This will guide you through making a theming template.
Why: it was requested
What is it for: This is the base in which you start your custome theming. If you have read through Dreamsforgotten thread on theming, you will see that he refers to a theming template to start with.
Be advised, This is not a rom. It is just a template that some dev/themers use as a base for their custome themes or to return to a stock deodex theme. Also, this assumes that you are on a stock rooted system
The Difference you ask:
Theming templates : do not have a modem or kernel, They do have a system folder with and App, font, and framework folder.
Rom: has everything needed to run the OS. Modem (sometimes), kernel, and a full system folder
This is how I do it. That is not to say it is right or wrong, but it works for me. There may be other/easier way developed by other devs.
EI22 Theme Template
Tools:
Rom kitchen form here ( follow the thread and set it up )
7zip from here
Notepad++ from here
Rooted device: if you are not rooted look in the dev section of your device for the instructions on that
Clockwork mod: if you don’t know what this is or don’t have it go to the dev section and research.
Instructions:
1: get a copy of the STOCK system folder. It really does not matter how you get it. JUST GET IT
HINT: if you are rooted already, use root explorer or equivlant and copy it to the sdcard….
Depending on how you got it, you may need to copy it to your computer desktop ( do so now)
2: now you will need to make a zip file (by now you should have 7zip installed)
r-click on system folder that you just copied to your desktop
choose 7zip > add to archive.
under archive change name to (build#).zip ( replace (build#) with the build you are using i.e ec05, ei22 ect….)
At this point you will need the rom kitchen. So, if it is not set up, DO SO!!!!!!!
3: copy to the zip folder to kitchen > original_update. Then open the kitchen.
Choose option 1, answer the next few questions as you need to. For me, I just hit enter at the 4 questions. You should be back at the main screen now
option 0 (enter) > option 11 (enter) > option b (enter) > enter ( best so that if there are errors you can troubleshoot) ( this takes a while: 20 min) assuming all went well, you should get
0 *.odex in system/app
0 *.odex in system/framework
Hit the enter key
option 99 > option 2
At this point, there should be a new folder named “output_zip” with your rom in it. (enter) you should be back to the mail menu. We are done with the kitchen so you can close that.
BUT your not done yet.
4: go to the above mentioned folder. In the folder there will be a zip file.
r-click on it and rename theme_template_(build#) ( replace (build#) with the build you are using i.e ec05, ei22 ect….)
r-click> 7zip> open archive - There you will see two folders and a boot image.
delete the boot.img file
go into the system folder and delete everything except app, framework, and font folders
back out one level and go into meta-inf >com > google >android
Now delete the updater-script (leave 7zip open)
Now we need to write the updater-script for CMW to read
5: open notepad++
BE ADVISED, this portion is for the EPIC 4G and the updater-script may change formats based on your device. So do some research first. I tend to look at other script for my devices to see how it should be formatted.
You can copy and past this in or type it yourself:
show_progress(0.1, 0);
delete_recursive("/system/framework");
delete_recursive("/system/app");
delete_recursive("/system/fonts");
mount("MTD", "system", "/system");
package_extract_dir("system", "/system");
delete_recursive("/data/dalvik-cache");
show_progress(0.1, 10);
unmount("/system");
Or use this: updater-script
file >save as
Name file: updater-script
File type: chose all types (*.*) you may need to scroll up or down to find it.
save to desktop
drag and drop the updater-script into the 7zip screen. ( you will be prompted with a ?. just hit yes.)
You should now have 3 files on the 7zip screen
Updater-script, update-binary, update-script.orig
close 7zip.
Connect phone via USB
Copy file to sdcard
Disconnect phone
Reboot to CMW
Choose: backup and restore >backup (when its finished you will have a nandroid to restore if you F.U.B.A.R. your phone.
Choose: install zip from sdcard and install your theming template.
Reboot.
Now use your favorite file explorer and go to system/framework and make sure it has been deodexed. If so, the flash was successful and your theme template works.
Congradulations you built your first theme. All be it a stock one. lol
mine for the thank you's
dreams - for all of his tuts
dsixda - for the kitchen.
Finally
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
Zeinzu said:
Finally
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your welcome.... lol
Download doesn't work. Just downloads and empty zip.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
You can use this thread or learn to do the XML code changes and mods by hand as most of the seasoned theme devs do... I find it a whole lot more rewarding than letting this kitchen or the UOT Kitchen do the work for me....
This also works hand in hand when something goes wrong with your theme you know where to look to fix the problem.
FYI, even with the various themes that myself and ZiggSVO have worked on we still don't know everything and we all do exchange ideas and trouble shoot among each other. That is what makes all this stuff fun and rewarding.
Just my opinion...
Zeinzu said:
Download doesn't work. Just downloads and empty zip.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
looking into it.
just dl'ed - worked fine for me.
Paul627g said:
You can use this thread or learn to do the XML code changes and mods by hand as most of the seasoned theme devs do... I find it a whole lot more rewarding than letting this kitchen or the UOT Kitchen do the work for me....
This also works hand in hand when something goes wrong with your theme you know where to look to fix the problem.
FYI, even with the various themes that myself and ZiggSVO have worked on we still don't know everything and we all do exchange ideas and trouble shoot among each other. That is what makes all this stuff fun and rewarding.
Just my opinion...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tend to agree. but a noob has to have someplace to start. I wish there was the help i needed when i started doing these things a yr ago. I've learned alot throught the guids that i've found, but yes learning to do them by hand is great to.
Z..
what are you tring to dl. the template "worked fine for me" or the updater-script?
Paul627g said:
You can use this thread or learn to do the XML code changes and mods by hand as most of the seasoned theme devs do... I find it a whole lot more rewarding than letting this kitchen or the UOT Kitchen do the work for me....
This also works hand in hand when something goes wrong with your theme you know where to look to fix the problem.
