Related
my question is this, say for example I have my phone setup just as I like with the theme of my choosing, htc music app instead of the stock android app in the cyanogen mod. i would like to be able to create a rom from this setup that I could then just load on my phone as oppsed to loading a cm mod, then installing music player, then installing the theme. before the flaming begins, i tried the search to no avail. i am aware of how to sign the zip and all of that. just a point in the right direction would be MUCH appreciated.
Its something I would like to be able to do as well. According to Haykuros twitter hes going to be making a video about android rom cooking soon so that should help
jholt0130 said:
my question is this, say for example I have my phone setup just as I like with the theme of my choosing, htc music app instead of the stock android app in the cyanogen mod. i would like to be able to create a rom from this setup that I could then just load on my phone as oppsed to loading a cm mod, then installing music player, then installing the theme. before the flaming begins, i tried the search to no avail. i am aware of how to sign the zip and all of that. just a point in the right direction would be MUCH appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This should've gone in the Q&A section. Will probably get locked soon.
But in response to your question, I guess you could grab the CM rom, then grab the theme you use and overwrite the files in the rom, and then overwrite the music app with the HTC music. Resign and you got your update.zip customized how you want it.
xidominicanoix said:
This should've gone in the Q&A section. Will probably get locked soon.
But in response to your question, I guess you could grab the CM rom, then grab the theme you use and overwrite the files in the rom, and then overwrite the music app with the HTC music. Resign and you got your update.zip customized how you want it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the help and my apologies for the wrong section
how do you resign it?
joey3002 said:
how do you resign it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
by searching.
Stericson said:
Automatic version!
Do not use this to sign APK files in Vista or windows 7! It will cause your theme to loop phones when placed on a device. Only use this to sign update files if your using those O/S's
Note, this will not work if your SDK or the path that you place this in has any spaces in the dir name!
An Example of this is c:\users\Nikki and Stephen\sdk\tools
Try to put the SDK and the contents of the zip in a dir where the names are all together and not like the one above.
I have made a batch file that will automate the entire process of setting up to use the signing tool made by JF. This batch file will set the CLASSPATH, set the PATH, install the registries, and will even allow you to sign files manually if you wish. I plan on building onto this batch file to include other things. However, for the moment, it will only include what you see here.
In order to use this you should have downloaded the sdk already. Simply extract all of the files into the tools dir of your sdk, and run autosign.bat follow the instructions and go through the options one by one, starting with 1 working through 4. You can however, put the contents of this zip anywhere on your computer and it will work. It is just better to put them into the tools dir of your SDK. Especially for the consideration of future versions.
Autosign .zip: http://www.fightforthepits.com/Androidstuff/signing.zip
Want to set up the signing tool manually?
Here is the link for the signing tool: Http://www.FightForthePits.com/testsign(2).zip
Before using this you need to know how to set this up:
Now you will need to add the tools dir of your sdk to the environment variable CLASSPATH.
FOR XP:
Right click on My Computer click properties, then choose the tab that says advanced.
Click the button that says environmental variables.
Go to system variables find the one that says CLASSPATH
double click it
go to the end of variable value.
There should be a semicolon ; at the end, type in the path to the testsign.jar located in the tools directory of your SDK
for example the path to my testsign.jar was c:\sdk\android-sdk-windows-1.0_r1\tools\testsign.jar
If CLASSPATH is not in your system variables then create it.
Secondly, Find the system variable called PATH and add to the end of it, the full path to your sdk directory.
For example, mine was c:\sdk\android-sdk-windows-1.0_r2\tools
FOR VISTA:
Open a cmd prompt.
Replace THEEXACTPATHTO-TESTSIGN with the path to the dir that holds the file testsign.jar.
Type:
echo %CLASSPATH%
If it is returns %CLASSPATH%
Type the following:
set CLASSPATH=THEXACTPATHTO-TESTSIGN\testsign.jar
If it comes back with something else then
Type the following:
set CLASSPATH=%CLASSPATH%;.;THEXACTPATHTO-TESTSIGN\testsign.jar
For Example, when I type this it looks like:
set CLASSPATH=%CLASSPATH%;.;c:\Android\SDK\tools\tests ign.jar
To set the PATH
Replace THEEXACTPATHTO-SDK with the path to the tools dir of your SDK.
Now type:
set PATH=%PATH%;.;THEXACTPATHTO-SDK\tools
For example, when I type this out it looks like this:
path-%PATH%;.;c:\Android\SDK\tools
Now through doing this you have done two things, first off you have made the resigning process extremely easy, secondly you will not have to cd to the tools dir of the sdk to use adb or any other tool in the sdk.
Signing the Files:
Now right click the reg file that you extracted and choose to install it, or merge.
Now, right click an apk, do you see an option that says ResignApk? That's how you will resign your .apks and .zips.
When you choose it a cmd window should open for a few seconds and then close. the file you signed will be overwritten with the new resigned file.
If you find the right click menu not working for some reason you can type the following in cmd to sign your files: java testsign whateverfiletosign
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.apk's not showing up after flash in resigned .zip
Ok, so I've created a ROM to my liking. All the .apk's I normally use and got rid of the ones I don't. My problem is after I customized the ROM and flashed it none of the .apk's I added showed up. The only ones that showed up were the paid apps. I never opened the .apk's and made changes. I assume I don't need to change them to .zip resign and back to apk. Do I? I am using Windows 7 though and am able to resign no problem. Thanks to anyone who replies.
If you have tried to edit .9.pngs in the res/drawable folders, then you know the reason for this thread. If you have not, the idea is that .9.pngs do not have a static boundary. Instead the boundary is given by a continuous mapping
b:[0,1) --> R^2
wherein the mapping is defined by guides which cannot be seen in regular graphical editing programs. This will give the basic idea, along with an example of how this works.
What you will need:
1.) draw9patch (found in /tools of the Android SDK: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html)
2.) gimp (or equivalent graphics software)
3.) Java 1.6 (not 1.5)
4.) Eclipse 3.5 with ADT 0.95 (Setup to compile android 1.6. Instructions: http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/eclipse-adt.html) It is assumed you are comfortable with eclipse. There are many threads on setting up eclipse, along with the linked instructions, so try and keep eclipse questions in this thread to a minimum.
Step-By-Step
1.) Find your desired file to edit, which from here on will be referred to graphic.9.png, and rename to graphic.png.
Reason: We will open the file in gimp (or an alternative .png editing app) which will not recognize the .9.png, and will open as .png. This will cause the invisible guides to open as filled in, and thus the guides will need to be redefined before we save. If we open a .9.png extension in draw9patch, it will assume the guides exist, which of course will not if we edit in another application, and thus not be added. By changing the extension to only .png, when opening in draw9patch, the guides will be re-added.
2.) Open graphic.png in gimp and do your desired editing.
