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So, many know that I have been fighting with the xmls for weeks now with no success and while that is still mainly true there has been some progress thanks to JesusFreke who showed me how to understand the binary code a bit more and how to Hex Edit.
For right now, we cannot compile our own xmls for any of T-mobile's builds because we don't have the source for their builds. I tried and tried but to no avail.
However, With JesusFreke's help, I was able to do a few things.
I was able to change the date, and the notification text on the statusbar to any color I wanted. Sadly, the time will remain black because it is hard coded in and is not in those xmls.
I have also been able to change the color of the pull up menu background and make it more transparent, as well as totally transparent.
I have been able to make the t-mobile logo totally invisible in the notification menu
I tried making the keylock background transparent, which worked but it doesn't show the desktop instead it shows.....A black screen, go figure...
There are many other things that I can change, but....I won't continue to work on it.
As of tonight, I am moving to cupcake and plan on customizing that to my needs as it will be much easier.....
Please let me know if anyone has any questions.
Stericson
Very interesting stuff for sure. Thanks for keeping us updated!
I actually do have one question: How do I download the old source? I have the cupcake build, but since that's been delayed, and will probably be multiple mini-releases, I'd like the current source.
Also, if you have the time, once I get the current source, I'd like to edit some of those. The few feature you listed can help with the immersion of themes and such. If not, then oh well. Keep up the good work.
Go Stericson! Keep kicking the crap out of those xmls and lemme know how I can help.
Bro i need some of those .xml you made edits to so i can check it out. Great job keep doing your thing.
specifically, I edited the binary version of the xmls using a hex editor. All you can really do is change colors and stuff. unless your a master hex editor, which I am not.
I've tried a search and I only get confusing information with no useful stuff for my simple brain. Can someone point me in the direction of a guide or somewhere to find the information that will tell me how to do this? The main reason I'm looking to do this is to change things like text colour on some areas because if I change the images to be dark the black text will be unreadable.
Here is the thread on xml edits http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=479019
and AXMLPrinter to put them in readable form http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=514412
Some things are in the sevices.jar and need to be done using smali and basmali
you can use the colorChange.jar to do them http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=535630&highlight=colorchange or learn to do them http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=537779&highlight=axmlprinter
I think the colour changing java app will do it! Thanks for the information If all else fails I suppose I can theme the rest and plead for someone to do the text colour for me.
I'm new to Android, coming from my FrankenPre2 after giving up hope on webOS and HP. Picking up the Epic Touch has been great, besides the LOS and battery issues. I was pretty deep into modding the Pre, so I'm looking to do the same here.
My first thought was to try to modify the images on the Epic, but I am lost as to where to find the correct files to modify. I was able to change the icon for the messaging app and the Incoming/Outgoing phone call animation, but that's pretty much it. I don't know where to start with the phone app, since images seem to be spread out all over the place. Opening up the phone apk yeilds a ton of images, and I don't know which ones to change.
My question would be to any themers out there, or anyone familiar enough with Android. How do I know which images I need to edit? Is there a directory or a file list which gives corresponding locations to specific images, such as the "1" button or the "Call" button, or the launcher icons? Or is it more a process of trial and error? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Can you post screenshots of the things you want to change
(sxreeshot is done by holding power and home)
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gtuansdiamm said:
Can you post screenshots of the things you want to change
(sxreeshot is done by holding power and home)
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much everything. My first shot will be at the stock icons on the launcher. The I'd like to start on themes for the phone, email, and messaging apps. Pecifically, on the phone I'd like to change much of the color scheme, since the stock colors are in my opinion pretty ugly. But I also want to change the dial pad numbers and other standard buttons.
I was directed to this thread by another Android user:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=821638
Looking into it, the framework-res.apk does have a lot of images that are familiar, but there are a lot of images that aren't there. I think I'll have to start learning about the names of the file locations, and going by trial and error. It would be awesome if there was a simple blueprint as to where the images you want to change are, but ah well. I've got a lot of learning to do. Thanks for the response, and if you have any other suggestions, let me know.
Check out SystemUI.apk
This is the pulldown icons and such
Found under system\app\
I think the dialer is contacts.apk
KelvCast said:
Check out SystemUI.apk
This is the pulldown icons and such
Found under system\app\
I think the dialer is contacts.apk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I would never have looked in the contacts for the dialer icons. There doesn't seem to be a perfect logic as to which apk's hold the images, so I guess it's going to be a lot of trial and error here. If you know of any more locations, let me know. Thanks!
you need to modify the images in the following that I know of to get a pretty standard theme
Framework-res
touchwiz framework-res
contacts.apk
systemui.apk
While I was researching how to go about creating my own theme I noticed quite a few different approaches to dealing with the infamous .9.png image files. I was curious about why they were so difficult before I attempted to edit them so I did a lot of reading on these boards but when it came to actually doing the editing I found it quite simple. With all my reading and after talking to a few other themers this method isn't mentioned anywhere that I know of so I figured I'd post a tutorial on how I edit them.
