Related
Clicking the wiki just now gave me a 404 error and the sticky is a bit long and just a bit outdated in terms of the links.
What programs, apps, vids, etc do I need in order to make themes?
I have been flashing themes left and right and each have their goods and bads. The biggest bad is there doesn't seem to be a well done red theme which I would like to do. I have tried enamored but the notification icons kill it for me.
So again, are there any up to date tutorials on making themes? Thanks in advance for any help.
+1 to that
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
A quic and dirty how to
lovethyEVO said:
Clicking the wiki just now gave me a 404 error and the sticky is a bit long and just a bit outdated in terms of the links.
What programs, apps, vids, etc do I need in order to make themes?
I have been flashing themes left and right and each have their goods and bads. The biggest bad is there doesn't seem to be a well done red theme which I would like to do. I have tried enamored but the notification icons kill it for me.
So again, are there any up to date tutorials on making themes? Thanks in advance for any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shanesol said:
+1 to that
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
heres the How to
An apk is really just a zip file... apk stands for android package (if i remember correctly). So treat it like a standard zip file.
Youll need a pint program to make changes I use gimp its free so get it here
TIP: Your first theme should really just be a mixing and matching of other themes to get use to the process.
TIP: d/l and look at other themes and see what the have done, using the same process below you can port and mash themes. To see what is themed go to the res/drawable-xxx folders and sorte the png's in there to newest at the top and you'll see what they have changed.
TIP: system/app/xxx.apk are where most apps that are themed are contained in these apks you'll find a res folder and in there you have a bunch of folders. you really on need to look in the drawable-xxx ones mdpi, no-dpi, land and so forth. these pngs make up the apps look and feel changing them will theme the app.
You'll need apk manager this will allow you to sign zips which makes them flashable. get that here
Now get your favorite Rom and make a folder. In that folder make 2 folders one called packed the other called packed. Take your rom and unzip it in the unpacked folder. and then take the original zip and move it to the packed folder.
Next go into the unpacked folder and nav to system/framework.framework-res.apk (this holds the bulk of the android png that make up all the stuff most people change to make a theme) take this apk and unzip it in this folder and then make a copy of the apk and move the copy to the packed folder.
Now when you want to make a change to the framework-res.apk use the unpacked as a reference. us the packed as the change dir, you do this by opening but not unzipping the apk you want to change and just dragging the files you are replacing into the apk, this will replace them. You might want to make a a 3rd folder sorta of a master copy if you ever mess up the packed roms. Remember that in all three of the dirs created you want to keep the dir structure the way you extracted it from the rom and theme.
Now that you have an altered framework-res.apk you can just push it to system/framework folder (i think) and reboot and your changes are in. I never do this since flashable is easier to manage I make a flashable.
A flashable is like a rom but allot smaller, so d/l one of my themes and take the zip file and place in in a folder next to the packed and unpacked folder call it something like staging. now unzip apk manager into the top dir next to 4 other folders you just made.
Now my theme zip can be renamed to whatever you want, your going to use it as a place holder for signing flashable zips. go into the theme zip and delete ever thing in the system folder except the framework folder then go into the frame work folder and delete everything, if you have apps your theming just make the system/app.
Your flashable zip folder should only have a a meta-inf folder and a system folder, the system folder should only have a framework and or app folders. Now drag your altered framework-res.apk into the flashable zip system/framework folder you just cleaned out.
Ok now you have to sign it, copy that flashable zip to the place-apk-here-for-signing folder, this should have shown up when you unzipped apk manager into the folder the also contains unpacked and packed folders.
Now click on the script.bat and you'll see a bunch of option you can do option 16 to sign your zip. it takes a second or two and the date should get updated on the flashable.zip file in the place-apk-here-for-signing folder.
Now you have your new them ready to install. if your changing something else find the apk and replace framework-res.apk in these instruction and it works the same. note that most app reside in system/app so you next to take that into account.
Keep the questions reasonable and I'll answer then.
Thanks simmons. For the most part I have been doing the open apk without extracting and replacing png files. The one thing that I cant seem to get is changing the battery icon...it never sticks. Anyways, do the themes always have to be signed? I know amon 1.8 can flash unsigned zips but do the themes have to be signed always? I will be taking my laptop to work tonight to practice what you outlined. Thanks again.
