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Let me first start off by saying I do not know much. So I am asking if anyone knows of some beginner guides to start creating my own theme's.
1) Is it basically scripting? Or will I have to write completely new code for all my functions... By the way, I fail at programming, so please inform me so I don't waste my time.
2) Would someone like me who does not know much scripting, have a hard time doing this or is it relatively quick to pick up?
3) Is it done on the phone or through the ADB Shell?
Thanks a bunch in advance.
It is done with photoshop and 7zip......all it is is replacinng drawable icons from the res folder
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
jdkoreclipse said:
It is done with photoshop and 7zip......all it is is replacinng drawable icons from the res folder
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply, do you have any possible examples to show me how to do this?
You going to do your editing on the computer. I believe the command is
Code:
adb remount
adb pull framework-res.apk /Desktop/Theme
/Desktop/Theme is a directory you create on your computer. If adb pull doesn't work just download what ever rom your using to your computer and copy and paste framework-res.apk out of /system/framework.
Afterwards you can use 7zip to find the files you wish to edit. Its been a while for me but i believe most files are located in drawable-hdpi. Use Gimp or Photoshop to edit whatever images you want to. Do not edit any images with file extensions .9pngs as they require some additional steps, and can cause issues when you try and put it back on your phone.
Once your done move the files to the tools directory of sdk. cd to that directory and run..
Code:
adb remount
adb push framework-res.apk /system/framework
adb reboot
That should work for personal reasons. If your looking to create an update.zip to release for others i can help you with that too.
tcberg2010 said:
You going to do your editing on the computer. I believe the command is
Code:
adb remount
adb pull framework-res.apk /Desktop/Theme
/Desktop/Theme is a directory you create on your computer. If adb pull doesn't work just download what ever rom your using to your computer and copy and paste framework-res.apk out of /system/framework.
Afterwards you can use 7zip to find the files you wish to edit. Its been a while for me but i believe most files are located in drawable-hdpi. Use Gimp or Photoshop to edit whatever images you want to. Do not edit any images with file extensions .9pngs as they require some additional steps, and can cause issues when you try and put it back on your phone.
Once your done move the files to the tools directory of sdk. cd to that directory and run..
Code:
adb remount
adb push framework-res.apk /system/framework
adb reboot
That should work for personal reasons. If your looking to create an update.zip to release for others i can help you with that too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent, thank you, I will give it a shot!
tcberg2010 said:
You going to do your editing on the computer. I believe the command is
Code:
adb remount
adb pull framework-res.apk /Desktop/Theme
/Desktop/Theme is a directory you create on your computer. If adb pull doesn't work just download what ever rom your using to your computer and copy and paste framework-res.apk out of /system/framework.
Afterwards you can use 7zip to find the files you wish to edit. Its been a while for me but i believe most files are located in drawable-hdpi. Use Gimp or Photoshop to edit whatever images you want to. Do not edit any images with file extensions .9pngs as they require some additional steps, and can cause issues when you try and put it back on your phone.
Once your done move the files to the tools directory of sdk. cd to that directory and run..
Code:
adb remount
adb push framework-res.apk /system/framework
adb reboot
That should work for personal reasons. If your looking to create an update.zip to release for others i can help you with that too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just noticed you are an expectant father, congratulations. I have a 6 month old, who is a ton of fun!
Ok, so I went through 'astro' found the file framework-res.apk inside of /system/framework as you stated above, the only problem is from adb shell, whenever I run pull, it gives me the following message:
Code:
'remote object 'framework-res.apk' does not exist'
I have debugging turned on, so I should have access, and adb mounted just fine...
If you have any ideas, I would appreciate it.
bboydp said:
Just noticed you are an expectant father, congratulations. I have a 6 month old, who is a ton of fun!
Ok, so I went through 'astro' found the file framework-res.apk inside of /system/framework as you stated above, the only problem is from adb shell, whenever I run pull, it gives me the following message:
Code:
'remote object 'framework-res.apk' does not exist'
I have debugging turned on, so I should have access, and adb mounted just fine...
If you have any ideas, I would appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try mounting the partitions through Clockword Recovery. I've had issues in the past where a partition wasn't mounted, therefore the computer couldn't find it.
