simple configuration changes (colors, platform name) apply with tutor config save + tutor local restart, but complex changes
(navigation, advanced styling) seem to require something more.

Questions:

1. Do MFE configuration changes require tutor images build mfe to take effect?

2. Is there a difference between what can be configured vs what needs rebuilding?

3. Are navigation links supported in MFE_CONFIG_OVERRIDES or do Ι need a different approach?

Environment:

Tutor 19.0.5, Sumac.3, MFE 20.0.0

Local development environment

What works: Basic theming, logo changes
What doesn’t work: Header navigation links, advanced tab styling

Looking for guidance on when MFE rebuilds are necessary vs configuration-only changes. But any help on how I can make a custom theme that affects all tutor pages in openedx would be critical and helpful.

4 posts - 2 participants