Develop Bugs

[Q] Do I have to theme using an update zip?

Noob to theme'ing.
Do I have to make an update zip to theme or can I modify the framework apk and just push that to /system/app?

You can just modify and push framework-res.apk to system/framework/
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

Oddity said:
You can just modify and push framework-res.apk to system/framework/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
system/framework/
sorry i've been at this computer too long lol

My replacement keeps giving me boot loops.
All I changed was: I duplicated the green lockslider and its components and renamed them to replace the other gray locksliders.
then I compressed the framework-res to a zip (using built in mac zip compression, mac user so i can't use winrar) and change zip to apk. adb push to system/framework/
any ideas what is going wrong?

cupcakera said:
My replacement keeps giving me boot loops.
All I changed was: I duplicated the green lockslider and its components and renamed them to replace the other gray locksliders.
then I compressed the framework-res to a zip (using built in mac zip compression, mac user so i can't use winrar) and change zip to apk. adb push to system/framework/
any ideas what is going wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried installing it via a update.zip?

cupcakera said:
My replacement keeps giving me boot loops.
All I changed was: I duplicated the green lockslider and its components and renamed them to replace the other gray locksliders.
then I compressed the framework-res to a zip (using built in mac zip compression, mac user so i can't use winrar) and change zip to apk. adb push to system/framework/
any ideas what is going wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well this gets to be a bit confusing. I will say what i know hopefully others can help out too.
APKs are just zip containers that are signed, that means there is no compression. In your zip program look for a setting under compression labeled store. You would then have to sign that bad boy in order for your phone to work. You can not use the testsign certificate.
With that being said here is a guide...
Modifying?
PNG's -> open the apk up in the zip program, navigate to the res/whatever_folder_had_the_original and drop your files in.
9.PNGs and XML more complicated. You will have to decompile the apk [apktool] then modify them [look for articles on that, i cant get too indepth here]. Compile the apk. Drag the now compiled xml and 9.pngs to the respective folder open in your zip program.
Really the object is not to mess up the signing that comes with the apk. opening up the apk in a zip program, allows you to view, and replace files with not destroying the signature.
This method will not work with all applications. I have still not figured why some programs work with being signed with a testcert and others are not. I have a hunch that all userspace programs can be test signed and all system files need their own [htc?] key.
Also to note is that for some reason the phone when looking at framework-res, services.jar and others does not seem to mind the differences in CRC of the files stored in it, with what is in the manifest. I still can figure out the phones reasoning to allow this to happen on some but not all apps.
I hope this was not very confusing. I am working on video toturials of this same subject. Stay tuned!

That really helps a lot. Thanks.
I'll try that out tonight. Any recommendations for zip programs with a store feature for mac?

cupcakera said:
That really helps a lot. Thanks.
I'll try that out tonight. Any recommendations for zip programs with a store feature for mac?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use BetterZip on my mac..........open the apk with Betterzip, then extract the res folder to your desktop (or wherever you want). Edit the .png files you want.......steer clear ( unless you know how) of editing the 9.png files. Delete the original res folder from the framework folder and insert the res folder you just edited. Then save the framework-res.apk and push back to where it belongs.
I like 7zip better, but this works okay, since there is no 7zip for a mac.

Betterzip worked perfectly! Thanks again.

[Q] How to modify com.htc.resources.apk

im trying to customize my rom (skyraider 3.3) and i want to switch the 3G and 1X icons on the status bar, but whenever i try to edit them i get boot loops. ive tried adb pushing them, and ive even tried metamorph (not best idea). is there any way to edit them without having these problems.

*warning, this is an effin serious bump...

Last bump i swear!

Open the apk in something like 7zip (without unzipping it) and drag and drop the images replacing the ones in there already. Save it, and push it to your phone in recovery.

Did you sign the apk?

YoungSinema said:
Did you sign the apk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never sign HTC apks. Just drag-n-drop. Do not unzip.

Like already mentioned step by step:
open apk with 7zip,
extract the res folder,
close 7zip,
modify the graphics in the res folder,
open apk with 7zip,
drag the modified res folder into 7zip,
close 7zip,
push apk to /system/framework/ with adb

thanks for all the replies, really helped me out

NilsP said:
Like already mentioned step by step:
open apk with 7zip,
extract the res folder,
close 7zip,
modify the graphics in the res folder,
open apk with 7zip,
drag the modified res folder into 7zip,
close 7zip,
push apk to /system/framework/ with adb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the instructions on editing com.htc.resources. Once I slowed down and followed the instructions worked like a charm, also I was able to reload into a zip file and applied through recovery.