FYI, even with the various themes that myself and ZiggSVO have worked on we still don't know everything and we all do exchange ideas and trouble shoot among each other. That is what makes all this stuff fun and rewarding.
Just my opinion...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely agree, doing it by hand gives you a more broad understanding of how the xml code works. This allows you to perform other modifications as well, and like Paul said it is rewarding and also exciting.
Don't get me wrong, I definitely appreciate the guide! Perhaps you could divide it into a noob section and a more involved section.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
thomasskull666 said:
I definitely agree, doing it by hand gives you a more broad understanding of how the xml code works. This allows you to perform other modifications as well, and like Paul said it is rewarding and also exciting.
Don't get me wrong, I definitely appreciate the guide! Perhaps you could divide it into a noob section and a more involved section.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Paul627g said:
You can use this thread or learn to do the XML code changes and mods by hand as most of the seasoned theme devs do... I find it a whole lot more rewarding than letting this kitchen or the UOT Kitchen do the work for me....
This also works hand in hand when something goes wrong with your theme you know where to look to fix the problem.
FYI, even with the various themes that myself and ZiggSVO have worked on we still don't know everything and we all do exchange ideas and trouble shoot among each other. That is what makes all this stuff fun and rewarding.
Just my opinion...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what you are asking for. There is no XML editing involved here. If you are talking about the deodexing process, sure i can write out the long way to do it by hand. But there are alomost 200 odex files btween the apps folder and the framework folder to deodex. This process would take you all day to do if it wasnt for the kitchen.
spdwiz18 said:
Not sure what you are asking for. There is no XML editing involved here. If you are talking about the deodexing process, sure i can write out the long way to do it by hand. But there are alomost 200 odex files btween the apps folder and the framework folder to deodex. This process would take you all day to do if it wasnt for the kitchen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe some are misunderstanding the guide? I'm a little confused also lol. The way I read it...it comes across as just how to deodex your ROM? No actual themeing? Just to get a base template to start themeing...
Is that right?
Further clarification would be appreciated.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
I probably jumped the gun myself on thinking this was a theme guide. Only point I was trying to make was I hate seeing people use UOT Kitchen or other means to do themes or build a ROM using it and then put it out as their own work. These methods I think are great for personal use but to build an entire themed frameworks, etc and then expect to take credit for it is a bit overboard and trust me there has been plenty of work here in the past based off of UOT Kitchen and other means.
Bottom line, its more rewarding in the long run when you do as much as possible by hand and learn how its all done. Heck I even recently went back and learned how to use APK TOOL itself to decompile and recompile apks aside from just using APK Manager. Sure I know APK Manager is the tool of choice but I still wanted to see how others did it before the big move over to APK Manager.
Otherwise, this is a great thread having a tool to deodex a ROM. Personally I have never successfully deodexed a ROM myself, I've come close and had working ROMs but usually ended up with one thing or another broken in the deodexing process.
Paul627g said:
I probably jumped the gun myself on thinking this was a theme guide. Only point I was trying to make was I hate seeing people use UOT Kitchen or other means to do themes or build a ROM using it and then put it out as their own work. These methods I think are great for personal use but to build an entire themed frameworks, etc and then expect to take credit for it is a bit overboard and trust me there has been plenty of work here in the past based off of UOT Kitchen and other means.
Bottom line, its more rewarding in the long run when you do as much as possible by hand and learn how its all done. Heck I even recently went back and learned how to use APK TOOL itself to decompile and recompile apks aside from just using APK Manager. Sure I know APK Manager is the tool of choice but I still wanted to see how others did it before the big move over to APK Manager.
Otherwise, this is a great thread having a tool to deodex a ROM. Personally I have never successfully deodexed a ROM myself, I've come close and had working ROMs but usually ended up with one thing or another broken in the deodexing process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya I will admit so did I lol, the xml portion is in reference to theme porting, not deodexing.
Carry on >_>
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
Paul627g said:
I probably jumped the gun myself on thinking this was a theme guide. Only point I was trying to make was I hate seeing people use UOT Kitchen or other means to do themes or build a ROM using it and then put it out as their own work. These methods I think are great for personal use but to build an entire themed frameworks, etc and then expect to take credit for it is a bit overboard and trust me there has been plenty of work here in the past based off of UOT Kitchen and other means.
Bottom line, its more rewarding in the long run when you do as much as possible by hand and learn how its all done. Heck I even recently went back and learned how to use APK TOOL itself to decompile and recompile apks aside from just using APK Manager. Sure I know APK Manager is the tool of choice but I still wanted to see how others did it before the big move over to APK Manager.
Otherwise, this is a great thread having a tool to deodex a ROM. Personally I have never successfully deodexed a ROM myself, I've come close and had working ROMs but usually ended up with one thing or another broken in the deodexing process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thomasskull666 said:
Ya I will admit so did I lol, the xml portion is in reference to theme porting, not deodexing.
Carry on >_>
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And this is why im not in the field that i went to school for. lol (cysco networking) i got to the last class and they told me i had to document everything. I just dont have the skills to do that. I am going to edit the OP to better clarify what i was tring to do.
No worries to everyone. your opinions are wellcome. I am not all knowing, but i love to learn and share what i do know.
