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Hey everyone, so I'm just starting to buckle down and learn more about Android Mods. Here's my latest question. I have a few zip files that I always flash on top of a new ROM. These include at the moment, a Rotary Lockscreen and the DroidX boot animation, possibly a circle battery shortly.
My question is, would there be a simple way to merge these zip files so I only have to flash one every time I load a new ROM, or even better, load these into a ROM file before flashing?
Is it as simple as opening the ZIPs, moving the files from one to the other (keeping the directory structure intact) and re-zipping the lot? Or is there something more complicated I need to look at...
Thanks in advance!
Edit: A quick look in one of the files revealed a .xml file with some references to the files to be installed. I assume I would have to edit the .xml to include all the instructions from each mod, but if that's all it takes, that should be easy... Again, I ask all of you... Am I missing something?
PSULightingGuy said:
Hey everyone, so I'm just starting to buckle down and learn more about Android Mods. Here's my latest question. I have a few zip files that I always flash on top of a new ROM. These include at the moment, a Rotary Lockscreen and the DroidX boot animation, possibly a circle battery shortly.
My question is, would there be a simple way to merge these zip files so I only have to flash one every time I load a new ROM, or even better, load these into a ROM file before flashing?
Is it as simple as opening the ZIPs, moving the files from one to the other (keeping the directory structure intact) and re-zipping the lot? Or is there something more complicated I need to look at...
Thanks in advance!
Edit: A quick look in one of the files revealed a .xml file with some references to the files to be installed. I assume I would have to edit the .xml to include all the instructions from each mod, but if that's all it takes, that should be easy... Again, I ask all of you... Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think you need to edit the meta file and the xml file, but this can be done though.
PSULightingGuy said:
Hey everyone, so I'm just starting to buckle down and learn more about Android Mods. Here's my latest question. I have a few zip files that I always flash on top of a new ROM. These include at the moment, a Rotary Lockscreen and the DroidX boot animation, possibly a circle battery shortly.
My question is, would there be a simple way to merge these zip files so I only have to flash one every time I load a new ROM, or even better, load these into a ROM file before flashing?
Is it as simple as opening the ZIPs, moving the files from one to the other (keeping the directory structure intact) and re-zipping the lot? Or is there something more complicated I need to look at...
Thanks in advance!
Edit: A quick look in one of the files revealed a .xml file with some references to the files to be installed. I assume I would have to edit the .xml to include all the instructions from each mod, but if that's all it takes, that should be easy... Again, I ask all of you... Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is the full name of the .xml file you see?
the recovery reads a file called update-script or updater-script inside the zip file META-INF/com/google/android/ directory. you memorize that directory path after messing with enough zip files!
that file tells the recovery what actions to take with which files. for list of very basic commands for this update-script file, i have a guide - http://forum.sdx-developers.com/android-2-1/creating-an-update-zip-list-of-commands/
it is possible to merge update.zip files but its important to understand their structure and how the commands are executed.
also signing .zip files is a whole different topic...
hopefully this helps get you going in the correct direction!
joeykrim said:
what is the full name of the .xml file you see?
the recovery reads a file called update-script or updater-script inside the zip file META-INF/com/google/android/ directory. you memorize that directory path after messing with enough zip files!
that file tells the recovery what actions to take with which files. for list of very basic commands for this update-script file, i have a guide - http://forum.sdx-developers.com/android-2-1/creating-an-update-zip-list-of-commands/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since all the files have this could you copy and paste the codes inside them into one file?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
chandlerw88 said:
Since all the files have this could you copy and paste the codes inside them into one file?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would want to read up a little bit and make sure you understand the commands, but yes. You do not want to copy the entire set of commands, just the particular needed lines. Often you don't need to change anything because the script may just say copy this entire system directory and everything in it will go.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
It's pretty basic.
Move all the files into the same zip delete everything in meta-inf except the update script.
Adjust the script accordingly, pay attention to syntax or better yet just look at all the individual scripts and put them together, then remove dupes
As for zip signing..
This is what you need
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=666441
OK, thanks! This has all helped a lot and I think I nailed the basics that I was shooting for, just haven't been able to test yet since no need to re-flash a working ROM.
My next question is, would there be a way to force files INSIDE an APK? Trying to add a different battery meter (have the images) to framework-res.apk and would love to do that from a boot script... Ideas?
PSULightingGuy said:
OK, thanks! This has all helped a lot and I think I nailed the basics that I was shooting for, just haven't been able to test yet since no need to re-flash a working ROM.
