[Q] How can I replace folder icons with just text - Galaxy Tab Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Sprint Tab with EF17, *UNROOTED*
I have everything in ten folders, each identified by a 3-letter code. My laptop, phone (HTC Incredible, rooted), and G Tab have the same home screen with the same folders.
I'd like to eliminate the folder icons, retaining only the 3-letter codes. Or, make those icons transparent or invisible.
Object is to simplify the home screen while retaining functionality. In fact, if there's an app-writer out there, how about assigning a spaces on the screen to open folders, eliminating icons and identifiers? Or is there such a thing?
Is there a way?
Thanks!

Maybe something like desktop visualizer will do what you want. In the market.

Related

Theme with multiple clock widgets

Hi, I am currently working on aHome themes and clocks. I got that down but I would like to have the ability to have more than one clock with a theme. Any ideas anybody on how to implement that?
I'm kinda reintroducing myself to Java, its been sometime since I last used it.
Adding more than one clock would require some major edits to the source code in AlarmClock.apk. What would be easier is creating a directory in the sdcard that holds multiple clock files, then incorporating a script in your ROM that will switch out the clocks (using metamorph for example).
He wants to add it to an aHome theme, so he'd have to edit the source for the theme to be able to somehow give the choice of which clock widget you would like, it would be a good amount of editing since the Home Replacements just look for a specific name in the theme and match it to the android source.
The code for adding the widget comes from aHome itself, not the theme though, the theme merely assigns image files to their location in the system. The sdcard idea is probably the easiest way to do it, instead of having it call out the image, it could call out the directory on the sdcard where they are stored.
Thank you for the responses, I figured it would be a little more complicated than just matching a file name. can you put the images in the drawable folder and call them from there?
diggidy said:
Thank you for the responses, I figured it would be a little more complicated than just matching a file name. can you put the images in the drawable folder and call them from there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not without some serious recoding of the source.
Actually the code for the single clocks isn’t that big, kinda figured I could add the extra dial.pngs and duplicate my code. Or something of that nature

[Q] Changing launcher foreground

Trying to customize the bottom ("launcher"?, you know, it has "phone", + and the app list) on htc sense (for now). I've made the background for the launcher transparent but now I want to get rid of the text "Phone". I can't find any image in either framework-res.apk or com.htc.resources.apk that correspond with those foreground icons.
How do I go about changing them? Am I just looking at the wrong set of images or is it time to get into some scripting/layout editing?
And, a much more important question, what's the best resource for me to go about solving future problems like this on my own? Searches don't really turn up good resources (ie, a description of what each folder contains, where to find status bar resources, etc). I'm a rather independant learner but this particular platform is leaving me a little on my knees.

