Develop Bugs

Background4AllTabs, Photoshop & Pixelcounting

hi,
i wanted to create my own background-theme, and this thread was very helpful:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3062019&postcount=54
(you need the Background4AllTabs "5c9aa261_manila" & "4a087e41_manila" from NisseDILLIGAF)
the problem was, i had a circle in the picture, and every time it was stretched or squashed, wrong aspect ratio, not fitting well. so i did a little research myself - pixelcounting fun.
conclusion:
1. crop your original-pic (maybe 800x480) to 700x480 (the real background size, 50 px from the top and 50 px from bottom)
2. create an new empty 512x512 file
3. resize your 700x480-pic to 512x460, squash squash squash (!)
4. paste it in the empty 512x512 on the left side(!) leaving an empty unused bar of 52px on the right side
5. do all steps from the link above to convert it for manila
nothing stretched or squashed anymore. full circles.
FINAL note:
this method works only for NisseDILLIGAF's *5c9aa261_manila* that came from the diamond. it works, but it also has the blackhole problem.
bbonzz's method (look below) works for http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3068310&postcount=60 (blackhole solution).
both have no problems with nocurtains-mod. baah, too much confusion about the manila files...

Actually the background is 480x636 (image 1), because of the top curtain hole in background4alltabs.
So, to keep the aspect ratio, what you have to do is more simple:
1) cut you 480x800 (image 2) to 480x636 (image 3) keeping 52 px from bottom (bottom bar) and 112 from top (top bar+top curtain)
2) stretch to 460x512 (image 4)
3) add a 52px transparent (or whatever: black, white... It will be invisible anyway) canvas to the right (image 5)
voilà, you have a pic for Manila Editor, and once installed on Blackstone, Manila will resize it back to the original 480x636, without distortion and without shifting a single pixel. You can verify this by using the original 480x800 as background for the home tab (image 1): switching tabs, you'll notice the image is still the same: no movements, no distortions.

do you guys have a problem with a black hole at the top of the background in sound settings on the settings tab ?

check this!
hi bbonzz,
i tried your version and it does not match. check the attachment.
manila stretched the logo and it ended up as an egg.
the best way is to compare the original (800x480) as homescreen-background against the manila version background in the other tabs. that was the game i was playing. after several try&errors i found it. the mapping-coordinates for the manila-background in my tf3d background4alltabs is 700x480. 50px less reserved for the top-taskbar and 50px less reserved for the softbutton-bar at the bottom.
manila stretches the left space of the 512x512 texture (512x460) to 700x480 perfectly and the aspect ratio of the original is back.
by the way, the black hole is still a problem, but doesn't bother me.

maybe it depends on which 5b9aa261 are you using: on my HD (with the "corrected and not the original 5b9aa261), using the same try&error way, i have the perfect fit with the 480x636 thing, as you see in the screenshot. Later i'll try with your attachment

ok, i forgot to mention that "nocurtains" is installed on my hd. maybe thats the reason why you got 636 px instead of 700 px.

4a087e41_manila
Hi sir AlecDelorean and other member can you make me a 4a087e41_manila with my attach file, thanks advanced...

please test this
hi p_elmenzo,
do yo have the 2 files from background4alltabs already installed?
if yes, here you go. don't forget to backup you original manila files.
don't blame me if something goes wrong
and please compare your original pic as background for the homescreen against the new background in the other tabs. if anything moves, or looking stretched, send me a screenshot.

4a087e41_manila
Thank you very much AlecDelorean...
Grazie Mille AlecDelorean...

4a087e41_manila
Hi, again AlecDelorean i have a small problem when i change my tab the background image has change maybe the pixel of the image.

i know, its a problem of the image-compression/conversion in manila-editor. when i have time, i add a little grain in photoshop to trick the compression-algorithm.

4a087e41_manila
Ok Thanks a lot...

here you go again
ok, did some tests. i don't know much about the converting process of the manila editor, but it seems it reduces a lot of bandwidth of the colorspace combined with very rude compression. so by example - gradients loose a lot of quality, instead of other more colorful pictures where the difference of every neighbor pixel is higher. maybe its the 3d-texture method htc is using, they try to save as much memory as they can. an interesting thing to notice (compare your screenshots with the original pic), there is an converting-process included in tf3d by itself, but only for the homescreen, when you choose an own picture for the homescreen background - tf3d crops it, adds grain and compression.
enable your background of the homescreen back to standard, because the manila-background is the background4alltabs now and you can't see the difference anymore if you switch from homescreen-tab to the others.

4a087e41_manila
Hi, AlecDelorean do you have the original file of 4a087e41_manila and 5c9aa261_manila? thanks a lot.

haha
tired of messing around with the backgrounds?
you need only one. 4a087e41_manila is a new image file for background4alltabs, 5c9aa261_manila is a script that was changed.

