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How To Theme Develop for Windows For Dummies in 10 easy steps (( no your really not a dummy its just an easy name for a how to lol))
well i'm going to give this a shot in the dark on how to create this how to be as easy as possible
1st
download these files if you don't already have them
JAVA
http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp
download the JDK
Winrar
http://rarlabs.com/rar/wrar380.exe
and Auto-sign.zip
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?uwzjjydnm2r
2nd
Download my included Auto-sign files.
what it contains.
the Test keys file..
and an update.zip file
and a batch file i created called auto-sign to make things easier to sign
3rd
after you have downloaded my Auto-sign
then you extract it to where ever you want.
4th.
use the update.zip included if your a Beginner it includes my windows 7 theme .. i edit so many files that it's easier to tell what does what and whats goiing to go where. now open that zip file DON'T EXTRACT just open it using winrar..
5th
When it is open go to Framework.. and open Framework-res.apk
NOW IF THE APK. POPS UP AND SAYS IT CANT OPEN BLAH BLAH SELECT A PROGRAM AND THEN SELECT WINRAR.
6th
Once you open Framework-res.apk KEEP THIS WINDOW AND UPDATE.ZIP WINDOW OPEN!!
then just extract the whole Res Folder to where ever you like this makes it easier to see what files you wish to edit.. most of the files will be in the folder called Drawable
7th
open up your favorite photo editor .. i use photoshop along with 90% of the people who Graphic Design... Edit your pictures Remember a file with a .9 can mess up your phone so edit those carefully.. and save what ever pictures you have
8th
Now drag the whole Res Folder .. back into the Framework-res.apk
now your update.zip file is going to say files has been changed to framework-res blah blah do you wish to save it . click yes .. now your framework has been updated you can close everything out
9th
go to the Auto-sign folder.. and open Auto-sign this will now sign your update.zip .. and rename it to update_sign.zip .. now just delete your old update.zip.. rename update_signed.zip to update.zip
10th
put it on the root of your memory card.. reset using green call + menu + end
then hold home and end .. until the recovery mode shows up .. then press Alt+S and hope your device isn't bricked
Disclaimers
I'm not responsible if your brick your device.. but i will help to the best of my abilty and if i can't help i'm sure XDA will
i don't sign every file in my update.zip i just sign update.zip .. and hey it works lol..
For ADP or RC 8 versions .. just download your favortie ADP theme or RC 8
put it in the Auto-sign folder.. and rename it to update.zip if it isn't already then just follow my steps
Screenshots will be added later.. you have to understand i did this right when i woke up i didnt' even eat breakfast yet lol.. so if something is flawed.. just write me and i'll change my post..
reserved for later use
thank you a didnt want to download linx...i will try when i get home tonight.thanks in advance
you are the man!!!! thanks, really appreciate this. got some ideas. i'll run them by you when i can get some time to start on my theme.
Dave Da illest 1 said:
How To Theme Develop for Windows For Dummies in 10 easy steps (( no your really not a dummy its just an easy name for a how to lol))
1st
download these files if you don't already have them
JAVA
http://javadl.sun.com/webapps/download/AutoDL?BundleId=26223
Winrar
http://rarlabs.com/rar/wrar380.exe
and Auto-sign.zip
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?uwzjjydnm2r
2nd
Download my included Auto-sign files.
what it contains.
the Test keys file..
and an update.zip file
and a batch file i created called auto-sign to make things easier to sign
3rd
after you have downloaded my Auto-sign
then you extract it to where ever you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the "Auto-sign files" you mention in step 2 the same as the link you provided for the "and Auto-sign.zip"?
Just want to make sure Im not missing anything.
Thanks for putting this together!
xavier6303 said:
Is the "Auto-sign files" you mention in step 2 the same as the link you provided for the "and Auto-sign.zip"?
Just want to make sure Im not missing anything.
Thanks for putting this together!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes it is iima have to edit that lata right now i gotta get ready to return my laptop
Dave Da illest 1 said:
yes it is iima have to edit that lata right now i gotta get ready to return my laptop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok cool. Thanks for the prompt response!
hey i was looking through and i noticed you did have the .9 files edited, what do you mean they can mess up your phone? Also how did you edit it so that the tab is the way that it is across the screen? Thanks.