First off, this tutorial assumes that you have a working knowledge of how to use image editing software (I use GIMP) and apk multi-tool/manager (or apktool).
Things you need:
1. Gimp or another image editing software (this tutorial is based on Gimp)
2. APK Multi-Tool/Manager or apktool (tut. is based on APK Multi-Tool)
3. The apk that contains the images you wish to edit
4. TIME and PATIENCE!
Ok, first off you need to be able to see the ever important 1px border in the .9.png you want to edit so this requires you to decompile the apk that contains the images to be edited. Therefore go ahead and decompile the apk. Once you have that done you can go ahead and minimize the script window so you can work on them.
Now, go into the folder named "projects" and in there you'll find your decompiled apk. Right click on the folder that contains the images you want to edit and click on "Copy". Now move to your desktop (or wherever you want to save the folder) and "Paste" the folder there.
Double click on the folder and navigate to the .9.png you are wanting to edit. Right click on that image and select "edit with Gimp".
Once the image is open in Gimp "zoom" in to 800% so you can actually see the 1px border and use the rectangle marquee tool to select everything inside that border. Then you can make any edits you'd like to the image.
Once done editing the image, and if it's not still selected, go back to the marquee tool and, once again, select everything inside that 1px border. Right click over the image and select EDIT>CUT.
Close the image by clicking on the "X" in the top, right corner but when the window pops up asking if you want to save your changes click "DON'T SAVE". This is the important step!!
Go back to your folder where the original image is located that you are wanting to edit, you'll notice it went back to it's un-edited state. This is what you want. Open the same image file again in Gimp and again, zoom in to 800% so you can see the border.
Select everything inside that border using the rectangle marquee tool and then hit the delete key on your keyboard. That should clear out the image.
Right click on the image again and select EDIT>PASTE. You're edited image should show up where you cut out the old one.
Make sure that the one pixel border is NOT inside the dotted selection line and your pasted image isn't over the 1px border all the way around.
Anchor your image by clicking anywhere outside of it in the same window. (you'll see the little anchor show up by your cursor when you can click to anchor your pasted image) Now the hard part is done!! All you have to do is close the image you edited by clicking on the "X" again and this time you want to hit SAVE.
Voila.. your .9.png is edited and your 1px border is left untouched. Repeat the above steps on all the .9.png files you want to edit and when you're finished your editing move the folder from wherever you saved it back into the projects folder of apk multi-tool and compile your apk.
This is how I've done all my .9.png files and I have never had any errors!
Good luck and Happy Theming!
ttfn
CDL.
Thank you CDL for sharing what you have learned... this is what xda is all about...
Yea it's a lot easier if you just decompile the apk files then edit them and recompile, just make sure not to touch those borders unless it's what you want.
If your only trying to change one file and don't want to go through the whole process I recommend decompiling the apk and just sticking the one image you wanted to edit into XUltimate and converting the image by itself so you can easily place it back into your apk without the compiling, especially if you get errors.
Great tutorial, thanks for posting this.
So what's the trick with the mms bubbles .9s? Something goes wrong when I try to edit those, I had actually created all new custom bubbles with PSCS4 for sent, pressed, etc etc. The result was miss aligned text with bubbles...the text was outside instead of inside, and never could make it work....aaaahhhhhh! All that work! Lol
XML edits and all other edits worked fine, but not those damn bubbles!
Oh, I used draw9patch to re-add the .9 to the PNG.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
Duce HD2 said:
Great tutorial, thanks for posting this.
So what's the trick with the mms bubbles .9s? Something goes wrong when I try to edit those, I had actually created all new custom bubbles with PSCS4 for sent, pressed, etc etc. The result was miss aligned text with bubbles...the text was outside instead of inside, and never could make it work....aaaahhhhhh! All that work! Lol
XML edits and all other edits worked fine, but not those damn bubbles!
Oh, I used draw9patch to re-add the .9 to the PNG.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, I'm not sure although it sounds like your 9patch isn't working correctly... and since I have never tried to mess with them I can't tell you how to fix it.. sorry.
What I'd do if I were you is use the original bubble image as a basis for your new images. I'm sure as long as you keep your custom bubble inside of those borders it should show up properly. If you wanted to you could create a separate image all together and then just cut and paste inside the original 1px border? Dunno if that'd work but that's something I'd try. Just remember, it won't work at all if the original image isn't decompiled first.
