I don't like the results as much, but for anyone interested here is a simpler process that changes the white background of the server-manager body to another color while leaving the menu and header colors unchanged.
NEWBODYBG=#FFCCCC
mkdir -p /etc/e-smith/templates-custom/etc/e-smith/web/common/css/sme_main.css
cd /etc/e-smith/templates-custom/etc/e-smith/web/common/css/sme_main.css
'cp' /etc/e-smith/templates/etc/e-smith/web/common/css/sme_main.css/50body 50body
sed -i 's/body, body.main {/body, body.main{\n background-color: '$NEWBODYBG';/' 50body
expand-template /etc/e-smith/web/common/css/sme_main.css
I'm too lazy to figure out the all the conditionals required to safely combine this body background setting with the earlier header/menu color changes. Consequently this process stomps on some of the header/menu changes from the earlier post and vice-versa. You cannot run these two commands sequentially and get coherent results.
If you want to change the header, menu, AND body background:
* use the earlier commands to change the header and menu colors
* manually edit the customized version of /etc/e-smith/templates-custom/etc/e-smith/web/common/css/sme_main.css/50body created by that process and add a "background-color" declaration for "body, body.main"
* re-expand /etc/e-smith/web/common/css/sme_main.css/50body
cd /etc/e-smith/templates-custom/etc/e-smith/web/common/css/sme_main.css
vi 50body
# add a new line in the 'body, body.main' section for background-color:
# body, body.main {
# background-color: #FFCCCC;
# margin-top: 5px;
# margin-right: 20px;
# margin-bottom: 5px;
# margin-left: 5px;
#}
# save your edits
# expand the template
expand-template /etc/e-smith/web/common/css/sme_main.css
If something blows up, use the commands from the earlier post to revert all customizations and start over.