3.) In your computer terminal enter draw9patch (assuming you added /tools to your path, otherwise in the terminal navigate to /tools in the AndroidSDK and enter draw9patch). Possible Issue: If draw9patch comes up blank with no menu, you do not have Java 1.6 set as default. Fix this via sudo update-java-alternatives -s java-6-sun in the terminal (or something similar for your system).
4.) Drag and drop graphic.png into the resulting draw9patch window. What you will now see is your image, along with transparent lines which will be where your guides are defined. One should read this http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/tools/draw9patch.html, though it is not that clear. Draw9patch allows you to add/remove black squares which define the actual guides. I will admit that this is one part of the process that I am still not completely comfortable with, and sometimes requires a little trial and error. Here is what I have figured out:
(i) You will want to draw a solid black line along the bottom and right edges of your image. This designates the boundary which results from the region which is stretched.
(ii) You will now add black squares to the top and left sides. These designate the solid part of the region that will be stretched (as opposed to staying transparent).
As I stated before, this part is a little confusing, but with some trial and error, anyone can figure it out. See my following example to witness the guides being used.
5.) After the guides are defined, save the file in draw9patch. This will automatically append .9 to the filename, and give an actual .9.png file that has been edited (now called graphic.9.png). We are not quite done though, because as is, the guides will not be recognized by the android OS. The images need to be compiled in eclipse as part of an apk.
6.) Open Eclipse and create a new project. You can name it anything you like, and you can just uncheck defining an activity. This project will automatically generate a res/drawable (or res/drawable-hdpi) folder, in which you will drag and drop graphic.9.png. From here, right click on your project, choose "Android Tools", and "export unsigned android application".
7.) In step 6 an .apk was created (I choose to save to desktop), extract the files, and open the folder in which graphic.9.png was placed. This is your newly edited, ready to use .9.png. Enjoy and have fun theming.
Example: How to change the outline of the inner squares on the power widget from orange to white.
1.) I take the file appwidget_inner_focus_c.9.png (found in Settings/res/drawable) and rename to appwidget_inner_focus_c.png.
2.) Open in gimp (figure_1) and change color to white (figure_2).
3.) Open draw9patch
4.) Drop appwidget_inner_focus_c.png into draw9patch (figure_3) and define guides (figure_4). In fig.3 the purple color is showing where the patch will be applied (i.e. where the stretching will occur). After I define the guides, (fig.4) note the vertical and horizontal green lines with signify the only color stretching will be along the boundary itself.
5. Save the image as appwidget_inner_focus_c.9.png (anywhere you like).
6. Drag and drop the file into the res/drawable-hdpi folder in your project folder (navigate to through regular computer file browser). Note that it is in the correct folder (fig.5). Right click on the project (in my case Aaron) and choose Android Tools, the export unsigned android application. Aaron.apk now appear on my Desktop (I chose desktop to export to), which I extract my appwidget_inner_focus_c.9.png from.
7. I am now done.
You don't actually need to use the draw9 tool. You can use your favorite photo editing software, whether it be Photoshop, Paint.net or GIMP and you can just add a 1px wide black border where needed and it works just the same.
Of course if you download the source from cyan's github then you can edit them from there, the source code is unprocessed so it still has the 1px black border around it. To me this is the easiest way to do it, then you don't have to worry about where you place the lines, they are already there.
After you edit, then you still need to do the above in eclipse.
jairomeo said:
You don't actually need to use the draw9 tool. You can use your favorite photo editing software, whether it be Photoshop, Paint.net or GIMP and you can just add a 1px wide black border where needed and it works just the same.
Of course if you download the source from cyan's github then you can edit them from there, the source code is unprocessed so it still has the 1px black border around it. To me this is the easiest way to do it, then you don't have to worry about where you place the lines, they are already there.
After you edit, then you still need to do the above in eclipse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that is much easier, thank you.
Is it necessary to do step 6?
I find out the answer yes
Ok. So, everything was going great, but I ran into a problem. I am able to edit my .9.png's just fine. However, when I "export unsigned android application" in Eclipse I get an error that the package does not exist. Looking closer I see that one file in the package explorer has a little sqaure 'x' by it. If I delete that file it works perfectly, but I want that .9.png to be in there. Any clues on why this would happen? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the great tutorial by the way. After you edit so many .9.png's you get a little used to it and it's really easy.
athanos said:
Ok. So, everything was going great, but I ran into a problem. I am able to edit my .9.png's just fine. However, when I "export unsigned android application" in Eclipse I get an error that the package does not exist. Looking closer I see that one file in the package explorer has a little sqaure 'x' by it. If I delete that file it works perfectly, but I want that .9.png to be in there. Any clues on why this would happen? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the great tutorial by the way. After you edit so many .9.png's you get a little used to it and it's really easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats usually caused by a bad 9patch. The 1px marquee around the real image can only contain full transparent pixels our full opaque pixels (the patch guides).
Open your png with gimp/photoshop/whatever and look into that area to see if there's something painted.
athanos said:
Ok. So, everything was going great, but I ran into a problem. I am able to edit my .9.png's just fine. However, when I "export unsigned android application" in Eclipse I get an error that the package does not exist. Looking closer I see that one file in the package explorer has a little sqaure 'x' by it. If I delete that file it works perfectly, but I want that .9.png to be in there. Any clues on why this would happen? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the great tutorial by the way. After you edit so many .9.png's you get a little used to it and it's really easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you look at the errors it will tell you which file is bad and even if it's the top, bottom or sides that have a bad pixel in the border.
if someone want to help me how to do this on msn pleas PM me , im noob on eclipse
Why is the Eclipse part needed? I have no problem compiling my apk without doing that.
This thread is quite old. Apktool (my signature) is able to properly decode 9.png files - it adds borders where they should really be. Don't waste your time on adding them by hand.
can you be more precisly?
how to handle for example with the genie.widget?
there are 3 9.pngs included which i want to edit....
pa.pn2 said:
can you be more precisly?
how to handle for example with the genie.widget?
there are 3 9.pngs included which i want to edit....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you would do each 1 as presented earlier.
copy all 3 to main workspace used for eclipse and export unsigned.
then you need to replace the .pngs within the widget.
if its not a system ul most likely have to sign the app aswel.
may have to look around for how to do this
Someone correct me if I am wrong.
But I came upon this piece:
osdir.com/ml/Android-Developers/2011-01/msg00529.html
The format is standard PNG. Build tools add a custom chunk containing patch data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you still need to patch the .9.png and that is done as one part of the build process. (step 6)
Is there a more direct way of doing it?
dabicho said:
So you still need to patch the .9.png and that is done as one part of the build process. (step 6)
Is there a more direct way of doing it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, aapt is only one tool, which does borders -> 9patch chunk conversion and it always works on a whole project, not single PNG. But it should be quite easy to create such tool - I've already done 9patch -> borders converter in apktool.
