Develop Bugs

[Q] Mod a mod to add custom apks preinstalled?

Hi..
I've had problems with Gmail and Maps applications previously with Neophyte ROMs. In that case one of the solutions was removing the apks for these apps from with the /system/app folder of the ROM zip.
My question is:
Is it possible to add our own apks to the custom ROM so that these apks come preinstalled on the ROM when someone flashes it..in a manner, a kind of 2nd generation mod?
Is it possible to add our own system variables and settings files so that the ROM autoinstalls it on First Install? In particular, I'd like to preset my own APN file for the network.

The simple answer is yes.
The entire system folder in the zip file is written to your /system partition, with the full architecture of folders and so on, so any changes made in there will also be on the system, when it is flashed.
There is also a script file, in the META-INF folder, which you can use to run commands to delete or edit something along with the flash, whenever the zip file is flashed. This is a bit more advanced though.
edit: it is the same for the data folder of course, which folders is flashed and where to is also specified in the script file mentioned above.

Thank you!
In that case, for installation of a program like Gmail.apk or Maps.apk, would be as simple as adding the .apk to the /system/app, or would I have to include other files? Would there be dependancies in other folders?

Well the apps have their own data folder on the data partition, but this is for storing changes in settings and so on, and it should be created by the app itself on first boot just like right after you wipe the data partition/factory reset

Thanks..Got some mod modding to do!

So in case I'd want to manually uninstall/manually install an apk, what would be the steps I'd have to go through?
Would there be filesystem config files (like the older Windows versions), or a central database of entries of the likes of the Registry tables of newer Windows? How does Android go about installing a file? Like which folders and files would be modified other than /system/app and /data/app? Any common files with entries? And in case of the latter, whether it would be machine readable or plain text?

[Q] MikFroyo ROM / APK question

Rooted my phone last week and now looking to flash MikFroYo v4.5. But (and this might be crazy to do for my first ROM flash) I want to change some of the apps up that he’s left in or removed.
Is it safe to modify the .ZIP and move APKs to different folders so they will be installed or not installed as I want them? Take the APKs from the system\app or data\app and move them to the removed folder. And vise-versa take APKs from the removed apps folder and move them to either the system\app or data\app folder.
If this can be done I figure it will be pretty safe to move APKs from the removed folder to the system\app or data\app folder, but I do have questions about the ones I’m looking to remove and if they are safe to not install:
Any of the following not safe to remove?
Data\app\
com.facebook.katana.apk​System\app\
com.htc.FMRadioWidget.apk
com.htc.FriendStreamWidget.apk
com.htc.TwitterWidget.apk
Flikr.apk
FriendStream.apk
HtcFacebook.apk
HtcFMRadio.apk
HtcTwitter.apk
Mail.apk
Street.apk (Is this google street view?)
Talk.apk​
Also as a follow-up question, if this is done, I assume I would also remove any deleted(not installed) APKs from any themes I might install. I’m looking at installing Slayers CYAN Dragon Theme after Mik’s ROM.
Thanks…

i would personally install first, then uninstall the apps. if you do want to take the hard way though, make sure you open up with a zip OPENER NOT EXTRACTOR. then resign it. also, uninstalling deletes any remaining files the apps might have left behind, something that just deleteing doesnt do.
dk

dkdude36 said:
i would personally install first, then uninstall the apps. if you do want to take the hard way though, make sure you open up with a zip OPENER NOT EXTRACTOR. then resign it. also, uninstalling deletes any remaining files the apps might have left behind, something that just deleteing doesnt do.
dk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1.
I agree that it would be easier and safer to remove these apps after install. Use a program like Titanium Backup, it should be able to remove all of the apps you listed.

My Windows thinking coming in to play, where its better not to install things you don't want because things never uninstall cleanly.
HTC Evo
Rooted, but still stock...for now
----------------------------------------
The program is designed to work, if it's not, we have a problem.

Android is much cleaner than windows surprisingly. You can install and uninstall without much or sometimes any residual data.

