A few questions about themes and such... - Touch Pro, Fuze Themes and Apps

I have searched and searched for a way to change the color on the my home page from black as best as I can tell please tell me if I'm wrong but I need to install a theme that has a different color text in order to do this.. Is this correct????
Now a few questions on the new themes... If I install a new theme on my phone am I stuck using the background that comes with the theme or can you change the background to whatever you like?
If you can change the background does anyone have a link to a simple theme that has white writing, Maybe the Buttons I saw one that was almost like the original just a little more 3 dimensional. I don't want anything to different just keeping it simple..
Now when you are talking about installing themes.. I have read many terms I do not understand and so I think if I understood them I might be better equipped to actually tackle installing a theme...
What does ROM stand for?
What is a .cad file?
Do you need anything special to install a cad file or does it do it on it's own?
This program I've read people say you have to use to install themes.. Total Commander. Do you install that on your computer or your phone?
I'm a total newbie to this and trying to sort through little bits and pieces everywhere is really overwhelming me.. I really want to get a grip on this phone..

Dancingwaters said:
I have searched and searched for a way to change the color on the my home page from black as best as I can tell please tell me if I'm wrong but I need to install a theme that has a different color text in order to do this.. Is this correct????
Now a few questions on the new themes... If I install a new theme on my phone am I stuck using the background that comes with the theme or can you change the background to whatever you like?
If you can change the background does anyone have a link to a simple theme that has white writing, Maybe the Buttons I saw one that was almost like the original just a little more 3 dimensional. I don't want anything to different just keeping it simple..
Now when you are talking about installing themes.. I have read many terms I do not understand and so I think if I understood them I might be better equipped to actually tackle installing a theme...
What does ROM stand for?
What is a .cad file?
Do you need anything special to install a cad file or does it do it on it's own?
This program I've read people say you have to use to install themes.. Total Commander. Do you install that on your computer or your phone?
I'm a total newbie to this and trying to sort through little bits and pieces everywhere is really overwhelming me.. I really want to get a grip on this phone..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out the link below. Also there is a thread in the Raphael/Rapheael forum for q&a like this.

Okay, first of it's a CAB file, in windows(desktop computer) it will be labeled as a cabinet file. copy it to your device, in any folder, open file explorer, and double click the cab file. it installs automatically.
And a ROM? you answer is HERE
Read it and read it closely. Also the wiki is a good place to read about the problems and solutions that can arise from flashing a new ROM.
Both those questions, shouldn't even be asked on the forum.
read here about font colors in TF3D
and remember always to search, i just don't feel like you had done enough. Hope these help you, and remember to read, read, read, read, search, read, search, read, then ask. Keeps the forum clean, and easier for the next person to find what they are looking for.

Related

icons: have searched and cannot find answer....

..... or i have overlooked it.
i am starting this thread to find out how to change my icons, either a) without having to tamper with the registry b) what best registry editor to use if need be or c) am i being completely oblivious and i just need to drop the icl file into a specific folder.
i have come across many interesting icons that are said to be specifically made for WM5, and yet only one had an installer package, the rest or either a collection of seperate icon files or one icl file, and i am at a lost as to what to do with them on my mda (g3 wiza200), and i dont want to mess around and screw something up and have to do a complete restart for the third time.
any help would be appreciated, as i HAVE searched through the forums, googled, asked jeeve and what have you, and have not seen anything specific giving guidelines or directions so that i don't mess anything up.

Help theming...

To all you Kaiser owner out there.
First of all, this is my first post.
But here it is, I'm trying to create a theme for my Kaiser (WM6.1), but I can't get it the way I want it. Because I don't know if it's possible.
I made a template with photoshop, to see if you guys out there can help me make it, or even tell me if it's possible.
It's kinda the UI of mac... and the top bar where clock wifi sound etc is...I want those 'icons' to be blue...
I;ve tried a lot of programs out there...
themegen etc...and I did search the forums..
thanks for any input...
-=LT=-
Hi, not sure if that's possible or not since the top icons reside on ROM. If you look for them you will find the icons on the windows directory on the Pocket PC. Maybe you can edit them to something else and cook a new rom with those edited icons. But I doubt they will show in blue color since they need to be monochromatic.
Why don't you just use WisBar Advance Desktop since there are already tons of different themes including OSX ones.
Cheers!
Rayan
Rayan said:
Hi, not sure if that's possible or not since the top icons reside on ROM. If you look for them you will find the icons on the windows directory on the Pocket PC. Maybe you can edit them to something else and cook a new rom with those edited icons. But I doubt they will show in blue color since they need to be monochromatic.
Why don't you just use WisBar Advance Desktop since there are already tons of different themes including OSX ones.
Cheers!
Rayan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your reply,
Yes I know it's kindda impossible, and there reason why I don't use wisbar, is because I want a free software.
but there isn't another choice