Much easier way to compile 9patch without Eclipse. Post #11.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=816412&page=2
cloverdale said:
3.) In your computer terminal enter draw9patch (assuming you added /tools to your path, otherwise in the terminal navigate to /tools in the AndroidSDK and enter draw9patch). Possible Issue: If draw9patch comes up blank with no menu, you do not have Java 1.6 set as default. Fix this via sudo update-java-alternatives -s java-6-sun in the terminal (or something similar for your system).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what if it doesnt come up at all?????
I have everything installed the way it should :
Android SDK (updated)
Eclipse
ADT Plugin
Java SDK 1.6
Here is the message that I get on my terminal (using mac)
Code:
imad-zianis-macbook-2:tools Juevani$ ./draw9patch
Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-0" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/jdesktop/swingworker/SwingWorker
at com.android.draw9patch.Application$1.run(Application.java:48)
at java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(InvocationEvent.java:209)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:461)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:269)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:190)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:184)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:176)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:110)
imad-zianis-macbook-2:tools Juevani$
Check this out for swingworker-
www.google.com/m/url?channel=new&cl...8QFjAD&usg=AFQjCNGOD3KbL8SfFArOUOHWRzT0CQZezg
dully79 said:
Check this out for swingworker-
www.google.com/m/url?channel=new&cl...8QFjAD&usg=AFQjCNGOD3KbL8SfFArOUOHWRzT0CQZezg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You sir are a life saver thx alot
Ok, I just can't figure this out. I am going insane trying to figure this out. this is what I got so far:
I've installed the Eclipse, SDK, java, ADT etc....
I managed to modd my images with photoshop and put it through Draw9patch and managed to save my images to the folder of the app I was modifying. I opened up Eclipse and did the steps of: File\New\android project\ create project from existing source. and the part where you should use the default path for the directory. I can't seem to get to the end where I can pick "finish" to move on to the editing.
I did something different and managed to get the 9 pngs normal wthout stripes or marks and into a Res folder.
Ok, the part where you have to Export it is the sticky part. Can you please break down that section a bit more detailed. I got it to Unsigned App Package and I put the apk file on my phone all of a sudden my app was gone on the phone....Ok I modded the calculator with my images and can't seem to get installed.
johnny quest said:
Ok, I just can't figure this out. I am going insane trying to figure this out. this is what I got so far:
I've installed the Eclipse, SDK, java, ADT etc....
I managed to modd my images with photoshop and put it through Draw9patch and managed to save my images to the folder of the app I was modifying. I opened up Eclipse and did the steps of: File\New\android project\ create project from existing source. and the part where you should use the default path for the directory. I can't seem to get to the end where I can pick "finish" to move on to the editing.
I did something different and managed to get the 9 pngs normal wthout stripes or marks and into a Res folder.
Ok, the part where you have to Export it is the sticky part. Can you please break down that section a bit more detailed. I got it to Unsigned App Package and I put the apk file on my phone all of a sudden my app was gone on the phone....Ok I modded the calculator with my images and can't seem to get installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do it this way:
1) get the .9.png files from the apk
2) redo the patches using draw9patch, save as .9.png
3) "compile" (process) the edited .9.png files with xeudoxus's xUltimate Draw9Patch Compiler. get it from here
4) put the processed .9.png files back in the apk
The compiler removes the 1 pixel border defining the patches that are stretchable and puts that info in the png as metadata (not 100% sure where)
Okay, i need a little help, I try to add a 9.png to a sample app in eclipse so i can export it and have it show up corectly, however i get this error everytime i move the file into a drawable folder-
Description Resource Path Location Type
Unparsed aapt error(s)! Check the console for output. com_example_android_softkeyboard Unknown Android ADT Problem
This also makes it so i cannot export the apk, I have been reading and searching for a long time, but have no success.
I've followed the thread on how to edit 9.pngs also found on xda but i seem to have a problem not mentioned.
Any Help?
Shooot, i thought i was in a diffreent section my bad! Please move this!
How many other .9.png's do you have in that drawable folder? I found that if I had too many in one of the sample apk's that it would not compile. I finally just started a new one, and it hasn't let me down.
I only add one extra 9png file into the folder along with the already existing files in the folder (its a sample fromthe 2.1 sdk)
That error usually means that you have more than two stretching points on either the top of left side of the .9.png borders. Anything over two seperate points will seriously cause errors and won't let you compile. Fix it. and it'll compile.
Because you are making an app its different if you have never used it before check out draw9patch.bat in the SDK tools im sure google android wiki has something on it.
Best way to mod .9.png's is to just use the orig image and copy and paste your new stuff over old. I have been working with alot of .9.png images and this is easiest way to get around problems.
If you continue to have issues try compiling what you have without your mods maybe its the project itself.
[Guide] Learn To Theme Part 1: Everything you need to get started
So you want to theme android.
Don't know where to start.
This should help.
***This is written going in step with editing a theme for the Samsung Epic 4g, but the principle can be applied to any android phone, granted there will be differences in phones***
First off you are going to need the basic tools:
7zip - http://www.7zip.com
Gimp - http://www.gimp.org/downloads/
Second off you need a general understanding of what you are about to do.
The majority of files you are going to edit will be found within framework-res.apk. This is a file located inside of the folders system/framework inside of a rom. A rom of course is a collection of files which combines into your operating system.
To get to the framework-res.apk file you will need 7zip, it's like winzip but is real quick for themeing.
http://www.7-zip.org/download.html
7zip will see any file named *.apk as a file named *.zip. With WinRar, Winzip, and others you have to rename the apk file .zip edit it, and rename it back to .apk. With 7zip this is not necessary. All you have to do is right click a file and choose 7zip-Open archive.
So you have your rom downloaded onto your desktop or in a folder you set up as the root of your themeing.
On my PC I have a folder inside of User/Documents/ called Themes
I also theme for the Samsung Moment so I have all my themes labeled inside of there:
(My folder looks as follows)
Epic Green Mayan Theme
DE03 Stock Theme Template
DI18 Stock Theme Template
Epic Files
Pink Life Moment
Pink Life Epic
Mayan Green Moment
Epic Black Hole
First and foremost, you really need a Stock *** Theme Template. *** being whatever version your phone is running.
The stock theme template serves a number of purposes. First, it is deodexed. This means that all of the files in system/ and system/framework that have the .odex extention are deleted and the stock apps that are included on your phone by default are replaced with files that have been full deodexed files.
This is essential for themeing because if they weren't deodexed, either your apps would ForceClose when you reboot after themeing or they will dissappear from your laucher tray and desktop, meaning essential they are deleted by the phone.
Another good thing about a stock theme template is that it deodexes your phone from an update zip so you can theme the stock rom your running instead of having to install another rom simply to apply a theme.
