Let me start by saying that I have googled, and used the search box for XDA. I haven`t been able to find a clear guide, or even a hint on how to go about making a custom theme for manila 2d. The only things I can find are lots of link to themes others have made and other unless information. It`s like it`s everybody else`s big secret or something. I just want to be able to make my own theme that I actually like, and contribute to the Pocket PC community. I`m not exactly a noob when it comes to PPC`s , but I`m certainly no expert. I just want to learn how to do things myself, instead of waiting to see what others come come up with.
Enough with my sad plea though, if any one can help me out I`d appreciated it. I`m not asking for a 20 page detailed step by step guide or nothing just maybe a explaination of how the stuff in the theme fits together, what types of files and extension, the basics.
Whenever I make custom graphics for apps, I do this. First, take a look at the files associated with the app. If you have actual graphic files, than it's just a simple create and replace. Some apps use .dat files, which are protected sets of files. Like with Spb apps, you have to rename "file.dat", to "file.zip" and extract with the password. If after browsing through the files and find nothing, PM someone about how to change it.
I used M2D once, but never really looked at what it included. I suggest downloading a theme that is not a .cab file, and see what's included. If you still can't find your answer, PM someone.
Wish I could help, but I have only used it for a grand total of 10 minutes.
Well, in my whole 5 minutes of looking into this, the quickest way i can see is to download a theme from someone like - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=448326...
Then modify to your liking, and extract to the windows folder on your vogue.
Hope this helps.
nosco said:
Well, in my whole 5 minutes of looking into this, the quickest way i can see is to download a theme from someone like - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=448326...
Then modify to your liking, and extract to the windows folder on your vogue.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ewww, not too hot on all that red.... Take a look at these while you are at it....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=425974
I was wondering the same thing on how to make the custom themes. Did you have any luck pknyo?
From what I've seen on these you can take the elements you like from several themes and combine them.
If you open one of the .ZIP files, you'll see a structure. All of the icons that are needed are named and there's a bunch of them.
You can also open and check out the .XML file at the end it has the sizing criteria for the themes.
If I am incorrect here, feel free to correct.
Related
I successfully edited my first .png and ported it as a theme!
Colored Vibrating Phone!!
I want to appologize for being impatient to all the current theme developers specifically Manup. After spending an hour how to get the .png to save in the archive file, I can see that editing each individual icon could take hours and hours if you want it to look right.
Time for me to try at some more difficult stuff.
Hope to be posting my first theme within the next few months.
um..what did you do that took so long?
well....
Remember that this is my first self attempt at this.
I was having trouble getting it to save to the archive. The pop up was behind other applications I was running, so I didn't see it prompting me to save to the archive.
Next is just the editing of the .png itself. If I was just copying and pasting it wouldn't have taken any time. I had to find the icon I wanted to put there, then change the colors just right. It isn't really hard, just time consuming, but you already know that. This is why I was apologizing. Its my first time, give me a break.
Ok I went to edit the first android boot screen.
and of course it hung on boot screen in a loop. My file went from around 3k to 31k so obviously the file is too big. I can't seem to find an option to compress or deflate the file using 7zip.
Can any give me some suggestions?
You don't the .png images with 7zip you do it with Photoshop or whatever graphic design program. There is a post some where explaining how to compress the .png images i just don't know it of hand.
Yeah you want to save the file in photoshop using the save for web & devices...or the pngout program. read thru this here. has my way and the pngout way in the posts.
Ill give ya a tip, this is how i do it at least. i extract the update.zip then extract all the apks that i am going to change. I start editing all the files in framework-res, then move to Launcher, contacts and phone. After these are done i normally import them into the update.zip, sign it and test it.
When i import the images i just open the update.zip in WinRar, then double click the apk i need to import images into. It opens the apk in a new WinRar window, i browse tot he folder i need then just drag the images into it. Do that for each apk then sign it and test it.
Hope this helps.
I was using 7zip for extraction and paintshop pro for editing
I was doing fine. I was just excited to get that far. One of the problems I ran into was when I edited an image file it went from 3k to 30k when. I even used png crush and it only compressed to 24k. Not sure if it is even important yet.
I was only:
A) apologizing for expecting so much when it is so much work.
B) proud that I figured it out and am on my way to editing/creating my own theme.
I only ask one thing of some of the more senior devs. Please don't be so critical. All of us are at several different levels. What may seem juvenile to you might be a huge hurdle to others. This is why we are dependant on you for themes.
