How do I change the theme and layout?

Open the settings page with the gear (⚙) at the top right of the window and click Appearance. In Codus 0.2.207 and later the page has three groups: Look (Theme, Brain side, Sidebar size), Workspace (Shown quadrants, Start Codus in, DevTools Git list, Website previews) and Layouts. Each setting has a short description under its name. Changes apply as you click, with no Save button.

In Codus 0.2.206 and earlier the same page showed these settings as rows of buttons, with older names: Active quadrants, Default startup view, Git sidebar and Preview placement.

Theme

Theme has three choices, each with a small colour preview: Dark, Dracula and Light. New installs start on Dracula. Click one to switch the whole app instantly. There is no "system" or "auto" theme. With the Email workspace, the inbox can have its own theme; see the email settings menu.

Brain side

Brain side (Codus 0.2.207 and later) chooses which edge of the window the Brain opens from: Left or Right. Each choice shows a small picture of the window. New installs and existing users start on Left. On Right, the Brain's button moves to the far right end of the title bar, the drawer slides in from the right, and you resize it by dragging its left edge.

You can also switch from the Brain itself: click the menu button (three lines) at the right end of the Brain's tabs and choose Move to the right or Move to the left. It is the same setting.

Sidebar size

Sidebar size sets how wide the tasks, done and notes column beside each terminal is: None, Narrow, Medium or Wide. None hides it and gives your terminals the full width. New installs start on Narrow in Codus 0.2.205 and later. You can also change it from any quadrant: click the ☰ at the right of the quadrant's header and pick a size in the sidebar size row.

Shown quadrants

A quadrant is one of the terminal panels in the coding grid. Shown quadrants shows a small 2×2 grid with a button for each quadrant in the tab you are on (Q1 to Q4). A filled button means that quadrant is showing; click it to hide it, and click again to bring it back. Hidden quadrants keep running.

If you hide them all, the grid reads:

No quadrants enabled — open ⚙ to turn some on.

For more on quadrants, see What is a quadrant?.

Start Codus in

Start Codus in is a dropdown that chooses the view Codus opens when it starts. Last used returns to where you left off; you can also pick a named workspace. The top-level More menu sets the same thing.

Available views still depend on account access. Choosing a view does not grant access to it; Codus opens coding when the chosen view is unavailable.

DevTools Git list

DevTools Git list has two choices, Left and Right. It puts the Git list in the DevTools panel (changes, files, history, pull requests) on that side. New installs put it on the Left.

Website previews

Website previews controls how the preview of your app appears next to your terminals:

• One per terminal: each terminal shows its own preview in the quadrant beside it, so you can have up to two previews at once.
• One shared: a single preview that switches to whichever terminal you last clicked. New installs use this.

With One shared, a second row appears underneath, Shared preview position:

• Top row: the preview always stays in the top row, so it never jumps around. This is the default.
• Beside terminal: the preview sits next to the terminal you are using, so it moves between rows.

See How do I open the preview to see my app?.

Layouts

Layouts are ready-made arrangements that set several of the above at once (which quadrants show, sidebar size, website previews, and which previews are open). Each shows a small diagram of the four quadrants and an Apply label:

• Preview pair: "Q1 + Q3 terminals, Q2 + Q4 previews, sidebars on"
• Quad terminals: "All four quadrants, sidebars on, no previews"
• Solo: "Q1 terminal · Q2 preview · Q4 DevTools"

Click one and the layout changes in one step. You can then fine-tune any setting afterwards.

How do I know it worked?

The change happens as you click, with no Save button and no restart. The theme swaps colours instantly, the Brain moves to the chosen edge, and layout choices redraw the grid right away.

Common problems

• I cannot find Brain side. It needs Codus 0.2.207 or later. Check Settings → Updates for your version.
• My theme did not stick after restart. It is saved automatically. If it reverts, you may have two Codus windows open that disagree; close the extra window and set it once more.
• A chosen start view opens coding instead. Check access to that view. Email and other restricted workspaces are not available to every account. Look in More for an unpinned view before assuming it is disabled.