Hacking and customising Diamonds TouchFlo

Hi,
I have now searched for over a week and I cannot find any information on hacking and customizing TouchFlo for Diamond.
I know there are lots of stuff there for customizing the look and also a few programs for tweaking it, but I want to delve into the files and make my own theme, customize the tabs for me and stuff like that.
Is there any program or thread on what fales do what, how to extract the original files for changin and how to convert them back, how to add tabs in touchflo and make changes to the interface of it.
I already know that I am going to get someone that says use search or "In 10 sec I found this", but I have been researching for a week now and I think that me not finding anything is more the fact that its called TouchFlo or Manila or Manilla or Manila2D or manila3D etc..... very hard to know what words to search for.
Please someone point me in the right direction.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=441
Well thankyou for pointing out 2132 threads of information. Why didn't I think to read thru all those threads?
I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to just customise the look of TouchFlo. I want to do it myself, making my own themse and making my own additions to the app.
I need to find out how to actually edit the app, as in what files do what and how to open and edit them to do what I want it to do and not what is already predifined from someone else.
Thought I made it clear in my initial post.
Stickies in this forum are too useful, read it...
Let me redo my original request in a manner that may be more understanding.
I HAVE read threads, posts, googled, search within these forums etc etc etc.
I DO find Tweaks, Config Programs, even found a program to convert the manila files to an imag and back (thou I don't understand how some of the animation files can't be exported as a gif animation (wiper blade for weather)..
What I DON"T find is information on what files to edit for differnet parts of the TouchFlo. I don't know what file to hack for adding another panel, I don't know how my images are suppose to be for themes (the program lets export to jpg, bmp and png, information on transparency and animation are no where to be found).
How much clearer can I be about this.
I have already gone thru 6 pages of the 2132 pages of threads available and still only premade themes and hacks are there nothing in terms of HOW TO HACK TOUCHFLO.
I don't want information on how to optimize TouchFlo and make it look pretty. I want to know HOW to hack it and do my OWN things to it.
Oh god...
I think u need to read more...
Or maybe u dont readed stickies...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=441
Dont read the 2132 pages, JUST ONLY THE STICKIES!
If u look there, u will find the MANILA EDITOR 0.2...
Either you DIDN'T read my posts or you have never used the Editor.
I DID say I found it. BUt it ONLY lets me edit the images. Nothing in there about adding custome tabs, renaming tabs or anything along EDITING and HACKING TouchFlo.
Also there is NO information on how to do the transparencies on some images, seeing all images can be exported in BMP, JPG or PNG, to my knowledge only PNG supports Transparencies but you can have transparency in BMP by making the transparent areas hot pink or some other bold color. And seeing that none of those image formats are animations, then how the hell do I edit things like the weather wiper blade.
I am not an idiot, I usually do find these things out myslef or work them out some how, but USUALLY I can find some small tidbits of information on what I am doing to point me in the right direction.
Manila Editor 0.2 doesn't do anything other then let me change the pictures.
eangulus said:
Let me redo my original request in a manner that may be more understanding.
I HAVE read threads, posts, googled, search within these forums etc etc etc.
I DO find Tweaks, Config Programs, even found a program to convert the manila files to an imag and back (thou I don't understand how some of the animation files can't be exported as a gif animation (wiper blade for weather)..
What I DON"T find is information on what files to edit for differnet parts of the TouchFlo. I don't know what file to hack for adding another panel, I don't know how my images are suppose to be for themes (the program lets export to jpg, bmp and png, information on transparency and animation are no where to be found).
How much clearer can I be about this.
I have already gone thru 6 pages of the 2132 pages of threads available and still only premade themes and hacks are there nothing in terms of HOW TO HACK TOUCHFLO.
I don't want information on how to optimize TouchFlo and make it look pretty. I want to know HOW to hack it and do my OWN things to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, I can't stop laughing Eangulus. I'm not laughing at you just the responses. I feel your pain, whenever I've asked for help I get the same kind of useless replies. A bunch of people who don't even read my post assuming they know what I want. Goodluck in your search!!
Great. Now I have someone that understands what I want, but can't help me...
I read somewhere that this forum was the be all and end all for all WM information, hacking tweaking etc.
Maybe all that info is in a special "HACKERS" area that the genral public can't see. Keeps all us "newbies" in the forums searching clocking up their advertising dollars....
There is no such complete HowTo (which would be pretty big and much to read btw.). The information is spread all over the threads. Download the cabs and stuff people provide and inspect what files are involved. Download the tools and go to the readme files. There's additional information inside.
Spend some time on testing and playing around (but remember: everything you do is on your own risk). And ask questions in the relevant threads.
Someone startet a diamond wiki some time ago, but I think it's not maintained anymore.
That's why people can only point you to the threads and as a starting point to the stickys. You have to pick up the pieces and build the puzzle. (If you get everything together you are ofcourse welcome to write a complete Diamond-HowTo)
cheers
Thankyou for a clear answer.
Im personally more annoyed at the fact that it does seem to be just a default respnse of read the thread, search is your friend crap.
If someone actually read my original post they would have known that was what I was doing.
Oh and I would read the readme. Only if they were included. there is none with the manila editor.
eangulus said:
Thankyou for a clear answer.
Im personally more annoyed at the fact that it does seem to be just a default respnse of read the thread, search is your friend crap.
If someone actually read my original post they would have known that was what I was doing.
Oh and I would read the readme. Only if they were included. there is none with the manila editor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow, pretty pissed I see...I get similar responses but you get used to it. As far as transparency, thats the png's effect. Use photoshop for this and to retain the trans effect, export it to png. Gif also does this being that gif's are not exclusively for animating, but for utilizing transparency at a smaller file size, but also at the expense of quality. As far as creating a tab of your own (like a cheetos tabs that predicts how many cheetos are eating every sec or something random), that you may have to just follow the threads and get information according to which step you're on. I would ask more along the lines of "what part of touchflo does this?" or "how to change blah blah" rather than "how to hack touchflo" cause someone would need to write an entire page of crap. Maybe one day, but I couldn't find it either. lol
I would first start with learning how touchflo works by inspecting the entire reg file for anything that says "manila" or "touchflo", start research on lua modding/changing (if necessary), crack open the tab cabs (i.e. calender, today, etc.) and start modding!