EDIT: I noticed some themes have com.htc.resources.apk alongside framework res and some have services.jar. What are these for?
No they don't have to be signed but people will complain cause most people don't have the eng spl, it all so protects you from flashing bad stuff. If your only changing the standard 5 battery icons thus method always works.
The services.jar usually room specific and changes things like lock screen behavior mixes These with other roms will cause boot loops be careful.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Simmons thanks for answering so far.
My last question is to theme the entire phone is it basically the resources, framework, and services.jar files that need to be edited? I understand the apps would be themed themselves and then just included as part of the zip file right?
lovethyEVO said:
Simmons thanks for answering so far.
My last question is to theme the entire phone is it basically the resources, framework, and services.jar files that need to be edited? I understand the apps would be themed themselves and then just included as part of the zip file right?
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Click to collapse
well the service.jar is compiled and therefore can't necessarily be themed you can't hack it or mod it by decompling it or you can change it by compiling changes you made from source but for the sake of normal themes its not needed.
as for the resources I assume your referring to the resources.arsc which is basically a set of compiled xml files. In here it where you can change stuff like how many pngs are associated with the battery status icons (think of circle batter mod which has one icon per percentage instead of the 0 10 20 40 60 80 100 ? icons in the normal aosp rom) changing this can be done with the apk manage by decompiling the framework-res.zpk, making the change and compiling back. but I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner.
The problem with the above is you take the chance of the theme not be cross-rom compatible. For you normal theme all you need to change are the pngs in the res folder of the framework-apk, however somethings like the launcher or the dialer still reside in the app folder and have there own apk.
Oh and I have no question limit.
ASimmons said:
well the service.jar is compiled and therefore can't necessarily be themed you can't hack it or mod it by decompling it or you can change it by compiling changes you made from source but for the sake of normal themes its not needed.
as for the resources I assume your referring to the resources.arsc which is basically a set of compiled xml files. In here it where you can change stuff like how many pngs are associated with the battery status icons (think of circle batter mod which has one icon per percentage instead of the 0 10 20 40 60 80 100 ? icons in the normal aosp rom) changing this can be done with the apk manage by decompiling the framework-res.zpk, making the change and compiling back. but I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner.
The problem with the above is you take the chance of the theme not be cross-rom compatible. For you normal theme all you need to change are the pngs in the res folder of the framework-apk, however somethings like the launcher or the dialer still reside in the app folder and have there own apk.
Oh and I have no question limit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simmons, thank you very much. Every answer you give is clearing things up more and more for me. I have decompiled a frameworkres before when I was trying to get the circle batt mod onto the odex stock rom so I am not too unawares there. What I want to do is theme the colors on anything and everything along with making the transparent windows such as when you confirm actions and the transparent notification pull down. Are these really accomplished with simply changing the pngs or do I have to edit the xml files? If I must edit the xml files, are there key files to edit or would editing one xml affect another?
lovethyEVO said:
Simmons, thank you very much. Every answer you give is clearing things up more and more for me. I have decompiled a frameworkres before when I was trying to get the circle batt mod onto the odex stock rom so I am not too unawares there. What I want to do is theme the colors on anything and everything along with making the transparent windows such as when you confirm actions and the transparent notification pull down. Are these really accomplished with simply changing the pngs or do I have to edit the xml files? If I must edit the xml files, are there key files to edit or would editing one xml affect another?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The xml files really just hold names for the pngs. So for example the pngs for the battery have there names store in the xml (cant remember off hand which one of the decompiled xml from the resource.arsc.. strings??) file and then as the value value next to that filename for what percent to show that specific png at.
But 95% of your theming only involves changing the png files. So to have a clear notification back ground look in the framework-res.apk/res/drawable-mdpi/status_bar_background.png or you want to change the button to unlock your phone framework-res.apk/res/ic_jog_dial_unlock.png or to change the status bar framework-res.apk/res/statusbar_background.9.png
TIP: if you see a png with 9 in the name like xxxx.9.png its basically a stretchable png where the side that you want stechable has a one pixel wide line running the length of the png as a border this tells android that the png should stretch that side until it fills the screen.