Brutal-Force said:
I was doing fine. I was just excited to get that far. One of the problems I ran into was when I edited an image file it went from 3k to 30k when. I even used png crush and it only compressed to 24k. Not sure if it is even important yet.
I was only:
A) apologizing for expecting so much when it is so much work.
B) proud that I figured it out and am on my way to editing/creating my own theme.
I only ask one thing of some of the more senior devs. Please don't be so critical. All of us are at several different levels. What may seem juvenile to you might be a huge hurdle to others. This is why we are dependant on you for themes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good job on getting going, im getting ready to make a go of it as well. I dont think they are criticizing you just being helpful. Have you seen how critical people are in the theme makers posts, cant believe half the theme makers still do it lol.
Brutal-Force said:
I was doing fine. I was just excited to get that far. One of the problems I ran into was when I edited an image file it went from 3k to 30k when. I even used png crush and it only compressed to 24k. Not sure if it is even important yet.
I was only:
A) apologizing for expecting so much when it is so much work.
B) proud that I figured it out and am on my way to editing/creating my own theme.
I only ask one thing of some of the more senior devs. Please don't be so critical. All of us are at several different levels. What may seem juvenile to you might be a huge hurdle to others. This is why we are dependant on you for themes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope i didn't come off that way...i was just trying to help. no ill intenet in that post at all =)
Thank you.
It always helps with reassuring words while trying something this complicated.
Thank you damnitpud.
I have been following the forums very closely since October. I have even followed your posts and tutorials. I am just trying to ride the wave crest and not fall in, because getting out is a *****. I have had to not only pick up the 'ol writing computer
Read through my post here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3339701&postcount=6
It tells you how to edit the update.zip without extracting anything but the drawables folder. After a lot of time and effort I have streamlined the process as much as possible so maybe you can pick up a few tricks with that walkthrough. And I use gimp, I dont mess wtih compression or saving file for web. I take big images, save them as a png, resize them to 48x48 using the XP power toys resizing tool and drag-and-drop them into my update.zip. I dont know what is happening but everyone keeps thinking its way harder than it really is.
Then when I swap themes from ADP to RC33 or vice versa I open up my theme in 7zip and a blank theme in the version I want to convert too. I got to each apk and drag-and-drop the drawables folder straight into the other update.zip replacing the existing drawables folder. If you do it my way you can convert a theme in minutes or if you have all the artwork you can turn it into a theme in about 15-20 mins TOPS.
My biggest suggestion is to experiment with trial and error, use your nandroid backup and make mistakes, its the best way to learn and there is nothing that compares to hands on experience, that way you know what works and you can tell people from experience instead of hearsay.
7Zip is the best tip you gave B, I tried using WinRar but it wasnt as user friendly for this stuff. Especially as 7Zip saves as you swap and move up the file tree.
I am using your tutorial B.
I don't have photoshop, so I am using Paintshop pro PhotoX2 which works fine for me.
I was using 7zip, but I am used to using Winzip. I am currently using Winzip12 so thats serving my needs nicely.
What I was referring too isn't so much difficult in moving files around, it is more or less knowing WHICH files you can mess with. I have seen posted that don't mess with .9.png files at them moment as that can cause problems. I also do not know what size a theme is aloud to be in the update.zip. I also wanted to know If i have to include ever single file or if it is just neccessary to do just the things you want to change.
It isn't hard to actually do the file changing and such, the "HARD" part is more Time consuming then hard, and thats the artwork required to actually change the look of the component.
More questions will pop-up I am sure, but I am in the Trial and Error Stage right now.
Another question if anyone reads this, Where is the Clock Widget located? I see that every theme maker edits this, and lets be honest, If you use this widget, it is the center focal point of every theme. Just changing this gives the whole desktop another feel.
Brutal-Force said:
...Where is the Clock Widget located? I see that every theme maker edits this, and lets be honest, If you use this widget, it is the center focal point of every theme. Just changing this gives the whole desktop another feel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's in the Launcher.apk.
All your questions are in the tutorials, if you drag the drawable folder onto your desktop you can see the pics when you doubleclick the folder.
Just my thought,
The clock is something that most people change, but I dont use the clock, that is why the time is in the corner constantly. I feel the clock just eats up space on my desktop. Of course I like it with as few icons as possible.
Thanx for the replies.