Ill explain more about .9 in my reserved post and more about app designing when I get home..the file ur looking for is in launcher.apk .. under drawable-port and land
Do not edit or open .9.png's They will distort when android tries to resize them, editing them can also make apps force close upon boot. You will make more trouble for yourself by editing these files! Leavem alone! Just opening the files to look at them can make them distort... I fought with these images for weeks and caused serious problems in my theme...
Stericson
Stericson said:
Do not edit or open .9.png's They will distort when android tried to resize them, editing them can also make apps force close upon boot. You will make more trouble for yourself by editing these files! Leavem alone!
Stericson
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its true! Listen to him! Dont touch the .9.png files!
I Wish Android Had This
It would be nice if we had a website like this , http://iphonethememaker.com/
btw, thanks for the simple instructions
I noticed in framework-res.apk has a "resoriginal" folder with what appears to be all the orignal files. Does this cause any problems when left in the apk or did you just include it so we have a backup?
Do we need to take it out before resigning and flashing?
Can we take it out before resigning and flashing?
Thanks
Just noticed something else, not trying to bash your post Dave but You have to let people know that you need to resign every .apk that you edit! Yes you may get away with not signing the apk, but when the time comes that you've changed something in an apk to such an extent that the sigs do not match anymore, you are going to get stuck at the g1 boot screen. Then you are going to have a hard time figuring out which apk is not signed correctly. Resign every apk just to be safe. Don't cut corners, your gonna end up causing more problems for yourself.
Stericson
Stericson said:
Just noticed something else, not trying to bash your post Dave but You have to let people know that you need to resign every .apk that you edit! Yes you may get away with not signing the apk, but when the time comes that you've changed something in an apk to such an extent that the sigs do not match anymore, you are going to get stuck at the g1 boot screen. Then you are going to have a hard time figuring out which apk is not signed correctly. Resign every apk just to be safe. Don't cut corners, your gonna end up causing more problems for yourself.
Stericson
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if you dont touch an .apk, you don't have to sign it right? Just want to be sure.
thats correct, assuming that it has been resigned once already. like if you are building off of one of our themes, all our apks should be resigned, so if you dont mess with it, you dont have to sign it again.
Stericson
will this theme wipe everything?
and is there a way to edit icons and such?
Ahh stupid me I left it in there..that's why my theme was almost 10 MBs lol I didn't think much of it since it worked ! Lol..but yeah you can take it out..or use it as a reference lol I guess it works out for a better that I left it there ..and yeah I edited .9 files but I did it in a way that well it worked for me..but it deffintly won't work all the time..you see the blue black in the phone app when u make a call and how it looks streched out..yeah so that didn't work out type good ..but hey it worked and doesn't look all that bad lol..so some you can edit but in a certain way..and others you can't without it messing up..but don't even considor editing .9 button files..atleast until somebody figures out a way where it won't look funny
you can get away wit not signing if ur only editing the icon of the program..every apk in my theme has been signed even ones I didn't edit but if ur. Just editing the icon. And a couple of other things u really don't need to resign..for example.. I didn't sign not one program after I did my back to the future theme ..and my windows 7 theme seems to flash better then my. Back to the future theme..also one other note to add..that if you resign an app..please remember the programs are case sensitive..but to be on the safe side if u edit more then three things in a apk just sign it..as a matter of fact later tonight I will make a auto-sign for every program to make it easy for everyone
And this is non-wipe by default..
Edit- the different things I did from my back to the future theme to this theme for me not to have to resign..
Update to 1.31
Only edit icons.
The procedure I used to save my files.
Changed my theme to non wipe
Or maybe I just have pure luck lol
But listen to the guru on this and sign all .apks don't test ur luck. Like I have ..