Hope it works, i'm looking to start theming some as well and this looks like it'll help!
Thank you. I don't think u need to be in adb shell. Try using astro to copy and paste that framework-res.apk to ur sdcard. Then just disk drive ur card and remove it.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
MMBosstones86 said:
try mounting the partitions through Clockword Recovery. I've had issues in the past where a partition wasn't mounted, therefore the computer couldn't find it.
Hope it works, i'm looking to start theming some as well and this looks like it'll help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, I will keep that in mind.
tcberg2010 said:
Thank you. I don't think u need to be in adb shell. Try using astro to copy and paste that framework-res.apk to ur sdcard. Then just disk drive ur card and remove it.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, that works easily... thanks!
ok so i've used 7zip to pull the images from the drawable icons folder out of the framework res what's the simplest way to say add transparency to my notification window would I use Photoshop for this?
Also interested in a guide for this.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
HeyItsLou said:
ok so i've used 7zip to pull the images from the drawable icons folder out of the framework res what's the simplest way to say add transparency to my notification window would I use Photoshop for this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes with photoshop you manipulate the image's transparency using a ton of different tools but the easiest being the blend tool by simply double clicking on the image in the layers pallet
EDIT* Hopefully that makes sense lol
jdkoreclipse said:
It is done with photoshop and 7zip......all it is is replacinng drawable icons from the res folder
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dont forget xml files, for fully rounded theme you will have to modify some of these!
So you want to know how to theme heh. Cool, we need more themers!
Here is a guide to get you started:
The Ultimate Android Themeing Guide
Can't afford Photoshop? No problem, download Gimp, its free and will work great for themeing.
Download for Gimp
Dont know how to do something with your theme? Google to the rescue. For example; say you want to add a transparency to your image. Just google "how to add transparency with Gimp". Google can answer all your questions.
Couple things to keep in mind while themeing.
1: Dont change the size of the default image
2: Some images are 8-bit paletted. You are really limited on what you can do in 8-bit. While in your graphics program change the image to 24bit rgb or 32bit cmyk, do your edits then change the image back to 8-bit when you are done.
Instead of using adb to pull the apk's I want to edit I just extract them from the ROM itself. If you download your ROMS from ROM Manager they can be found on your SD card in the clockworkmod/download folder. For example Skyraider can be found in clockworkmod/download/pcjock.com/skyraider/Roms folder.
Inside the rom zip file you will see a folder structure similar to data/meta-inf/system/tools etc. There are 2 main apk's you are looking for:
framework-res.apk - this is the main "theme" area for droid devices
com.htc.resources.apk - this is the main "theme" area for sense based roms
Both of these can be found in the system/framework folder within the zip of the ROM. Editing these 2 apk's will theme about 80% of your overall look of the phone. The other 20% use their own png's found within the apk of that particular app. These apps can be found in system/app of the ROMS zip file.
What I do when editing a apk is extract the apk to my desktop. After I have the apk I want to edit there I open it up with 7zip and extract the whole res folder to my desktop (keep the apk open in 7zip so you can add the res folder back in after your edits). All the pngs you want to edit will be in the drawable folders (ie drawable, drawable-hdi, etc)
Pay close attention to the png files you edit. If it has a .9 in its name you need to take some extra steps when editing the file. A guide on editing .9 pngs can be found here. After you have made your png edits drag the res folder from your desktop back into the apk in 7zip. After that you need to create a update.zip file with your new theme in it. I use apk sign which can be found here. Thats it, your theme should be ready to go.
I hope this helps some. When in doubt do what I did, research, google, research and google some more.
Good luck!
djkms said:
So you want to know how to theme heh. Cool, we need more themers!
Here is a guide to get you started:
The Ultimate Android Themeing Guide
Can't afford Photoshop? No problem, download Gimp, its free and will work great for themeing.
Download for Gimp
Dont know how to do something with your theme? Google to the rescue. For example; say you want to add a transparency to your image. Just google "how to add transparency with Gimp". Google can answer all your questions.
Couple things to keep in mind while themeing.
1: Dont change the size of the default image
2: Some images are 8-bit paletted. You are really limited on what you can do in 8-bit. While in your graphics program change the image to 24bit rgb or 32bit cmyk, do your edits then change the image back to 8-bit when you are done.