My next question is, would there be a way to force files INSIDE an APK? Trying to add a different battery meter (have the images) to framework-res.apk and would love to do that from a boot script... Ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, its called 7-zip and its your new best friend in this battle. heres how i learned.
i started ripping apart the things that i liked, including roms themselves. now find an update zip that has the files inside the folders that you will need to add, and you can then recycle that update zip. here it is plain and simple:
1.use 7zip to VIEW; NEVER UNZIP the files(forget about windows zips)
2.check what folder the apps you will be putting in belong in
3.put them in their corresponding folders(some apps are tricky when you need to install their libs too and you dont know it)
4.erase the 3 bottom files in your meta-inf folder
5.resign the rom
6.verify the sign(look for the new certs)
7.move to sd
8.flash rom
9.have a pop,beer, or w/e your vice.(my fave is cherry coke)
if you need help getting started feel free to pm. you dont know who i am, but ive been thru this process many times.
Actually, that's not quite what I'm talking about... I want a flashable zip that will add certain images (the battery meter) to the INSIDE of a .apk file that already exists on the device. Not sure if it's possible, but if so, I'd love to know... If not, I'll try pulling the .apk and using 7-zip...
Hi,
I want to modify some files in my used LeeDroid-ROM. For some reasons I want to do this not right in the rom-zip-file but after installing the rom.
I think I can do this by adb from a connected pc manually , but it would be more comfortable to make my own my-changes.zip to do this via recovery menu.
I see, there are some meta-info files in flashable zips and so on ... Is there an (easy) way to build my ow flash-file to make this changes after installing the untouched rom-zip?
What I want to do:
delete boot-sound
delete bootanimation and copy my own into system
same for hosts file
add some mp3 to ringtones, notification and so on ...
[UPDATE]
OK, wrong search terms until now ... now found:
http://www.londatiga.net/it/how-to-create-android-update-zip-package/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=641223
Hope this will help.
Hi..
I've had problems with Gmail and Maps applications previously with Neophyte ROMs. In that case one of the solutions was removing the apks for these apps from with the /system/app folder of the ROM zip.
My question is:
Is it possible to add our own apks to the custom ROM so that these apks come preinstalled on the ROM when someone flashes it..in a manner, a kind of 2nd generation mod?
Is it possible to add our own system variables and settings files so that the ROM autoinstalls it on First Install? In particular, I'd like to preset my own APN file for the network.
The simple answer is yes.
The entire system folder in the zip file is written to your /system partition, with the full architecture of folders and so on, so any changes made in there will also be on the system, when it is flashed.
There is also a script file, in the META-INF folder, which you can use to run commands to delete or edit something along with the flash, whenever the zip file is flashed. This is a bit more advanced though.
edit: it is the same for the data folder of course, which folders is flashed and where to is also specified in the script file mentioned above.
Thank you!
In that case, for installation of a program like Gmail.apk or Maps.apk, would be as simple as adding the .apk to the /system/app, or would I have to include other files? Would there be dependancies in other folders?
Well the apps have their own data folder on the data partition, but this is for storing changes in settings and so on, and it should be created by the app itself on first boot just like right after you wipe the data partition/factory reset
Thanks..Got some mod modding to do!
So in case I'd want to manually uninstall/manually install an apk, what would be the steps I'd have to go through?
Would there be filesystem config files (like the older Windows versions), or a central database of entries of the likes of the Registry tables of newer Windows? How does Android go about installing a file? Like which folders and files would be modified other than /system/app and /data/app? Any common files with entries? And in case of the latter, whether it would be machine readable or plain text?
can I extract the contents of a mod.zip and take the .jar or .apk and copy and paste them into the framework dir of the working working folder? i tried copying a custom .apk file into the framework dir of the working folder and it went into a boot loop.
alucke
There could be several reasons for a boot loop. If I understand you correctly, you are working on a ROM using dsixda's kitchen, and you want to add an apk before flashing? Could you provide more information like what apk and what folder you are trying to add it to? I suspect it might have something to do with the signature of the apk. I'm not 100% sure but I believe that the system apks all need the same signature when flashing a new ROM.
alucke said:
can I extract the contents of a mod.zip and take the .jar or .apk and copy and paste them into the framework dir of the working working folder? i tried copying a custom .apk file into the framework dir of the working folder and it went into a boot loop.