Edit 2- I just remember I'm not sure wats the limit u can edit before u have to resign..cause on my framework-res.apk.. I editied over 10 files without signing.. but if you want to test ur luck be my guest..but that's why I put a disclaimer..but the way signapk.jar works is actually quite interesting ..cause it will auto update the meta files and automaticlly add the sha-1 digest files for you
Dave Da illest 1 said:
..but don't even considor editing .9 button files..atleast until somebody figures out a way where it won't look funny
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ask and you shall receive:
Excuse me if you already knew all about this, but these files are Android 9-patch files
Nine-patch files are stretchable graphics that allow you to define regions to stretch and regions that will stay the same. This page describes them in pretty good detail.
And you can read how to use the draw9patch tool in your SDK here.
This was just a little something I ran across the other day, and just realized you guys were prob. talking about these.
Hope that helps! Can't wait to see what comes of it. Keep up the good work.
Ricky
DesignDawg
How can i make theme by my self for my g1 because i want all kind of connect full. wifi full, bluetooth, 3g, signal full, it must fixed always full. Or someone made can share for me, please?
minim0g said:
How can i make theme by my self for my g1 because i want all kind of connect full. wifi full, bluetooth, 3g, signal full, it must fixed always full. Or someone made can share for me, please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really don't have a clue of what your asking.
You want to know how to theme or how to make a rom?
The best thing to do is start off small. Very small. For example try to theme Launcher.apk.
Open it with WinRAR and extract it.
Replace ONLY the .png files. (NOT 9.PNG files because those will mess up when you start your phone and can cause it to crash!)
Move your modified files back over to the location in WinRAR and replace the original.
Sign your modified file.
Create a flashable zip file with an update-script in the META-INF folder (better use an existing theme to figure that out)
Sign the zip file
Try to flash it. If you see the changes in your Launcher (that is the tab at the bottom of your screen that holds your apps) then it worked and you did it right. If not then search (PLEASE SEARCH) and read (PLEASE READ) before you post a question. This is a lot of time consuming and hard work for a noob. Not to be taken lightly.
Once you have the Launcher down you can do other apps (browser, gallery, music, phone, contacts, etc).
Once you have those down then we get to the GUTS of the phone. The framework! This is the status bar and everything in it. This is also other critical parts for your Android in this folder. Over 400 to be exact. Mess up just 1 of those and it can cause some serious problems! This is the /system/framework/framework-res.apk file. Treat it just like any other apk file.
By the way... don't ask us to help you with out searching first. Fair warning. This is a complicated process to explain in detail. I've made and modified my share of themes and I can tell you that even with everything already made and done it still takes about an hour to port everything over for a new rom. So again... this will take time and you can find all your answers by searching and reading but we will not spoon feed anyone nor will we do it for you. We're here to help but not to do everything for you.
Have fun and good luck.
Binary100100 said:
I really don't have a clue of what your asking.
You want to know how to theme or how to make a rom?
The best thing to do is start off small. Very small. For example try to theme Launcher.apk.
Open it with WinRAR and extract it.
Replace ONLY the .png files. (NOT 9.PNG files because those will mess up when you start your phone and can cause it to crash!)
Move your modified files back over to the location in WinRAR and replace the original.
Sign your modified file.
Create a flashable zip file with an update-script in the META-INF folder (better use an existing theme to figure that out)
Sign the zip file
Try to flash it. If you see the changes in your Launcher (that is the tab at the bottom of your screen that holds your apps) then it worked and you did it right. If not then search (PLEASE SEARCH) and read (PLEASE READ) before you post a question. This is a lot of time consuming and hard work for a noob. Not to be taken lightly.
Once you have the Launcher down you can do other apps (browser, gallery, music, phone, contacts, etc).
Once you have those down then we get to the GUTS of the phone. The framework! This is the status bar and everything in it. This is also other critical parts for your Android in this folder. Over 400 to be exact. Mess up just 1 of those and it can cause some serious problems! This is the /system/framework/framework-res.apk file. Treat it just like any other apk file.
By the way... don't ask us to help you with out searching first. Fair warning. This is a complicated process to explain in detail. I've made and modified my share of themes and I can tell you that even with everything already made and done it still takes about an hour to port everything over for a new rom. So again... this will take time and you can find all your answers by searching and reading but we will not spoon feed anyone nor will we do it for you. We're here to help but not to do everything for you.
