I'm trying to make my own theme so to say and have all the icon files I want changed and put into a zip file that I renamed to have an APK extension. Now how do I make this work on my phone? I modified the original one I had on my phone (which just came with services.jar and framework-res). Replaced the files in framework-res, rezipped and such. When I transferred it over I couldn't get a boot, so I went back to the original. What am I missing? THanks!
oh yeah, and metamorph isn't supported on the rom I'm using yet
you're going to have to manually package, sign and flash the file. best way to do it is to start off using the stock theme template for the rom you're using, remove the excess, replace the appropriate files, sign the zip and flash. dont rename it to be an apk unless it is actually an apk that you're theming (a la phone.apk). a full flashable theme is always going to be a zip.
Related
Well I haven't had much time lately to make themes but I figured i got enough time to explain how. This is how i do it in windows 7.
1) First thing i assume that you already have androidsdk on the root of your C drive. Lets go ahead and add it to your system path. If it's not called androidsdk go ahead and change it to that. Now open up your startmenu, right click computer, click properties, then click advanced system settings, in the advance system settings select environment variables. In the second box down look for path select it and choose edit. copy and paste this
Code:
;C:\androidsdk\tools
in there. Click okay.
2) download the jre and jdk from here and install them. Now you need to add them to your system path so copy paste this
Code:
;C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6\bin;C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jdk1.6.0_20\bin
to your system path just like you did in the first step.
3) Download apk manager from here. Now run it and when it says clean out all current projects click yes. Now thats ready to go.
4) Download an image editing program. I use gimp. Also if you don't have it 7-zip
your all set to go now so lets start over with the numbers
1) choose a mymode apk and extract it with 7-zip. Open up the res folder select a png that you want to change and change it with the image editor you chose.
2) when you've changed the images you want open up the original apk as an archive with 7zip. Then place the res folder of the modified unzipped apk into the archive and close the archive.
3) Now open up apk manager and place the mymode apk into the place here for signing folder click script batch choose no then type 15.
4) Now put the newly signed apk into your androidsdk/tools folder and close apk manager.
5) open command prompt and type this
Code:
cd\
cd androidsdk/tools
adb install whatever.apk
I'll update this with pics a more thorough guide.
Thanks to everyone that made this easy
reserved for themes to come
Thanks been waiting for a thread like this.
thanks, if i ever get any free-time between jobs and kid and fiancee i will look into this a little more
This is an awesome guide! I messed around with theming mytouch/g1 back when I had one.. so this will be great to make some themes for the slide..
One question though.. let's say you pull the nest theme.. theme it and re install it.. will it just override the nest theme or in the theme listing will it appear as a new theme and still allow you to have the original theme?
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
ryanolson7 said:
One question though.. let's say you pull the nest theme.. theme it and re install it.. will it just override the nest theme or in the theme listing will it appear as a new theme and still allow you to have the original theme?
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The nest theme is in the framework, its not an .apk like the rest, its built into the system. The rest of the mymodes themes are .apks and if you edit those they will override the stock "nest" theme. The only way it will show up different in the theme chooser is if you edit the preview snapshot to be a preview of your theme. If you wanna keep the original theme, the nest theme is it and you should edit a different theme .apk...
-BMFC
Sent from my ROOTED MyTouch3G Slide
Okay so I got the next three days off and I already got two mymode themes pretty much done well their done but I just learned of a way to change the name so they are there own standalone apk instead of using another apk name. I've been using puppypride (which by the way isn't puppies those are full grown dogs) and switching out the pngs and you couldn't have the regular puppypride now you can have both
hope you don't mind but I did a mod of your themes and took out the bubbles since some people always create threads about it
Help with following guide
I am a newb at this so please don't attack me if I am doing something wrong. I have been struggling with following the guide posted to make mymode themes. I have successfully got up to the step of signing the apk file. I modified the files in the free_kick.apk. When I try to use APK Manager 4.8 and using the directions given the file just gets erased and nothing happens. My log file just shows errors. Any help with a more detailed directions one what to do in APK manager as I am trying different things and not getting anywhere. I use the option 15 like told in the guide. I can send my modified apk file to anyone if they can get this to work and get it installed that would be appreciated so much. I hope I can figure this out my own but thought I would try get help from the forums. Thanks in advance.