Related
I got this idea from a thread where someone was asking for a certain icon pack and I suggested to go one by one and grab the icon from each apk. I then thought to myself that this could all be automated. So here it is:
Ultimate Extractor
HOW TO USE:
1. Download icex.zip
2. Make folder C:\icex
3. Extract files from icex.zip to C:\icex
4. Put the theme in C:\icex (has to have .zip extension)
5. Make sure that the theme is the only zip file in C:\icex
6. Now you have 4 choices:
-> 6a: If you want everything (.pngs, .jpgs, .xmls) run UltimateExtractor.bat
-> 6b: If you want only icons (icon.png or ic_launcher*.png) run IconExtractor.bat
-> 6c: If you want almost every single .png run PngExtractor.bat
-> 6d: If you want to run Ultimate Extractor on .apks and not a whole zip file, run UltimateExtractorApk.bat *NEW*
Thanks to ultra spikey for his theme porter script which I based mines off of and thanks to woelv for the thread that got me to do this.
xidominicanoix said:
I got this idea from a thread where someone was asking for a certain icon pack and I suggested to go one by one and grab the icon from each apk. I then thought to myself that this could all be automated. So here it is:
ICon EXtractor v1.0
HOW TO USE:
1. Download icex.zip
2. Make folder C:\icex
3. Extract files from icex.zip to C:\icex
4. Put the theme in C:\icex (has to have .zip extension)
5. Make sure that the theme is the only zip file in C:\icex
6. Now you have to choices:
-> 6a: If you want every single icon, run IconExtractor.bat
-> 6a -> 1: You will be prompted twice
-> 6a -> 2: Hit 'u' and enter at both prompts
-> 6b: If you dont want to be prompted, run IconExtractor_NoPrompt.bat
7. All the icons will now be in folder C:\icex\icons
The reason that the non prompting one won't give you all the icons is because a lot of icons are named "icon.png" so they end up overwriting each other. Also some of the ic_launcher* icons have the same name as well (such as ic_launcher_gallery). The prompting script gives you the option to automatically rename the .pngs as they are extracted. I will try and find a way around this eventually.
I will try to find a way to get all the icons without being prompted (its a 7z thing)
Thanks to ultra spikey for his theme porter script which I based mines off of and thanks to woelv for the thread that got me to do this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow man... you never cease to amaze me... keep up the badass work!
Ted417 said:
wow man... you never cease to amaze me... keep up the badass work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hehe thanks man .. if only i could get it to be perfect
nice work! now you need another tool to repack the icons. so people can extract icons from one place and repack them automatically into another. that would be perfect since people who extract the icons want to use it for another app or theme.
NguyenHuu said:
nice work! now you need another tool to repack the icons. so people can extract icons from one place and repack them automatically into another. that would be perfect since people who extract the icons want to use it for another app or theme.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well thats what ultra spikey's theme porter is for
xidominicanoix said:
The reason that the non prompting one won't give you all the icons is because a lot of icons are named "icon.png" so they end up overwriting each other. Also some of the ic_launcher* icons have the same name as well (such as ic_launcher_gallery). The prompting script gives you the option to automatically rename the .pngs as they are extracted. I will try and find a way around this eventually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you could create folders for each apk. So that the icons can be easily identified?
Great work, by the way!
RichieDaze said:
Maybe you could create folders for each apk. So that the icons can be easily identified?
Great work, by the way!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was able to get them into folders for each apk but i was having trouble getting them to the root of each folder (they were in res/drawable within each folder which is what im trying to avoid)
ill keep working on it and see if i can get them into the root of their own folders
EDIT: found a huge bug which ill be fixing for the next update
xidominicanoix said:
i was able to get them into folders for each apk but i was having trouble getting them to the root of each folder (they were in res/drawable within each folder which is what im trying to avoid)
ill keep working on it and see if i can get them into the root of their own folders
EDIT: found a huge bug which ill be fixing for the next update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would make mylife ten times easier to port themes. I have to search through the whole rom to get the png's I need. It takes around 4 hours to do. Plus some of the older roms png's have different names for them. Mostly on the Framework. Does it extract the png's from the Framework as well?
Yea it should be doing so but ill double check to make sure
EDIT: no i wasnt doing it before but i implemented it now
ok new update
have everything in separate folders now
enjoy
ALSO, for anyone who's curious .. that 'huge bug' is due to some themes having an 'app' folder while others have 'system/app' ... my script wasnt working with the 'app' folder before ... now it tests for it
EDIT: had to re up it real quick with a small fix
Should I reboot after doing this process or simply the icons apply themselves instantly? 'Cause I did it and nothing happened. i'm on CyanogenMod 3.97 and try to put icons of the Aero theme...Can some help...Pleaseeee
fairymaru said:
Should I reboot after doing this process or simply the icons apply themselves instantly? 'Cause I did it and nothing happened. i'm on CyanogenMod 3.97 and try to put icons of the Aero theme...Can some help...Pleaseeee
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this isnt changing the icons in your phone .. this extracts the icons from any theme and puts them in a folder on your computer .... its mainly a help to theme devs or anyone looking just for icons
Ohhh ok good thanks for the reply
This program works great....Only one thing though, on the launcher folder, seems like the png's w/ the same name get over writen. Example= "delete_handle" from Res/drawable-land AND Res/drawable-port aren't two different Png's. Maybe for this apk and others with thhe same folders, you could place them in the original folders----Drawable----Drawable-land----Drawable-port, as you said it work before hand. Some other folder/Png's are missing as well...
I tryed to use UltraSpikey's theme converter and was unsucessful. I was More accurate using this method, thanks to you... It is gladly appreciated...
RichieDaze said:
This program works great....Only one thing though, on the launcher folder, seems like the png's w/ the same name get over writen. Example= "delete_handle" from Res/drawable-land AND Res/drawable-port aren't two different Png's. Maybe for this apk and others with thhe same folders, you could place them in the original folders----Drawable----Drawable-land----Drawable-port, as you said it work before hand. Some other folder/Png's are missing as well...
I tryed to use UltraSpikey's theme converter and was unsucessful. I was More accurate using this method, thanks to you... It is gladly appreciated...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea the overwriting pisses me off but its the only way to get it fully automated .. i will add a second version that will prompt to rename any pngs ... or i can try to get the drawable, drawable-land, and drawable-port right ... can you let me know which folders are missing so i can see why?
Can't wait until saturday night, i'm off work, so i can play with this. Thanks for your hard work!