Instead of using adb to pull the apk's I want to edit I just extract them from the ROM itself. If you download your ROMS from ROM Manager they can be found on your SD card in the clockworkmod/download folder. For example Skyraider can be found in clockworkmod/download/pcjock.com/skyraider/Roms folder.
Inside the rom zip file you will see a folder structure similar to data/meta-inf/system/tools etc. There are 2 main apk's you are looking for:
framework-res.apk - this is the main "theme" area for droid devices
com.htc.resources.apk - this is the main "theme" area for sense based roms
Both of these can be found in the system/framework folder within the zip of the ROM. Editing these 2 apk's will theme about 80% of your overall look of the phone. The other 20% use their own png's found within the apk of that particular app. These apps can be found in system/app of the ROMS zip file.
What I do when editing a apk is extract the apk to my desktop. After I have the apk I want to edit there I open it up with 7zip and extract the whole res folder to my desktop (keep the apk open in 7zip so you can add the res folder back in after your edits). All the pngs you want to edit will be in the drawable folders (ie drawable, drawable-hdi, etc)
Pay close attention to the png files you edit. If it has a .9 in its name you need to take some extra steps when editing the file. A guide on editing .9 pngs can be found here. After you have made your png edits drag the res folder from your desktop back into the apk in 7zip. After that you need to create a update.zip file with your new theme in it. I use apk sign which can be found here. Thats it, your theme should be ready to go.
I hope this helps some. When in doubt do what I did, research, google, research and google some more.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for that post, exactly what I was looking for.
1 quick question, I was just trying to make a transparent background for my SmoothCalendar Widget, and I edited it in gimp fine, readded the png to the apk, moved the apk back to my sd card, but when I went to install it it just said "cannot install" from what I was reading, this is a signing issue -- is that where the apk sign program you linked comes into play?
scrdy said:
Thanks a lot for that post, exactly what I was looking for.
1 quick question, I was just trying to make a transparent background for my SmoothCalendar Widget, and I edited it in gimp fine, readded the png to the apk, moved the apk back to my sd card, but when I went to install it it just said "cannot install" from what I was reading, this is a signing issue -- is that where the apk sign program you linked comes into play?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be my guess. Attached is the program I use to sign single apk's (the one I linked earlier is a bit more involved and I use it for themes only).
With the one attached I would suggest using a public key, no need that I can see in using a private key (its more pain then its worth).
Also, I would suggest uninstalling the app before installing the one you themed, most will error out when installing (in my experience anyways).
There is a tutorial link in the zip file on how to sign your apk's. If you need some clarification let me know.
my problem (which is why I've never finished some of my themes) is that signing apk's never works for me
djkms said:
That would be my guess. Attached is the program I use to sign single apk's (the one I linked earlier is a bit more involved and I use it for themes only).
With the one attached I would suggest using a public key, no need that I can see in using a private key (its more pain then its worth).
Also, I would suggest uninstalling the app before installing the one you themed, most will error out when installing (in my experience anyways).
There is a tutorial link in the zip file on how to sign your apk's. If you need some clarification let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll give that a go when I get home from work -- thanks for your help.
Excellent thread! I've been poking all around the place trying to find this info...
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.
hey guys.
i'm having a frustrating issue when editing framework-res.apk to include the rectangle battery mod.
this is a long post...please DO NOT POST GENERIC ANSWERS WITHOUT READING THE POST FIRST!!!
i'm used to editing framework-res.apk and all other .apks on my phone for various purposes. i use a combination of 7zip and apkmanager 4.9 to extract, replace, decompile/recompile, etc. depending on what i'm doing.
at this point here's what i'm trying to do:
DaGunn provided me with a modified framework-res.apk which includes a buttonized power control widget (from JsChiSurf's thread). this is v2.0 (on the 3.29 ota). previously i had v1.0 which I had fully customized to my liking.
the file provided to me by DaGunn has the buttonized look, and some smooth sense elements, as well as the super circle battery meter.
i opened framework-res.apk he provided with 7zip and replaced all the 901 images in res/drawable-hdpi with my own 901 image files from my existing framework. these files all have the same exact name and same exact extensions. (hence when I drag and drop into the new framework-res.apk in 7zip i get a direct replacement rather than having extra files).