Unzipping and zipping apk files?

I unzipped a apk file to change some of the images in the drawable-hdpi folder, how do I zip it back into an apk file to reinstall it on my phone. Or can I flash the zip file? I dunno how that would work...
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Can you get another copy of the apk?
If you can then the best thing to do is use winRAR or 7zip to open/explore the apk just like with a .zip file. That way you never unzip it and don't run into that issue. Using those allows you to delete and add files. You can also do the same thing on your phone using root explorer or something similar.
As far as correcting what you've done already (assuming you can't get a copy of that apk) I've completely forgotten since I never have to do it. I know if you look on the android sdk's site you can find the answer though.

adamtheindien said:
I unzipped a apk file to change some of the images in the drawable-hdpi folder, how do I zip it back into an apk file to reinstall it on my phone. Or can I flash the zip file? I dunno how that would work...
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An apk is just a zip file with the apk extension, once you zip it up change it from a .zip to a .apk
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

i changed what i wanted and rezipped, changed the extension, tried to install it, says problem parsing the package?

adamtheindien said:
i changed what i wanted and rezipped, changed the extension, tried to install it, says problem parsing the package?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can also depend on which APK (system vs non-system) and which images (.9 images can be tricky to replace if you don't know what you are doing). Sometimes, you also need to re-sign the APK, depending on what you modified (there are tools to re-sign in the SDK or you can use something like APK Manager).
You should try the opening the APK directly in WinRAR/7-zip and replacing the images method. In my experience, if you are just replacing simple images, you usually don't have to re-sign when doing this (it leaves the existing signature intact).

ok i mainly just replaced images and and edited a couple. i dont know how to use all that adbsdkwhatever stuff.... -_- i know i should but im too lazy. so i dunno how to re sign it...

all im trying to do is edit the quick search bar images. maybe i dont have to do this if there is somewhere to find themed search bars?

If you can then the best thing to do is use winRAR or 7zip to open/explore the apk just like with a .zip file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your using winRAR click and drag stuff works if its one or two files.
If its a lot of images or a large file like framework-res.apk (I'm thinking your search bar might be in there if I'm not mistaken) then you'll want to make a new ZIP archive with "store" compression (uncompressed pretty much).
(also you shouldn't need to resign the framework-res.apk)
I haven't tested 7zips click and drag but the same principals apply. If its bigger files being recompiled Winrar tends to compress it a bit and sometimes it causes bootloops.
That being said, don't forget to nandroid

82_Z28 said:
If your using winRAR click and drag stuff works if its one or two files.
If its a lot of images or a large file like framework-res.apk (I'm thinking your search bar might be in there if I'm not mistaken) then you'll want to make a new ZIP archive with "store" compression (uncompressed pretty much).
(also you shouldn't need to resign the framework-res.apk)
I haven't tested 7zips click and drag but the same principals apply. If its bigger files being recompiled Winrar tends to compress it a bit and sometimes it causes bootloops.
That being said, don't forget to nandroid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well from my experience, 7zip handles the task like a champ. I've taken every image out and put others back in with no issues. The downside is that some apps set certain dependencies in the .xml files so if you delete the wrong things it won't install and if it does, all you get is a fc all day. In that case it helps to know how to convert the xml binary to something readable (unless you're a king a hex editing).

[Q] how to change the default wallpaper in a rom.zip

Basically I'm trying to figure out how to change the default wallpaper on say a cm.zip so that who ever flashes it ( for the first time ) will get my chosen wallpaper ?
Any help is appreciated

Using winzip, 7zip or what ever your favourite archive manager is. Navigate to system/framework/Framework-res.apk/res/drawable-hdpi and look for a file named default_wallpaper.jpg.
You simply need to delete the old wallpaper and replace it with the one you want, making sure to rename it default_wallpaper

Thank you.

cjward23 said:
Using winzip, 7zip or what ever your favourite archive manager is. Navigate to system/framework/Framework-res.apk/res/drawable-hdpi and look for a file named default_wallpaper.jpg.
You simply need to delete the old wallpaper and replace it with the one you want, making sure to rename it default_wallpaper
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx very much!