impimms said:
I am a newb at this so please don't attack me if I am doing something wrong. I have been struggling with following the guide posted to make mymode themes. I have successfully got up to the step of signing the apk file. I modified the files in the free_kick.apk. When I try to use APK Manager 4.8 and using the directions given the file just gets erased and nothing happens. My log file just shows errors. Any help with a more detailed directions one what to do in APK manager as I am trying different things and not getting anywhere. I use the option 15 like told in the guide. I can send my modified apk file to anyone if they can get this to work and get it installed that would be appreciated so much. I hope I can figure this out my own but thought I would try get help from the forums. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the guide needs to be fixed a little because i'm guessing your getting compiling errors when using apk manager? But the best way to do this is to open up the mymode theme (using 7zip) as an archive delete meta-inf folder then replace the pngs with ones of your choice as long as they are the same scale. Then resign. and install
totally lost
I've followed these directions to a T and when it comes to using the apk manager i am getting nothing, please help
You guys that are having trouble with apk manager...its honestly not necessary to use Apk Manager for this. Mymodes themes are system .apks and shouldn't be re-signed. What you need to do is forget about apk manager (for now) and drop the UNsigned .apk into the ROM update you are using, and resign the whole ROM using the autosign tool created by jesusfreke. Or just adbpush the .apk. but don't resign the .apk.
Here's the link for the autosign tool to sign ROM updates. its in the THIRD POST and its auto-sign .zip, NOT the signing.zip in the first post. you can put it anywhere you want and you just drop (a copy of) your ROM update in the autosign folder, rename it update.zip, then run the sign.bat to sign. it will create another file, update-signed.zip. you shouldnt need to wipe when flashing the same ROM over itself, but i cant guarantee this is true for all ROMs.
you can also make an update that will only flash the .apk to /system/app, and nothing else will be changed. basically just make a copy of the update for the ROM youre using, then delete everything but the /system directory from the zip. then go into that /system directory and delete everything but the /app directory, then go into it and delete all the .apks and odex file or whatevers in there. ALL OF IT. when you are finished you should have an update with nothing in it but a /system/app directory. you put your modded .apk in there in /system/app, and thats it for that.
then you must edit the update script and remove MOST of its contents so that it only does what you want it to. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Go here to learn how to create an update script. what youll need is way simpler than the examples, youll want it to look basically like this...
Code:
assert compatible_with("0.2") == "true"
show_progress 0.1 0
copy_dir PACKAGE:system SYSTEM:
show_progress 0.1 10
this update script will copy ANYTHING in the /system directory to /system on your device, regardless of subdirectories. that means anything in /system will go in /system, anything in /system/app will go to /system/app, etc. but since you only have one .apk in there it wont mess with anything but what you put in there. this way, you have a NOWIPE update for...well, whatever you want to put in it.
so you just drop the new shortened update-script in /META-INF/com/google/android/
and then use the autosign tool to resign your new update then flash away! This also takes less time cus its only flashing one file instead of flashing a whole ROM just to replace that one file...
hope this helps...
-BMFC
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
So you cannot do this on t-mobile's rom which is 2.1 right now? I'm leery of rooting in case they ever release froyo
Tbrewer80 said:
So you cannot do this on t-mobile's rom which is 2.1 right now? I'm leery of rooting in case they ever release froyo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having issues with this as well... After I do the whole signing apk thing, it installs fine, but when I go to MyModes, the preview is black and when I select it, the MyModes app force closes. I don't get it.
So I had my first go at playing with frame-work-res.apk -- fortunately I made a backup first!
This is what I did, step-by-step (probably the hard way, but at the time, I didn't have my USB cable, left it at work).