9 patch explanation
So aside from editing the xmls for the battery percent everything is just replacong pngs? Thats awesome.
When it comes to apps like the internet browser for example, where would I find the apk? I'm assuming theming the apps is just like themeing the phone in that I just replace the .pngs right? Again your answers are very much appreciated and definitely making things seem easier. Thanks.
Hiya all.
I'm a noob at this too and I want to change the icons of some of the apps installed on my phone and theme a couple of widgets that am using. I have two questions:
1) In the system/app folder of the phone almost all the apps have a xxx.apk and a xxx.odex file. In order to change the png files in the apk does something need to be done with the odex file too?
2) Can I change the png files in the apk files in data/app the way you described above?
Sorry if the questions are noobish
From my Galaxy S loonie-phone
lovethyEVO said:
So aside from editing the xmls for the battery percent everything is just replacong pngs? Thats awesome.
When it comes to apps like the internet browser for example, where would I find the apk? I'm assuming theming the apps is just like themeing the phone in that I just replace the .pngs right? Again your answers are very much appreciated and definitely making things seem easier. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To theme the browser you can alter the Browser.apk in the system/app and using the direction I posted it works the same way.
And if you make a theme pm me so I can check it out.
Fireloon said:
Hiya all.
I'm a noob at this too and I want to change the icons of some of the apps installed on my phone and theme a couple of widgets that am using. I have two questions:
1) In the system/app folder of the phone almost all the apps have a xxx.apk and a xxx.odex file. In order to change the png files in the apk does something need to be done with the odex file too?
2) Can I change the png files in the apk files in data/app the way you described above?
Sorry if the questions are noobish
From my Galaxy S loonie-phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. My theming expertise is more with AOSP roms but its my understanding that you should be able to theme a sense rom in the same way by de-odexing a rom. And yes any and all apps are themable if it has a png files in it you can unpack it alter the png's and put them back in the original apk, which overwrites the original png's and resign it and then flash or reinstall it.
2. Yes you can. any and all apks can be themed in the manner I described. for odexed roms search the forum for de-odexing techniques.
Thx for the answer. I'll search about deodexing
From my Galaxy S loonie-phone
Thanks for all the great tips I just got finished porting a theme thanks to all the help!
shanesol said:
Thanks for all the great tips I just got finished porting a theme thanks to all the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
awesome pm some screenies or the op here I'd like to check it out.
ASimmons said:
awesome pm some screenies or the op here I'd like to check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a simple black/white matte theme called Invertnito. It was made for Sapphire but I like CM too much to give it up lol
ASimmons said:
awesome pm some screenies or the op here I'd like to check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking to have some sort of base by this weekend. I have just been mix/matching pngs I like from other themes as well as trying to make my own pngs and figuring out the transparency/borders effect. Taking my time but still want to come out with something for critique.
shanesol said:
It's a simple black/white matte theme called Invertnito. It was made for Sapphire but I like CM too much to give it up lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice Job.
lovethyEVO said:
Looking to have some sort of base by this weekend. I have just been mix/matching pngs I like from other themes as well as trying to make my own pngs and figuring out the transparency/borders effect. Taking my time but still want to come out with something for critique.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I'm not much of a critiquer since most of the themeing stuff I've done doesn't go over so well around here (I dont like dark colors, black, dark blue blah blah) really its up to what you like, I made a couple of themes based on what I liked and left it at that. But I'll be glad to look at it and dont forget to make sure that if you use some elses stuff you give them there props in your ops and pm them a warning you going to use it, unless they specify different this is all you should need to do..
ASimmons said:
Nice Job.
Well I'm not much of a critiquer since most of the themeing stuff I've done doesn't go over so well around here (I dont like dark colors, black, dark blue blah blah) really its up to what you like, I made a couple of themes based on what I liked and left it at that. But I'll be glad to look at it and dont forget to make sure that if you use some elses stuff you give them there props in your ops and pm them a warning you going to use it, unless they specify different this is all you should need to do..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definately making note of whose work I use. Though it's kind of hard because my favorite notification icons I have seen in two diff themes and neither one of them mention who was the artist for them. But still keeping at it. And like you I dont care about dark colors unless its used to contrast the main theme color. I'm working on a red theme and there will be some parts that will have a darkish background to help the red border colors and/or text pop more. In time though. Your first post here was definitely a great shove in the right direction.