Pure Honeycomb Look for Galaxy Tab

A step-by-step guide to achieve the look:
First of all, a big thanks to GANJDROID for creating/finding the mock widgets (with the exception of the Google Books one, which I did); they really look great! And thanks to everyone on the forums for always trying to be progressive, whether it be with themes or development; everyone’s time and effort are much appreciated.
Ok, on to the guide. Some of you have asked me about my layout, and if you're checking this thread, you probably love the look of Honeycomb as much as I do. This is my attempt to emulate the general look and feel, while braver souls, like Spacemoose1, attempt to port the actual OS over for us. What you’re going to need:
- Patience
- Desktop Visualizer
- LauncherPro Plus
- Signals23's Clear LPP Widget Skin
- One More Clock Collection
- Organized Apps
- Perfect Task Switcher
- Honeycomb Clock
- Pulse News
- Minimalistic Text
- Folder Organizer
- The things in my zip
- More patience
Step 1:
Download the zip and extract the files to your computer or SD card
Step 2:
Clear your LauncherPro homescreens, and go to Preferences => Homescreen Settings, and set both Columns and Rows to 10, making sure that the Auto-Fit option is also checked. This will give you the most screen real estate, if you're not running a custom ROM or messing with the pixel density. I run K-Lean on my Tab, and the density is changed by default (180), so I have a little more room.
Step 3:
Choose a screen to be your default Home screen, and start working from there. First, change the wallpaper to the one I provided. This will give you the “dock bar at the bottom of the screen. Next, create a 2x1 One More Clock widget, with the background toggled off (in the application menu, hit Personalize, and when the window pops up, hit the Menu button, and the toggle visibility key should appear on the screen). Place this widget in the middle of the black dock. Create the same widget on each screen.*If you want to assign a tap action to the widget, go right ahead. I don't use one, so I turned it off.*
Step 4:
Now it's on to the blue indicators. They're obviously just static png images, but with a little help, we can get them to be functional, in a sense. Honeycomb uses a lot of interactive UI, and tapping on these indicators, on the Xoom for instance, will bring up appropriate information. I'm attempting to replicate that functionality as best I can. Grab a snack, a beer, or a smoke, because this is about to get tedious.
Step 5:
Using Desktop Visualizer, create a 1x1 widget. Tap it to bring up the options menu, and select the Choose Image button. Select one of the indicators (either battery or wifi), and it's back to the options menu. Where it asks for assigned task, choose None, and hit Ok, down at the bottom. Repeat this for the second indicator. Next, place the indicators in the bottom right corner; there's going to be a gap between them, and that can be corrected by resizing the wifi button, and dragging it to the right, until the widget box overlaps the battery icon (you'll see when it's right). After this is done, drag your clock widget over to the right as far as you can, and then resize it so it's as close to the wifi icon as possible, without overlapping it.
Step 6:
Now to give those dead icons some life! Long press the homescreen, and scroll down to Minimal Text. Create a 1x1 widget; in the menu, uncheck the background box, and scroll down and press Predefined layout. Select Custom Layout, and then tap the custom layout option in the menu. Long press each of the black boxes, and drag them to the trash can, so you have a blank slate to work with. Next, hit the green button on the right, and select Battery. Now long press, and drag and drop the Battery Level tile into the outlined box. Tap on the black box you just dropped, and select Accented from the drop-down menu that appears. Back out of both menus, and scroll down to the Text Style section and tap Accented adjust the font size to 8 if it's not there already, and back out of the menu. Under Tap Behavior, select Start another activity, and then select Activity directly under it. In the menu that appears, scroll all the way down, until you see Settings start to appear. Scroll through the options until you come to Settings- Battery Info (com.android.settings.BatteryInfo), and select it. You'll be taken back to the main app menu; just click Ok, and exit.
Step 7:
Resize the widget, so it's 1x1, and drag it over to the right, exactly above your battery icon. Now resize it, by dragging it down over the icon. If you did it right, the battery percentage should be just above the icon, and just below the top of the dock.
Step 8:
Creating the wifi widget is similar, except after you toggle the background off, go under the 'Orientation section, and set both the Horizontal block and Horizontal text to the right. From there, create your custom layout, like in step 7, only instead of using the battery percentage, choose the Static text option from the Misc menu. Tap the black box, and when the popup window appears, just throw whatever crap you want in there; we're not going to keep the text, but we need it to actually be able to see where the widget is. Again, choose the Accented option, and check to make sure the font size is at 8. Back out to the main menu, and click Ok. As before, resize your widget to 1x1; drag it over next to the battery widget, and resize it the same way (just drag it down). Once it's resized, tap on it to bring the widget modifications menu back up. Go back to the Custom layout section, and erase the text you put in there. Now, find the tap behavior section, and get into the selection menu; scroll back down to settings, until you come to the group of wifi settings, near the bottom. You're looking, specifically for the Settings- Wi-Fi Settings, with this specific intent, com.android.settings.wifi.AccessPointListDialog. Trust me, it was really annoying to find the right one, but it was worth it IMO. This option does not toggle wifi on and off; what it does (similar to Honeycomb) is display a popup of the wifi connection you're currently on, or a list of in-range wifi signals you can connect to. It doesn't sound like much, but it's this kind of information, and ease of access that 3.0 seems to be built to deliver.
