---
title: "Configure skills heatmap colours and thresholds"
slug: "configure-skills-heatmap-colours-and-thresholds"
tags: ["How-to", "Totara Skills"]
updated: 2026-10-08T07:25:59Z
published: 2026-10-08T07:25:59Z
canonical: "totara.help/configure-skills-heatmap-colours-and-thresholds"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://totara.help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configure skills heatmap colours and thresholds

The [organisation](/totara-20/docs/view-skills-heatmap-for-your-organisation) and [team heatmaps](/totara-20/docs/view-skills-heatmap-for-your-team) displays skill metrics for organisations, audiences, positions, and users across the site. Each metric is represented using a colour-coded scale, allowing Site Administrators, Staff Managers, and Trainers to quickly identify areas of strength and areas requiring attention.

The colours and percentage thresholds used in the heatmap are configurable, allowing Site Administrators to tailor the visual scale to match organisational reporting standards or accessibility requirements.

To configure the heatmap settings, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to *Quick-access menu > Plugins* (/admin/plugins.php).
2. Under **Local plugins**, select **Totara Skills**, then select **General**.
3. In the **Thresholds Configuration** field, edit the JSON configuration and locate the section beginning with **heatmap_thresholds**.
4. For each threshold range required, specify the **min** and **max** percentage values, the heatmap **value** colour, and the **textColor** to be displayed on the heatmap. See [Configuration settings](/totara-20/docs/configure-skills-heatmap-colours-and-thresholds#configuration-settings) for more information.
5. Click **Save changes**.

Once saved, the updated thresholds and colours are applied automatically wherever the organisation and team heatmap are displayed.

> [!WARNING]
> The **Thresholds Configuration** field accepts raw JSON. Incorrect formatting may prevent the heatmap from displaying correctly, so any changes should be reviewed carefully before saving.

## Threshold colours

The heatmap uses a threshold configuration that maps percentage ranges to specific colours. By default, thresholds are set in 10% increments, with a colour palette that runs from red (lower values) through orange (medium values) to green (higher values).

The **Proficiency** metric treats higher percentages as a positive outcome, so higher percentages are shown in green. For the **Expired** and **About to expire** metrics, this scale is automatically inverted, since a higher percentage for these metrics represents a less desirable outcome. For example, a colour assigned to the 90–100% threshold for the **Proficiency** metric is automatically applied to the 0–10% threshold for the **Expired** and **About to expire** metrics.

## Configuration settings

The following settings can be configured to control how skills heatmaps are displayed.

| Setting | Description | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Thresholds Configuration | JSON configuration field defining the percentage ranges and associated colours used by the heatmap. | Located under the **heatmap_thresholds** section of the configuration. |
| min | Lower bound of the percentage threshold range. | Expressed as a whole number, e.g. 0. |
| max | Upper bound of the percentage threshold range. | Expressed as a whole number, e.g. 10. |
| value | Hexadecimal colour code applied to the heatmap cell for this threshold range. | For example: **#AB0215** |
| textColor | Hexadecimal colour code applied to the text displayed within the heatmap cell for this threshold range. | For example: **#000000** |

> [!NOTE]
> The default colour palette ranges from red (#AB0215-style tones) for lower values, through orange for medium values, to green (for example #2C8643) for higher values.

## Next steps

- [View skills heatmap for your organisation](/totara-20/docs/view-skills-heatmap-for-your-organisation)
- [View skills heatmap for your team](/totara-20/docs/view-skills-heatmap-for-your-team)

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