Let me explain what I mean by "casual". I've come to find that I always end up removing stuff from custom ROMs that I don't like/don't use and end up with something much much better.
With NFX's permission (should he give it) I'd like to make a custom ROM based on my slimmed down approach, one that left me with tons of free space, lots of free RAM, great battery life, and smooth operation. I'm looking at the ROM right now, and I'm wondering; is there anything special I need to know about adding my own apks to be preinstalled with the ROM? I'd like to add Fancy Widget and LauncherPro since I stopped using the Sense Launcher. My ideal setup is one where the app is recognized by the market so that it can be updated as and when needed. Also, what can I do to ensure that LauncherPro is the default launcher?
I'd love to get into this. I'm not big on code editing but have no issue with doing so when needed, can anyone nudge me in the right direction?
Update #1: My first attempt failed . I was using Nfinite's Odexed NFX Rom. I tried to just change around the apps in the data/app/ folder. Also attempted to delete all the HTC Sense Widgets beforehand. (I do this after install, but I wanted to do it before.) Should I not be working with an odexed ROM, and is there some sort of signature process that I need to be using?
Pretty sure you need deodexed.
CM6 Android 2.2.1 Froyo Darchstar
Radio 2.42.01.04.27
*Bite me Sprint!
Search for avabox on these forums. It has the zip signing tool to make the zip flashable after editing it. And many other helpful tools
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
davec1234 said:
Pretty sure you need deodexed.
CM6 Android 2.2.1 Froyo Darchstar
Radio 2.42.01.04.27
*Bite me Sprint!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
danaff37 said:
Search for avabox on these forums. It has the zip signing tool to make the zip flashable after editing it. And many other helpful tools
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks guys! I'll give this a shot and see what happens
LiquidSolstice said:
Let me explain what I mean by "casual". I've come to find that I always end up removing stuff from custom ROMs that I don't like/don't use and end up with something much much better.
With NFX's permission (should he give it) I'd like to make a custom ROM based on my slimmed down approach, one that left me with tons of free space, lots of free RAM, great battery life, and smooth operation. I'm looking at the ROM right now, and I'm wondering; is there anything special I need to know about adding my own apks to be preinstalled with the ROM? I'd like to add Fancy Widget and LauncherPro since I stopped using the Sense Launcher. My ideal setup is one where the app is recognized by the market so that it can be updated as and when needed. Also, what can I do to ensure that LauncherPro is the default launcher?
I'd love to get into this. I'm not big on code editing but have no issue with doing so when needed, can anyone nudge me in the right direction?
Update #1: My first attempt failed . I was using Nfinite's Odexed NFX Rom. I tried to just change around the apps in the data/app/ folder. Also attempted to delete all the HTC Sense Widgets beforehand. (I do this after install, but I wanted to do it before.) Should I not be working with an odexed ROM, and is there some sort of signature process that I need to be using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like some else said you'll need the deodexed rom. Also if your altering the rom for personal purposes there is no need to ask nfinite... if you post the rom then you'll need to ask and give props.
Next you need some kind of rom manager tools so that you can sign and zip align your apk and have a flashable after you make your changes. maybe read threw the rom cooking guide on the hero wiki page also.
You most definitely what an odexed ROM. Its been a while since I messed with it, but i think you will want to place apps you want updated in /data/app. As for the default launcher, it should ask which one you want as default when you first boot into the ROM.
unCoRrUpTeD said:
You most definitely what an odexed ROM. Its been a while since I messed with it, but i think you will want to place apps you want updated in /data/app. As for the default launcher, it should ask which one you want as default when you first boot into the ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@[email protected] Confusion. A few people above have said I need deodexed?