Have fun and good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or he can make a metamorph which is basicly the same thing. The only differences are that you don't need to make a META-INF file or an Update-script. Pretty much all you need are the pictures that you want to use and your imagination.
Macrophage001 said:
Or he can make a metamorph which is basicly the same thing. The only differences are that you don't need to make a META-INF file or an Update-script. Pretty much all you need are the pictures that you want to use and your imagination.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can make a theme easily... but my metamorphs never seem to work for some reason. Maybe I'm just trying too hard.
Or he can make a metamorph which is basicly the same thing. The only differences are that you don't need to make a META-INF file or an Update-script.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can make a theme easily... but my metamorphs never seem to work for some reason. Maybe I'm just trying too hard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the most common mistakes is when you are writing the .thm file.
When you are writing the location of the apk file, you have to put the forward-slash at the end.
Example:
/system/app/
how to create themes for metamorph
Macrophage001 said:
One of the most common mistakes is when you are writing the .thm file.
When you are writing the location of the apk file, you have to put the forward-slash at the end.
Example:
/system/app/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey bro, good day, I just want to ask if how could I make a theme for my rooted G1 which is running a CM7 rom. I've seen you say that it is easier to create metamorph themes, with just a pictures and imagination?? how will I do that? sorry for that question but I'm really a new on this things,,
So I'm a bit of a noob. I'm attempting to create a theme and I cannot figure out where to edit the noti bar as well as the lockscreen image. For the lockscreen, I just want to keep the same tw lockscreen, but I want to change the padlock/background. Any help would be amazing as I am truely stumped.
If this needs to be in general, please move me
The file(s) that you are looking for are located in the framework-res.apk package located in a ROM/Theme. Inside of the .apk is a folder called res, and inside it is a folder called drawable-hdpi. This folder contains the majority of images used to make a theme look a certain way. In order to change the status bar, you need to edit the file statusbar_background.png. The lock screen one is in this folder too.
Nice. Thank you sir
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I figured since the question has been answered I could just hijack this thread instead of making a new one. I am pretty new on modifying Android ROMs and would like to know where I should start first if I wanted to create my own theme? I would like to do some simple modifications first like icons and colors. Where can I find the necessary materials to get started? Like a fresh Touchwiz 2.5 template from the epic? Or do I just extract them from the stock ROM, if so, how? Thanks.
The files are accessible from the ROM if you open the zip and go to /system/framework then extract framework-res.apk
From there, you can open the apk with a tool like WinRAR and navigate to /res/drawable-hdpi as thomasskull666 mentioned. You can extract the png files from there and then just drag them back in once modified. Then just drag the framework-res.apk back into the ROM zip and flash it and bask in the glory of your handiwork.
Best advice is organize your workspace. You will have so many folders in folders your head is going to spin! What I do is copy the framework-res.apk, twframework-res.apk into a folder on your PC called STOCK DI18 Theme. *Make sure you pull these files from a deodexed rom or you'll have issues! Drawable-hdpi folder inside of both framework-res.apk files is where the brunt of you mods will be. If you are feeling daring, after changing the images in there you can begin to pull the drawable-hdpi from apps as well as long as you drag out the drawable folder, make your edits, then drag the edited folder right back in the zip, you'll be fine. Don't touch .9.png files if you don't know how to program them, I'm guessing you don't. Don't worry, edit everything else first to get that "feel" for what you are getting into. From there then research the .9.png files.
I highly recommend using 7zip for all of this, it is less of a headache. This is the basics of what you'll be doing to everything. Lets say you were going to do all this right off of your desktop. Make a folder on your desktop called STOCK DI18 Theme. Copy your framework-res.apk and twframework-res.apk into that folder from your deodexed rom. ANY TIME YOU NEED TO TAKE THESE FILES TO EDIT FOR YOUR THEME, COPY THEM FROM THIS FOLDER, NEVER SAVE THE CHANGES BACK INTO THIS FOLDER. This is important because you want easy access to all your stock files. Copy your system/framework and system/apps in here.
