---
title: "Legacy Themes: Customising the Header"
framework: javascript
version: "36.1.0"
---

# Legacy Themes: Customising the Header

Style grid [header](https://www.ag-grid.com/javascript-data-grid/column-headers/) cells and column groups.

> **Note**
>
> This page describes the grid's legacy theming system that was the default in v32 and before, for the benefit of applications that have not yet migrated to the Theming API. These themes are deprecated and will be removed in a future major version. You may want to visit the [new theming docs](https://www.ag-grid.com/javascript-data-grid/theming-headers/) or check out the [migration guide](https://www.ag-grid.com/javascript-data-grid/theming-migration/).

The grid exposes many CSS variables starting `--ag-header-*` for customising header appearance, and when these are not enough you can use CSS classes, in particular `ag-header`, `ag-header-cell`, and `ag-header-group-cell`:

```css
.ag-theme-quartz {
    --ag-header-height: 30px;
    --ag-header-foreground-color: white;
    --ag-header-background-color: black;
    --ag-header-cell-hover-background-color: rgb(80, 40, 140);
    --ag-header-cell-moving-background-color: rgb(80, 40, 140);
}
.ag-theme-quartz .ag-header {
    font-family: cursive;
}
.ag-theme-quartz .ag-header-group-cell {
    font-weight: normal;
    font-size: 22px;
}
.ag-theme-quartz .ag-header-cell {
    font-size: 18px;
}
```

#### Colour Customisation

```ts
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-grid.css";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-theme-quartz.css";
import {
  ClientSideRowModelModule,
  GridApi,
  GridOptions,
  ModuleRegistry,
  NumberEditorModule,
  NumberFilterModule,
  TextEditorModule,
  TextFilterModule,
  createGrid,
  enableDevValidations,
} from "ag-grid-community";
import { IOlympicData } from "./interfaces";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-grid.css";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-theme-quartz.css";

// Enable extended validations only for development
if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") {
  enableDevValidations();
}

ModuleRegistry.registerModules([
  NumberEditorModule,
  TextEditorModule,
  TextFilterModule,
  NumberFilterModule,
  ClientSideRowModelModule,
]);

let gridApi: GridApi<IOlympicData>;

const gridOptions: GridOptions<IOlympicData> = {
  theme: "legacy",
  columnDefs: [
    {
      headerName: "Group 1",
      children: [{ field: "athlete", minWidth: 170 }, { field: "age" }],
    },
    {
      headerName: "Group 2",
      children: [
        { field: "country" },
        { field: "year" },
        { field: "date" },
        { field: "sport" },
        { field: "gold" },
        { field: "silver" },
        { field: "bronze" },
        { field: "total" },
      ],
    },
  ],
  defaultColDef: {
    editable: true,
    filter: true,
  },
};

const gridDiv = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>("#myGrid")!;
gridApi = createGrid(gridDiv, gridOptions);

fetch("https://www.ag-grid.com/example-assets/olympic-winners.json")
  .then((response) => response.json())
  .then((data: IOlympicData[]) => gridApi!.setGridOption("rowData", data));
```

[Live example: Colour Customisation](https://www.ag-grid.com/examples/theming-v32-customisation-headers/header-customisation/typescript)

## Header Column Separators and Resize Handles

Header Column Separators appear between every column, whereas Resize Handles only appear on resizeable columns (Group 1 in the example below).

```css
.ag-theme-quartz {
    --ag-header-column-separator-display: block;
    --ag-header-column-separator-height: 100%;
    --ag-header-column-separator-width: 2px;
    --ag-header-column-separator-color: purple;

    --ag-header-column-resize-handle-display: block;
    --ag-header-column-resize-handle-height: 25%;
    --ag-header-column-resize-handle-width: 5px;
    --ag-header-column-resize-handle-color: orange;
}
```