this has worked countless times in the past. as a matter of fact, it worked 99% of the way this time. all the framework images went back to my customized images. except the battery disappeared.
i narrowed it down to the battery images. if i leave his 101 circle battery .pngs and replace every other file in framework-res, it works just fine. all my images show and the battery shows up in the circle style. if i then just replace his 101 circle battery .pngs with my 101 matted blues rectangle battery .pngs, which are the same exact names (i checked!) and extension, and after I optimized them almost exactly the same file size as well, everything goes to crap. the battery doesn't show up at all in the title bar.
if i plug in the phone, the rectangle charging animation works, the download animation works, all other smooth sense animations that I have replaced with the mattedblues files from my previous framework work. except for the battery.
now, if his .pngs work, and mine replace his directly with the same exact name and extension, why would the battery display suddenly disappear?!
I'm being told it has to do with resource IDs, but here's the problem. I was provided a "guide" on how to properly modify framework-res by one of the guys involved in MattedBlues (beatblaster). in it I was told that I only need to recompile framework-res after adding NEW .pngs, that if the .pngs were already accounted for in resources.arsc then trying to recompile would throw errors and instead I should replace those .pngs with 7zip. that's what i'm trying to do but as I said, then the battery meter doesn't work.
if i decompile DaGunn's original file, I'm able to recompile it just fine. keep in mind this file already has a lot of modifications on it as it is. but if i decompile his framework, and I replace his .pngs with mine, and try to recompile, I get thousands of lines of error in the log. all having to do with public.xml, which I'm being told goes back to resource IDs.
what am i missing here? i know how to remove the battery display from the title bar so I dont have that empty space, but I do enjoy my percentage battery and I would like to get this to work!
any input will be greatly appreciated...
+5 points for you if you read this far!
I'm not clear if you are recompiling or just dropping the images in, but if you are recompiling try making all your xml changes without adding the new images. Then after its compiled drop your new images in.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
i'm not modifying any xmls. only replacing .pngs. it's specifically clarified in the OP.
the existing framework, with its modified .xmls and .pngs as given to me decompiles and recompiles just fine. if i decompile, then replace the .pngs with my own, and try to recompile, then it gives error. if i just open it in 7zip and replace the .pngs with my own, the battery disappears, but no force closes or error messages.
anyone else?
Are any of the .png files you are replacing have the 9.png extension? I know modifying these is very tedious and requires a more difficult process. Also can u post the errors in the apkmanager log?
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
nope. the files are stat_sys_battery_0 through stat_sys_battery_100. all .png not a single one in any other extension.
i can't post the apk manager log because it is literally thousands of lines of errors.
what I can do is give you the framework as I have it, working with his battery .pngs and a separate .zip with my battery .pngs, so you can try to do it yourself and see the problem/compile errors.
it really is weird...or stupidly simple!
Firstly you SHOULD NOT be decompiling just to swap images, even .9 pngs. You only need to decompile if you are editing xml files which by reading your post you aren't. To change pngs only, you should use option 1 (extract) in apk manager. Then change all your pngs you want changed. Use option 3 to recompress your framework. Make sure to tell it that it is a system apk, and then use option 12 to resign. You should be good to go.
t3project said:
Firstly you SHOULD NOT be decompiling just to swap images, even .9 pngs. You only need to decompile if you are editing xml files which by reading your post you aren't. To change pngs only, you should use option 1 (extract) in apk manager. Then change all your pngs you want changed. Use option 3 to recompress your framework. Make sure to tell it that it is a system apk, and then use option 12 to resign. You should be good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
The reason I was confused about what you were trying to accomplish is because you don't need to decompile unless changing xml's.
Thats what I do for non system apps. I'll give it a try in the morning and see if it makes a difference.
Swyped from my HTC Evo 4G on the MetroPCS 1X network!
Ok first if you go to recompile something and you get errors usally the first error is the one causing the problem. Look and see what the first error is and fix it, like has been said what you are trying to do using 7 zip is a good way to do it, not decompiling. You said this is how you prefer way to do it anyway so that's good.
