Database Develop

I Need Helping Making A Custom update.zip

So I guess my question is, "Can anyone help me?"
I used custom ringtones, and I don't like using them from the SD card, it creates lag, takes longer to load the ringtone, etc, so I keep them on my /system/media folder. Normally to accomplish this, when I install a new ROM update, I edit it and resign it, with my media folder, rather than the ROM's.
My predicament however, is that I don't know how to change the file structure for the update, I know there are files in the update that say, this and this folder exist, where this goes, etc. This is what I don't know how to do.
All I need the update to do is contain the media (/system/media) folder, so I can just add all my ringtones and notifications to this update, and flash it after I flash whatever update/rom, etc, instead of always having to be at my computer to create a custom version of every rom I use.
Could anyone please care to help? I'd be ever grateful.

You can use the attached file.
Just edit the files in the ROM
zip it
put the zipped ROM in the same folder as the attached files
run sign.bat
FLASH

ID# said:
You can use the attached file.
Just edit the files in the ROM
zip it
put the zipped ROM in the same folder as the attached files
run sign.bat
FLASH
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is this just to be used for signing? i already know how to sign files. i need someone to edit w/e files are inside the rom that tell its structure (this folder exists, and gets flashed here, this folder goes here, etc). i cant just take a cm rom and delete everything i dont need then flash it. it will get errors in recovery.

Make a folder called media in the root of your update, and create the proper descending folders in media (i.e. audio/ringtones, etc). Place your notifications/ringtones/alarms etc in the proper folders. (I am sure you understand this already)
Open your update-script file for the update and add the line
Code:
copy_dir PACKAGE:media SYSTEM:media
That should do it.
Note that if in the update-script you already have an entire system folder being copied over via
Code:
copy_dir PACKAGE:system SYSTEM:
then you need only add the folder media to the folder /system in the update.

cloverdale said:
Make a folder called media in the root of your update, and create the proper descending folders in media (i.e. audio/ringtones, etc). Place your notifications/ringtones/alarms etc in the proper folders. (I am sure you understand this already)
Open your update-script file for the update and add the line
Code:
copy_dir PACKAGE:media SYSTEM:media
That should do it.
Note that if in the update-script you already have an entire system folder being copied over via
Code:
copy_dir PACKAGE:system SYSTEM:
then you need only add the folder media to the folder /system in the update.
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Click to collapse
Thanks man, but my buddy actually just helped me out with this, but yeah thats exactly what I needed to know. Thanks a ton mate

Ok, quick question for you guys

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.

[GUIDE] How to make mymode themes

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.
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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
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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.

How to safely modify framework-res.apk?

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'

[Guide] Simple guide to theming ANY ROM

A lot of people have asked in various threads lately about getting this theme on x rom, or can someone port this theme for me, etc. It really isn't that hard. It actually is pretty much a simple matter of copying and pasting. This will work on any ROM, and it only takes a few minutes, easy enough for an amateur to do it.
1. First, download the ROM that has the theme that you want on your current ROM.
2. Extract framework-res.apk from /system/framework and rename it to framework-res-old.zip and then right click it, and click extract all. Just extract them to currentdirectory\framework-res-old, which should be the default option anyway.
3. Take your current ROM, and extract framework-res.apk from /system/framework, and repeat step 2 except name it framework-res-new.zip.
4. Browse to the framework-res-old\res folder and select all of the folders starting with "drawable", such as "drawable-mdpi"
5. Browse to the framework-res-new\res folder and paste those folders, it should prompt you to merge and replace files and all that jazz, just click yes and do for the next x conflicts. It will copy and replace all of the image files.
6. Go back to the root of your framework-res-new folder, highlight all of the contents, right click, Send to > Compressed (zipped) archive
7. Windows will re-zip framework-res-new. When it finishes, rename the new zip file to framework-res.apk and push it to /system/framework. If you haven't gotten s-off on your phone, you have to do this while in clockwork recovery (make sure you mount /system in the partitions menu, or if you are s-off and booted, type adb shell mount -o rw,remount /system if it gives you memory errors)
For other operating systems, the steps are similar. If you use a linux distro, I'm going to assume you are smart enough to figure out the compression tools and menu items to unzip and rezip the apk files.
NOTE: You don't actually have to change the extensions to .zip, in fact, you won't be able to unless you unchecked hide known file extensions in the windows folder options in control panel. I just thought it would be easier. If you don't want to unhide extensions, just use a tool like 7-zip or winrar to open and extract the APK. In simple terms, all you are doing is replacing the res folder of your new framework-res.apk with the one from the theme you want. Not very hard.
ANOTHER Note: Sense roms are a bit more difficult to theme, since all of the HTC apps are themed from images in com.htc.resources.apk in /system/framework. But if you are on a sense ROM, you probably can just use a MyModes theme. If you do however choose to try this on a sense ROM, it will only theme user and non-HTC apps. This guide will technically work for any ROM but it works best for AOSP based ROMs, like CyanogenMod or ArayrayMod. The only thing is that if there is a change in the color of text, then you have to decompile both framework-res APKs and copy styles.xml from the old one to your new one and recompile it. APKtool or APK Manager both work great for that.
DO A NANDROID BACKUP BEFORE PUSHING THE NEW FRAMEWORK! Sometimes you can get boot loops from screwing with other files in framework-res, or if it is not signed properly. But you shouldn't get boot loops as long as you stay away from XMLs.

how do i extract an apk? it shows up as an apk and when i click extract it does nothing

Sometimes pushing new frameworks cause boot loops fyi..

Happened to me twice :/
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App

purple1 said:
how do i extract an apk? it shows up as an apk and when i click extract it does nothing
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Click to collapse
Did you try renaming it to framework-res.zip rather than .apk? If you have 7-zip or winrar you can also right click, open with, and choose 7-zip or winrar from the choose default program option.
arayray said:
Sometimes pushing new frameworks cause boot loops fyi..
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Click to collapse
Only if you screw with the non-drawable folders. If you leave the XMLs intact and only change the images it boots fine. The boot loops are caused by incompatible or conflicting XML files, which happens when you just push a random framework-res from another ROM, you have to just move the images over.

I use apkmanager for linux and its immensely helpful. Also you can loop one even without modifying the xmls. Least I have that's why the most important part of theming is knowing how to backup/restore or flash sbf or w/e.

Only if you screw with the non-drawable folders. If you leave the XMLs intact and only change the images it boots fine. The boot loops are caused by incompatible or conflicting XML files, which happens when you just push a random framework-res from another ROM, you have to just move the images over.
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Click to collapse
I think you should state that in the OP

Added a note at the bottom, thanks