1. Pulled a copy of framework-res.apk off of the phone.
2. Renamed to .zip (Windblows7) and extracted.
3. Modified a few images, just to see if it would work.
4. Re-created a .zip (making sure that it would be the same, structurally, as the first one) then renamed it to .apk
5. Put it onto the phone, replacing/removing existing one
I immediately got an error (expected) but then I rebooted. Wouldn't go past the boot screen.
All I did was open the .apk, modify (not replace, modified) a couple of images, then put it back onto the phone.
What am I missing?
Thanks, in advance.
I think you might need to sign the apk. Try this:
http://www.londatiga.net/it/how-to-sign-apk-zip-files/
I've never did this myself so I could be wrong
nDrg said:
I think you might need to sign the apk. Try this:
http://www.londatiga.net/it/how-to-sign-apk-zip-files/
I've never did this myself so I could be wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that, nDrg! I'll give it a shot later.
Also, I wonder if my problem was simply that I didn't use adb push to put it back onto the phone. I didn't have my cable with me at the time, so I couldn't... perhaps I'll give it a shot when I get home tonight.
No need to rename it to .zip, just open the .apk with your application of choice and resign.
I edit mine by pulling the framework-res.apk, extract it out and whatever i change, i just drag it back into the apk. I use winrar to open my apk files. I don't even make a new zip and don't resign it either.
If I edited a full rom, lets say CM6. I would extract the framework from his rom, do w/e, put the framework apk back into the rom zip and sign the whole entire thing.
if you edit anything with .9.png and replace it without correctly modifying and recompiling you will get infinite fc's
framework-res.apk
K I've tried replacing the drawables in my framework-res.apk using better zip in Mac and winrar in windows. Then is sign the apk with signapktic on my Droid x. Then I replace it with root explorer to system/framework. I get a boot loop every time? Tried everything. Still get boot loop. What am i doing wrong?
One thing i noticed is I can save as zip in eather better zip or winrar no chances just saving the file and my macbook will no longer recognize the apk as a Unix executable fill.
ANY SUGGESTION?
Make sure you're not compressing the file, in WinRAR, you can pick 'store'
how would i edit the task bar in asopmod rom i searched through google i found nothing can someone plz help
First you need to read up on theming but in short all those png's reside in the system/framework/framework-res.apk. In that apk if you goto res/drawable-hdpi folder you'll see all of the png's that make up the task bar.
You'll need apkManager and a paint program.
Simmons - I was trying to do something similar but was having no luck -
I wanted to pull the 4G icons out of an Evo rom and put them in place of the 3G icons on CM6 - i thought it would be a riot -
I extracted the 4G's and renamed them to their 3G counterparts names and have them saved on my desktop - but I dont know the right way to extract framework-res.apk, then put in my new icons, then, and probably most importantly, zip it back up so it will flash right !
any thoughts?
Simple how to theme.
Vandelay007 said:
Simmons - I was trying to do something similar but was having no luck -
I wanted to pull the 4G icons out of an Evo rom and put them in place of the 3G icons on CM6 - i thought it would be a riot -
I extracted the 4G's and renamed them to their 3G counterparts names and have them saved on my desktop - but I dont know the right way to extract framework-res.apk, then put in my new icons, then, and probably most importantly, zip it back up so it will flash right !
any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
heres the How to
An apk is really just a zip file... apk stands for android package (if i remember correctly). So treat it like a standard zip file.
You'll need apk manager this will allow you to sign zips which makes them flashable. get that here
Now get your favorite Rom and make a folder. In that folder make 2 folders one called packed the other called packed. Take your rom and unzip it in the unpacked folder. and then take the original zip and move it to the packed folder.
Next go into the unpacked folder and nav to system/framework.framework-res.apk take this apk and unzip it in this folder and then make a copy of the apk and move the copy to the packed folder.
Now when you want to make a change to the framework-res.apk use the unpacked as a reference. us the packed as the change dir, you do this by opening but not unzipping the apk you want to change and just dragging the files you are replacing into the apk, this will replace them. You might want to make a a 3rd folder sorta of a master copy if you ever mess up the packed roms.