I agree, just uninstall whatever you dont want, install what you want. Android does a nice job of separating the OS, data, apps.

coiledwire said:
+1.
I agree that it would be easier and safer to remove these apps after install. Use a program like Titanium Backup, it should be able to remove all of the apps you listed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium all the way bro

Thanks for the info. I'll go the Ti Backup route for customization of the installed apps.
HTC Evo
Rooted, but still stock...for now
----------------------------------------
The program is designed to work, if it's not, we have a problem.

system app space

maybe a daft question but what is the benefit from deleting system apps,wallpapers etc.
does it speed up things , create more space?
anybody no

Speed up things? Not really, it is a linux based device, not windows But depending on what you delete (e.g. running unnecessary apps).
Removing factory stuff will create more space.
And what to remove? It depends on the ROM what you use. If it is a HTC Sense based ROM, then there is a list over at Leedroid's site what can be remove.

cheers, what will it create more space for tho? can u say obtain apk files of apps from the market and install then as system apps therefore creating more space for downloaded apps on internal memory?

Just cut and paste apks from /data/app into /system/app, preferably large apps that rarely get updated and your unlikely to uninstall.
Or
Use titanium backups "convert to system app" feature.
Don't forget they will disappear when updating your rom.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

i can convert to system apps in titanium, then backup the rom , extract the boot and system image and run it thru disxda kitchen and that will create a rom with the titanium backups in system apps .wont it??????

Not all apps convert well as system apps in titanium. Also I think you'd need to be s-off to do that.
Why not just run your rom.zip through dsixda, then drop the .apk's you want into the system/app directory and pack it up again?

sounds like a plan dan!

rootSU said:
Not all apps convert well as system apps in titanium. Also I think you'd need to be s-off to do that.
Why not just run your rom.zip through dsixda, then drop the .apk's you want into the system/app directory and pack it up again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i used this method time ago and it works...

Deleted stock programs from the root

Using root explorer i can explore my root. I read somewhere in this forum that i can delete some of the unwanted stock programs; i also read that many of the stock programs waste a lot of ram!
So i want to delete some of the programs i never use. Is it possible? Do i have to just delete the apk file, or do i have to delete the .odex one too? And will it not hurt my phone?
Also, i noticed i can extract some of the programs from there. Is it possible for me to say, extract "video.apk" and "video.odex" from this rom, and simply paste it in the root folder of another rom and expect it to work?
Thankyou
List of programs i want to delete (Notice: these are programs i NEVER use. Also, those marked with an asterisk (.apk*) also have a .odex file too.):
BuddieNow.apk*
Days.apk*
Email.apk*
EmailWidget.apk*
GameHub.apk
GenieWidget.apk*
Gmail.apk*
All “google*syncadapter”.apk*
Maps.apk*
marketupdater.apk*
memo.apk*
minidiary.apk*
operamini-5.1.24639.apk
plusone.apk*
postit.apk*
samsungwidget_news.apk*
snsaccountfb.apk*
snsaccountli.apk*
snsaccountTw.apk*
other “sns” .apk*
SocialHub.apk*
street.apk*
talk.apk*
talkback.apk
youtube.apk*

Just delete the apk and the apps will disappeared but make sure the apk you want to delete is really not important or your phone will not work properly. Or you can try to freeze the apps you want to delete and see it for 1 - 2 days to see if it's working properly with other apps. If its not working properly just unfreeze it again.
Sent from my GT-I8150 using xda premium

How to locate required items to make .apk work (lib, framework, etc)

I've been looking into manually installing some .apk apps on a nosense custom rom.
Mainly system linked .apk files.
Next to having the apk file for installing an app how do i find the rest of the files required for the app to work?
Normally the system apps have many more files spread over the libs, framework, addon, etc folders.
Trying to findout how to locate those extra items.
Thanks for the help.

You mean like the Sense Camera? No one has ported sense stuff to non-sense ROMs before, most likely before HTC Sense is closed source.

OutlawEmblem said:
I've been looking into manually installing some .apk apps on a nosense custom rom.
Mainly system linked .apk files.
Next to having the apk file for installing an app how do i find the rest of the files required for the app to work?
Normally the system apps have many more files spread over the libs, framework, addon, etc folders.
Trying to findout how to locate those extra items.
Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's kinda tricky to explain here, you should look for some guides out there... it isn't very easy believe me

was hoping there was a way i can use a program or so to check the apk data itself for the files it requires.
Use to mod some games and inside one of the data files you'd always find the dir and link to the files it's attached to.
Looking for something like that basicly.
If i were to findout for example which lib files the polaris office.apk uses i can push those to system (together with every other file it needs to work) and it should endup working just fine.
with nosense i actually mean what RENOVATE and Revolution HD call it when they actually use sense+ but then remove most of the sense junk and run a launcher over that. So any htc files will work just fine, they only need to be installed with every background files too.