I had also found the clock in the Launcher.apk file, but for some reason, when I try and edit it and put it back into the folder it causes my phone stop at the boot screen. I just wanted to make sure I was trying to edit the right file.
I somehow expected it to be in a completely different place.
Yes a lot of my questions may seem to be repeats, but I had initially started this thread as just a Eureka thread. But as long as people who are in the know are reading it, I am glad to ask questions. Sometimes the Main threads and stickies are 150 pages deep and after not reading them for two days you kind of get behind.
well if we are asking questions....then can someone help me
when I go to update my phone with the update zip i get
E:Wrong digest
system/app/Launcher.apk
E:Verification failed
and yes I am new at this...
Have you rooted with RC29 yet?
Looks like what happens before you root.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=442480
Read this first.
I had the exact same "wohoo" feeling when I made my first theme mod and it was a success.
maybe this is out of my league...
but is it pretty much as easy as extracting the images, changing there colours (maybe using photoshop??) and then re packaging and updating my hero?
if its not too much harder could someone point me towards a guide, or if im smack on, lead me to the apk i have to extract? theres no "sense" apk and i did not find any images in the rosie apk!
i would really appreciate this, thanks in advance
im jus using winrar to extract the apk's, so far i have found alot of the images but i havnt come across any that id like to change
edit #2
ok so i was looking through and have started to figure out how they sorted all there files... but i was wondering if there was like universal png's somewhere? cuz it seems like every apk has its own black bar at the top (for the pull down tray)
maybe this is in the wrong forum?
try looking in the themes thread, i am sure I saw a guide to creating themes somewhere...
take a look at the Dream/Magic/Sapphire boards there are several threads about this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=574167
should help
I'm goin to try to make a link to the original question
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=757920
that's the link... I just couldnt add the http or WWW because I'm a new member
this is what's going on..... my buddy has a hd2 and I the Evo 4G.... we both have HTC sense on our phones, which the weather/time widget runs off of...... there is a skin for the sun I want on this site that he has, but it is in a cab file... I need it in a .apk file.... the developer doesn't know how to do it and I can't figure out how to get this Sun on my widget.....
My friend says the sun is technically a manila file within the cab... but I can't locate any manila files on my phone..... basically can someone help me figure out how to either make this cab file into a apk file or where the hell I need put the manila file from the original cab file onto my Evo
The original file I believe was called ★★★Jaguaralani PLANETS★★★ the sun I want is the one that is on fire
Your best bet would be either to find a weather widget from the market with the style you want or see if some of the talented modders would add it to their work.
Sent from my PC36100
rafroehlich2 said:
Your best bet would be either to find a weather widget from the market with the style you want or see if some of the talented modders would add it to their work.
Sent from my PC36100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would but the ones in the marketplace chage the entire widget..... the way my friend has it on his hd2 only the sun is different, the widget is still the original widget so I know its possible.... honestly i only want that particular sun with the rest of my widget original
Don't want make people mad but *bump*
xxxjoekrxxx said:
Don't want make people mad but *bump*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not so much that it makes people mad, it's just irritating and de-motivational for some who might otherwise be in the mood to tackle something like this. It also keeps an unproductive thread on the first page, which does no one any good.
Instead of bumping your thread hoping someone will come along and knock this mod out for you why don't you start trying to learn how this mod can be done? Post with any progress, it's your thread, use it to learn how to do something that you want done. Also, a mod like this shouldn't be that hard, if you have rooted your phone and are comfortable moving files around and have some basic knowledge of ADB then this would be a decent place to start. Even if you just try to get ONE image ported it's just "rinse and repeat" from that point.
I really like those images, I think they're neat. I have zero experience with WinMo and .cab files but I'm gonna try to get them out of the cab. If I can get a hold of the images then it shouldn't be too terribly hard to pop them into Sense.
I don't know what a manila folder is in a cab but I am certain you cant just put a manila folder in an apk and expect anything good.