The only problem you will run into with odexed vs deodexed is changes to any jar files within an apk on system. Only really applies to framework level edits. Things like removing haptic or rotary lock screen or battery percentage mods, etc.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
LiquidSolstice said:
@[email protected] Confusion. A few people above have said I need deodexed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant to type deodexed. I was so tired and doing ten things at once. Didn't even reread what I was posting.
danaff37 said:
The only problem you will run into with odexed vs deodexed is changes to any jar files within an apk on system. Only really applies to framework level edits. Things like removing haptic or rotary lock screen or battery percentage mods, etc.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah. Nah, the only thing I'd love to experiment with is to swap out images and png files. The functionality of the ROM and its inner workings are fine . Assuming that I can remove all the HTC widgets and a few of the apps I won't be using (using LP, so Sense Widgets are unneeded), and that I can set a default launcher, and perhaps mess around with all the status bar icons/button images, that's all I want to do
LiquidSolstice said:
@[email protected] Confusion. A few people above have said I need deodexed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will need deodexed
You can always re-Odex it afterwards.
I assume you've realized this, as you have a stable odexed ROM out, but I'm putting it up for reference's sake. Don't want someone reading the thread and getting the wrong idea.
Development dropped in favor of Liberation.
Only difference between Nothing Special 1.3 and Liberation 1.0 is that Google Car Home has been replaced by the stock HTC Car Panel. This is to remove "holes" left by the removal of a stock app. Also, this no longer conflicts with my intent of having a stock ROM minus carrier bloat/restrictions. Google Car Home can be added by the user if they so choose.
How to customize Nothing Special (Peanut) BEFORE you flash:
Materials
Windows - 7-ZIP
Linux - nothing
Mac OS X - nothing (note, I have not done this on Mac OS X, so I cannot support this OS)
Steps
Download the above mentioned file(s) for Windows. You can use a different archive manager if you'd like, but my guide is based on using 7-ZIP.
On your desktop, create a folder named "Test." You can name it whatever you want, but I'll be referring to it as "Test" in this guide. If you are new at this, you need to follow the guide to the letter.
Find your downloaded "Nothing Special (Peanut) ROM" and extract it to the Test folder. The easiest way to do this on Windows is to open the ROM, highlight all of the folders/files (CTRL-A), copy (CTRL-C), then open the Test folder and paste (CTRL-V). Give it a minute to extract the contents.
Once you complete step three, modify the ROM to your hearts content (see details below). Once complete, proceed to step five.
Open the Test folder and highlight everything (CTRL-A). Right click and select "Add to Archive." This will open 7-ZIP's archive manager. On Linux or Mac OS X, just right-click (or equivalent) and select "Compress."
In the options menu that comes up, leave everything at default except the following. The filename should be Test.zip (change Test to whatever you want). Archive format should be zip. Compression level should be ultra. That's it.
Once done, you can copy this zip to your SD card and flash as normal. Keep in mind that I am not responsible for any changes that you made in this ROM, so make sure you Nandroid BEFORE you flash.
Specific customizations for the above method:
Ringtones - While the ROM is unzipped, open the test folder and look for /system/media/audio. Within this folder you'll see several more folders (Ringtones, Alarms, Notifications). Any should files you put here will show up in the system when you go to change your ringtone (or whatever corresponds to the folder). The benefits to this modification include; no storage space used up in internal, phone, or SD storage; ringtone works even if SD is USB mounted, no errors when the SD card corrupts or is in use. The ringtones (alarms/notifications) are stored in a partition that does NOT count towards your file storage
Modify Status Bar - Don't like the crap (IE, the E911 location icon or the clock) in the status bar? Change it! Go to THIS THREAD, download the status bar you want, and then use it to replace the services.jar file found in /system/framework. Don't have to worry about flashing it separately!
Add the 3-in-1 reboot menu - Want a 3-in-1 reboot menu without flashing separately? Go to THIS POST and download the file. Extract the file from /system/framework, and use it to replace the same file in /system/framework from your ROM. When your ROM is zipped and flashed, you'll have the 3-in-1 reboot menu by default!
Add the Evo camera - Go to THIS POST and download the file that I attached. Go to your Test folder and navigate to /system/app/. Use the downloaded apk to replace the one already there.
Add/Remove apps you don't want - Navigate to /system/app, and remove any APK files that you don't want. If you don't know what app it is, do NOT remove it. WARNING: You do this at your own risk! Not all apps are safe to remove! You can also place other APKs in here. Generally not recommend as then they take up space in /system/app and /data/data, which can slow boot time when too crowded.