Now if you want to work on the framework-res.apk first. copy it to the desktop. Right click and choose 7zip-open archive. You can see the file structure of the apk. Click twice on res and you will see all the folders including drawable, drawable-hdpi, etc. Drag and drop drawable-hdpi to your desktop. Edit anything you want in there except a .9.png. Save the files into that same folder. Then drag and drop the folder right back into the archive where you got it in the first place. Then say your all done. Drag framework-res.apk back into the zip your going to flash on your phone in the same method.
Another quick tip, if you don't have an update zip and you have no idea what you are doing, download any working theme from here. Grab one of mine, and copy your framework-res.apk, twframework-res.apk, apps, etc over what in there. Make sure not to leave nothing it will show up in your theme! Any thing you need clearing up on, PM me, this should be plenty to get you started. To theme an app, right click say alarmclock.apk choose 7zip-open archive and do your magic again. As long as you only change the pictures in there you won't alter the signature on them so don't be afraid to mess with it.
Lastly, the Epic's framework is LOADED with files that it doesn't even use so be careful you not spending too much time editing a file you never seen on your phone before!
dreamsforgotten said:
Lastly, the Epic's framework is LOADED with files that it doesn't even use so be careful you not spending too much time editing a file you never seen on your phone before!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent tip, this is especially helpful if you are trying to port a theme as not all of the .png's will match up. Make sure you know what you NEED to be replacing as opposed to what is optional. Also I don't know if it was mentioned before but there are some files (especially in twframework-res) that have a .9 before the .png. These are not your run-of-the-mill png files, and they need to be specially edited to preserve their formatting. I recommend avoiding these if at all possible, but there is a way to edit them if you are feeling really adventurous. Here is the link to that post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=5206698
My suggestions for success: If you really want to make sure you are editing only the files that you need to edit in framework-res.apk, download a few custom themes or ROMs and extract the framework-res.apk from them. Then use a program such as UltraCompare to compare the files and folders inside each to find common files. This will help you pinpoint exactly what needs to be edited and what needs to be left alone. Lastly, like dreamsforgotten stated, be sure to have a good work directory from which to edit these .apks, as you will be working with folder after folder after folder. Organization is key, and patience is required
hey guys.
i'm having a frustrating issue when editing framework-res.apk to include the rectangle battery mod.
this is a long post...please DO NOT POST GENERIC ANSWERS WITHOUT READING THE POST FIRST!!!
i'm used to editing framework-res.apk and all other .apks on my phone for various purposes. i use a combination of 7zip and apkmanager 4.9 to extract, replace, decompile/recompile, etc. depending on what i'm doing.
at this point here's what i'm trying to do:
DaGunn provided me with a modified framework-res.apk which includes a buttonized power control widget (from JsChiSurf's thread). this is v2.0 (on the 3.29 ota). previously i had v1.0 which I had fully customized to my liking.
the file provided to me by DaGunn has the buttonized look, and some smooth sense elements, as well as the super circle battery meter.
i opened framework-res.apk he provided with 7zip and replaced all the 901 images in res/drawable-hdpi with my own 901 image files from my existing framework. these files all have the same exact name and same exact extensions. (hence when I drag and drop into the new framework-res.apk in 7zip i get a direct replacement rather than having extra files).
this has worked countless times in the past. as a matter of fact, it worked 99% of the way this time. all the framework images went back to my customized images. except the battery disappeared.
i narrowed it down to the battery images. if i leave his 101 circle battery .pngs and replace every other file in framework-res, it works just fine. all my images show and the battery shows up in the circle style. if i then just replace his 101 circle battery .pngs with my 101 matted blues rectangle battery .pngs, which are the same exact names (i checked!) and extension, and after I optimized them almost exactly the same file size as well, everything goes to crap. the battery doesn't show up at all in the title bar.
if i plug in the phone, the rectangle charging animation works, the download animation works, all other smooth sense animations that I have replaced with the mattedblues files from my previous framework work. except for the battery.
now, if his .pngs work, and mine replace his directly with the same exact name and extension, why would the battery display suddenly disappear?!