Download your stock theme template for the Epic 4G here for EC05
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1042386
So lets begin here.
Open your folder on your PC that holds your theme. For me it will be Users/Documents/Themes/NewTheme
Inside of that folder (COPY) your stock theme template to this folder. You will want an original theme template to remain inside of it's own folder cause obviously you are going to edit the one inside of New Theme folder.
Stock_DI18_Theme_Template.zip
Now rename stock_DI18_Theme_Template.zip to the name of your new theme.
NewTheme.zip
Now right click the .zip file and choose 7zip-Open Archive.
Double Click on the folder labeled "system" to Open it.
Double Click on the folder labeled "framework" to Open it
Here you will notice several files including one called framework-res.apk.
Inside your theme folder /Themes/New Theme/ create another folder called framework.
Drag and drop the file framework-res.apk into the framework folder.
Right click on framework-res.apk and choose 7zip-Open Archive.
Double click on the folder labeled "res"
Now you will notice several folders. On the Epic 4g the main one you want is called Drawable-Hdpi
Drag and drop this folder into the same folder you created called framework.
Open this folder and browse around. There are many images in here that your phone pulls in various locations. The first thing I like to do doing this on a new phone is to play with my phone and at the same time look in this folder and try to locate the same files I'm looking on the phone itself. You'll begin to see similarities inside of the drawable-hdpi folder for instance files that begin with the label sys_stat_*_* usually show up in your status bar. The rest you will learn over time.
You will also come across two main file types. The first is .png and the second is .9.png. This write up will not cover those, coming in the future.
A popular start for most people is wanting to alter the status bar. This is an easy one or so it seems.
navigate into the drawable-hdpi inside of the framework folder located /Themes/NewThemes/framework
scroll down until you find a file named status_bar_background.9.png
Since it's a .9.png you already know we can't edit it yet. The reason is the .9.png files are pictures that might hold more then one place on the phone and most probably will be portrait and landscape. The status bar is one size on portrait mode, but when you flip your phone into landscape, it has to stretch to fit the screens. In order to stretch a picture and retain it's looks, a tool called draw9patch in the android sdk is used to show you your image in 3 different stretch modes. Your goal is to set the guidlines on what must be retained at each zoom. After you add these guidlines on the picture, they show up in the picture. You have to program the guidelines inside of the picture and remove them from being displayed. That is done by a program called Eclipse. (Use version 3.5) But all this will come into play later don't rush out and get confused because familiarizing yourself the basic pictures and colors found in framework-res.apk is your current goal. Just because you have no idea what you are doing with the .9.png files doesn't mean you can't change the color of the status bar though. The next best thing is to "borrow" one from a theme that exists so you can get a feel for modding some files. The only one you can't use from another theme is the clear status bar. That has to be done in xml files as well and for now were sticking to the basics. Here's what you do. Find the theme that holds the status bar you like. To make sure you preserve all the files the way they need to be it's best to make a whole new folder in the theme folder called whatever theme you plan to use as a donor /Themes/Donor Theme/. Open the theme zip with 7zip open archive. Navigate to res (double click) and framework. Make another folder inside /donor theme/ called framework. Drag and drop the framework-res.apk. Open this file in 7zip and drag and drop drawable-hdpi into the framework folder. Now open it and scroll down to the status_bar_background you intend to borrow. (Right about now it's not wize to have your windows of "my computer" open full screen you can do this a lot easier with two open explorers side by side swapping files). Side by side, open the drawable-hdpi folders in both theme folders, /New Theme/ and /Donor Theme/. Drag the status bar from the donor theme into the folder for the new theme. Microsoft will give you **** about it choose copy and replace and your done. Now to get this change back in the theme is pretty easy. Your drawable-hdpi folder inside /Themes/New Theme/framework is where you will alter the pictures, framework-res.apk is where your going to put it. In your framework folder is the original framework-res.apk If you closed the instance of 7zip where you had framework-res.apk for new theme open, you need to right click and re-open it. Double click on /res and open it. Drag and drop the drawable-hdpi into the open archive NewTheme.zip where all the other drawable folders are. Make sure not to copy it IN one of those other drawable folders. It will overwrite the one thats already there automatically. Now, you have to stick that framework-res.apk back into NewTheme.zip before your ready to flash it from recovery. First close the 7zip instance of framework-res.apk. Right click and open NewTheme.zip double click on system/framework/. Now drag and drop the framework-res.apk from /New Theme/framework into NewTheme.zip. Your done, now flash the NewTheme.zip in recovery and see how it worked.
Any other file you choose to edit, the steps will be the same. Edit the image in drawable-hdpi, drag it into framework-res.apk, drag framework-res.apk into the theme /res/framework/ folder. You will be doing this a lot.
That's it for part 1. This will give you enough to play with and familiarize you with the images used by most any android phone. If this were a samsung moment you would be doing all of this editing inside the same file structure except in framework-res.apk /res folder you would be editing a folder called drawable-mpdi.
Part two will be out soon enough. I'll go more in dept inside the framework-res.apk/twframework-res.apk
[Guide] Learning to Theme: Required Tools
How To Theme
Required Tools
First off this is the very 1st guide in my line of theme guides. This one is just to reference you to the required tools, and instructions on how to set them up since it can be a little tricky. The link at the bottom is for guide 1, what to do with these tools now that you have them. At the bottom of that guide is link to a two part Putting the tools to use covering editing images in framework and .9.png files.
Grab you some tools:
Gimp:
www.gimp.org
7zip:
http://www.7-zip.org/download.html
Java6:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html
scroll down and select (under Java Platform, Standard Edition, JDK 6 Update 22) Download JDK
Download and install with the on screen instructions.
Android SDK:
http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing.html
Notice the instructions on Step 2. Downloading the SDK Starter Package.
It says "On Windows, right-click on My Computer, and select Properties. Under the Advanced tab, hit the Environment Variables button, and in the dialog that comes up, double-click on Path (under System Variables). Add the full path to the tools/ directory to the path."
This means if you extracted the folder called android-sdk-windows inside the zip you downloaded @ C:\android-sdk-windows, then when you go to add the path (there will already be other values in your path, type a ";" behind the last one and type in c:\android-sdk-windows\tools
this means you can call any of those scripts inside of android-sdk-windows\tools by typing them at the c:\ in command prompt.
For example, if you did not do this, and you wanted to use adb, you have to open the command prompt and type the following
C:\>
C:\>cd android-sdk-windows\tools
C:\android-sdk-windows\tools>
C:\android-sdk-windows\tools>adb ***
After adding the tools folder to path you can do the following
C:\>
C:\>adb ***
APK Manager 4.9 (Latest Version):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=695701
There is a video on the page as well to give you an overview of how to work it.