Second I have found at times that 7 zip does not properly replace threw images so weird things happen, only happens sometimes. With that said try using apk manager to unzip the apk replace the images and rezip it do not sign it. See if that works
Third. If all else fails download nijamorph from the market. Put the images you want on your scard where I can find them easy. Open nijamorph and start a new project navigate to your framework-res.apk.from here you can do two things first you can press existing project and find what you are looking for and change one at a time or the easy way. Close the app open your favorite file manager find the pngs you are going to use, copy them, then navigate to android themes/workspace in there you will find the framework-resapk folder, in there is everything just like the apk so paste the files were they go (that last step can all be done on the computer if that is easier for you.) Next open your nijamorph app and press finish project follow the prompts and let it do its thing. If your phone does not reboot reboot it.you should be good to go.
Like always do a backup before doing these steps
Good luck
Sent from my unrEVOked using xda app
Max_Pain said:
Thats what I do for non system apps. I'll give it a try in the morning and see if it makes a difference.
Swyped from my HTC Evo 4G on the MetroPCS 1X network!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it works the same way when replacing pngs. compiling and recompiling is only needed if making xml/code changes. i had to learn this the hard way too. just make sure you sign system apps with option 12 instead of option 4 like you would with a non-system app.
t3project said:
To change pngs only, you should use option 1 (extract) in apk manager. Then change all your pngs you want changed. Use option 3 to recompress your framework. Make sure to tell it that it is a system apk, and then use option 12 to resign. You should be good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this worked!
dont know why I would have to extract, replace, compress, as I've NEVER done that with framework-res.apk, only when editing apps that need to be resigned. oh well, it worked
I think you misunderstood what I told you in the guide I gave you which is you only need to decompile/recompile when you are making XML code changes as stated above in a previous post. When I wrote that guide for you I wrote it thinking you wanted to add more features to the original power control widgets (such as smooth mods). If you want to simply replace PNGs, as stated previously, all you need to do is replace the PNGs without decompiling and recompiling.
In this instance, the problem you're running into is that you're trying to compile the framework using already-customized PNGs which will not work (another point that was stated in the guide as well )
So, in conclusion, if all you want to do is change the PNGs all you gotta do is (and you probably already know this but I'm including it to be thorough):
- Open archive (framework) in 7-zip
- Navigate to framework-res/res/drawable-hdpi
- Add your desired PNGs into the 7-zip window
- Close the 7-zip window and answer yes when 7zip asks if you want to update the archive
- Flash framework onto your phone
- All should be well
- When using this method there is no signing necessary!
Again, as stated previously, the only time you need to decompile/recompile is when you're going to edit an XML (or make any other code changes). So, for a final example of this, let's say you wanted to take DaGunn's power widgets framework but you wanted to change the "text highlight" color. What you would do then is this:
- Decompile DaGunn's framework in APK manager (option 9)
- Navigate to /projects/framework-res.apk/values/styles..xml
- Search for for "<item name="textColorHighlight">" and change the color HEX code
- Save the changes to styles.xml
- Compile the framework in APK manager (option 11)
- When asked if this is a system apk answer Y for yes
- When asked if you want to copy additional files to reduce the amount of errors answer Y for yes
- When prompted about the "keep" folder, open a file manager and navigate to /<apk_manager_folder>/keep and DELETE the resources.arsc file
- Go back to the APK manager window and press any button to finish the compile process
- Back in your file manager, go back to /<apk_manager_folder>/place-apk-here-for-modding/ folder, grab the unsignedFramework-res.apk, rename it to framework-res.apk and flash it however you flash it.
- Test your changes (in this example, the text highlight color)
This concludes my post.
thanks for the clarification beat.
but the problem was I was just opening framework-res.apk with 7zip, doing it like you're saying to do in the first part of your post above, and the battery meter would disappear instead of showing the mattedblues battery images instead of the circle ones.
if i left his .pngs in, the battery would show. if i replaced his with mine using 7zip, the battery would disappear.
this confused me because this is exactly the way that I've been integrating mattedblues into every framework i get. i open in 7zip, replace existing files with my own, and bam, everything works. this time it didnt!
this got fixed by extracting, replacing, and compressing again in apk manager 4.9.