RichieDaze said:
This program works great....Only one thing though, on the launcher folder, seems like the png's w/ the same name get over writen. Example= "delete_handle" from Res/drawable-land AND Res/drawable-port aren't two different Png's. Maybe for this apk and others with thhe same folders, you could place them in the original folders----Drawable----Drawable-land----Drawable-port, as you said it work before hand. Some other folder/Png's are missing as well...
I tryed to use UltraSpikey's theme converter and was unsucessful. I was More accurate using this method, thanks to you... It is gladly appreciated...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
now they get extracted into their respective folders (drawable, drawable-land, drawable-port, etc) (also this stops the overwriting )
temporizer said:
Can't wait until saturday night, i'm off work, so i can play with this. Thanks for your hard work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no problem man .. just trying to use what ive learned so far to help out the community
Works perfect now!!!
Ten Thumbs up!!!!!!
Now its like stealing candy from the baby...
Any ideas that i should implement .. it feels sorta 'final' but i can always try and optimize/revise/add to it
There's always room for improvement... How about making this script pull the Jpeg"s off the Framework and Launcher??? Then at a later date(Next update) locate the most common edited Xml's files to be pulled off next...
Making this thread in effort to keep things a little less cluttered in the forum/threads
Post your inquiries here and I'll try my best to answer your questions when time permits... this is a community so hopefully the other experienced senior members will chime in to help.
Overground: can we get a sticky?
reserved for faq
Alrite just a couple questions about theming and customization.
I would like to apply your red sense theme.
-Do I have to use a rom or can I just apply it on my rooted phone?
-If I have to use a rom which do you suggest so I can still use the original internet app that came with the phone?
Thx for all your help!
Sent you a PM about this actually.
Whats the trick to enable transparency? Particularly the notification pull-down. I have already modified framework-res.apk to include the transparent images, however they are not displaying transparent when applied to the phone. I read a few things about hexing, and even found a 'transparency patcher' program from droid-forums. This patcher apparently, does the hex work for you on services.jar. However, it did not do the trick. What am I missing here?
I'm running my own fully deodexed custom rom based on the 2.2 sense leak.
I'm working on Transparency as well...I contacted Xeudoxus at droidforums...hopefully he can help.
I would just like to know how to manually change my icons and or folders on my home screen and in my app drawer. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
I too would like to find out how to change the "Folders" icon from the plain manila to obviously something else.
Tyler 3 said:
Alrite just a couple questions about theming and customization.
I would like to apply your red sense theme.
-Do I have to use a rom or can I just apply it on my rooted phone?
-If I have to use a rom which do you suggest so I can still use the original internet app that came with the phone?
Thx for all your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All root themes will usually only work for the rom they are made for. Sometimes there are big changes to the firmware, sometimes little... a good rule of thumb is to always make a nandroid backup if your an early adopter. So long story short:
1. yes
2. whatever rom i made the theme for... you can only use the original browser app with sense
deficitism said:
Sent you a PM about this actually.
Whats the trick to enable transparency? Particularly the notification pull-down. I have already modified framework-res.apk to include the transparent images, however they are not displaying transparent when applied to the phone. I read a few things about hexing, and even found a 'transparency patcher' program from droid-forums. This patcher apparently, does the hex work for you on services.jar. However, it did not do the trick. What am I missing here?
I'm running my own fully deodexed custom rom based on the 2.2 sense leak.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SoCalMiles said:
I'm working on Transparency as well...I contacted Xeudoxus at droidforums...hopefully he can help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea... If you guys get ahold of Xeadoxus then let me know how its done. I have a feeling he'll tell you to download xUltimate though.
emplox said:
I would just like to know how to manually change my icons and or folders on my home screen and in my app drawer. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KGBxxx said:
I too would like to find out how to change the "Folders" icon from the plain manila to obviously something else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Changing folder icons/app icons: you're gonna have to theme the rom you're using
basic ingredients in no particular order:
1. update.zip- just download one of themes and the update script in there (META-INF) or make your own if you feel like learning the syntax
2. resigning tool http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3175518&postcount=2
3. 7zip for extracting apks
4. Android SDK
5. Lots of time
Start extracting apks and viewing the contents of res/drawable-hdpi---where you'll find icons
Most icons are named ic_launcher_XXXX.png, some are named app_icon, others are just simply icon... you'll have to look around to find them as there is no easy way to change them. Once you find the icon you want to replace, drop your new icon (with exactly the same name) into the same directory (preferably using 7zip since you don't have to have the directory extracted to replace it) and resign the entire zip file... flash zip and win!
So how much time do you think I would need if I was to do this? Just kidding looks like a pain in the ass. However, doable. Thanks for the link to signing the zip. Thought it just might be a bit easier. Hopefully soon I can change the plain folders to a picture of my girlfriend or something.
Sent from my noob rooted dinc.
Signal Bars
I have seemed to try everything to change the signal bar(s) colors. I have changed all of the icons to a red theme and the only way I can think thats left is that it has to be hex coded. Important fact is I am running skyraider 2.0.1. Has anyone had any luck changing these?
useing ubuntu what do i need to download
Glewis21 said:
useing ubuntu what do i need to download
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What kind of rom? Stock based? Aosp/miui/cm7?
Are you going to be building from source?
Personally as a miui porter, I use 7zip, apktool, and notepad++
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
On Ubuntu there is already a good notepad. You need the android sdk (add it to path), apktool, smali, baksmaly, all of the crap needed for compiling cm7, eclipse and it's ADK plugin, 7zip, voodoo kernel repack tools, that's probably all...