Hey AlecDelorean, can you do this for me as well.. Thanks!

I have just one question...
HOW do i get rid of the black curtain on top of the screen??
please please please say me how!!!

In nearest future we wont use this method. A real background for all pages done.

mun_rus said:
In nearest future we wont use this method. A real background for all pages done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our saviour is back! Hope your feeling well now..

@ ArchonX
ArchonX said:
I have just one question...
HOW do i get rid of the black curtain on top of the screen??
please please please say me how!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey ArchonX,
this is the version of NoCurtains that is working for me:

Background for all tabs guide

Took me a bit of searching to find all this info but the fixes for the stripes and the aspect ratio are all on here already... Just thought I'd put what I learned all in 1 place, as it seems to work for me
Got this info from Snootch's post here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3038572&postcount=50
The 4a087e41_manila file by NisseDILLIGAF: http://ycyvpg.bay.livefilestore.com/...anila?download
The resizing instructions written by Bbonzz http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3110028&postcount=2
And the fixed 5c9aa261_manila file found here from 6Fg8 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3068310&postcount=60
You need:
- Manila editor v0.2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/atta...7&d=1219251626
- Manila file by NisseDILLIGAF: http://ycyvpg.bay.livefilestore.com/...anila?download
- First two lines of Hex code by NisseDILLIGAF: http://ycyvpg.bay.livefilestore.com/...20HEX?download
- A 480x800 background pic
- A Hex editor program such as XVI32: http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delph...vi32/xvi32.htm
- Photo editing software such as Photoshop
- The fixed 5c9aa261_manila from the bottom of this post
- Total Commander or Resco installed on your phone (Total Commander: http://www.ghisler.com/)
Take original 480x800 image
Cut 112 pixels from top bar, and 52 pixels from bottom (480x636)
Stretch image to 460x512
Add extra 52 blank pixels to right of image to make image 512x512
Save as .png
Open 4a087e41_manila in manila editor
Replace image with 512x512 .png you just made
Close editor
Open 2 instances of XVI32 side by side
In the first open 4a087e41_manila file, in the second open First 2 lines of hex code file
Copy details from First 2 lines of hex code to 4a087e41_manila, then save 4a087e41_manila
Pick up your phone and go to Start>Settings>Today and click the "items" tab at the bottom. Uncheck Touchflo3D and click "ok"
Send 4a087e41_manila and fixed 5c9aa261_manila files to Touch HD
Use Total Commander to copy files from My Documents to /Windows folder
Restart your phone
Go back to Start>Settings>Today and click the "items" tab at the bottom. Check Touchflo3D and click "ok"
The nocurtains.cab and transparantslider.cab both work for me too except on the tabs I have a black curtain behind the top writing (see 2nd screenshot).
Again I'd like to say thanks to all the people that cracked these manila files and fiddled with image dimensions to get the aspect ratio right. I have absolutely no knowledge of Hex editing or what a manila file even is so I rely on you guys!

hi, from where did you get the color icons bar on top of screen? I installed also color icons but these are looking much better!
thanks
fabien

Those look like TSowen's top bar from the taskbar thread in the Diamond forum. Have them on my HD also. v5.5. Dont like the battery in v5.6.

Shetlander said:
Those look like TSowen's top bar from the taskbar thread in the Diamond forum. Have them on my HD also. v5.5. Dont like the battery in v5.6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are indeed TSowen's, but from his latest 4 series (4.1.6?). The battery looked terrible though so that's Darklord69's fixed v2 bat icon on mine.

millski said:
They are indeed TSowen's, but from his latest 4 series (4.1.6?). The battery looked terrible though so that's Darklord69's fixed v2 bat icon on mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you post the link please ?

Hi millski,
I have to say that your instructions are just PERFECT!!!
Thank you very much

Georgeous2008 said:
Can you post the link please ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TSowen's custom sets are here: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=54514&highlight=custom+icons with instructions.
Darklord69's battery icon is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2858589&postcount=324
Keep an eye on the thread Darklord's icon is in as it seems to be updated with new icons every day...

millski said:
TSowen's custom sets are here: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=54514&highlight=custom+icons with instructions.
Darklord69's battery icon is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2858589&postcount=324
Keep an eye on the thread Darklord's icon is in as it seems to be updated with new icons every day...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks! Had the Darklord battery and icons, however, the TS Owen icons are so much nicer.

can someone tell me how to cut pixel?