I downloaded the zip, created a folder at the c:\ drive called apk manager. Opened the archive (apkmanager4.9.zip) highlighted all the folders and the bat file, drag and dropped them into the folder located at C:\apk manager\.
Eclipse 3.5:
http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/release/galileo/r
This is called Eclipse galileo download the one called Eclipse Classic
Once again you extract this file into a folder on your computer like you did with APK Manager. I created the folder @ C:\eclipse\
Now navigate to this website to learn how to add the adroid sdk into eclipse to have it ready when we are going to need it.
http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing.html
Note the android SDK download at the top, you should already have this. Read right below where it instructs you to add that into eclipse.
Start out like this. Open Eclipse now that it is installed. It's the icon in the eclipse folder that looks like a purple planet. With Eclipse open on your screen click on Window in the tool bar at the top. Click on Help-Install new software. The box that appears, it says "type or select a site" ignore this text input box and go straight to click "Add" button. When it comes up name it Eclipse Plugins and in the field where you put the web address, type the following: https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/ . Click on the box next to developers tools and click next at the bottom. This will install what is called Android SDK and AVD Manager. Eclipse will probably need to restart to add the plugin to the menu list. Alternatively, if you get errors doing this there is a problem with you computer connecting to the secure server (in the web address you typed https: note the S at the end. If, for any reason you do get errors, simply go back to Help-Install New Software, and this time put in the web address field http://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/ When eclipse opens back up, click on Window and select "Android SDK and AVD Manager". Now your screen should look like the pictures in the link.
Now Eclipse Should be upgraded.
After following this all the software should be installed to work on themes.
Next Guide Below
Click My thanks button below
Meta Morph tutorial
by Dreamsforgotten
This is a primer in using MetaMorph on the Samsung Epic, at the time of writing I'm using a froyo leak with the Bonsai 2.0.1 rom so MetaMorph being a little buggy for us now will probably clear up when official is out. The bottom of the guide addresses what I'm talking about.
Create a folder on your desktop. Call it froyo (or whatever).
Inside that folder make one called framework-res (don't put the .apk)
Inside that folder put the folders you need to edit example
If I want to change the images in drawable-hdpi, make the folders like this
froyo/framework-res/res/drawable-hdpi
so inside the froyo folder create "framework-res". Inside framework-res create "res". Inside res create "drawable-hdpi". It follows the same structure as apk manager when you decompile. If you want to edit the styles.xml, that gets recompiled into resources.arsc. If you are in apk manager and you goto projects, you'll see unsignededitedframework-res, open it and right inside you'll see resources.arsc, androidmanifest.xml, res, meta inf, etc. So to MetaMorph the resources.arsc, your NEW resources.arsc goes into
froyo/framework-res/
Do this for any .jar or .apk file, create your folder structure and put only the new files into the folder, you don't have to flash an entire drawable-hdpi folder only the files you are changing.
Next thing you need to do is make a xml file that tells metamorph what files your editing and links the folders you created to that file. Do that like this:
Inside the froyo folder, create a text file. Either open Notepad and save the file into this folder or right click choose new file, text file. Set your .xml file up like this:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<themename>Crystalline Froyo</themename> <--You can call this whatever
<themeversion>2.1</themeversion> <--Number that whatever number you want
<screenshot></screenshot> <--include a screenshot if you like. put the screen in /froyo and type the file name here
<author>Dreamsforgotten</author> <--your name
<authorweblink>http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=2551535</authorweblink>
<phone>Samsung Epic</phone>
<rom>Bonsai 2.0.1</rom>
<themedescription>UI Improvements for Crystalline Froyo</themedescription>
<item>framework-res.apk</item>
<path>/system/framework/</path>
<description>**** a Reboot Required</description>
Now the line right above this <item, path, description> You have to follow this for any folder your updating. Notice in the <item> space, you put the actual apk name being edited. So here I have <item>framework-res.apk</item> This tells metamorph to put your edits from the folder you named framework-res into framework-res.apk in the same structure as you set up, ie /res/drawable-hdpi or /res/anim whatever it is you might be editing. It's that simple. Now say you wanted to theme the market. You can use metamorph to theme system apps, but NOT market apps!!!!!! You would do this
<item>vending.apk</item> <--name of APK
<path>/system/app/</path <--path to the APK
<description>Market Update</item> <--whatever you like for descripton
You would put somewhere inside the xml as well. You can put the instructions for MetaMorph to flash in any order you like, You can theme apks first, framework-res first, however you like, BUT its good practice to put the framework-res last because it causes a reboot and anything behind it won't flash. Samsung devices pay attention, TWframework-res and framework-res both require a reboot, so you have to have two separate metamorph zips.
Now, moving along. You have your xml file with all the fields written properly, you have your folder structure set up you just need to do two more things. Inside your original froyo folder on your PC, create a blank text file. Name it .nomedia that (dot).nomedia don't forget the period. This tells media scanner not to add all your images from this zip into your gallery. It's very important. Now the final step, zipping it all up to flash. Whatever you chose to name that xml file for example I used this on the last one I created. crystalline2.1.xml This was the name of my theme control file (the .xml file inside of froyo) so your zip file HAS to be named the same exact thing. If your xml is theme.xml, then your zip has to be theme.zip. If your xml file is theme1.2.xml then your zip file has to be theme.1.2.zip. It will error if the zip and xml file don't match. That's it copy it to your SD card under AndroidThemes, open MetaMorph and apply!
Keep in mind MetaMorph has a 500 file limit and gets buggy when you push it toward the 500 mark. Break large themes into 2-3 different files if you must. You already have to have two separate flashes for our two frameworks on the Epic so you might as well split the images between the two anyway.
One last note on MetaMorph on the Epic. I'm using the latest and I noticed sometimes you open it and it closes right back, or you go to extract a new theme and it closes. Seems that the free version has issues with displaying the ads (which could be due to the host file on Bonsia I'm running, not sure, but when you open MetaMorph, give it time for the ads to load before hitting the start checks button. If the ads at the top and bottom of the app don't load soon, and it doesn't close on its own, proceed. If you give it time for the ads to load and it crashes, just open it right back up. Sometimes it takes me 2-3 times opening MM to get it to stay on the screen but after it does, the flash goes smooth every time.
[GUIDE] Learning to Theme: Putting the tools to use
APK Manager:
This is one of my favorite programs it makes the whole process smoother imo.
Navigate your harddrive to c:\apk manager\ or wherever you extracted the progam to.
Grab the framework-res.apk from a theme template/rom/etc.. and drop it in the folder called "place here for modding"
Double click on Script.bat. Leave the apk manager window with the folders (where Script.bat is) open.
Look into the second section called "Advanced tasks Such As Code Editing
Type "9" to decompile apk
Immediately type 11 to recompile apk (This step is because I have ran across framework-res.apk's before that wouldn't recompile even if no changes were made and this could save you some time down the road.