How to go about modding the on screen keyboard?

Ok so I have been searching the forums and I cannot find an exact answer for what I want to change so if this is a problem that had already been solved, please direct me to the thread.
I just recently dl'd the chm binary release and like it. But the on screen keyboard is hard on my eyes.
So my question is how would I go about replacing it with something like, o say the buuf on screen keyboard instead?
HTC_IME is not what I want just to clarify.
And once again, I apologize if this has already been threaded...
There is no way that none of you know this...
philosophics said:
There is no way that none of you know this...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We could help you, but it is a 3rd party keyboard. What keyboard is it?
I'm not really sure. After installing the HTC_IME, I now have 2. Htc keyboard and android keyboard. If I knew how to take a screenie, I would but I don't.
As far as I know, its the on screen keyboard I've had since I rooted...
The keyboard that comes with chm binary is what I want to change...
well, I know how to modify the look of the builtin keyboard, but I haven't messed with 3rd party stuff.
The stock keyboard can be changed by theming. They're just png files, although the .9.pngs make it a little bit more complicated.
Well I kinda figured as much but what I'm really trying to ask is where do I find them?
They're in framework-res.apk on the phone. If you extract this file they'll be under res/drawable/
The filenames are btn_keyboard*.png
By using metamorph or creating an update.zip style theme you can change these and apply a theme to the phone. Theming is a real pain, but I think it's worth learning how to do.
Ya, I have already pieced together a blackbar to my liking so I'm well aware of the hassles it is to do. I'll be learning the .9's as soon as I get my pc parts back from rma and then I'll try to put out a skin.
Thanks bud, I'll look into this tomorrow after I've slept...
If you want to do this easily, download the buff keyboard skin for better keyboard, and take the .9.pngs from there.
Wow! Now that should have been said at the very beginning. Good thing I was too busy today to get to that. Cloverdale, you just saved me a few hours of frustration. still though, I thank the both of you for the help. I will update the thread when I have success so everyone knows its solved!
Ps- anyone else try to read the forums on your phone? Its a little tricky...
Sorry for the off topic comment but I felt the need...
ok so I couldn't really find a way to download the better keyboard/buuf theme on the pc so I went and tried swapping the btn-keyboard---'s and noting happened after add.
So now I'm on the hunt for the better keyboard dl
I don't know where to look for the file when dl'ing to phone so if all else fails, I guess I could dl to phone and then search for it by folder by painstaking folder...
Update - I cannot for the life of me find the file on the web or on the phone. I dl'd from marketplace but I must not be very smart cause I don't know where marketplace stores stuff...
Downloading the better keyboard theme was supposed to save me grief but in fact, it did the exact opposite...
Update - Well I thought by removing the btn_keyboard_key.xml would solve my problem considering the BUUF skin does not contain one. Same nasty black and blue keyboard. All the buuf keyboard .--- are there so I'm confused once again.
I do not want to install another pay-for app and I don't want the entire buuf theme as of now so I will wait till later today after sleep and try again.
Unless someone knows exactly what's wrong. I'm doing everything I can to keep this 3 month old drywall from having holes in it...
I thought the black bar mod was hard to do... hahaha! That was a cake walk compared to this...
Update - Removing the xml's to the keyboard was a bad idea. It forced closed the android keyboard cause it wanted to change the language to latin or something like that. Touch Input keyboard (HTC_IME) will still work though and I made backups so all of this is just a learning experience for me.
...This is so not like modding and skinning a moto. Way more complicated. So much can go wrong.
Which reminds me, how do I view the .xml's with win7? Never done it before...
So does anyone have any other ideas? Maybe there's something I've been missing this whole time?
I have replaced the btn_keyboard--- files in the framework-res.apk like I was told to do and there is no effects... at all. Positive or negative...
philosophics said:
So does anyone have any other ideas? Maybe there's something I've been missing this whole time?
I have replaced the btn_keyboard--- files in the framework-res.apk like I was told to do and there is no effects... at all. Positive or negative...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the only other place I can think of is the LatinIME.apk, but I'm not sure about that one
You know, that almost makes sense cause when I removed the .xml for the keyboard to make it match with buuf, the phone kept screaming at me about ..... latin something. So I will check this out and let you know.
But now I have a new problem. I think I need to remove a few applications cause my phone keeps force closing everything after reboot due to an update.zip file. So once I conquor this then I'll start working on the original problem...