I'm being told it has to do with resource IDs, but here's the problem. I was provided a "guide" on how to properly modify framework-res by one of the guys involved in MattedBlues (beatblaster). in it I was told that I only need to recompile framework-res after adding NEW .pngs, that if the .pngs were already accounted for in resources.arsc then trying to recompile would throw errors and instead I should replace those .pngs with 7zip. that's what i'm trying to do but as I said, then the battery meter doesn't work.
if i decompile DaGunn's original file, I'm able to recompile it just fine. keep in mind this file already has a lot of modifications on it as it is. but if i decompile his framework, and I replace his .pngs with mine, and try to recompile, I get thousands of lines of error in the log. all having to do with public.xml, which I'm being told goes back to resource IDs.
what am i missing here? i know how to remove the battery display from the title bar so I dont have that empty space, but I do enjoy my percentage battery and I would like to get this to work!
any input will be greatly appreciated...
+5 points for you if you read this far!
I'm not clear if you are recompiling or just dropping the images in, but if you are recompiling try making all your xml changes without adding the new images. Then after its compiled drop your new images in.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
i'm not modifying any xmls. only replacing .pngs. it's specifically clarified in the OP.
the existing framework, with its modified .xmls and .pngs as given to me decompiles and recompiles just fine. if i decompile, then replace the .pngs with my own, and try to recompile, then it gives error. if i just open it in 7zip and replace the .pngs with my own, the battery disappears, but no force closes or error messages.
anyone else?
Are any of the .png files you are replacing have the 9.png extension? I know modifying these is very tedious and requires a more difficult process. Also can u post the errors in the apkmanager log?
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
nope. the files are stat_sys_battery_0 through stat_sys_battery_100. all .png not a single one in any other extension.
i can't post the apk manager log because it is literally thousands of lines of errors.
what I can do is give you the framework as I have it, working with his battery .pngs and a separate .zip with my battery .pngs, so you can try to do it yourself and see the problem/compile errors.
it really is weird...or stupidly simple!
Firstly you SHOULD NOT be decompiling just to swap images, even .9 pngs. You only need to decompile if you are editing xml files which by reading your post you aren't. To change pngs only, you should use option 1 (extract) in apk manager. Then change all your pngs you want changed. Use option 3 to recompress your framework. Make sure to tell it that it is a system apk, and then use option 12 to resign. You should be good to go.
t3project said:
Firstly you SHOULD NOT be decompiling just to swap images, even .9 pngs. You only need to decompile if you are editing xml files which by reading your post you aren't. To change pngs only, you should use option 1 (extract) in apk manager. Then change all your pngs you want changed. Use option 3 to recompress your framework. Make sure to tell it that it is a system apk, and then use option 12 to resign. You should be good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
The reason I was confused about what you were trying to accomplish is because you don't need to decompile unless changing xml's.
Thats what I do for non system apps. I'll give it a try in the morning and see if it makes a difference.
Swyped from my HTC Evo 4G on the MetroPCS 1X network!
Ok first if you go to recompile something and you get errors usally the first error is the one causing the problem. Look and see what the first error is and fix it, like has been said what you are trying to do using 7 zip is a good way to do it, not decompiling. You said this is how you prefer way to do it anyway so that's good.
Second I have found at times that 7 zip does not properly replace threw images so weird things happen, only happens sometimes. With that said try using apk manager to unzip the apk replace the images and rezip it do not sign it. See if that works
Third. If all else fails download nijamorph from the market. Put the images you want on your scard where I can find them easy. Open nijamorph and start a new project navigate to your framework-res.apk.from here you can do two things first you can press existing project and find what you are looking for and change one at a time or the easy way. Close the app open your favorite file manager find the pngs you are going to use, copy them, then navigate to android themes/workspace in there you will find the framework-resapk folder, in there is everything just like the apk so paste the files were they go (that last step can all be done on the computer if that is easier for you.) Next open your nijamorph app and press finish project follow the prompts and let it do its thing. If your phone does not reboot reboot it.you should be good to go.
Like always do a backup before doing these steps
Good luck
Sent from my unrEVOked using xda app
Max_Pain said:
Thats what I do for non system apps. I'll give it a try in the morning and see if it makes a difference.