Modify Bootup Animation/Sound - Navigate to the /system/customize/resource/ folder. In there, you will see two files; VZW_bootanimation.zip an VZW_Droid.mp3. These files are the bootup animation and "Droid" noise. Simply delete the MP3 if you want a silent bootup. It really is that easy. Replace the ZIP File with another zipped animation (must give it the same name) to replace the animation with one of your own. NOTE: Make sure you verify compatibility. If unsure, don't do it.
WARNING about Smooth Sense Icons - Do NOT follow the above instructions with any mod, such as Smooth Sense icons, that replace framework.apk. Doing so will cause you to have a boot loop. This must be flashed manually and separately
Modifications: A note about the below medications. They may or may not flash with your recovery. If you see *(recovery) after a mod, it means that I have personally verified that it works. For outdated mods, I will, over time, convert them to Clockwork Mod 3.x. If you want to see a mod listed here, PM me so that I can add it. Posting it in the thread won't always catch my attention.
Smooth Sense Icons w/white battery indicator - Thanks goes out to jercik for the mod and squintz for the port and white text change. This collection of icons makes Sense look much nicer.* (2.5.0.5, 2.5.1.2)
Status Bar tweaks - Thanks goes to pardonmyfreedom - collection of mods allows you to change what icons show up in your status bar (IE, clock, battery meter, E911 location icon, etc.)* (2.5.0.5, 2.5.1.2)
3-in-1 Reboot Menu - Thanks goes to snq - When you hold the power button, beneath the shut down icon you'll have a reboot option. This gives you three more choice; normal, boot-loader (HBOOT), recovery. * (2.5.0.5, 2.5.1.2)
Evo Camera - Provided by various sources, this camera is the same as the Incredible camera, but has an on-screen button for those who hate using the track-pad. * (2.5.0.5, 2.5.1.2)
Kernels: If you see a * (approved), it means that I have personally tested the kernel(s) at the provided link with this ROM. In theory, any Sense kernel should work on this ROM. If you have a favorite kernel, PM me the link and description so that I can add it.
Heyitslou's custom kernels -customized versions of the stock kernel, these kernels offer excellent stability, battery life, and real world performance, but won't win any synthetic benchmark comparisons. I use #8 and HIGHLY recommend it. All credit to the linked thread author.* (approved)
What is the difference between peanut and plain? Maybe I need to read the discription of both again. Either way, thanks for your hard work friend.
[DINC]|[CM7]|[SLAYHER#27]
I've been on CM forever. Might be kinda nice to go back to stock-ish and mess around with it a bit. Thanks man!
wildstang83 said:
What is the difference between peanut and plain? Maybe I need to read the discription of both again. Either way, thanks for your hard work friend.
[DINC]|[CM7]|[SLAYHER#27]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, read the OP for "Nothing Special (plain)," the link is at the bottom of the OP here. Basically, plain is odexed, and cannot take mods, etc. It is simply stock with crapware eliminated and one or two very minor tweaks. It's for those who don't want to stray far from stock, and are content with their ROM as is.
Peanut is deodexed, and can therefore be modded. You can flash other themes, kernels, etc. and build it any way you want from stock, instead of from other ROM builders' vision of what "stock" should be.
All credit to Jason for a very nice job doing something that was long overdue. Not planning on running it myself, but flashed plain on my daughter's Incredible and I don't think I'll have to provide any more tech support to her from here on in.
Plain or Peanut is now more up-to-date than Virtuous, which was formerly the best "first step" for anybody exploring ROM's.
hgoldner did a great job of summing up the differences, so I'm going to add a bit more technical bits to it.
When a ROM is odexed, as the stock ROM is, it means that the key apps (anything made by HTC) are divided up into two parts; an APK file and an ODEX file. When you first load an odexed ROM, all of the APK files copy over to the /data/data/ folder for installation. The ODEX files remain in /system/app/ and are used like libraries on your desktop.
On a deodexed ROM, the ODEX and APK files are combined into one APK. So, when these APKs are copied to /data/data/, they take up more space. This is a key reason why the first bootup of a deodexed ROM takes so much longer than an odexed equivalent, as more data is being copied over. Also, this is why Plain has 722MB available to the user (more than any other ROM I'm aware of, even edging out the stock ROM, which is 710), while Peanut has 676MB available to the user.