[Q]Theming Guide

First off, I would like to say, I know nothing about themeing Android, which is why I'm posting this.
My basic knowledge is: framework.apk in /sys is where the theming is kept. I know how to pull it from my phone, but do not know how to edit/open a .apk once its on my computer. Thats it. Thats all I know when it comes to theming. I don't know how to use the SDK or command prompts(I use root explorer) or what the individual files are in the apk are.
What I do know is graphic design, which makes me want to get into this.
What I'm trying to do is take part of a theme I like and port it to a different ROM, with my own added touches. I contacted the original developer, but since he doesn't have the phone I have(Droid A855), he has no experience on how to port it himself. In fact I was able to port his theme over from a CM ROM to Bugless v0.5 using a program I found online. However I'm unable to port the theme to Bugless v0.6. I assume this because v0.6 has bits of Gingerbread in it, and things aren't lining up.
More specifically, I'm looking to do the following:
-Take a theme that works on Bugless V0.5 and get it to work on Bugless V0.6
-I'd be happy with just porting the status bar and all the icons that come with the status bar(Wifi, battery, downloading, downloading complete, sms etc...) and the notification menu with the ability for me to change a few of the icons.
-And theming the keyboard
I understand that this may be or may not be a lot of work for someone to tell me how to do this, due my 0 knowledge of anything like this.
Thanks in advance.
Dude just a search for theme Porter, there's a couple of them and there's a sticky at the top of the forum how to theme.
My sig has links that could be useful to you also.
Hope this helps.
dully79 said:
Dude just a search for theme Porter, there's a couple of them and there's a sticky at the top of the forum how to theme.
My sig has links that could be useful to you also.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you read my post, you would see that a theme porter doesn't work.
Besides I'm looking more into how to do it for future reference too, the sticky at the top is lacking.
As I say there's a few theme porters, 1 may work better than another unless you've already tried them all.
Basically youll have to use apktool/manager to decompile the apk, swap out your desired images, and recompile. You may also have to edit the xml's inside the decompiled apk to change colours. The sticky can point you in the right direction to the xml's to edit.
Just be aware of. 9png images as they can create head f#$k.
Everything you need to know is already posted its just a case of finding it.
To put the new apk on your phone you can use adb or create an update zip, there's threads for these hanging about too.
Sorry I can't link but I'm sending this from my phone, hope this sheds a little light on the subject.

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