Duce HD2 said:
Great tutorial, thanks for posting this.
So what's the trick with the mms bubbles .9s? Something goes wrong when I try to edit those, I had actually created all new custom bubbles with PSCS4 for sent, pressed, etc etc. The result was miss aligned text with bubbles...the text was outside instead of inside, and never could make it work....aaaahhhhhh! All that work! Lol
XML edits and all other edits worked fine, but not those damn bubbles!
Oh, I used draw9patch to re-add the .9 to the PNG.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Duce send me ur bubbles and Ill fix em. Sounds like you moved the patches.
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ssconceptz said:
Duce send me ur bubbles and Ill fix em. Sounds like you moved the patches.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be great, thanks for the help! I'll get back on them this weekend and send them over.
Crazy, thanks for the advice! They work fine if I change the hue of the originals etc, but I didn't like the shape, so I made them squaresh, kinda of like the ones included in the ICS theme, but with transparent center. So pretty much a thin border etc..I thought it looked cool.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
i must be stupid or something
i dont understand
can someone post a video
When I first started porting themes and editing colors, I manually readded all lines. There's A LOT of .9s in framework-res alone, so it was torture. This method is the one I use now and I thank you for letting others know so they don't have to spend so much time like I did.
This method def works thanks for making it so easy! Although the apkmultitool Windows Version 1.0.2 doesn't want to compile for it's life. Downgraded to 1.0.1 works great now...wish i tried that first after like 30 mins of playing with stuff SMH
Glad this actually helped someone out! I didn't see any reference to this method anywhere on here when I was first searching.. but I do have to admit it wasn't a thorough search
ttfn
CDL.
I have a theme request for the Galaxy Nexus... I've tried doing this myself, but with my novice level of expertise, I'm afraid it's hopeless...
I really detest the new "Evil Snowman" image that shows up for all contacts without a pic, caller ID, text messages and some icons. I have no idea why Google chose this image. The little robot was much nicer. Anyway, if anyone has the time, I would really appreciate a theme that keeps everything stock, but replaces all the horrible "Evil Snowman" images with something better - a little Android Robot would be great.
I'd be happy to donate to anyone that can do this.
Thanks so much...
if you look a little further back in this forum (or maybe it was in Rootzwiki, not sure which) there were a few themed apks and zips that I found I looked through them but never saw anything that interested me.
I looked too... The problem is that I really just want a stock look, and no snowman. I don't want to change everything else.
Matt_TX said:
I looked too... The problem is that I really just want a stock look, and no snowman. I don't want to change everything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what img do you want there instead? i can do that for you as i get back home.
tell me what rom/version you're using too
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
etoy said:
what img do you want there instead? i can do that for you as i get back home.
tell me what rom/version you're using too
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, I'm not that fussy... Perhaps a little Android man in a color scheme that goes with the stock look.
The problem is that the snowman is everywhere... Here's a list of places I've seen, there may be more...
- Phone App / Contacts
- Caller ID
- Conference Call
- Messaging
- People App Icon
- People App top of screen
- People App contacts
If you can do this for me, I would be delighted... I will also gladly donate if it works.
BTW, I'm running Stock 4.0.4 for the CDMA/LTE Galaxy Nexus (Rooted and De-odexed)
EDIT: I like the contact image shown here, but perhaps in colors that better fit the stock look:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1467139
I agree with you Matt...although I never thought of the stock 'unknown' contact image as an Evil Snowman, lol.
Anyways, the files that you want to change are in framework-res.apk\res\drawable-xhdpi\ic_contact_pictureXXXX.png. Attached to this post below, you'll find a quick screengrab that I took from my theme's working project folder.
Speaking of which, I will be updating my PCB Blue theme to include the Android robot image (specifically 'ic_contact_picture_2.png') by default, as I also prefer it over the "Evil Snowman"
You should be able to just edit framework-res.apk with WinRAR since you're only replacing normal PNG files. Extract them first, rename them, then drop them back into the .APK...on the other hand, if you like my PCB Blue theme, you can always wait for the next version where that will be done.
** EDIT ** - I am attaching the 3 untouched PNGs from framework-res.apk to make things a bit easier for you. They have been renamed properly to have Android use the robot as default. You therefore shouldn't need to do anything else but pop them into your framework-res.apk (many guides exist on how to edit this file, but the quick version would be to use ADB in Recovery to make changes (pull --> edit --> push --> set permissions) to the file.
Also, it may be possible that the other apps/APKs have their own resource image for an unknown contact. If that's the case, you'll have to dive into those APKs too (I only mod framework-res.apk myself, didn't peek into any others).