An odexed ROM is harder to modify and is not compatible with modifications made for deodexed ROMs. So, only run Plain if you want a stock ROM, without bloat, and with more space available for apps. Run Peanut if you can live with less space, but want a choice in what addons are run.
I'll be adding more addons to this thread almost daily. I'll make it as easy as possible to customize this ROM the way you want it.
jaykresge said:
On a deodexed ROM, the ODEX and APK files are combined into one APK. So, when these APKs are copied to /data/data/, they take up more space. This is a key reason why the first bootup of a deodexed ROM takes so much longer than an odexed equivalent, as more data is being copied over. Also, this is why Plain has 722MB available to the user (more than any other ROM I'm aware of, even edging out the stock ROM, which is 710), while Peanut has 676MB available to the user.
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Wow. Didn't know that myself. This would strongly suggest that odexed ROM's have a less likelihood of filling up the \data\data 150mb partition, and therefore would be less likely to produce the "low memory space" warning. Yes?
hgoldner said:
Wow. Didn't know that myself. This would strongly suggest that odexed ROM's have a less likelihood of filling up the \data\data 150mb partition, and therefore would be less likely to produce the "low memory space" warning. Yes?
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Exactly You get roughly 50MB extra from being odexed, depending on the ROM. In the case of Nothing Special, deodexing takes away 46MB from /data/data/. I've tried to keep it somewhat clean though, as most other custom ROMs use up a little more space than this.
This is what virtuous was supposed to be. Virtuous' definition of "essential fixes" is a little flawed to me. Perfect stock ROM. Thanks.
EDIT: In my opinion this is what virtuous should have been. Virtuous' definition of "essential fixes" is a little flawed to me. Perfect stock ROM. Thanks.
BerkleyJ said:
This is what virtuous was supposed to be. Virtuous' definition of "essential fixes" is a little flawed to me. Perfect stock ROM. Thanks.
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RMK did a great job on Virtuous. I'm a mere hack compared to him as a ROM developer. I think Virtuous is what is was meant to be, but he's just moved on to the G2.
My ROMs are merely another alternative.
Updated the FAQ with two notes to help explain the difference between Plain/Peanut (they're the top two Q/As). Will start adding the addons tomorrow. For now, flash the ROM and your favorite kernel, then setup to your heart's content. Starting tomorrow the flashaholics should be happy (and no, you won't be losing any data between flashes, they're just patches)
BerkleyJ said:
This is what virtuous was supposed to be. Virtuous' definition of "essential fixes" is a little flawed to me. Perfect stock ROM. Thanks.
EDIT: In my opinion this is what virtuous should have been. Virtuous' definition of "essential fixes" is a little flawed to me. Perfect stock ROM. Thanks.
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I just wanted to add clarification. I respect RMK, but I was also a bit disappointed in Virtuous. I tried to talk to him in private and requested permission to make some changes to Virtuous (such as updating his outdated Sense apps), but he seems to have moved on to the G2.
So, I'm disappointed with how Virtuous has come out, but respect RMK as a developer. I wish that I had his talent.
Although I may not flash this I do appreciate the work you've put into it. I do think this is awesome. And again thanks guys for the rundown on the difference between the two. Now I know a little bit more about the odex and deodexed stuff. Thanks.
[DINC]|[CM7]|[SLAYHER#27]
Well, im runnin it with ziggys bfs no havs, and its great! Zero issues, may just stay here until gb sense hits. I do wonder, if there is an ota, how woukd that affect this rom?
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
jaykresge said:
The second post will be used for custom addons. I encourage others to share what they're using (and how they got it to work if a workaround was needed) so that we can build up an addon collection for this ROM.
For now I'm using Peanut with;
Lou's #8 kernel
Sexy Sense Icons (w/white battery charge number)
no location (removes the E911 location icon from status bar)
3-in-1 reboot menu
Evo camera (for the on-screen button)
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Where did you get the evo camera?
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
donnyp1 said:
I do wonder, if there is an ota, how woukd that affect this rom?
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
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I didn't edit the build.prop, do it may prompt you for an update, but not actually allow you to update. If there is an update, I'll make the same changes to that ROM that I make to this one.
donnyp1 said:
Where did you get the evo camera?
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
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I'll add links later today, but for now, I've attached the camera.