[Tutorial] Lazy Mans Guide to Themeing

The lazy man’s guide to theming​.
I get requests all the time to make simple changes to my themes that anyone with a computer can do. So I put together this quick guide on how to theme the easy way. This is how I do most of my themes minus any xml edits or battery mods. This guide is for changing images only without having to decompile and recompile the entire apk file with apktool or apk manager. Great for when you just want to make a few changes to your existing setup.
What you will need.
~ 7zip use Google search it’s easy to find
~ image editor Gimp is great and free you can Google it also. I use Fireworks and Photoshop depending on what I am trying to do.
~ Draw9Suite. Created by tommytomatoe/kakomalo Thread found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1272513
Download here: http://www.4shared.com/zip/TaDGMjde/9patchPngSuite.html
Unzip and place contents in folder, I have mine on my desktop.
~ An existing rom or theme to modify.
With just these tools you can do a lot.
Once you have 7zip and 9patchPngSuite on your system you will need to download the rom, or already existing theme for the rom you are on so you can make the changes you want to it.
Download the rom/theme you want to make changes to and use 7zip to unpack the rom/theme you downloaded, do this by right clicking on the zip file and chose open with 7zip. Inside you will find lots of folders, the ones you are looking for will be in system/app (for apps) or system/framework (for framework files). Extract the apk’s by just dragging them out of the 7zip window, to a folder on your desktop.
Inside the folder you extracted the apk’s to create a folder for each apk’s you extracted. Now you will want to extract the folder drawable-hdpi from the res folder of each apk to its associated folder, do this with 7zip also the same way you extracted the apk file. Once the drawable-hdpi folders are extracted you will see the images inside that you can modify.
At this point I create another folder inside each of the specific apk folders and name it .9 images and I copy and paste all the .9 images I want to change into that folder (these are for reference). I then copy all of those images into the compiled folder of 9patchPngSuite. And chose option 1 to decompile them. Now look in the decompiled folder and you can now take those images and change anything inside the black lines and dots you will see on the outside edge. If you feel like it you can also create your own .9 file with your own image by choosing option 2, this will open up draw9patch. Maser&Slave made a great tutorial on this so I won’t go into it. Edit your images, but be careful if the image displays words on it (like with popup_center_dark.9 )and it has a dark background it should remain dark so the word will still be readable, and vice versa if the image has a light background it most likely will have a dark font displayed on it that will be difficult to read if you make the image a dark color. Once all your images are edited use option 3 to recompile them, now in the output folder you will find your recompiled images that you can put back into your drawable-hdpi folder. Edit any other images you want just be careful with the pixel size if an image is 70X70 and you make it 140X140 it could cause some problems, some you can change others you can’t, it’s a lot of trial and error. Once all edits are finished put them all back in the drawable-hdpi folder you extracted from the apk, use 7zip to open the apk again, navigate to the res folder and delete the existing drawable-hdpi folder and drop the one you made the changes to into it, use the back arrow in the 7zip window and it will zip it back up and you can push the apk or flash it to test if your images came out the way you wanted them to. This will work with any image you chose to edit. You can also use this method add images from other themes you like to modify your theme to the way you want it. Just copy and paste the images you want to change into the drawabel-hdpi folder of the theme you are creating.
Brief list of what each apk controls, I am still new to ICS so if anyone knows more info please post.
Framework-res.apk
This will contain most of the images you will want to make changes to. Including check boxes, popup windows, menus, tabs, general status bar images, some lockscreen clocks, and a lot more. You will recognize them as you scroll through them. Some are hard to recognize like activity_tite_bar.9 and dark_header.9 because they are small, it will take some practice and trial and error to get the look you want.
Twframework-res.apk
This contains very little in ICS it still controls the tab backgrounds for a lot of apps but that is all I have found so far.
Systemui.apk
This apk contains most of the files for your dropdown and status bar, like signal bars, 3g 4g icons, wifi strength icons ,dropdown background and more. in ICS it also contains the battery images.
Ik95-res.apk and lidroid-res.apk
These apks contain the toggle images and background In the dropdown i.e. wifi toggle, airplane mode toggle etc. for the 14 ad 15 toggle mods.
Here is a standard flashable zip file you can put your modified apk files in and flash with CWM, open with 7zip and put your apk file in the corresponding folder in the flashable zip if you pulled it from framework put it back in the system/framework folder, if you pulled it from app put it in system/app folder in the flashable zip. Then flash like any other theme.
Flashable zip : http://www.4shared.com/zip/cmn3J1yd/My_flash.html
included below is a word doc of this tutorial.

future additions ....

Thanks for the guide, chief!