i tried decompiling/recompiling simply because I was so out of ideas as to how else to go about it. I don't need to make any .xml changes to DaGunn's file because he had already integrated most of smooth sense with the percentage battery and v2 of the power widgets
anyways, thanks for the clarification.
beatblaster said:
So, in conclusion, if all you want to do is change the PNGs all you gotta do is (and you probably already know this but I'm including it to be thorough):
- Open archive (framework) in 7-zip
- Navigate to framework-res/res/drawable-hdpi
- Add your desired PNGs into the 7-zip window
- Close the 7-zip window and answer yes when 7zip asks if you want to update the archive
- Flash framework onto your phone
- All should be well
- When using this method there is no signing necessary!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
max, not sure why this wouldnt work for you.
t3project said:
max, not sure why this wouldnt work for you.
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Click to collapse
no. this method is SUPPOSED TO WORK, as I said in the original post. this is how I've done every single change to framework-res.apk in the past. that is why I felt the need to ask for help. because the same thing that has always worked, suddenly wasn't working anymore!
for some reason, using 7zip WAS NOT WORKING to replace the battery .pngs....but ONLY those files. every other file was replaced using 7zip and they all worked. the only files I ended up having to replace through apk manager extract/compress method you gave me were the battery images.
thanks everyone
Max_Pain said:
no. this method is SUPPOSED TO WORK, as I said in the original post. this is how I've done every single change to framework-res.apk in the past. that is why I felt the need to ask for help. because the same thing that has always worked, suddenly wasn't working anymore!
for some reason, using 7zip WAS NOT WORKING to replace the battery .pngs....but ONLY those files. every other file was replaced using 7zip and they all worked. the only files I ended up having to replace through apk manager extract/compress method you gave me were the battery images.
thanks everyone
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ohh i know. i use the way i told you because i just like to see the images while im playing with them. that way i know for sure whats up.
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
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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?
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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.
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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
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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).
I am looking to modify my phone.apk to change the color of a few buttons and the android guy that shows up when in a call. I have done this in the past and it seemed like then it was as simple as deleting the files in 7-zip and replacing with the file I wanted. Am I missing something or is it not that simple. Every time I try to move a file or delete it its says "not Implimented" or un supported compression method. I know how to push and pull files through adb so if I could just get the .png images where I want them then I would be all set. I have looked everywhere but cant seem to come up with a solution.
Thanks Jason
PS. the files are from another rom I am simply trying to use them in my current rom so the .png file should not be corrupt or broken.
You can't edit apk's with any zip extractors
Sent from my Incredible using xda premium
Albinoman said:
You can't edit apk's with any zip extractors
Sent from my Incredible using xda premium
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Not true, regular image files can (should) be able to be draged out, edited, and droped back in an apk using 7-zip.
nighthawklude99 said:
I am looking to modify my phone.apk to change the color of a few buttons and the android guy that shows up when in a call. I have done this in the past and it seemed like then it was as simple as deleting the files in 7-zip and replacing with the file I wanted. Am I missing something or is it not that simple. Every time I try to move a file or delete it its says "not Implimented" or un supported compression method. I know how to push and pull files through adb so if I could just get the .png images where I want them then I would be all set. I have looked everywhere but cant seem to come up with a solution.
Thanks Jason
PS. the files are from another rom I am simply trying to use them in my current rom so the .png file should not be corrupt or broken.
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My guess would be that the apk was decompiled at some point before, but not recompiled right, or with the right program. Which phone.apk are you having issues with, the one on your phone or the one your pulling the pngs from?
I am having problems with the phone.apk I pull from my phone with adb, with the phone.apk that is in the original rom, and the phone.apk that is in a nanadroid back up. The rom I am running is anthem 3.3. I am starting to think that there is a problem with 7-zip on my computer. Is there a setting I need to change? I have even ran 7-zip as administrator to see if that helped.
nighthawklude99 said:
I am having problems with the phone.apk I pull from my phone with adb, with the phone.apk that is in the original rom, and the phone.apk that is in a nanadroid back up. The rom I am running is anthem 3.3. I am starting to think that there is a problem with 7-zip on my computer. Is there a setting I need to change? I have even ran 7-zip as administrator to see if that helped.
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Sounds like your install of 7z may be messed up. I just tried it to make sure something didnt change in an update and it works fine for me still with default configuration.