Hope that helps.
scar45 said:
I agree with you Matt...although I never thought of the stock 'unknown' contact image as an Evil Snowman, lol.
Anyways, the files that you want to change are in framework-res.apk\res\drawable-xhdpi\ic_contact_pictureXXXX.png. Attached to this post below, you'll find a quick screengrab that I took from my theme's working project folder.
Speaking of which, I will be updating my PCB Blue theme to include the Android robot image (specifically 'ic_contact_picture_2.png') by default, as I also prefer it over the "Evil Snowman"
You should be able to just edit framework-res.apk with WinRAR since you're only replacing normal PNG files. Extract them first, rename them, then drop them back into the .APK...on the other hand, if you like my PCB Blue theme, you can always wait for the next version where that will be done.
** EDIT ** - I am attaching the 3 untouched PNGs from framework-res.apk to make things a bit easier for you. They have been renamed properly to have Android use the robot as default. You therefore shouldn't need to do anything else but pop them into your framework-res.apk (many guides exist on how to edit this file, but the quick version would be to use ADB in Recovery to make changes (pull --> edit --> push --> set permissions) to the file.
Also, it may be possible that the other apps/APKs have their own resource image for an unknown contact. If that's the case, you'll have to dive into those APKs too (I only mod framework-res.apk myself, didn't peek into any others).
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Scar,
The snowman is definitely evil. I feel like he is mocking me with that sideways smile. I don't like it... Hahaha... Just kidding
From what I can tell, the contacts.apk, phone.apk and mms.apk all have their own "snowman" images so I think they would all have to be edited. I know that I can do this using 7-zip, but it's really a bit beyond my comfort level right now. I'm still learning
If I edit the framwork-res.apk, does it override the files in the individual apps? It sounds like it doesnt. BTW, your image with the droid at 45 degrees is fantastic. It is EXACTLY what I'm looking for. Do you have a larger version for to replace the one that shows up with caller ID?
Thanks,
Matt.
Matt_TX said:
Scar,
The snowman is definitely evil. I feel like he is mocking me with that sideways smile. I don't like it... Hahaha... Just kidding
From what I can tell, the contacts.apk, phone.apk and mms.apk all have their own "snowman" images so I think they would all have to be edited. I know that I can do this using 7-zip, but it's really a bit beyond my comfort level right now. I'm still learning
If I edit the framwork-res.apk, does it override the files in the individual apps? It sounds like it doesnt. BTW, your image with the droid at 45 degrees is fantastic. It is EXACTLY what I'm looking for. Do you have a larger version for to replace the one that shows up with caller ID?
Thanks,
Matt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LMAO! You know, the more I look @ him, the more I dislike him too...especially with that sideways smirk...
If you did check those other APKs and see snowman images, then yep, it's quite certain that those APKs will need to be modded. I use WinRAR and it couldn't be easier...one thing you must remember is to choose ZERO or STORE compression when working with 'framework-res.apk' and possibly others. They are not compressed in the ROMs (at least AOKP, which I run).
So, if you edit only framework-res.apk, then it probably will NOT change the caller ID, contacts photos, etc.. In terms of the image, I took that directly from 'framework-res.apk', so I unfortunately don't have a better/larger image. You might try Photoshop/GIMP, using an image resize method that is "better for enlargement".
Cheers Matt!
I'm still no further forward in my quest to kill the snowman. I like the robot image posted above, but the issue is that it's 108x108 pixels. I basically need 4 different images. One light grey as shown which is 128x128, this will work for the People App, MMS and the Framework. Then I need a darker one which is also 128x128 for the contacts list in the phone app. Next I need a dark image which is 360x360 (for caller ID screen) and another light image which is 360x360 for the People app (viewing a contact).
In summary:
128x128 light grey
128x128 dark grey
360x360 light grey
360x360 dark grey
I have tried to resize the image, but it looks like crap. Can someone please help me? I think I can get this done with the right png files.
Thanks,
Matt.
Matt_TX said:
I'm still no further forward in my quest to kill the snowman. I like the robot image posted above, but the issue is that it's 108x108 pixels. I basically need 4 different images. One light grey as shown which is 128x128, this will work for the People App, MMS and the Framework. Then I need a darker one which is also 128x128 for the contacts list in the phone app. Next I need a dark image which is 360x360 (for caller ID screen) and another light image which is 360x360 for the People app (viewing a contact).
In summary:
128x128 light grey
128x128 dark grey
360x360 light grey
360x360 dark grey
I have tried to resize the image, but it looks like crap. Can someone please help me? I think I can get this done with the right png files.
Thanks,
Matt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking for the same here. Any luck?