Hey guys,
is this thread up-to-date?
At my german HD I did´nt find the file "4a087e41_manila" at my windows folder. Only the file "5c9aa261_manila" is there.
@millski: All deeplinks at your first post are broken. Can you please fix them?
Greetings
nick

This thread is ancient, look at mun-rus's bg4all thread and the threads by bcrisp82, maranello etc for newer, better fixes

how to change tf3d highligt color?!

hi there i searched the forum for about a day and realy can't find my answer
can any one plz tell me how can i change the tf3d (touch hd version!) highligt color? (with out changing the original theme indid !)
tanx alot
and for changin the wallpaper in all tabs. can any one make an app to do this in one simple step? or we have to do all that things one by one every time we want to chang the wallpapers?!
tanx in advance

htc's fan said:
can any one plz tell me how can i change the tf3d (touch hd version!) highligt color?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no 'easy' answer to that question.
For some highlight elements of Windows Mobile (like the phone dialer or call history, and other system screens) the highlight colour is determined by .tsk files... and registry entries.
Go to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Color and change the values to whatever colour you want. This effects Windows Mobile system colours (including highlights).
You might also need to look at HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Today and change the colour values for whatever task file you selected to use. (HTC Black.tsk, for example).
The green highlight you see in TF3D is controlled by numerous _manila files.
The clock highlight on the Home Page, for example, is made up of 3 _manila files (1 left edge, 1 right edge, 1 middle tiled image). Another 3 _manila files are used for the call history and calendar highlight. Another 3 _manila files control the higlight on other tabs like Settings, or All Program etc.
The keyboard menu highlight, and the Communication Page highlight are all controlled by simple .png images (as these are accessed outside of TF3D.)
So to change the colour of ALL of the highlights on your phone... you have to change many things. Or install a complete theme made by somebody else (and hope they changed ALL of the images... which isn't always the case).
htc's fan said:
and for changin the wallpaper in all tabs. can any one make an app to do this in one simple step? or we have to do all that things one by one every time we want to chang the wallpapers?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you search the forum, you'll probably find 1 or 2 programs that will let you change the wallpaper with a few clicks... but that function is usually built into a program that does many other things too... and you did say that you didn't really want the theme of your phone changed!
However... editing the _manila file isn't that complicated anyway.... you create your image, import it into the manila file, copy that file to your phone... done!
Using a program (as you asked)... you would create your image, copy it to your phone, launch an app on your phone, click change picture, select your image... done.
Those 2 scenarios aren't that different or really any quicker! The only real advantage to using a program... is that you could change the background image while away from your computer. However if you want to keep 20 different wallpapers on your phone that you can select between... simply import those 20 images into 20 of the same _manila file and store them on your phone like "sports_car_4a087e41_manila" & "hot_babe_4a087e41_manila"... then when you want to change your wallpaper to one of them... simply rename whichever file to "4a087e41_manila" and copy it your your Windows directory... done!

htc's fan said:
and for changin the wallpaper in all tabs. can any one make an app to do this in one simple step? or we have to do all that things one by one every time we want to chang the wallpapers?!
tanx in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=479112
Works fine for me.

Tell me About Themes

I am very seriously interested in designing skins or themes or whatever for my blackstone but there really is nowhere to start. There are no definitions for the things people talk about and it makes it super hard to break into this developers world.
But I guess I am looking for a few answers and tips about Themes.
What is the Top Curtain?
What is the Bottom Curtain?
Flip Background? Flip Digit?
Slider?
How to create Icons for the slider and the task bar at the top?
Details like pixels sizes, formats and ect.
Just anything about themes.
Is there a book about this? haha.
I will probably be yelled at for this post and referred to the search function but from what I have seen, there is nothing about this topic. Hmmm, Maybe this is something to add to the Wiki? These are probably the questions developers do not want to answer because this is all probably fudamental and kindegarten but I have to try.
Thanks to anyone who can post some links to guides or some tips and answers.
I feel retarded.

Don't feel retarded.
If someone is retarded it's the Microsoft and HTC programmers who figured that absolutely everyone will just love their default colors / icons / wallpapers, and so they didn't provide any support for making new skins and themes.
To cut the long story short - yes, it can be done, and yes it's kindda frustrating but if you're serious about it and you know how to work with graphics, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it all out.
First of all, you need a Manila editor. There are a few, I recommend CFC GUI and M9EDITOR, the first one being intended only for graphics, and the second one having the same but also additional things too. If you only want to skin the graphics, then you'll be ok just with CFC.
Then go to your device Windows folder and copy over to your PC any file that ends with _manila. There's like a few thousand of them, so it will take a while.
Run CFC GUI and point it to the folder where you copied all those _manila files. It will then show you a list of all the files that contain ANY graphic elements.
Browse it through and you'll soon recognize the familiar graphic items from your device. You will also notice there's a "Save as PNG" option - that will create a transparent PNG in the appropriate resolution, which you can then open up in Photoshop, edit, colorize or whatever you like.
When you're done, you save the PNG, go back to CFC, select "Replace with", load your newly edited PNG, press "CFC Compress" and voila!
The 12345_manila file you just edited has been updated!
Now you take the 12345_manila file, copy it back to Windows folder and restart TF3D.
You will see your new graphic has been integrated into the system.