Step 9:
Yep, you guessed it,repeat steps 6-8 on every screen. Patience young Jedi; if you've made it this far, then the Force is indeed strong with you (I have no idea where that came from; it's 6:45AM and I'm tired). Smoke something, eat something, get a drink, it's almost over.
Step 10:
Create a Desktop Visualizer widget 3x1, and select the Google Search widget image from the gallery. The action is...Google Search. Select Clear” from the Title field, and None from the Highlight Style field, and hit ok. Resize the widget by dragging it over one column, and down one row. Place the widget in the upper left corner of your homescreen. I have this widget on every screen, simply to keep with the feel of Honeycomb, so repeat on every screen if desired; if not, no big deal.
Step 11:
Follow the same method and create the Market widget, by selecting the App drawer image, and linking it to the market. Place it as far over in the top right corner as possible. This is a one-screen thing, no need to repeat. However, to complete the feel of having the Apps | + icon, long press in the dock space to the immediate right, and choose Change Shortcut. Scroll through the apps until you come to Organized Apps, and select it. When it asks which icon you want to use, select Custom Icon, and select the + icon from the gallery. You can repeat this on every dock (in the same position), if you use more than one, so that you always have access to the app drawer.
Step 11:
Now for the soft keys; long press the screen and choose Shortcut. Select Applications from the menu, scroll to Perfect Task Switcher, and select it. When the dialog box appears, tap the icon preview, and then select Gallery. Choose the glowing, blue icon that looks like two windows, one behind the other, and click ok. Repeat these steps for each of the three soft keys, linking them to Folder Organizer Labels or other apps. The house, I use for my Performance and Root Tools folder, and the arrow is used for my Productivity and Office folder, just as an example. Repeat the shortcut creation on every screen, and place them in the bottom left of the screen, with the arrow on the far left, then the house, and then the window.
Step 12:
That's pretty much it; you can apply the mock Honeycomb widgets, using Desktop Visualizer, linking them to the appropriate apps, and place and size your favorite LauncherPro widgets wherever you want. You can skin them by accessing Widget Settings, selecting a widget, and selecting a skin from the appropriate menu. There are &ldqu;Honeycomb skins in the market (some free, some paid), but if you check a Xoom layout, you'll see that the widgets don't actually have any edge glow around them; they're semi-transparent. I went with the full-on transparency, and used Signals' Clear skin (.99 i think), but his XTG skin is also pretty nice (it's too dark for this wallpaper though IMO).
If you use folder organizer, you can edit the Folder Skin by accessing preferences. Here's how I did it, and it came out great:
- Title Start: AA000000
- Title End: 656565
- Border: EE3351A3
- Background Start: 8b000000
- Background End: 8b000000
- Title Text Color: 586991
- Body Text Color: c4cbdb
*Note: I subsequently turned OFF the title and all text, leaving me with the app icons, on a semi-transparent, black background, surrounded by a really nice blue.
**Also, the weather widget in the dock of my Homescreen was created using Minimalistic Text. If you want instructions, just PM me and I'll get them to you.
#If I missed anything, just let me know, and I'll throw in an edit. Hope you guys enjoy this!
Quick Guide to Honeycomb Hex Codes:
Just a little something to make Folder Organizer, Widgetsoid 2.x, and Minimalistic Text theming a whole lot easier.
Bright Blue: 3351A3
Matte Blue: 586991
Soft Grey-Blue: c4cbdb
Just so it's not getting lost in all my typing, here's the zip...
Reserved for additions and edits
• Patience
• Desktop Visualizer
• LauncherPro Plus
• Signals23’s “Clear” LPP Widget Skin
• One More Clock Collection
• Organized Apps
• Perfect Task Switcher
• Honeycomb Clock
• Pulse News
• Minimalistic Text
• Folder Organizer
• The things in my zip
• More patience
[B said:
Step 5:[/B]
Using Desktop Visualizer, create a 1x1 widget. Tap it to bring up the options menu, and select the “Choose Image” button. Select one of the indicators (either battery or wifi), and it’s back to the options menu. Where it asks for assigned task, choose “None”, and hit Ok, down at the bottom. Repeat this for the second indicator. Next, place the indicators in the bottom right corner; there’s going to be a gap between them, and that can be corrected by resizing the wifi button, and dragging it to the right, until the widget box overlaps the battery icon (you’ll see when it’s right). After this is done, drag your clock widget over to the right as far as you can, and then resize it so it’s as close to the wifi icon as possible, without overlapping it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must say this is fantastic work!