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I had a question along the same lines. But I'm a total noob to coding. What I really wanna do is take an already built rom and add some mods to it that I like and then save the package as a rom . In doing that I'm hoping to cut my teeth a little into the world of rom creation.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
Xalky said:
I had a question along the same lines. But I'm a total noob to coding. What I really wanna do is take an already built rom and add some mods to it that I like and then save the package as a rom . In doing that I'm hoping to cut my teeth a little into the world of rom creation.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you are talking about Xalky is more on the lines of themeing. Customizing icons, layouts and adding in fixes, then repackaging it into the flashable. Check out the Themes subforum and the sticky at the top by Dreamsforgotten on How to theme. That may be what you are looking for. Then either Dreams, myself or the dozens of other helpful users here can help you repackage it. It is just a matter of swapping the finished product back into the ROM flashable and of course giving credit to all that contributed or developed the stuff you grabbed to mod.
kennyglass123 said:
What you are talking about Xalky is more on the lines of themeing. Customizing icons, layouts and adding in fixes, then repackaging it into the flashable. Check out the Themes subforum and the sticky at the top by Dreamsforgotten on How to theme. That may be what you are looking for. Then either Dreams, myself or the dozens of other helpful users here can help you repackage it. It is just a matter of swapping the finished product back into the ROM flashable and of course giving credit to all that contributed or developed the stuff you grabbed to mod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct. Thats what I'd like to do......for now. Thanks for the lead. It's mainly for myself to be able to save my phone setup as one flashable zip. Is there a way to take your current Rom/theme setup with mods and copy the entire thing from the phone and turn it into one flashable zip? minus my add on apps. I thought I saw someone do that around here.
Xalky said:
You are correct. Thats what I'd like to do......for now. Thanks for the lead. It's mainly for myself to be able to save my phone setup as one flashable zip. Is there a way to take your current Rom/theme setup with mods and copy the entire thing from the phone and turn it into one flashable zip? minus my add on apps. I thought I saw someone do that around here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe there is a way to make an Odinable tar backup of your phone just how it is. But that would backup all your accounts and settings too. What you want is to just stuff your modded files back into the ROM zip.
This isn't necessary anymore, the dsixda kitchen now fully supports our phone.
Get the dsixda kitchen from HERE. And unzip it to a place of your choosing.
REMINDER: This will only work on Linux and/or Cygwin. Tutorials for that are on the kitchen page.
Thx for sharing your knowledge...it can give a massive headache when u don't know a thing about this stuff, like me..i will learn with my die-hard mode ..
anyway I have a question for you..about bootanimation on your v2 rom..how you disable it.? How you do that.?sammy using a proprietary file for his bootanim rite.?a .qmg file,am I rite? How you do that.? Seriously,i do wanna know..
I'm more interested on modding theme,crt anim,etc...but my knowledge limit my passion...
sent from another space
jahlee said:
Thx for sharing your knowledge...it can give a massive headache when u don't know a thing about this stuff, like me..i will learn with my die-hard mode ..
anyway I have a question for you..about bootanimation on your v2 rom..how you disable it.? How you do that.?sammy using a proprietary file for his bootanim rite.?a .qmg file,am I rite? How you do that.? Seriously,i do wanna know..
I'm more interested on modding theme,crt anim,etc...but my knowledge limit my passion...
sent from another space
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Allow me to answer on behalf Just insert this into build.prob:
debug.sf.nobootanimation=1
Boot up actually faster! Get more build tweak here:
http://www.android-hilfe.de/root-ha...imus-3d/145592-tweaks-scripts-collection.html
cowithgun said:
Allow me to answer on behalf Just insert this into build.prob:
debug.sf.nobootanimation=1
Boot up actually faster! Get more build tweak here:
http://www.android-hilfe.de/root-ha...imus-3d/145592-tweaks-scripts-collection.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually THIS is the original thread. The one you linked to gives no credit to knzo for his discoveries. (I know you didn't mean anything bad though )
KezraPlanes said:
Actually THIS is the original thread. The one you linked to gives no credit to knzo for his discoveries. (I know you didn't mean anything bad though )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry! didn't mean it, was googling those property based on your build.prob and it just land there!
I also just learn thru a hard way that after compiling acro68 kernel, I need to copy the dhd.ko module into the ROM. Finally able to get wifi!
cowithgun said:
sorry! didn't mean it, was googling those property based on your build.prob and it just land there!
I also just learn thru a hard way that after compiling acro68 kernel, I need to copy the dhd.ko module into the ROM. Finally able to get wifi!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I forgot to mention that, sorry xD
And I know you didn't mean it, it's okay Just always look on XDA first
KezraPlanes said:
I forgot to mention that, sorry xD
And I know you didn't mean it, it's okay Just always look on XDA first
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You provide more than enough! Your first optimized ROM! I learn a lot by looking at it. Then, with this tutorial, I was able to build my first customized ROM by following exactly that you wrote.
You should change the "**MIGHT**" work to "**SURELY**" work!
cowithgun said:
You provide more than enough! Your first optimized ROM! I learn a lot by looking at it. Then, with this tutorial, I was able to build my first customized ROM by following exactly that you wrote.
You should change the "**MIGHT**" work to "**SURELY**" work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the compliment.
I will keep the **MIGHT** because there are always people who try crazy things (me included) like random porting of ROMs so it's safer this way. xD
If anyone interested to try compile acro68 kernel, I recommend to look into this link: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Building_Kernel_from_source
Very detailed, step by step and only need to change the kernel source to point to: https://github.com/arco/samsung-kernel-ancora/tree/gingerbread (for GB)
Once the make is successful, you will get an zImage.
Now, in Kitchen, you should have already use option 20 to extract the boot image. Replace the newly generated zImage to get a shiny new kernel. Of cause, you need to pack it back and finally build your ROM.
Finally, replace the ./samsung-kernel-ancora/drivers/net/wireless/bcm4329/dhd.ko to ROM's system/etc/wifi/dhd.ko.
cowithgun said:
Allow me to answer on behalf Just insert this into build.prob:
debug.sf.nobootanimation=1
Boot up actually faster! Get more build tweak here:
http://www.android-hilfe.de/root-ha...imus-3d/145592-tweaks-scripts-collection.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that link..appreciate that..? Will testing rite now..
