diff --git a/lib/exe/css.php b/lib/exe/css.php
index 6bd96e3493d2f704cef19878191809a915cb9455..bcccd5e570500afe976689fc856cf070a6fef38d 100644
--- a/lib/exe/css.php
+++ b/lib/exe/css.php
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ function css_out(){
         // Let plugins decide to either put more styles here or to remove some
         $media_files[$mediatype] = css_filewrapper($mediatype, $files);
         $CSSEvt = new Doku_Event('CSS_STYLES_INCLUDED', $media_files[$mediatype]);
-    
+
         // Make it preventable.
         if ( $CSSEvt->advise_before() ) {
             $cache_files = array_merge($cache_files, array_keys($media_files[$mediatype]['files']));
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ function css_out(){
             // unset if prevented. Nothing will be printed for this mediatype.
             unset($media_files[$mediatype]);
         }
-        
+
         // finish event.
         $CSSEvt->advise_after();
     }
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ function css_out(){
 
     // start output buffering
     ob_start();
-    
+
     // Fire CSS_STYLES_INCLUDED for one last time to let the
     // plugins decide whether to include the DW default styles.
     // This can be done by preventing the Default.
@@ -124,19 +124,19 @@ function css_out(){
         }
 
         $cssData = $media_files[$mediatype];
-        
+
         // Print the styles.
         print NL;
         if ( $cssData['encapsulate'] === true ) print $cssData['encapsulationPrefix'] . ' {';
         print '/* START '.$cssData['mediatype'].' styles */'.NL;
-    
+
         // load files
         foreach($cssData['files'] as $file => $location){
             $display = str_replace(fullpath(DOKU_INC), '', fullpath($file));
             print "\n/* XXXXXXXXX $display XXXXXXXXX */\n";
             print css_loadfile($file, $location);
         }
-        
+
         print NL;
         if ( $cssData['encapsulate'] === true ) print '} /* /@media ';
         else print '/*';
@@ -280,7 +280,18 @@ function css_styleini($tpl, $preview=false) {
     global $conf;
 
     $stylesheets = array(); // mode, file => base
-    $replacements = array(); // placeholder => value
+    // guaranteed placeholder => value
+    $replacements = array(
+        '__text__' => "#000",
+        '__background__' => "#fff",
+        '__text_alt__' => "#999",
+        '__background_alt__' => "#eee",
+        '__text_neu__' => "#666",
+        '__background_neu__' => "#ddd",
+        '__border__' => "#ccc",
+        '__highlight__' => "#ff9",
+        '__link__' => "#00f",
+    );
 
     // load template's style.ini
     $incbase = tpl_incdir($tpl);
diff --git a/lib/tpl/dokuwiki/style.ini b/lib/tpl/dokuwiki/style.ini
index 6b2aaf560cf793fc50dca99c1477095db0b3a020..892a6a6e546687a537bcd0330611bce23d60bdec 100644
--- a/lib/tpl/dokuwiki/style.ini
+++ b/lib/tpl/dokuwiki/style.ini
@@ -68,12 +68,14 @@ __border__          = "#ccc"            ; @ini_border
 ; highlighted text (e.g. search snippets)
 __highlight__       = "#ff9"            ; @ini_highlight
 
+; default link color
+__link__            = "#2b73b7"         ; @ini_link
+
 ;--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 __background_site__ = "#fbfaf9"         ; @ini_background_site
 
-; these are used for links
-__link__            = "#2b73b7"         ; @ini_link
+; these are used for wiki links
 __existing__        = "#080"            ; @ini_existing
 __missing__         = "#d30"            ; @ini_missing