But
Maybe it's just me but I can't get any widgets near the dock of LP. I tried to stretch it in there but it won't go. I also tried just dropping it there but obviously it just deletes. I got everything else that I wanted to do packed down except that. How did you do it?
Would bumping up the DPI in build.prop make the bottom bar thinner, EG. More honeycomb ish
ok im trying to figure this out for my self as i am having the same problem with dock so it be nice if you would tell us how you did it thanks
Could you go through and correct all the markup that came with whatever word processor you used to write this? Or is it just my browser?
Can i do this on my htc hd2?Why you ask cause it looks awsome
Nope, it's not your browser fault.
OP can you fix it please, the easy way is to use
Code:
tag and then paste inside words from your PC word editor.
Thanks.
[QUOTE="TheGrammarFreak, post: 13502959, member: 2792587"]Could you go through and correct all the markup that came with whatever word processor you used to write this? Or is it just my browser?[/QUOTE]
Will do guys... sorry about that. I'm on my way home from upstate NY now, so I'll sit down and fix it as soon as I get in.
VZW Galaxy Tab- rooted, KhasMek v5 kernel
MacaronyMax said:
Would bumping up the DPI in build.prop make the bottom bar thinner, EG. More honeycomb ish
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After playing around with it, I really don't think it'll have much effect. I had my density set at 180, and it didn't really look much different than it did on 240. Play with it though, your results may vary.
VZW Galaxy Tab- rooted, KhasMek v5 kernel
metko said:
Can i do this on my htc hd2?Why you ask cause it looks awsome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, you can give it a shot... the lack of real estate on the screen is going to limit what you can do, and I'm not sure if you want to always be using your phone in landscape mode. But if you want to play around with some looks, absolutely go for it!!
VZW Galaxy Tab- rooted, KhasMek v5 kernel
BigRich93 said:
I must say this is fantastic work!
But
Maybe it's just me but I can't get any widgets near the dock of LP. I tried to stretch it in there but it won't go. I also tried just dropping it there but obviously it just deletes. I got everything else that I wanted to do packed down except that. How did you do it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking about getting Widgets close to the actual LP dock? If so, I believe I used a 3x2 Desktop Visualizer widget for the apps icon, and it fit with no problem in the top right corner (with the + as the dock icon). If you're talking about the battery and wifi indicators, that's a little tricky. There's going to be a gap between them and the actual edge of the device, since the dock can't be removed yet. If you guys (because I know someone else was having this issue) could PM me with the specific setup issue you're having, I'll be happy to troubleshoot with you.
VZW Galaxy Tab- rooted, KhasMek v5 kernel
Would you provide a flashable version?
It would be nice, I'm afraid to mess with it..
This is a fantastic little theme guide! Does take a while (especially with 5 screens). But overall, well worth it! Great work!
vysus said:
Would you provide a flashable version?
It would be nice, I'm afraid to mess with it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll see if I can get someone to code and flashable version for me. I'm not proficient in xml edits or framework mods, so I'd have to "outsource". I'm working on getting these things into a new theme, and some of the guys on the team may be able to help me out. I understand your reluctance though... it took me about two days of tinkering to get this layout done. I'll keep everyone posted, and yes guys, I'm going to fix the flaws in the OP... I'm still not home yet, but it's priority #1.
Sent from my Droid using XDA Premium App
Corrections to OP
Ok guys, I think I've fixed the errors that were coming through in the OP as a result of my copy and paste from MS Word. Someone let me know if it's legible (it seems just fine on my browser atm).
*Any for anyone who needs troubleshooting... PM me! I know a couple of you were running into some issues, but I haven't heard from you. If you got everything looking right, then great, but if you need a hand, just let me know. I just don't want to clutter up the thread with individual troubleshooting advice.
jjhiza said:
Ok guys, I think I've fixed the errors that were coming through in the OP as a result of my copy and paste from MS Word. Someone let me know if it's legible (it seems just fine on my browser atm).
*Any for anyone who needs troubleshooting... PM me! I know a couple of you were running into some issues, but I haven't heard from you. If you got everything looking right, then great, but if you need a hand, just let me know. I just don't want to clutter up the thread with individual troubleshooting advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now it reads great bro, thanks!
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App
working well here. except i cannot find this.....
Organized Apps
which is one of the requirements...
It is called Apps Organizer
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