Does anyone use statusbar pull down toggles? if so what do you use?
josh0426 said:
Does anyone use statusbar pull down toggles? if so what do you use?
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Status Bar Settings 1.2 from the market. Works very well.
Thanks fer clock, how do you install? Failed thru rm
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
paintguy said:
Status Bar Settings 1.2 from the market. Works very well.
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I found this one, it feels a little more integrated into the OS. Its from Virtuous Rom. Here is a screenshot of pulldown.
I made a thread in the Android General section, but it must not be getting attention from anyone capable of deodexing an apk, or just nobody wants to do it.
I probably should have created the thread here, so I'm linking to it here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1504082
Thanks all
bizzump
+10char
There's a few things we need to know first. Why only one apk? Why not deodex your whole ROM? Or if you have a copy of the whole ROM could your send it to me…..I can't deodex just the SystemUI when it has dependencies on the other functions within the ROM i.e. Framework.jar.
Or if you could explain maybe what your hoping to achieve I could probably sort somethingout for you a much simpler way.
What phone do you have and what apks are you using now? If you want to theme or want some sort of function from an apk that’s not yours but is odex version there may be a way of breaking it down to its classes (if I knew what ROM it was from and you had the entire framework folder from the ROM along with the odex file) and then I can decompile the apk you use (I think that’s what your trying to achieve correct?) from your ROM, then bring the classes and/or pngs across, rebuild, re-optimise (not odex btw) and send it back to you maintaining the signature for your apks in your ROM.
The phone and rom it is running are in my sig. I only want the SystemUI deodexed so that I can make the status bar transparent and still enjoy the slightly improved performance of an odex'ed rom, because this is a low-end phone so anything to increase performance helps. I have also tried using the AutoDeo Tool, but I don't know how to figure out what the correct custom bootclass path line input should be.
I asked for some help in that thread this morning and feel that I'm getting closer to having a deodexed SystemUI. I hate having posts in so many places about the same problem, but it seems like not a whole lot of people know how to do it, and even fewer want to explain such a complex process.
Hopefully I'll be able to deodex my entire rom.zip and just replace the systemui that's on my phone with the deodexed one and delete the .odex file and everything will be ok.
Sent from my SGH-T499 using XDA App
So I'm on one TW-based 4.0.4 ROM and I'd like to use another.
Problem is I don't like that ROM's wifi/bluetooth/etc toggles (prefer 15 toggles but no centered clock- have that on current rom). i also don't like the re-spaced dock (to make it narrower).
Which .apk's should I back up from my current ROM (built on the same base) so that I can flash back over to system/app to get the look I want.
Furthermore, could anyone provide a somewhat comprehensive list of .apk's and what they correspond to in terms of UI
guitarplayerone said:
So I'm on one TW-based 4.0.4 ROM and I'd like to use another.
Problem is I don't like that ROM's wifi/bluetooth/etc toggles (prefer 15 toggles but no centered clock- have that on current rom). i also don't like the re-spaced dock (to make it narrower).
Which .apk's should I back up from my current ROM (built on the same base) so that I can flash back over to system/app to get the look I want.
Furthermore, could anyone provide a somewhat comprehensive list of .apk's and what they correspond to in terms of UI
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Making a NANDROID Backup will backup your ROM incase you want to revert back. Or you can backup every application using Titanium Backup but You SGN must be rooted
sahilarora2003 said:
Making a NANDROID Backup will backup your ROM incase you want to revert back. Or you can backup every application using Titanium Backup but You SGN must be rooted
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Thank you but this doesn't answer my question. Of course i am rooted (otherwise couldn't write to system/app . I'm just wondering which specific apks to replace to change my toggles and dock spacing
Systemui.apk for toggles and drop down notification....
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app
guitarplayerone said:
Furthermore, could anyone provide a somewhat comprehensive list of .apk's and what they correspond to in terms of UI
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I got this link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1580830&page=13 from the other thread on Apps and Themes. One of our good Xda-member was kind enough to compile the lists of stock apps inside our phone. Though it may not be updated at all (since most apps he compiled are from stock GB), but I guess some apks are still existent and carried over to stock ICS.
P.S. Go to the 1st part of that thread and it wil show you the spreadsheet of the lists of apps and the description to it.