First of all, Thanks a Ton!
Thousands of them eeeek. Does it take a long time to make a theme?

No problem... I've just started messing around with all of this, so I'm no pro skinner either.
Does it take long... Well, depends on your skills. And also on what kind of extent you want to cover with the skin.
The biggest problem is that most of the graphic files are a complete mess. There's no logical pattern, and they've managed to complicate things beyond reason - for example, some of the most common graphics you see on the screen are actually made out of two or more separate bitmaps, and it's up to you to figure out what is what, etc.
For example, when you click on the flip-clock on your Home screen it glows up in green - well that "green background" is made out of THREE images!
Also, some of the files are coded into Manila format, while others are just plain BMP or PNG or even GIF. Then there's a lot of stuff that's controlled through XML files...
So, when you start with all this, keep your ambitions modest - it's not something you can overcome in one day. But it can also be very rewarding

Took like 50mins to copy over. Wow. I opened it up in CFC and I can not believe anyone who has made a theme. I am trying to figure out a pattern with the file names. Sooo confusing but thanks a ton again for your help. Now I just need to find a graphics editor.

Shival said:
Took like 50mins to copy over. Wow. I opened it up in CFC and I can not believe anyone who has made a theme. I am trying to figure out a pattern with the file names. Sooo confusing but thanks a ton again for your help. Now I just need to find a graphics editor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is why i am full of respect for these peeps...

Rozenthal said:
Don't feel retarded.
If someone is retarded it's the Microsoft and HTC programmers who figured that absolutely everyone will just love their default colors / icons / wallpapers, and so they didn't provide any support for making new skins and themes.
To cut the long story short - yes, it can be done, and yes it's kindda frustrating but if you're serious about it and you know how to work with graphics, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it all out.
First of all, you need a Manila editor. There are a few, I recommend CFC GUI and M9EDITOR, the first one being intended only for graphics, and the second one having the same but also additional things too. If you only want to skin the graphics, then you'll be ok just with CFC.
Then go to your device Windows folder and copy over to your PC any file that ends with _manila. There's like a few thousand of them, so it will take a while.
Run CFC GUI and point it to the folder where you copied all those _manila files. It will then show you a list of all the files that contain ANY graphic elements.
Browse it through and you'll soon recognize the familiar graphic items from your device. You will also notice there's a "Save as PNG" option - that will create a transparent PNG in the appropriate resolution, which you can then open up in Photoshop, edit, colorize or whatever you like.
When you're done, you save the PNG, go back to CFC, select "Replace with", load your newly edited PNG, press "CFC Compress" and voila!
The 12345_manila file you just edited has been updated!
Now you take the 12345_manila file, copy it back to Windows folder and restart TF3D.
You will see your new graphic has been integrated into the system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yet more thanks for this post!
Very useful and informative.
(and a refreshing change from the "do a search" unfriendliness that often befalls these forums ).

Clear search box on internet tab

I want to change the input box on the Internet tab to have a clear border. I searched through the Manila files, but only found the input box itself and not the border. Can somebody help me about this?

I've the same think than you with Programs
I'ld like not have the black margin...
-Could someone help me ?
=(

I think you have to edit 6b23369e_manila and 496e9ec3_manila to get clear launch icons in the start menu. I'm using Dutty v3.3 btw.

It worked for me, i have attached the 2 files you will need to get launch icons without border. First backup your files! Disable Manila copy the files into your Windows folder and restart Manila. I don't have a Rom with launch tab, but it should work for you also. Pleas add a screen shot if everything is ok ^^... if not...DON'T ADD a SCREEN SHOT !!!

So... I won't add the screenshot =O
I have white areas with a zoomed icon instead of each launch icons. Sorry =S
(I'm also seeking for my part)

Zoomed icons are always good !! Can you please upload your original files, maybe there is some difference between our manila files, and i can fix it.

PrgBakTrns
I've found that wich permit to have a Transparent Background for Icons on Programs Tab
Download here
I'll do not create a new topic for that , and i still seeking for the adress box on internet tab...
@Ikkari : I joined them. =)
PS : I don't know why but I have an extension on the copied manilla files (.$8d & .$85)

You uploaded my files ^^ .... Maybe the extension is the problem that you got white areas with a zoomed icons, because Manila don't find the files. Anyhow i am glad that you found a solution, my icon margins are complete clear.

Damn Resco Explorer =P... I've moved the originals (and not copy) to restore my manilla then PrgBakTrns has overwritten them =S But that's OK ! My matter is solved ! Stay your problem. =(
Sorry for the inconvenience of my english... =$

Nothing still?