alucke
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are changing things within the framework you also need to edit the .xml files within the framework. The best way to learn is to take the stock rom and load it into a working folder. then take a custom rom that you can find all the differences to stock on when loaded on your phone and load that into the kitchen. Compare the stock roms working folder with the custom rom working folder and take note of all the differences and figure out how they were achieved. Dont just look at apk files. Look at the update script as well as the xml files in all the folders too. Repeat with another ROM and you will start to see how to change things around yourself.
hi im trying to make a script that i can flash to move 3 audio file from my sd card
to my ringtones folder in the system and delete all the ringtones that are already in there
the files are located in
sd/tones/alarms/01 break ya neck.mp3
sd/tones/notifications/vampier_2002.mp3
sd/tones/ringtones/wild international ringtone.mp3
any help is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance
cruse2382 said:
hi im trying to make a script that i can flash to move 3 audio file from my sd card
to my ringtones folder in the system and delete all the ringtones that are already in there
the files are located in
sd/tones/alarms/01 break ya neck.mp3
sd/tones/notifications/vampier_2002.mp3
sd/tones/ringtones/wild international ringtone.mp3
any help is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct me if i'm wrong but all you want to do is move 3 audio files to system folder? well, you need root access for that and once you gain root access, you can install root explorer or some sort of explorer through which you can copy your 3 audio files and paste them into the system folder. Look here if you want to root your phone.
Hope this helped!
shad0wboss said:
Correct me if i'm wrong but all you want to do is move 3 audio files to system folder? well, you need root access for that and once you gain root access, you can install root explorer or some sort of explorer through which you can copy your 3 audio files and paste them into the system folder. Look here if you want to root your phone.
Hope this helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the reply but thats the way i do it already but i flash a new rom every few days so it gets a bit annoying having to move them all the time then set permissions so was hoping to make a script that i could just flash after flashing a new rom
bump
i've made flashable zips for just this very reason. i was flashing too many roms and i wanted to keep the same sounds. i flash them straight after flashing a new rom.
what do you want to replace? ringtones only? or ringtones, notifications and alarms?
let me know and i can send you a zip
this zip is to replace all of the sound files in 'alarms', 'notifications', and 'ringtones'
navigate through the zip and drop your sound files in to the appropriate folders, then delete the .txt file that's also in there. don't delete the .txt file first or the directory will disappear
then all you have to do is flash the zip in recovery
whenever i update my rom i stay in recovery and flash this zip straight after, it makes life a lot simpler!
so just to repeat: this will delete ALL of the alarms, ringtones and notifications currently on your phone and replace them with whatever you put in to the corresponding folders in this zip
just as an extra tip: if you don't want to delete everything, you can change this behaviour by modifying 'updater-script' with an appropriate text editor like notepad++. get rid of the lines "delete_recursive". e.g. if you want to keep your alarms, delete the line delete_recursive("/system/media/audio/alarms");
maatsby said:
this zip is to replace all of the sound files in 'alarms', 'notifications', and 'ringtones'
navigate through the zip and drop your sound files in to the appropriate folders, then delete the .txt file that's also in there. don't delete the .txt file first or the directory will disappear
then all you have to do is flash the zip in recovery
whenever i update my rom i stay in recovery and flash this zip straight after, it makes life a lot simpler!
so just to repeat: this will delete ALL of the alarms, ringtones and notifications currently on your phone and replace them with whatever you put in to the corresponding folders in this zip
just as an extra tip: if you don't want to delete everything, you can change this behaviour by modifying 'updater-script' with an appropriate text editor like notepad++. get rid of the lines "delete_recursive". e.g. if you want to keep your alarms, delete the line delete_recursive("/system/media/audio/alarms");
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks i owe you one will give it a try later and let you know how it goes
maatsby said:
this zip is to replace all of the sound files in 'alarms', 'notifications', and 'ringtones'
navigate through the zip and drop your sound files in to the appropriate folders, then delete the .txt file that's also in there. don't delete the .txt file first or the directory will disappear
then all you have to do is flash the zip in recovery
whenever i update my rom i stay in recovery and flash this zip straight after, it makes life a lot simpler!
so just to repeat: this will delete ALL of the alarms, ringtones and notifications currently on your phone and replace them with whatever you put in to the corresponding folders in this zip
just as an extra tip: if you don't want to delete everything, you can change this behaviour by modifying 'updater-script' with an appropriate text editor like notepad++. get rid of the lines "delete_recursive". e.g. if you want to keep your alarms, delete the line delete_recursive("/system/media/audio/alarms");
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
works perfect thanks