Sent from another space
Can we use this for the exhibit ii
via Dan swagger
Actually, regarding the instructions in Post 1, you could probably skip all of them and do this only:
Rename the file tools/edify_defs/GT-I9001 to: GT-I8150
Kezra if i wanna change the launcher just delate the touchui.apk on the app folder and add some launcher? Heheh sorry for the noob question im a complete noob on rom building
Sent from my GT-I8150 using XDA App
can anyone help mee??? if i wanna install my modified rom i get error in cwm (bad) can't open ;( why?
DarthJonathan said:
Kezra if i wanna change the launcher just delate the touchui.apk on the app folder and add some launcher? Heheh sorry for the noob question im a complete noob on rom building
Sent from my GT-I8150 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try to answer your question, corect me if im wrong XD
just delete a TWLauncher.apk and replace with your launcher, don't forget to change the permission XD
Hello guys,
Latest Arabic rom link :
Here
Could you please make this rom deodex ?
I am trying to make it using dsixda kitchen but I could not.
i found something in this forum....can this mathod used for sgw?look likes same i follow some of the guide.....
Hey Guys,
I am going to explain some of the files in a custom rom,the small and easy to mod files because the aim is to educate newbies and NOT advanced devs.
Ok,So,I have seen a lot of questions being asked nowadays about making custom roms.This guide is NOT about building a custom rom but about editing and modding it.I am doing this guide taking CM7 as base,not stock,so there might be differences between the roms you choose to mod.Also,I am prone to mistakes here and there.If i made any,please comment about it and i will remove it.Also,please feel free to give your suggestions about making this guide better
What you would need:
Notepad++
WinRar or any other zip/rar manager like 7zip or WinZip
If you want go advanced,you would also need these things
Cygwin
Smali/Baksmali
APK Multi tool or anything like that,i dont care
And most importantly,a brain and eyes(So,Dont ask me stupid questions like,how de fuk du i xtarct? and then in brackets,sorry for my english)
GUIDE:
So,first up,download a rom of your choice(Dont forget to get the permissions for modding from the developer) and extract it.When you extract it,you will see 2 folders and 1 file,it varies.It depends on the contents of the rom.
The folders are:
1.META-INF
2.system
The file:
1.boot.img
So,
Open up system and the first folder you are going to see is 'apps'.
As you already see,this is the place where all the apps go,for the history.You might also see some .odex files below the apps.So,if you remove an app,you should delete the odex file too.If you want to add an app,just drag and drop Take care not to delete each and every app you find,because each of them has their own functions.Also,if you delete contact.apk and replace it with a better dialer like Exdialer,you wont be able to add or delete contacts.So,there are some files better left alone.
If you want to know how to merge them,then use google,there are a lot of tutorials on deodexing.If you want to edit an app,then use APK multi tool,again please use google,lots of tuts on this one too.
Also,you will find an app here and its a main one,systemui.apk By editing systemui.apk,you can get transparent status bars,transparent notification bars,centre the clock.Things like that.The idea with which you edit Systemui.apk and framework-res.apk,thats how your rom is going to look like.These files handle the visual things and they are awesome too.For some systemui mods,refer HERE
Next,the 'bin' folder,this guide is aimed at the noobs,so nothing about this,this is a bit advanced stuff,so sorry.
Next up,the 'etc' folder.There are a lot of things that go here.I wont be going to full details for the moment because i am having exams,so no time.However,i will be explaining the easy to explain files.
One thing you will notice is the 'init.d' folder.If you want to add any script like LagFree v2,just put the files of the init.d folder in the script's folder here,nothing else.You dont need to copy any other files like META-INF.
Another file,is CHANGELOG-CM,just as the name suggests its a file giving you changelogs
Another file is NOTICE.html..Its just a file showing copyrights and all that stuff.You wouldnt need to edit that,would you?
Will add more about the other files soon
Next,the 'fonts' folder..You guys need an explanation for that??
Next,'framework' folder.Here you will find framework-res.apk(Obviously,duh...).I wont tell about any other file because this is aimed at new users,not advanced guys.Framework-res is where all the icons in notification bar are.The battery icons,they are all in framework.Also,lockscreen icons
go here..Most of the icons.If i have to start on anything.It would take me weeks,theres so much to write about framework.Also take care not to mess up the framework.Because its like the skeleton(thats what i know ) of a rom.If a framework is incorrectly configured,the rom wont boot.So,keep that in your mind always when you edit framework.
Next,the 'libs' folder,This guide is aimed at newbies,so not touching this part.
And comes 'media'..Most probably you will find 2-3 folders here.Audio,bootanimation.zip and wallpapers.
If you want to change the default,its in build.prop,not here,i will explain that later.If you need to add some audio,its just drag and drop,nothing much,just put them in the right folders,like alarms,ringtones and notifications
If you need to add wallpapers,reszie the pictures to 640x480,thats the resolution that works for ace.Also resize it to 107x80 and save it as another pic with a _small at the end.For eg,the default file is defaultwallpaper.jpg,you make another pic with 107x80 called defaultwallper_small.jpg.
Then,theres the bootanimation.zip..However way you change this thing.Always name it bootanimation.If you want to know how to make a boot animation,then refer freeyourandroid.com
Next up is 'tts' folder..Sorry but i dont know much about this folder.I think this folder contains the languages for the tts app but i am not sure about it.Same goes for 'usr' and 'wifi' folders.But since this thread is aimed at newbies,i dont think there wouldnt a point in writing them up anyway
Next up is build.prop file.Open it with notepad++...build.prop file is pretty self explanatory.
Here you can change the most basic things like the android version that setting shows..Wondered how people are making 2.3.4 look like 4.0.3 in settings??Its build.prop.Also,you can change what 'About phone' shows here.