Minimize the window, Maximize the apk manager window
Open the folder called projects
Open the folder called framework-res.apk
Open the folder called res
Here is where there are plenty of files you can edit. These are the XML files that control the look and behavior of android. If you are lost at this point, lets work on a file together to get the feel for what is possible in here. Scroll down and click on the folder called "values" and open it. Inside you will find a file called colors.xml. Right click on the file and choose open with and choose notepad if you have nothing else that works as a basic text editor. Me personally, I use Notepad++. It's a free download. Either way once it is opened, you will see many values that look like this:
(This is not stock Epic colors.xml file so don't be confused)
#ffb97f7d
#ffffffff
#ff000000
#00000000
#ff000000
#ffffffff
These are text colors for your primary and secondary text on your phone, as well as background highlight colors.
Note Background_dark background_light. That is the background color so if it is the same as your text colors you won't be able to see the text. I made this mistake before so you can change every text color in this file but leave the backgrounds alone, or use a color your text will show up on.
#ffb97f7d
#ffb97f7d
#ffb97f7d
#ff64917d
#ff64917d
#ff64917d
#ff64917d
#ff808080
Here, the color name=" describes the text, the "#ffb97f7d" is actual code for the color.
So if you want to change this color, where do you get the codes from?
Easiest way for me is to use the color chooser in Gimp, when you pick a color, either background or foreground, it will show you the hex value on the screen. But remember that the color codes Gimp gives you hold 6 places ie #000000. The values in the xml files hold 8, so when you compile there will be an error. That is because the first two places describe transparency. You need to add "FF" in front of any value you get from Gimp. So if the code in Gimp is 000000 in the xml file you need to put #ff000000. Always start the code with a "#".
Now the question is what text is described by dim_foreground_dark? Two ways to find out. Change it, compile it, flash it. Or dig around the "out" folder in apk manager and look for text xmls. The next one is located in /apk manager/projects/framework-res.apk/res/color
You will see primay_text_(dark)(dark_disable_only)(dark_focused)(dark_nodisable)(light)(light_disable_only)(light_focused)(light_nodisable)
Search_url_text
secondary_text_(dark)(dark_nodisable)(light)(light_nodisable)
tab_indicator_(text)(textv4)
and a few more. You can open each of these xml files and see what's inside. We'll use primary_text_dark.xml as an example. Right click and edit with notepad++
Take a look at this line in the code:
android:color=" (this tells the xml what color to display. The @color tells where to pull the value from. So you either find color.xml like we did above and edit the field bright_foreground_dark_disabled to render the color your after, or you can simply put the hex color code right here bypassing the need to look up @color(color.xml). It would look like this if you did that. and the "#ff000000" would give this text color the value of black. Instead if you had used the color "#ffffffff" you would get the color white.
Here note android:color in the code. That's because some of the values are for text, and some are for background. In the text lines elsewhere, as seen below, we will use android:textColor instead.
Now this is all general text colors. If you want to edit status bar text, both in the status bar, and when it's expanded, you'll need to dig in a different folder. Navigate to this folder in apk manager on your c:\ drive. C:\apk manager\projects\framework-res.apk\res\layout. You are looking for the following file called status_bar.xml.
Keep in mind when your looking through these xml files, you will see this value in a lot of fields "android:id="@id/icons" or something similar. These are keys to what you are editing. The first line you might want to edit in status_bar.xml would be line #13 which looks like this:
The only thing that's important on this line is @id/tickerText which tells you a color value here would let you change the color of the ticker text. The ticker text is the text that pops up in the status bar for things like a text message being recieved, and if your phone is set that way, the content of your text message.
There is just one problem here. In most lines where you can edit color you will see this already in the line android:textColor="********" and that value is NOT in the ticker text line. But being that this is a text view line because the id is ticker text, you can add the value android:textColor in right before the words "android:id=". The edited line will look like this:
Learn To Theme Putting The Tools To Use Part 2 .9.pngs
We are going to walk through editing a .9 file and getting it back in place to do this as you read the guide.
Before you begin, check out this video from fxn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNvGgmJDqPQ
Now the guide will get you lined up with the instructions in the video.
Open "my computer" and navigate to C:\apk manager\.
In another window open C:\*\Documents\Themes\
Browse to the folder in Themes that holds your theme template
Right click and Browse your stock di18 theme template or rom.
Navigate to system/framework/
In your apk manager window, open the folder called place here for modding
Click and hold framework-res.apk in your second window which is the 7zip browing the zip file.
Drag the apk into place here for modding folder.
Now you can close the zip file window.
Back out of the place here for modding window and you should be back in the apk manager folder.
Run Script.bat and choose the option "9" and hit enter.
Click open the folder called projects
Click open the folder named framework-res.apk
Click open the folder named drawable-hdpi.
Find the file icon_highlight_rectangle.9.png Pay attention to the screen while your scrolling. Apk manager decompiled all the .9.png files exposing the lines that were used in draw9patch by default.
Right Click the file and choose edit with gimp.
Now in gimp you will see the picture, and the lines drawn in for draw9patch. This will save you time. Edit the picture as you see fit. Change the color, or completely redesign the image. Then when you goto save it, choose file save as. Keep the same file name but save it on your desktop, creating another folder naming it new theme nine files. Save the image.
Open up Eclipse.
Click on file-new-android project
When it Opens, click in the field named Project Name type "nine files"
In the field called "Built Target", choose Android 1.5, click the check box next to it.
In the field called "Application Name" type "ninefiles"
In the field called "Package Name" type "com.example.ninefiles"
No Quotes in any field.
Uncheck the box labeled "Create Activity".
Now your Workspace should be open in eclipse, and on the left pane there should be a folder labeled ninefiles. Double click on it and it will expand a folder tree. Look for res. Then click it if it's not expanded as well. Look for drawable. There will be a file in there called icon.png. Leave that file alone. Now on your desktop, open the folder called new theme nines. Click, drag and drop the edited icon_highlight_rectangle.9 file right into that drawable folder in eclipse. You are skipping using draw9patch because the lines were there from the start.
Now go back to the parent folder in Eclipse, the one labaled ninefiles where all the other folders come from. Right click on it and choose android tools all the way near the bottom. Then slide over and choose export unsigned application. This will bring up the save prompt on your screen, choose the desktop once again, and export it. It will show a message about the export and telling you to zip align it and sign it with a device key. Ignore all this, your just using Eclipse to target that .9.png. Keep in mind every time you open Eclipse now, it will show you the workspace with ninefiles. Expand the folders, delete the last image you used Eclipse to work on and add new ones in, bypassing the need to create a new android project each time.