Swyped from my HTC Evo 4G on the MetroPCS 1X network!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it works the same way when replacing pngs. compiling and recompiling is only needed if making xml/code changes. i had to learn this the hard way too. just make sure you sign system apps with option 12 instead of option 4 like you would with a non-system app.
t3project said:
To change pngs only, you should use option 1 (extract) in apk manager. Then change all your pngs you want changed. Use option 3 to recompress your framework. Make sure to tell it that it is a system apk, and then use option 12 to resign. You should be good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this worked!
dont know why I would have to extract, replace, compress, as I've NEVER done that with framework-res.apk, only when editing apps that need to be resigned. oh well, it worked
I think you misunderstood what I told you in the guide I gave you which is you only need to decompile/recompile when you are making XML code changes as stated above in a previous post. When I wrote that guide for you I wrote it thinking you wanted to add more features to the original power control widgets (such as smooth mods). If you want to simply replace PNGs, as stated previously, all you need to do is replace the PNGs without decompiling and recompiling.
In this instance, the problem you're running into is that you're trying to compile the framework using already-customized PNGs which will not work (another point that was stated in the guide as well )
So, in conclusion, if all you want to do is change the PNGs all you gotta do is (and you probably already know this but I'm including it to be thorough):
- Open archive (framework) in 7-zip
- Navigate to framework-res/res/drawable-hdpi
- Add your desired PNGs into the 7-zip window
- Close the 7-zip window and answer yes when 7zip asks if you want to update the archive
- Flash framework onto your phone
- All should be well
- When using this method there is no signing necessary!
Again, as stated previously, the only time you need to decompile/recompile is when you're going to edit an XML (or make any other code changes). So, for a final example of this, let's say you wanted to take DaGunn's power widgets framework but you wanted to change the "text highlight" color. What you would do then is this:
- Decompile DaGunn's framework in APK manager (option 9)
- Navigate to /projects/framework-res.apk/values/styles..xml
- Search for for "<item name="textColorHighlight">" and change the color HEX code
- Save the changes to styles.xml
- Compile the framework in APK manager (option 11)
- When asked if this is a system apk answer Y for yes
- When asked if you want to copy additional files to reduce the amount of errors answer Y for yes
- When prompted about the "keep" folder, open a file manager and navigate to /<apk_manager_folder>/keep and DELETE the resources.arsc file
- Go back to the APK manager window and press any button to finish the compile process
- Back in your file manager, go back to /<apk_manager_folder>/place-apk-here-for-modding/ folder, grab the unsignedFramework-res.apk, rename it to framework-res.apk and flash it however you flash it.
- Test your changes (in this example, the text highlight color)
This concludes my post.
thanks for the clarification beat.
but the problem was I was just opening framework-res.apk with 7zip, doing it like you're saying to do in the first part of your post above, and the battery meter would disappear instead of showing the mattedblues battery images instead of the circle ones.
if i left his .pngs in, the battery would show. if i replaced his with mine using 7zip, the battery would disappear.
this confused me because this is exactly the way that I've been integrating mattedblues into every framework i get. i open in 7zip, replace existing files with my own, and bam, everything works. this time it didnt!
this got fixed by extracting, replacing, and compressing again in apk manager 4.9.
i tried decompiling/recompiling simply because I was so out of ideas as to how else to go about it. I don't need to make any .xml changes to DaGunn's file because he had already integrated most of smooth sense with the percentage battery and v2 of the power widgets
anyways, thanks for the clarification.
beatblaster said:
So, in conclusion, if all you want to do is change the PNGs all you gotta do is (and you probably already know this but I'm including it to be thorough):
- Open archive (framework) in 7-zip
- Navigate to framework-res/res/drawable-hdpi
- Add your desired PNGs into the 7-zip window
- Close the 7-zip window and answer yes when 7zip asks if you want to update the archive
- Flash framework onto your phone
- All should be well
- When using this method there is no signing necessary!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
max, not sure why this wouldnt work for you.
t3project said:
max, not sure why this wouldnt work for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no. this method is SUPPOSED TO WORK, as I said in the original post. this is how I've done every single change to framework-res.apk in the past. that is why I felt the need to ask for help. because the same thing that has always worked, suddenly wasn't working anymore!