Other things,you can change things like,how long your wifi scans,how much battery your phone saves while in sleep,Dalvik VM heapsize and default ringtones.If you are wondering what # stands for,it signifies that,that particular tweak is not running,so you can take out the # if its a tweak you like.You could also use it say things like,Additional build properties.You could make it #AdditionalBuildProperties and go to the next line and give your tweaks there.Some build.prop tweaks can be found in slaid480's thread in Galaxy Ace S5830 titled "[MOD]Build.prop tweaks for SGA" or you can go to freeyourandroid.com and find some tweaks there,however the tweaks listed there are universal,so practise caution when playing with build.prop
Now to boot.img..Theres an awesome guide about this in freeyourandroid.com Please have a look at it,because there are lots to write about this one.This is where Cygwin comes in,for instructions on unpacking and repacking and commands and info about boot.img,referHERE and HERE.My summarized version,boot.img is where you can replace kernels.This is where you can make those low-level changes
Then,to META-INF folder.You would find lots of folders here but the file that you would edit consistently is update script.Find it and open it with Notepad++..Unless you edited xbin and bin files,this is not hard to do..Just change around ui_print to what you like.Dont touch anything else if you dont know what you are doing.If you DID edit xbin or bin files,you would need to touch advanced things like symlink tagged ones(I had to give them some sort of a tag)
Now on making it a flashable zip,archive them to a zip file.Get a signer here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...96&postcount=2
The instructions on using that are given with it.Just rename it back to the name you like after signing it.
ganesh...will this work on stock ROM ?
Sent from my GT-I8150 using xda premium
When i build the Rom, do i have to zip and sign, or not?
bagux said:
When i build the Rom, do i have to zip and sign, or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You better sign it. xD
I have been theming on the x2 for awhile now building custom themes .. I just got my nexus yesterday so I downloaded the gummy rom and tried to theme first with apktool and also with apk manager.. I see there have been themes made.. I have yet to be able to decompile any system apks successfully.. are there any new tools I'm missing or steps... would love to start theming again if I can get things to work
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Kevin3328 said:
I have been theming on the x2 for awhile now building custom themes .. I just got my nexus yesterday so I downloaded the gummy rom and tried to theme first with apktool and also with apk manager.. I see there have been themes made.. I have yet to be able to decompile any system apks successfully.. are there any new tools I'm missing or steps... would love to start theming again if I can get things to work
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, you need to update apktool for use with Android 4.0
edit: more specifically...
-Wrong version of apktool (get the latest)
-Wrong verison of apktool dependancies files (same site)
-Wrong version of aapt.exe in Android SDK (get latest SDK)
Alright awesome I'll look into it tonight after work
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I have the latest version of all of that and can decompile with apktool. The problem is when I build the new apk and copy over the edited files and push back to the phone the app won't work.
A run down of everything I did is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1452530
Did u try putting it back in the flash able zip with 7 zip? I never use adb push.... in theory if u are able to compile the apk without errors it should work
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Kevin3328 said:
Did u try putting it back in the flash able zip with 7 zip? I never use adb push.... in theory if u are able to compile the apk without errors it should work
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I pulled the music apk, edited it, rebuilt it, and put the edited files back in the original apk. I did that because I don't know how to sign my own apk so I just used the already signed one with some edited png and xml files. The thing I don't understand is that I pulled an apk once and opened it via 7zip and edited some things, pushed it back and everything was fine (changed out some icons on the contacts.apk)
Do you know where an up-to-date theming guide can be found? I'm very interested in making my own themes instead of requesting themers to make one. Learning experience and all that jazz.
Thanks.
coverton341 said:
I pulled the music apk, edited it, rebuilt it, and put the edited files back in the original apk. I did that because I don't know how to sign my own apk so I just used the already signed one with some edited png and xml files. The thing I don't understand is that I pulled an apk once and opened it via 7zip and edited some things, pushed it back and everything was fine (changed out some icons on the contacts.apk)
Do you know where an up-to-date theming guide can be found? I'm very interested in making my own themes instead of requesting themers to make one. Learning experience and all that jazz.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't replace xml's in that way.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
If u properly recompile the apk then yes u can .. u edit it all the XML s and pngs in the apk then recompile.. then drop the recompiled apk into the system app section of the rom u r using unless its the framework Res apk or other framework apk.. once u do this put the new rom zip back into your phone and flash in recovery ... bottom line I'm not the most experienced themer in the forums I just got the phone yesterday so its gonna take time for me to begin theming anything.. that being said perhaps if this thread stays open and more experienced themers can chime in with some tips and advice
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
coverton341 said:
I pulled the music apk, edited it, rebuilt it, and put the edited files back in the original apk. I did that because I don't know how to sign my own apk so I just used the already signed one with some edited png and xml files. The thing I don't understand is that I pulled an apk once and opened it via 7zip and edited some things, pushed it back and everything was fine (changed out some icons on the contacts.apk)
Do you know where an up-to-date theming guide can be found? I'm very interested in making my own themes instead of requesting themers to make one. Learning experience and all that jazz.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also in my short experience theming u should not have to sign a system app... u should recompile then rename it.. then reinsert into the rom you are using.. reflash the rom without any wiping and u should be good try it that way
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Kevin3328 said:
Also in my short experience theming u should not have to sign a system app... u should recompile then rename it.. then reinsert into the rom you are using.. reflash the rom without any wiping and u should be good try it that way
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Kev did u figured it out yet? I replied to ur PM...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Kevin3328 said:
Also in my short experience theming u should not have to sign a system app... u should recompile then rename it.. then reinsert into the rom you are using.. reflash the rom without any wiping and u should be good try it that way
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, GoogleMusic.apk is found in data/app not in system, at least in the ROM I am on. But, am I correct in assuming that I can do the same thing in this instance?
Furthermore, is there no way to theme a single application? Do I need to always theme an app, place it back into the ROM zip, and reflash said ROM?
Can I make my own flashable zip file for a single app?