Lets say your new .9.png image is nothing like the original and it won't display correctly using the lines on it after decompiling in apk manager. You need to feed the image through draw9patch.bat located in c:\android-sdk-windows\tools\
Double click it and a shell will open, then another one will open on top of it that has a square with a down arrow in it. Save your image from gimp into the folder on the desktop called new theme nines, like you did above. Then Drag and drop the saved image on top of the windows inside the square, and on top the arrow lol.
The picture will be transformed in draw9patch concentrate on the outer edges along the entire image. Bring your mouse over to the left of image around dead center. Click once and draw a pixel. Next go dead center on the top just like you did on the left and draw the 1 pixel. Now expand that line up and down on the left side looking at your 3 preview pictures on your right hand side. If there is no gradient or fade effect to your image the center pixel will be about good enough but if your image fades, expand that line up and down and your 3 previews will give you an idea if you capture it or not. Once you have the left side of the image looking good, begin the same process on the top. Use as little line as possible to have the image looking right. Never have a gap in the line that you draw.
Now focus on the right side and the bottom. The two lines drawn there should be about the size of the entire image minus a few pixels at the very end. You can get the idea from the one you pulled from apk manager and adjust the lines to work on your changes. When your done with draw9patch, click file save 9 patch. It will save in the folder on your desktop. Now drag and drop this image into the drawable folder of Eclipse/ninefiles as described above.
This should be a shortcut to getting you busy with 9 files. Any questions or anything noticed missing, please let me know.
One last bit of advice. Sometimes when you open a file in draw9patch, the image is zoomed in too big and you can't get to the outer edges to draw the top and bottom lines. There is a bar at the bottom of the program that will allow you to zoom in and out of the main image and zoom in more to the 3 preview images. Use these to adjust the image to where you can work with them.
All these introduction guides should get you started, your own drive should take you the rest of the way. I'm not the first to write a theme guide I'm just sharing with the Epic community because the amount of new users who are requesting how to do these things. All my information came from asking questions to those that were theming before me like Khanning, Crake, Chibucks, the list is never ending. Also this list of videos here have helped a lot:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=593932
.9.pgn write up posted.
Just AMAZING thank you so very much...
No problem I hope I wrote it so anyone starting fresh could understand
rjmjr69 said:
Just AMAZING thank you so very much...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do as thou wilt be the whole of the law
I'm really digging these guides as I really want to get into theming and eventually (with any luck!) cooking ROMs. i'm a self made techie and pick things up pretty quick, so I thought theming was a good place to start off.
any chance you'd consider a writeup on extracting a theme from a themed ROM, pitfuls and things to know/watch out for etc... i think that would be a helpful supplement to see how themes are implemented in ROMs and know what certain files affect. maybe even a list of what parts of a theme/ROM are in what files (such as lockscreen i think is android.policy.jar etc...)
thanks again for your time and effort into putting this out there
No doubt, there is definitely more write ups to be done my goal was to get some guides out that just touch on the basics so people who never tried before can begin to get their get wet.
Do as thou wilt be the whole of the law
hey so i wanted to come back and thank you again for these. i've read but havent dived into editing .9.pngs just yet, but i've really been playing with the rest of the stuff to mostly modify existing themes that i like most of, tweaking a bit. its really cool and i cant wait to actually start putting some of my own stuff together. i know the threads havent gotten a lot of love but its appreciated!
Hey, this is amazing, thx so much for it.
I'm running into a prob and wondered if you could assist.
I've already modded (only replaced/changed some png colors on photoshop), and have flashed it successfully to my phone with no problems. However, when I pull the framework res back out, decompile (with no problems), then try to recompile immediately (as instructed), that part seems to fail. It errors, then asks if it is a system apk (yes?)...then creates a temp folder and asks me to delete the resource.asc if I've modded an xml. Even though it errors, I made a change to the strings xml, compiled, with same error, then signed and flashed- it seems to work fine, but the change I made to the xml didn't hold.
any ideas or suggestions?
Thx again so much.
sent from my RAZR
decalex said:
Hey, this is amazing, thx so much for it.
I'm running into a prob and wondered if you could assist.
I've already modded (only replaced/changed some png colors on photoshop), and have flashed it successfully to my phone with no problems. However, when I pull the framework res back out, decompile (with no problems), then try to recompile immediately (as instructed), that part seems to fail. It errors, then asks if it is a system apk (yes?)...then creates a temp folder and asks me to delete the resource.asc if I've modded an xml. Even though it errors, I made a change to the strings xml, compiled, with same error, then signed and flashed- it seems to work fine, but the change I made to the xml didn't hold.
any ideas or suggestions?
Thx again so much.
sent from my RAZR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i "think" thats because you are recompiling edited images. i think thats what he mentions elsewhere in these threads, always compile with stock images, then drag and drop your edited images. so you probably want to start with a stock framework, not one that already has edited images in it. i'm learning too though so dont quote me.
EDIT: hey dreamsforgotten, getting an error exporting: Failed to export NineFiles: C:\eclipse_workspace\Nine Files\bin\NineFiles.apk doesn't exist!
EDIT2: looks like somehow my ADB got wiped out from the tools folder so Eclipse couldnt find it, reinstalled, pointed to it in Eclipse preferences, works like a charm.
I think you are correct.. Ive just gotten so far away away from the original.. On my (own) 5th revision . That's cool though. I did try decompiling and re compiling immediately on an untouched framework, and it did in fact work.
sent from my RAZR
hey i was wondering if you have already posted your 2nd tutorial? If not is there going to be one anytime soon?
dreamsforgotten said:
Where do you go from here?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=817998
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
see above bro! each one has a link to the next, if your a little tech savvy they should be enough to get you started, i learned off of them so if you have any questions feel free to ask!
useruser25 said:
hey i was wondering if you have already posted your 2nd tutorial? If not is there going to be one anytime soon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Noob Questions- I'm new to theming but i catch on very quick. I just have a few questions tho..I'm running on the Midnight ROM (CWM3)..I like the DK28 Gingerbread Theme 1.8 but would like to change the text colors a lil..So I Decomplied and recompile with zero errors..i ended up with a smaller file and it was named unsignedframework-res.apk..So i changed the name to framework-res.apk and put it back into the DK28 Gingerbread Theme zip so that i could flash it..I tryd to flash it in CWM3 but it told me it was aborted bc it was a bad file..so my two questions are how to get a theme to be CWM3 compatible and what im a doing wrong when it comes to decompiling and recompiling? Any advice would be greatly appreciated Thanks in advance
Noob Questions- I'm new to theming but i catch on very quick. I just have a few questions tho..I'm running on the Midnight ROM (CWM3)..I like the DK28 Gingerbread Theme 1.8 but would like to change the text colors a lil..So I Decomplied and recompile with zero errors..i ended up with a smaller file and it was named unsignedframework-res.apk..So i changed the name to framework-res.apk and put it back into the DK28 Gingerbread Theme zip so that i could flash it..I tryd to flash it in CWM3 but it told me it was aborted bc it was a bad file..so my two questions are how to get a theme to be CWM3 compatible and what im a doing wrong when it comes to decompiling and recompiling? Any advice would be greatly appreciated Thanks in advance
I haven't made a cwm3 zip yet but for a short cut you can find a theme created for it and copy the files from your theme in leaving the meta inf folder alone. I've noticed in the past as well when I recompile the file gets smaller and smaller according to the pc but that end up flashing all the same. Hope that helps.