[Guide] Theme with transparent icons

At the request of a number of people, here's a little tutorial explaining how I made the theme below, I called abstract theme (do not ask me why ...)
(Note that I am not the inventor of this type of theme, I am inspired by many themes I have seen on other forums, I thank very much the creators of wallpapers I used (I never remind theyre names except EG Fox, sorry for that))
These examples where created for the Dell Streak but this guide can be used for every android phone, just use the good resolution for the wallpaper
1/ So, to start, install Launcherpro (you can also take the "plus" but paying)
2/ Adjust the settings you prefer (this is only the parameters related to the theme I present now, but there are other possible parameters):
- Number of pages, the default page, the number of columns, the number of lines (to position your shortcuts, personally I have 8 columns and 8 rows) => Menu / Settings / Homescreen Settings
- Number of dock (the dock is the Quick Launch bar that is located right in landscape mode, you have 5 possible shortcuts in one dock and it is possible to have up to 3 docks (to slide up or down on the dock) => Menu / Preferences / Dock Settings (you can also specify, if you choose to put shortcuts telephone, email and sms on the dock, if you want to be displayed a count of unread events)
- The bottom of the Dock (in the theme as an example, I have no background) => Menu / Preferences / Appearance Settings / Dock Background / None (if you want to put a custom dock by you or found on the net, then you must choose "Custom" and pick the dock from your SD card)
3/ Choose your screen and resize it at 800x480. So that the bottom is not distorted, use Multipicture Live Wallpaper which allows you to set a different wallpaper per page (if desired). Multipicture Live Wallpaperr is managed as an animated wallpaper
The bottom will not be distorted but the 36 Pxls top will be hidden by the notification bar.
4/ Then you need to know, based on the number of rows and columns you have chosen, where you must place your text on the wallpaper. To do so, complete page fully of shortcuts. Then made a screenshot, I recommend the excellent ScreenShot
5/ On your PC, using your editing software (photoshop, photofiltre ... etc.) you can have your wallpaper nude and the screen as it will be on your Streak with the location where applications will be.
So place your text on your nude background by ensuring that these areas are easily covered by applications..
Your wallpaper is ready !
6/ Now install Desktop Visualizer, which allows you to put shortcuts transparent (especially)
(For those who could not find it on the Market : http://www.partage-facile.com/GYV6DGY6CW/jp.co.bii.android.app.dskvzr.apk.html )
7/ Desktop Visualizer works as a widget : long press on background / add a widget and choose desktop visualizer (it has different sizes, choose the one that best fits the space you have planned for your shortcut)
DV lets you choose the icon of the application to launch, get the transparent icon on your SD card (if you do not have a transparent icon, here's one : http://www.partage-facile.com/0GJIEOUAO0/transparent.png.html )
Then select the application you want to start.
Delete the text of the application and confirm (you can change or remove the highlighting that appears when you press the link to the application you're using, otherwise it will be orange)
8/ Once you've validated, you see nothing changed on the screen, it is normal because you have placed a transparent icon ! The link will always be placed to the top left corner of your home. Make a mong press along the top left, your widget will be highlighted by launcherpro.
You may notice a kind of tab in the lower right corner of your shortcut, by pressing and holding down while moving your finger, you can resize your widget as you like.
So give the desired size for your shortcut and press "back", the highlight disappears. Now made a long press on the top left of the streak and held down, move your widget transparent to the place you want on your home. (To verify that it is well positioned, have a long support for and release to highlight it)
Do this for each shortcut you provided on your screen.
9/ The last step is the Dock. You've already put in the dock transparent, but it remains the shortcuts on the dock that are visible.
Make a long press on shortcuts, you can either change an icon (change icon/custom icon) or change the shortcut and put any you want and you can still choose the transparent icon before finalizing this shortcut.
Then, I think I pretty much said it all. To summarize, here is my wallpaper ith some details :
This is obviously a simple example that you described above some customization capabilities. Unleash your imagination and make us great themes!
I hope I was clear about (and sorry for my english), do not hesitate if you have questions or additions
Some other example of themes done with this method :
My latest :
I compiled my wallpapers and you can download them (empty and modified) here (updated with the 3 latest) : http://www.partage-facile.com/O87TRUWWBJ/compil_theme.zip.html
or here : http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12810448/compil_theme.zip
Great inspiration, thank you for sharing
nice home screen ...
but i can't download your wallpaper, can you upload to another
never thought about writing the text to the background, brilliant.
although wouldn't this cause issues with more then one homescreen?
gondronk said:
nice home screen ...
but i can't download your wallpaper, can you upload to another
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I try with dropbox but I don't know very well. Does it work with this link ? (added to the first post)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12810448/compil_theme.zip
crzdcole said:
never thought about writing the text to the background, brilliant.
although wouldn't this cause issues with more then one homescreen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No issue with more than one screen, just use multipicture live wallpaper to choose wich wallpaper you want for each screen.
lestat89 said:
I try with dropbox but I don't know very well. Does it work with this link ? (added to the first post)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12810448/compil_theme.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanx..
this link work
ok, thank you for the confirmation
Great work and thanks for the guide!
Happy that you like it
Amazing work.
Not sure if i should use the ABEILLE, cube2 or cubecarbon2
Thank you
You can change every week for example ;-)
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App
This is good and i will give it a try.
Thanx
Don't hesitate if you have any question

How do you create Androids App icons?

I downloaded an icon set (IDroid) from deviant art and the developer gave his PSD file so we could make our own. I want to make a Tumblr icon using his settings, any way I could go about going that? I use Adobe Photoshop btw.
Copy and paste the image you want to use in the clipping mask then size it down if you need to then nudge it to your preferred center.
Or you can draw one using the pen tool. And fill your paths with disired gradients and overlays etc...
save as Web or device
I did that but when I saved it aand tried to use it as an launcher icon on my phone it had a white background around the edges. How do I get that cut that off? And also save the icon as 72 x 72 to fit the icon sizes like on my phone. Thx in advance.
You saved as png right?
If so maybe you had a "background" layer still selected when you saved it. That happens to me sometimes and i don't realize it till its on my phone..pisses me off.
Anyhow try it again and let me know.

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