Sorry to ask so many questions, I just really like tinkering with things and I would really like to get good at theming.
Kevin3328 said:
If u properly recompile the apk then yes u can .. u edit it all the XML s and pngs in the apk then recompile.. then drop the recompiled apk into the system app section of the rom u r using unless its the framework Res apk or other framework apk.. once u do this put the new rom zip back into your phone and flash in recovery ... bottom line I'm not the most experienced themer in the forums I just got the phone yesterday so its gonna take time for me to begin theming anything.. that being said perhaps if this thread stays open and more experienced themers can chime in with some tips and advice
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry misread what you were saying then.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
I am at work until 1030 then I am gonna set up shop on my CPU first... gotta get the new sdk and apktool then I will gtalk u from there with issues.. all I know is this should be a learning experience lol.. by the looks of this phone it could be awhile b4 I learn what everything "is" framework will be all the apks will be different than what I'm used to
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
coverton341 said:
Actually, GoogleMusic.apk is found in data/app not in system, at least in the ROM I am on. But, am I correct in assuming that I can do the same thing in this instance?
Furthermore, is there no way to theme a single application? Do I need to always theme an app, place it back into the ROM zip, and reflash said ROM?
Can I make my own flashable zip file for a single app?
Sorry to ask so many questions, I just really like tinkering with things and I would really like to get good at theming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U can make update zips and yes u should b able to do the same.. I usually borrow someone else's at first
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
wut? i've never done what you guys have when it comes to compiling/decompiling and replacing stuff. i'm not so sure that works, but i'll take your word for it for now since i've never tried it either. in theory, you can decompile and change xml, recompile and replace that xml, but not if you're dealing with the actual xml folder in apks. your resources change when you mess with that. this is the same for changing smali, except something else changes (it's been a bit since i've dealt with actual dev stuff).
also, it's a big waste (and sometimes troublesome) to flash an entire ROM to update one or a few apks. making one for just testing out things in \system\ will save you time and frustration. you can also make a backup easier for if something bootloops you
Success!!!
All right, first and foremost, thank you immensely for all the suggestions Kevin and others as well.
Here's what I did. I searched the ROM zip to no avail, but then found the apk in the gapps zip. I took it out of there, decompiled, messed around with just a few png files, recompiled and put it back into the gapps zip. Flashed it and it worked. Problem is, only a couple of the edits I made showed up which brings me to my next issue, ICS optimised apps have a tonne of "drawable-***" folders. Drawable, drawable-hdpi, drawable-hdpi-v8,v9,v11, drawable-xdpi, etc....ad nauseum.
I am not messing with any smali code, xml files, or .9.png files yet as I don't know what smali does, xml is a headache, and I have heard horror stories about .9.png files.
I'm going to dink around and see if I can sort out what items need to be changed for my current dpi setting (241) and will report back any findings, but probably not tonight as I have an early course in the morning followed by work.
coverton341 said:
Success!!!
All right, first and foremost, thank you immensely for all the suggestions Kevin and others as well.
Here's what I did. I searched the ROM zip to no avail, but then found the apk in the gapps zip. I took it out of there, decompiled, messed around with just a few png files, recompiled and put it back into the gapps zip. Flashed it and it worked. Problem is, only a couple of the edits I made showed up which brings me to my next issue, ICS optimised apps have a tonne of "drawable-***" folders. Drawable, drawable-hdpi, drawable-hdpi-v8,v9,v11, drawable-xdpi, etc....ad nauseum.
I am not messing with any smali code, xml files, or .9.png files yet as I don't know what smali does, xml is a headache, and I have heard horror stories about .9.png files.
I'm going to dink around and see if I can sort out what items need to be changed for my current dpi setting (241) and will report back any findings, but probably not tonight as I have an early course in the morning followed by work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let us know how you (hopefully) succeed. Im a bit tempted to try theming myself but ive cant seem to find a guide that is up-to-date - and im learning somthing with every question you are asking - and with every answer the other nice fellows are providing.
:thumbs up!:
I am still trying to figure out how to setup everything.. I know I need newest sdk and newest apk multi tool which I didn't get yet.. I'm gonna tinker around today/tonite and see what I'm doing wrong
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
mrvirginia said:
wut? i've never done what you guys have when it comes to compiling/decompiling and replacing stuff. i'm not so sure that works, but i'll take your word for it for now since i've never tried it either. in theory, you can decompile and change xml, recompile and replace that xml, but not if you're dealing with the actual xml folder in apks. your resources change when you mess with that. this is the same for changing smali, except something else changes (it's been a bit since i've dealt with actual dev stuff).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See this is how I read it too. I believe the OP means that he's making changes and then replacing the apk in the flashable zip. Not actually replacing the edited xmls in the original apk. Glad I'm not the only one that read it that way though
coverton341 said:
Success!!!
All right, first and foremost, thank you immensely for all the suggestions Kevin and others as well.
Here's what I did. I searched the ROM zip to no avail, but then found the apk in the gapps zip. I took it out of there, decompiled, messed around with just a few png files, recompiled and put it back into the gapps zip. Flashed it and it worked. Problem is, only a couple of the edits I made showed up which brings me to my next issue, ICS optimised apps have a tonne of "drawable-***" folders. Drawable, drawable-hdpi, drawable-hdpi-v8,v9,v11, drawable-xdpi, etc....ad nauseum.
I am not messing with any smali code, xml files, or .9.png files yet as I don't know what smali does, xml is a headache, and I have heard horror stories about .9.png files.
I'm going to dink around and see if I can sort out what items need to be changed for my current dpi setting (241) and will report back any findings, but probably not tonight as I have an early course in the morning followed by work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no decompiling is necessary for tweaking pngs.
smali code is for messing with policies, etc.
.9.png files can be a pain if you don't recompile the apk correctly.
and this should help with your dpi as far as what to edit so you can see it...
http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html