#### Column Separators

```ts
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-grid.css";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-theme-quartz.css";
import {
  ClientSideRowModelModule,
  GridApi,
  GridOptions,
  ModuleRegistry,
  NumberEditorModule,
  NumberFilterModule,
  TextEditorModule,
  TextFilterModule,
  createGrid,
  enableDevValidations,
} from "ag-grid-community";
import { IOlympicData } from "./interfaces";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-grid.css";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-theme-quartz.css";

// Enable extended validations only for development
if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") {
  enableDevValidations();
}

ModuleRegistry.registerModules([
  NumberEditorModule,
  TextEditorModule,
  TextFilterModule,
  NumberFilterModule,
  ClientSideRowModelModule,
]);

let gridApi: GridApi<IOlympicData>;

const gridOptions: GridOptions<IOlympicData> = {
  theme: "legacy",
  columnDefs: [
    {
      headerName: "Group 1",
      children: [{ field: "athlete", minWidth: 170 }, { field: "age" }],
    },
    {
      headerName: "Group 2",
      children: [
        { field: "country" },
        { field: "year" },
        { field: "date" },
        { field: "sport" },
        { field: "gold" },
        { field: "silver" },
        { field: "bronze" },
        { field: "total" },
      ],
    },
  ],
  defaultColDef: {
    editable: true,
    filter: true,
  },
};

const gridDiv = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>("#myGrid")!;
gridApi = createGrid(gridDiv, gridOptions);

fetch("https://www.ag-grid.com/example-assets/olympic-winners.json")
  .then((response) => response.json())
  .then((data: IOlympicData[]) => gridApi!.setGridOption("rowData", data));
```

[Live example: Column Separators](https://www.ag-grid.com/examples/theming-v32-customisation-headers/header-customisation-columns/typescript)

## Style Header on Filter

Each time a [Column Filter](https://www.ag-grid.com/javascript-data-grid/filtering/) is applied to a column, the CSS class `ag-header-cell-filtered` is added to the header. This can be used for adding style to headers that are filtered.

The example below adds some styling to `ag-header-cell-filtered`, so when you filter a column you will notice the column header change.

#### Style Header

```ts
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-grid.css";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-theme-quartz.css";
import {
  ClientSideRowModelModule,
  GridApi,
  GridOptions,
  ModuleRegistry,
  NumberFilterModule,
  TextFilterModule,
  createGrid,
  enableDevValidations,
} from "ag-grid-community";
import { IOlympicData } from "./interfaces";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-grid.css";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-theme-quartz.css";

// Enable extended validations only for development
if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") {
  enableDevValidations();
}

ModuleRegistry.registerModules([
  TextFilterModule,
  NumberFilterModule,
  ClientSideRowModelModule,
]);

let gridApi: GridApi<IOlympicData>;

const gridOptions: GridOptions<IOlympicData> = {
  theme: "legacy",
  columnDefs: [
    { field: "athlete" },
    { field: "age", maxWidth: 120 },
    { field: "country" },
    { field: "year", maxWidth: 120 },
    { field: "sport" },
    { field: "gold" },
    { field: "silver" },
    { field: "bronze" },
    { field: "total" },
  ],
  defaultColDef: {
    flex: 1,
    minWidth: 150,
    filter: true,
  },
};

const gridDiv = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>("#myGrid")!;
gridApi = createGrid(gridDiv, gridOptions);

fetch("https://www.ag-grid.com/example-assets/olympic-winners.json")
  .then((response) => response.json())
  .then((data: IOlympicData[]) => gridApi!.setGridOption("rowData", data));
```

[Live example: Style Header](https://www.ag-grid.com/examples/theming-v32-customisation-headers/style-header-on-filter/typescript)

## Styling the First and Last Columns

It's possible to style the all first and last column header (Grouped, Non-Grouped and Floating Filters) using CSS by targeting the `.ag-column-first` and `.ag-column-last` selectors as follows:

```css
.ag-header-group-cell.ag-column-first {
    background-color: #2244cc66;
    color: white;
}
.ag-header-cell.ag-column-first {
    background-color: #2244cc44;
    color: white;
}
.ag-floating-filter.ag-column-first {
    background-color: #2244cc22;
}

.ag-header-group-cell.ag-column-last {
    background-color: #33cc3366;
}
.ag-header-cell.ag-column-last {
    background-color: #33cc3344;
}
.ag-floating-filter.ag-column-last {
    background-color: #33cc3322;
}
```