If I make any progress I will be sure to let you know
okay well here goes
my friend can break down the cab files 4 me to get the manila files which are icons that stored in the cab emailed it to me......
but i am having trouble finding the weather manila icons in the sense on the Evo4g....
can anyone tell me how to locate the icons 4 the weather widget.....
xxxjoekrxxx said:
okay well here goes
my friend can break down the cab files 4 me to get the manila files which are icons that stored in the cab emailed it to me......
but i am having trouble finding the weather manila icons in the sense on the Evo4g....
can anyone tell me how to locate the icons 4 the weather widget.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is nothing in android that relates to manila. These images (unless I'm mistaken) are in the com.htc.resources.apk
you'll need to get the images, then do whatever you need to do to make sure they are the same size and name as the ones in android then drop them into the correct apk using using an archive tool, I prefer 7zip
nebenezer said:
there is nothing in android that relates to manila. These images (unless I'm mistaken) are in the com.htc.resources.apk
you'll need to get the images, then do whatever you need to do to make sure they are the same size and name as the ones in android then drop them into the correct apk using using an archive tool, I prefer 7zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just found the icons and they are png files.....
I'm currently searching the net and contacting the developer.....
yeah, not in the .cab, I found them too
I'm guessing .cab's are some kind of controller.. like an update script or .xml? I dunno
nebenezer said:
yeah, not in the .cab, I found them too
I'm guessing .cab's are some kind of controller.. like an update script or .xml? I dunno
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume it this way............
HD2 EVO4G
.cab = .apk
Manila = .png
I contacted the dev by the way...
Hi all,
I see on market this cool wallpaper:
Sun Rise free
I'm using it and it's really nice, but there are (IMHO) a lot of things missing.
such as:
- always the same background during morning/afternoon/evening
- only those few birds
stuff like that ..
I would like to create a new one starting from this idea, I studied java but I'm more network administrator, programming is not my best!
is there someine who could help me?
UP ???
I just can't find a good "how to" to make a nice live wallpaper, guess it's not so hard, i could do a Flash (swf) pic. and use this as background
sorry this is probably not the answer you're looking for..
i've only been java programming for about a year, so my skills are still fairly week but i have been for awhile wanting to make a live wallpaper, only I haven't seen any particularly straightforward tutorials..good luck, you can message me if you need help with something and i can try and help you...i need to familiarize myself more with the android api
I found these 2 Links:
http://mobile.tutsplus.com/tutorials/android/creating-live-wallpapers-on-android/
and
http://www.vogella.de/articles/AndroidLiveWallpaper/article.html
take a look, maybe they can help. I'm not much of a programmer myself so I couldn't tell you if this is exactly what you need but it looks promising.
thank u guys I really appreciate your help!
first im trying to study from developer.android.com "how to programming"
then maybe i will try with live wallpaper :/
Perhaps you can check out the source code of the live wallpaper and familiarize yourself with how it's structured.
decompile the apk file and take a look inside
I've never opened an apk if not for replace images, can i really do that? cool! ill try then!! thanks!
P4p3r1n0 said:
I've never opened an apk if not for replace images, can i really do that? cool! ill try then!! thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can decompile an apk file.
You'll need a tool called "apktool" and if you haven't already you need "Android SDK"
If you then decompile an apk file you'll get access to all the .xml and image files.
Yep i've got all the necessary, sdk - eclipse with adt and everything works.
i "installed" apktool and tried to decompile this livewallpaper.
it worked!
now im reading all the xml files in it - i found out that there's a very little bit of java in android apps and lot of xml! -
btw .. im stuck finding how to change wallpaper's properties using the clock to switch from morning - afternoon - evening
that's what i would like to do more 'cos it sucks to take the phone at 9.00 pm and see the sunshine or whatever... ??
can i upload the decompiled file ? i think there will not be problems since this app is free
I will start off saying I am new to this as the title , so I will probably ask a lot of redundant questions and noobie questions, I hope that's ok.
What I want to do (for now):
I am attempting to do is modify the systemui.apk file. I would think that would be a fairly easy task, but with my VERY limited knowlege of things I'm not sure.
The file has a lot of icons for customizability, but I want to add some of my own, or rather this phones icons(samung epic 4g) default icons. I have the icons I grabbed from a stock rom, and saved them.
I have the toggles, and battery icons, which are what I want to add into the systemui.apk. Iwill probably call it something like Samsung default, since default name is already taken.
So all that said, how easy would it be for me, someone who has never even attempted this before, but has a small amount of knowledge of what stuff is, ie: difference between odex and deodex, where the files are located at, etc?
Stuff like what file/files to edit, what to put in the xml files as in what line coding or whatever they call it. Stuff like that.
I'm very simple in nature, so if there is a way to do what I want to do, please direct me in the right direction, and please, keep it simple if possible.
I do realize there are tutorials about how to theme and how to make or edit a systemui file but I can't seem to find a more specific way/thread to do what I want to do, not that I have found anyways.