for some reason, using 7zip WAS NOT WORKING to replace the battery .pngs....but ONLY those files. every other file was replaced using 7zip and they all worked. the only files I ended up having to replace through apk manager extract/compress method you gave me were the battery images.
thanks everyone
Max_Pain said:
no. this method is SUPPOSED TO WORK, as I said in the original post. this is how I've done every single change to framework-res.apk in the past. that is why I felt the need to ask for help. because the same thing that has always worked, suddenly wasn't working anymore!
for some reason, using 7zip WAS NOT WORKING to replace the battery .pngs....but ONLY those files. every other file was replaced using 7zip and they all worked. the only files I ended up having to replace through apk manager extract/compress method you gave me were the battery images.
thanks everyone
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Click to collapse
ohh i know. i use the way i told you because i just like to see the images while im playing with them. that way i know for sure whats up.
ok so i tried readin the guides and i have to say i was completely lost. might be cuz i havnt gotten any rest in a while but anyways i was looing for a way to be able to combine 2 themes. i really like the status bar icons on one theme like the bluetooth and wifi however i like everythig else from the other one also one is using launcher pro the other one tw launcher. would like to keep the one with launcher pro and just changethe top icons that always show. if i missed something please let me know any help would be greatly appreciated
Make a copy of the original themes to fall back on first.
What you have to do is open up the zip files of the themes. Extract the res folders from each themes framework-res.apk. Obviously you will have to rename one of them to something like res1 or put it in another place. Once you have the two folders extracted make the launcherpro one your base. Copy the images that you want to keep from the other theme (probably located in drawable-hdpi or drawable-hdpi-v4) and paste them into the same folder of the launcherpro theme and overwrite them. Once you have everything copied the way you want it open the framework-res.apk of the launcherpro theme. Go to the res folder and remove whatever folder you are adding back in (drawable.hdpi for example). Now drag the launcherpro folder that you made all of the changes to (drawable.hdpi or whatever) into the res folder of framework-res.apk. If you took the framework-res.apk file out of the zip file to begin with you have to also add it back into the themes zip file. Otherwise you just put the zip back on the phone and flash. It is always a good idea to put the original theme zip file on the phone also just in case something goes wrong you can just reflash the original theme and start over. If you need any additional help let us know.
^^^What he said
What you're really trying to do is essentially to create your own theme. If those instructions seem overwhelming or dont work, go to the top of this forum and start reading up on theming. Its a fairly simple concept but you might want to familiarize yourself with what it is exactly that you are doing. Everything visual on the phone is stored in image files, you're just swapping out the images. Maybe you'll get inspired and create something totally new that you can share with the community.
I tried reading theming on the top but I guess all that info at once was kind of overwhelming at the moment I was almost dead asleep however the info here seems more direct to the point so ill go ahead and see if I have time to mess with it today. I might also need to install gimp because I only saw like 1 or 2 image files when I opened up the zips with 7zip. Thanks for the help guys ill go ahead and give an update when I'm done maybe post some screen shots
jsredlineracer said:
I tried reading theming on the top but I guess all that info at once was kind of overwhelming at the moment I was almost dead asleep however the info here seems more direct to the point so ill go ahead and see if I have time to mess with it today. I might also need to install gimp because I only saw like 1 or 2 image files when I opened up the zips with 7zip. Thanks for the help guys ill go ahead and give an update when I'm done maybe post some screen shots
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will only need gimp if you are editing images. Make sure you are looking in the right directory. You should see a ton of png files. The bulk of the images are located in drawable-hdpi (the native folder) or drawable-hdpi-v4 (some themes have this folder instead). The only tool you need for moving images from one theme to the other is a zip program. I haven't used 7zip but maybe it didn't extract all of the files. I use winrar myself. Let us know how it works out.
OK I made a really quick video. Nothing fancy but puts a visual to the text I wrote. Hope it helps.
Well here are the screenies. Thanks for the help. And also thanks to those who created the original themesblue one is after changes
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sorry was having some issues. i couldnt upload pics from my phone
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