#### Style Header

```ts
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-grid.css";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-theme-quartz.css";
import {
  ClientSideRowModelModule,
  GridApi,
  GridOptions,
  ModuleRegistry,
  NumberFilterModule,
  TextFilterModule,
  createGrid,
  enableDevValidations,
} from "ag-grid-community";
import { IOlympicData } from "./interfaces";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-grid.css";
import "ag-grid-community/styles/ag-theme-quartz.css";

// Enable extended validations only for development
if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") {
  enableDevValidations();
}

ModuleRegistry.registerModules([
  TextFilterModule,
  NumberFilterModule,
  ClientSideRowModelModule,
]);

let gridApi: GridApi<IOlympicData>;

const gridOptions: GridOptions<IOlympicData> = {
  theme: "legacy",
  columnDefs: [
    {
      headerName: "Athlete Details",
      children: [
        { field: "athlete" },
        { field: "age", maxWidth: 120 },
        { field: "country" },
      ],
    },
    { field: "year", maxWidth: 100 },
    {
      headerName: "Sport Details",
      children: [
        { field: "total", columnGroupShow: "closed" },
        { field: "gold", columnGroupShow: "open" },
        { field: "silver", columnGroupShow: "open" },
        { field: "bronze", columnGroupShow: "open" },
      ],
    },
  ],
  defaultColDef: {
    flex: 1,
    minWidth: 150,
    filter: true,
    floatingFilter: true,
  },
};

const gridDiv = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>("#myGrid")!;
gridApi = createGrid(gridDiv, gridOptions);

fetch("https://www.ag-grid.com/example-assets/olympic-winners.json")
  .then((response) => response.json())
  .then((data: IOlympicData[]) => gridApi!.setGridOption("rowData", data));
```

[Live example: Style Header](https://www.ag-grid.com/examples/theming-v32-customisation-headers/style-header-first-last/typescript)

## Full List of Header Variables

| Property | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `--ag-header-foreground-color` | `CSS color (e.g. `red` or `#fff`)` |  |  | Colour of text and icons in the header |
| `--ag-header-background-color` | `CSS color (e.g. `red` or `#fff`)` |  |  | Background colour for all headers, including the grid header, panels etc |
| `--ag-header-cell-hover-background-color` | `CSS color (e.g. `red` or `#fff`)` |  |  | Rollover colour for header cells. If you set this variable and have enabled column reordering by dragging, you may want to set `--ag-header-cell-moving-background-color` to ensure that the rollover colour remains in place during dragging. |
| `--ag-header-cell-moving-background-color` | `CSS color (e.g. `red` or `#fff`)` |  |  | Colour applied to header cells when the column is being dragged to a new position |
| `--ag-header-height` | `CSS length (e.g. `0`, `4px` or `50%`)` |  |  | Height of header rows |
| `--ag-header-column-separator-display` | `CSS display value - `block` to show or `none` to hide` |  |  | Whether to display the header column separator - a vertical line that displays between every header cell |
| `--ag-header-column-separator-height` | `CSS length (e.g. `0`, `4px` or `50%`)` |  |  | Height of the header column separator. Percentage values are relative to the header height. |
| `--ag-header-column-separator-width` | `CSS length (e.g. `0`, `4px` or `50%`)` |  |  | Width of the header column separator |
| `--ag-header-column-separator-color` | `CSS color (e.g. `red` or `#fff`)` |  |  | Colour of the header column separator |
| `--ag-header-column-resize-handle-display` | `CSS display value - `block` to show or `none` to hide` |  |  | Whether to show the header column resize handle - a vertical line that displays only between resizeable header columns, indicating where to drag in order to resize the column. |
| `--ag-header-column-resize-handle-height` | `CSS length (e.g. `0`, `4px` or `50%`)` |  |  | Height of the header resize handle. Percentage values are relative to the header height. |
| `--ag-header-column-resize-handle-width` | `CSS length (e.g. `0`, `4px` or `50%`)` |  |  | Width of the header resize handle. |
| `--ag-header-column-resize-handle-color` | `CSS color (e.g. `red` or `#fff`)` |  |  | Colour of the header resize handle |