My guess is I will have to edit some xml files and add some lines, I just an not sure what exactly to put in those lines, or what files to edit.
First of all: wrong section - this belongs to Q&A.
About modifying APKs, I'm also not much familiar, but I believe that apktool and those GUI tools that includes it can be fairly helpful. I personally use APKChanger to do all my APK-related mods.
Sent from Google Nexus 4 @ CM11
AndyYan said:
First of all: wrong section - this belongs to Q&A.
About modifying APKs, I'm also not much familiar, but I believe that apktool and those GUI tools that includes it can be fairly helpful. I personally use APKChanger to do all my APK-related mods.
Sent from Google Nexus 4 @ CM11
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome it looks like a good start, I will give it a go, and report back.
Hope this works, as I am not really doing much to the systemUI file, all I am doing is adding in, what's not there, so the rest can stay in tact, just I want to add some preferred icons/png files I have on hand already. I'm not diescting to make a rom or anything, so I can't see this as being really hard thing to do.....for those that have done it could probably do this in about 5 mins work without breaking a sweat....me however it seems it's takeing awhile lol.
easyrider77 said:
Awesome it looks like a good start, I will give it a go, and report back.
Hope this works, as I am not really doing much to the systemUI file, all I am doing is adding in, what's not there, so the rest can stay in tact, just I want to add some preferred icons/png files I have on hand already. I'm not diescting to make a rom or anything, so I can't see this as being really hard thing to do.....for those that have done it could probably do this in about 5 mins work without breaking a sweat....me however it seems it's takeing awhile lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very cool program, thanyou for the info. I kinda messed around with it a bit, and it's vvery nice for those not so smart at heart people like me.
I still have a snag though. I know where the icons are, I'm just not sure how to activate them via the like settings and such.
Take the battery mod within 3mini for example, you open 3minit, and under the battery part it you select it and it has a bunch of icons you can pick, but the stock ones aren't there. I am wanting to add stock icons, which are in the res/label-dhpi folder, (I think that's what it's called), but it's the folder that has the icons in it. Now, to access those icons, you have xml file you have to point to to tell it to actually see the icons in said folder, via a code line as I call it.
There is my problem, I am not sure really WHAT code line to put in said xml file/files, so I'm running into a wall.
So I can extract/decompile the apk file fine, and I have a folder/files with some more folders and files under that. I have looked at the stuff but since I'm not a programmer at all, and not to get off on another rabit trail here, but I cannot even do simple plain html....yes I know it's a text thing, but if you don't understand the if's and waits and the language of it all, well it might as well be german.
People always say "what's the problem, it's easy" well I suppose it is, if you are savvy to that stuff, but for those that have a hard time with one thing, it comes oh so simple for another, but it doesn't mean someone is stupid, it just means it's not their thing. Some atre meant to be some things, some are not. Not everyone is meant to be a doctor, yet some are because they understand those sorts of things better.
Anyways, I am sorry for trailing off, in short I am saying if you have a hard time with what I call coding, and yes it is a coding in some form, just as html is, even though it's still text, it's still a code that tells things what to do, IE: code
In short, I am nt sure what file/files to edit,. and even then I am not sure what lines to put in them.
Here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2032614 is a good example of what I mean. While I appreciate this persons hard work and efforts, people like me it may as well be written in a foreign language of sorts, because while I understand editing a certain file, and I get the concept of CODE: that's where I end up getting lost. I have opened the said xml file, and see the code, but when they say code, well I have to ask things like what line to I edit, where do I cut/paste the lines in that post to, do I delete another line and replace it with that code, etc..etc..
I in NO way am trying to trash people for their posts and efforts, so I hope it's not taken that way, I just sometimes have to be drawn a picture for things, like a child. As hard as I might try, I just am not grasping what to do after the point of opening the file and editing it.
I suppose I will just give up this quest I have for what I want to do, unless I fin somone kind enough, and patient enough to go a little further into explanation of what I need to do to further go on. it can be hard for some people, especially if you are a programmer to explain a little more in depth about what a person needs to do, I have friends that have that mind set, and they to get irritated at people like me .....I guess it is what it is.
Thanks again for the info, I appreciate all that xda and the people here do, and all thier time and effort towards the mods.
Well I can't provide further help then... My ability stops at making navigation bar mods which only involves modifying 5 lines of xml. Good luck with learning from scratch :beer:
Sent from Google Nexus 4 @ CM11