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chris378 said:
Noob Questions- I'm new to theming but i catch on very quick. I just have a few questions tho..I'm running on the Midnight ROM (CWM3)..I like the DK28 Gingerbread Theme 1.8 but would like to change the text colors a lil..So I Decomplied and recompile with zero errors..i ended up with a smaller file and it was named unsignedframework-res.apk..So i changed the name to framework-res.apk and put it back into the DK28 Gingerbread Theme zip so that i could flash it..I tryd to flash it in CWM3 but it told me it was aborted bc it was a bad file..so my two questions are how to get a theme to be CWM3 compatible and what im a doing wrong when it comes to decompiling and recompiling? Any advice would be greatly appreciated Thanks in advance
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You can't decompile and recompile a framework with different images. The .9s will show funny
You need a edify script for cwm 3
Sent From Da Hood.
ok... status_bar_close_on_cust.9.png
i believe i have followed all the guides i have seen correctly. sorry. i've been stuck on this for almost 4 hours.
i opened the apk in 7zip, exported the image.
removed the 9 from the file name
edited the png in PS
opened draw9patch,
added the full bottom and right side lines.
added the 2 dots i need on top and made the leftside work after eclipse failure
did the eclipse project thing
pulled new status_bar_close_on_cust.9.png from the eclipse created apk
opened framework-res.apk in 7zip again
i tried both..
- deleting the original image and then adding the new to the archive
- drag-drop the new image thus replacing the original
resign the rom's zip
when i install on system i get the bootloop with each loop getting shorter.
i have tried converting framework-res.apk to a zip, resigning it, and then back to an apk
i know this is a much descussed subject on this forum and all the other's i googled looking for the missing step or something i'm doing wrong
i have tried apkmanager, apktools, shorter suggested methods i've seen, and full drawn out methods.
i dont know if i'm messing something up in the png edit, the draw9patch, eclipse, signing or not the apk, or somewhere else.
i've tried pulling a logcat/boot.log from the device but i get some sort of error. i dont know if it's not creating one or i'm trying to pull it from the wrong place.
i'm sure a ton of you guys have had this happen to you. please offer some advice
Do you get an error when importing into eclipse? If so what does it say?
im sorry shoulda clarified that. originally i failed to put the patches on the left side. it failed when trying to make the apk. put thos there and the apk was created. my proplem is with the framework-res.apk i guess.
i put it back in the rom, sign it, and boot-loops.
i guess it has something to do with adding the image to the framework-res.apk. apparently it doesnt like the new image, so to speak. i have tried finding out how to re-build the framework-res.apk, to no avail. hell, i may be using the wrong terminology when searching. at this point, i have no idea.
If i change any images i use metamorph, free from the market. You dont need to sign and flash full apk's, just the files that need changing, a lot quicker and easier.
You could create your ***.9.png as a full size png and remove the 9 patch data, eg. instead of having a 5x32.9png make it 320x32.png(depending on your resolution).
In fact come to think of it ive never seen the "status_bar_close_on_cust.9.png" on my screen, just "status_bar_close_on.9.png".
EDIT: If you've used apktool or other to decompile, crop the the edges by 1 pixel each side, this will remove the 9 patch data, edit your image, then use your draw9 tool, and recompile with eclipse.
You may have been adding another 1 pixel 9patch border to the already existing 9patch border, hope that makes sense.
this is the custom pull down notification bar in gingerfly-1.7.0 based on cm6.1 i believe with some gingerbread looks.
This is how I do it:
1. Extract image from framework-res.akp. You can right click on the framework > 7-zip > open archive and extract the image this way or just extract the whole apk.
2. Edit the image. Open the image in Photoshop and do what you want. Don't worry if you don't have the border. Save the image as a .png file.
3.Add the border. Open draw9patch and add the image. A border for the dots should be created automatically so just do what you need to do and save it as the same file name. It should automatically change the file type to .9.png.
4. Compile the image.9.png. Download the file attached. In the zip, you should see a file called 'xUltimate-d9pc' and a folder called 'Original'. Put the image into the folder 'drawable inside 'res' inside 'Original'. Then open the file named 'xUltimate-d9pc' and wait. When it has finished, there should be a new folder and inside should be the compiled image.
5. Replace the image in framework. Right click framework-res.apk > 7-zip > open archive. Drag the new image into the framework, make sure you have the same file name. You shouldn't need to sign it.
Now you should have a framework-res.apk working with no problem.
I'm not sure if it will work for a custom rom as I use the framework-res.apk from my X10
Hope this helps.
that worked! thanks much!!! the one step i did add to this is to re-sign the rom. i have had nothing but problems anytime i have not signed it after making any changes. it may be an un-needed step, but it worked. thanks again!!!
Can I bump this real quick?
This is my first post here and I'm sorry if I shouldn't bump this thread but my problem is closely related and I hope someone out there knows what I'm doing wrong.
First things first, I'm using the EVO, that's probably important information.
I just flashed Warm Z TwoPointTwo and I love it, except... I really want the vanilla lockscreen. No problem, right? Just rename or delete HtcLockScreen.apk and you're good to go.
That works, and the vanilla lock screen appears upon hot reboot, but the images aren't right; they are all transparent in Warm Z. I have been trying basically all day to get the stock images back into framework-res.apk and nothing has worked; I bootloop every time.
The images are jog_tab_* except that the images in MY framework-res.apk have for example jog_tab_bar_left_end_confirm_gray.png (for all of the left and right end confirm images), whereas the AOSP framework-res.apk has 9patches for all of those.
I've tried deleting the jog_tab_* images in mine and placing in the ones from AOSP, I've tried placing the AOSP images in alongside the ones already in my copy, but nothing works.
I've tried apktool, apk manager, xultimate... I've read about 25 xda threads on this and tried every new suggestion. It bootloops no matter what I do. I think I'm missing something.
I've done the 7zip replacement without re-signing, I've re-signed, I've done xultimate with compression 0, and I've tried creating my own metamorphs. Something about Warm Z is conflicting with the vanilla images, but I'm too inexperienced in themes and the Android OS to know what's up.
Perhaps Warm Z changes definitions elsewhere as to which images are used, or perhaps something else isn't lining up properly with the vanilla lockscreen code. I hope someone out there knows what on earth I'm talking about.