Now that you have an altered framework-res.apk you can just push it to system/framework folder (i think) and reboot and your changes are in. I never do this since flashable is easier to manage I make a flashable.
A flashable is like a but allot smaller, so d/l one of my themes and take the zip file and place in in a folder next to the packed and unpacked folder call it something like staging. now unzip apk manager into the top dir next to 3 other folders you just made.
Now my theme zip can be renamed to whatever you want your going to use it as a place holder for signing flashable zips. go into the theme zip and delete ever thing in the system folder except the framework folder then go into the frame work folder and delete everything.
Your flashable zip folder should only have a a meta-inf folder and a system folder, the system folder should only have a framework folder. Now drag your altered framework-res.apk into the flashable zip folder you just cleaned out.
Ok now you have to sign it copy that flashable zip to the place-apk-here-for-signing folder, this should have shown up when you unzipped apk manager into the folder the also contains unpacked and packed folders.
Now click on the script.bat and you'll see a bunch of option you can do option 16 to sign your zip. it takes a second or two and the date should get updated on the flashable.zip file in the place-apk-here-for-signing folder.
Now you have your new them ready to install. if your changing something else find the apk and replace framework-res.apk in these instruction and it works the same. note that most app reside in system/app so you next to take that into account.
Edit: Maybe I should have made a new thread.
creating task bar
thanks simmons i will let u know how bad i mess up but yes thanks alot man
I would like to flash a new ROM but i like the stock captivate theme the best.
is there any update.zip packages of the default theme floating around? i want to wait until i know i can do it before i flash. Also, is there any way to "rip" the theme from my ROM? because then i can just do that
I posted a request for this a few weeks back and got really no help.... What I did was unzip the framework.apk's from the theme I wanted and from the JH7_OTA that's floating around here somewhere and compared the images in the drawbale-hdpi folder. I think there are some files in tw-framework.apk that need to be changed if you want to change the pull down menu.
Hope this helps
The themes are mostly inside framework-res.apk, which is very ROM-specific. You can't just install them randomly inside one another.
If you'd like to port a theme, you can either replace the image files using 7-zip, WinRAR, etc. or decompile the .apk using APK Manager for more extensive changes (things like battery mods, etc.).
MikeyMike01 said:
The themes are mostly inside framework-res.apk, which is very ROM-specific. You can't just install them randomly inside one another.
If you'd like to port a theme, you can either replace the image files using 7-zip, WinRAR, etc. or decompile the .apk using APK Manager for more extensive changes (things like battery mods, etc.).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what he said ^^^^
but as a beginner's guide, you will need to pull your FRAMEWORK-RES.APK and TWFRAMEWORK-RES.APK from /system/framework folder
For this, you will need to use either ADB or an app like ASTRO or ROOTEXPLORER
when you copy these two apk's to your computer, you will need to open it up (NOT extract it) and simply replace the images inside with those from a stock FRAMEWORK-RES.APK & TWFRAMEWORK-RES.APK
The images you want to change are going to be in res/drawable-hdpi folder
Don't just replace everything, you will need to see which one's are different.. if there is something you want to change and don't know what .png file it is, just post it back up here and I will help you out
I created my rom and took the easy way out with the theming, I went to UOT kitchen and had it made and then manually tweaked it to my liking. Now I need to get it into my rom and I dont know how. It comes in a flashable zip that includes the updater-script, update-script, and update-binary and a folder with the settings along with my usual framework-res.apk.
How do I go about doing this? Is there a script I can use to have it first flash my rom then afterwards flash the theme?
flapflip22 said:
I created my rom and took the easy way out with the theming, I went to UOT kitchen and had it made and then manually tweaked it to my liking. Now I need to get it into my rom and I dont know how. It comes in a flashable zip that includes the updater-script, update-script, and update-binary and a folder with the settings along with my usual framework-res.apk.
How do I go about doing this? Is there a script I can use to have it first flash my rom then afterwards flash the theme?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remove the apk from the UOT Zip and replace it with the one in your ROM.
Nevermind, just wrote up a simple script for it, then extracted and dropped it in my update folder. Nothing too hard