XML Editor app for Android - Galaxy S Advance I9070 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi guys please suggest me good xml editor app for our phone . tried "Axel" but after editing and compiling apk give me fc. tried some other editor but they are even not opened xml properly.
So suggest me if you have good one

How can u decompile an app on the phone? That things are pc stuff.
Sent from my GT-I9070 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Jeroenvk94 said:
How can u decompile an app on the phone? That things are pc stuff.
Sent from my GT-I9070 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cannot decompile only extract. but we can do some little work with it .

imcoolsj said:
Hi guys please suggest me good xml editor app for our phone . tried "Axel" but after editing and compiling apk give me fc. tried some other editor but they are even not opened xml properly.
So suggest me if you have good one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suggest you to use Root explorer XD
It isn't a xml editor but when i need, it works.

XM8 RPG said:
I suggest you to use Root explorer XD
It isn't a xml editor but when i need, it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im using root explorer. will try
edit - not working just some charactors and symboles

imcoolsj said:
cannot decompile only extract. but we can do some little work with it .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can extract xml but you can't see them (only strange symbols) and you can't edit them from phone.. you must use PC and decompile them.. no other possibility
Inviato con Tapatalk 2 dal telefono di casa

Toni5830 said:
You can extract xml but you can't see them (only strange symbols) and you can't edit them from phone.. you must use PC and decompile them.. no other possibility
Inviato con Tapatalk 2 dal telefono di casa
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seems no app for phone yet

imcoolsj said:
Hi guys please suggest me good xml editor app for our phone . tried "Axel" but after editing and compiling apk give me fc. tried some other editor but they are even not opened xml properly.
So suggest me if you have good one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found ResXploit. It's a XML editor for android try it!

Toni5830 said:
You can extract xml but you can't see them (only strange symbols) and you can't edit them from phone.. you must use PC and decompile them.. no other possibility
Inviato con Tapatalk 2 dal telefono di casa
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you can edit them on your phone. Axel is one of the apps to use. The second is an IDE called AIDE which is compatible with Eclipse. You can develop, program publish complete apps from your phone. I figured out how to edit compiled xml the other day. Ninjamorph is also useful because it unpacks the archives into a project which happens to be where your AIDE projects are.
Begin by opening ninjamorph and choosing the apk to work on and create a project (can do this manually but keep a back up of the apk). Next, open AIDE and create a new project. As an example I'll be editing the lg_allapps_button_text.xml file in LGHome.apk (LG's launcher on G2, so files may differ for you). Choose the HelloWorld setup as that's the less,cluttered one. After creating the project, open up a file manager (you can do this from within AIDE as well) and create the same directory structure for your xml file (probably doesn't matter if a ../res/color xml file is in ../main..but it's good practice. The xml I'm editing is in /res/color, so I'll go into the project directory and create a ../res/color folder.
Now open Axel up and find the xml in the ninjamorph project that you are editing. Again in my case it'll be in /res/color. Go ahead and open it with Axel. Don't bother editing it here, we're going to just go into settings and "save as" (into our AIDE project directory) ../res/color/lg_allapps_button_text.xml. This adds it into our AIDE project and we can now go back into AIDE. In the oberflow action, choose "Goto Files" or whatever it's named (also an icon at the top for this action). It'll open a pane at the bottom with your project files. At this time you'll probably notice AIDE throwing a lot of errors (errors in your code, not app errors lol).
We have to fix every one of them before finish, so might as well start now before editing. Conversely, you could do this in Axel first once you know what kind of errors to expect and fix. In my case, I see two errors because the file is really small. Once clicking on the xml I want to edit in the files pane, I can see that it's telling me string values aren't allowed in the "color' attribute. The color is black but when Axel decompiled it, it changed it from it's ARGB form. I see this -
Code:
#xml namespace blah blah...
.....
....... android:color="1F000008/0xFF000000"
Of course there is more, I just highlighted the attribute I need to fix. You're going to need to learn how attributes need to be formatted or learn and keep a reference handy. Google has nice guides online for building android apps. In this case we change it to:
Code:
...
.... android:color="#FF000000"
Technically yes it's still a string, and yes the wrong format was hexadecimal (sort of), but now we have one less error. On large xmls, this gets annoying but you'll get fast at it. So, I've fixed,myerrors, so now for simplicity I'll just change the color on one of the attributes..to red ("#FFFF0000"). Now that edits are done and errors done, go back in the ooverflow action and scro,down and either click "Run" or "More" and then "Rebuild Project". We aren't worried about any other file, we just want our xml recompiled. Once it's done, if you want you can install your fancy Hello World app (or Tetris game app), lol but it's just as well if you choose not to.
Next, go back into your file manager and find your way back into your AIDE project directory. Locate the bin folder (where your compiled project will be) and navigate to your xml. Again, in my case, I'll be going to /res/color. Make sure you find the compiled version (the binary one with all the cool symbols). Copy this back into the same structure inside the ninjamorph project folder. If you aren't using ninjamorph and manually doing this then make sure you have a backup apk handy and akip the ninjamorph stuff.
Opem Ninjamorph back up and choose to complete your project. Once it's done repackaging it'll ask you if you want to resign the apk
Follow Steven's directions and dont sign it if its a system apk. Next he'll ask about zipaligning (i think?). I don't choose this option at all. If my mods work, then I'll redo the project and choose that option. Problem is, sometimes it can cause issues and you don't want to add more variables in until you know that all,is working or you'll be asking yourself "wonder if my edits were bad,or the zipalignment".
Ninjamorph will create a backup of the apk for you, and now you'll be given the option of installing the apk. You should know what you're doing already but...if using TWRP you can go ahead and replace the modded apk and reboot. Worst that'll happen is boot loops or force closes and you can manually go into recovery and use TWRP's file manager to copy your backup back (may need to mount /system first, and may need to chmod as well. Then try again. If you boot up and all is well, congrats! If using CWM, make sure you have a recovery plan before making the switch.
I have no clue if,there's any easier way. I'm still working on it. Granted, kf you're just going to edit a color like in my example it'd be MUCH easier just using a hex editor. AIDE is a pretty damn slick app as it also supports native mode C/C++ for developing codecs, drivers,,etc. For $8 you can purchase full version with support for larger projects and github and a few other things.
This method should work on any device that can run all those apps. I'm using a LG G2. I'm not the,developer of any of tbose apps so don't come to me if they aren't working: )

Related

[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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the guide needs to be fixed a little because i'm guessing your getting compiling errors when using apk manager? But the best way to do this is to open up the mymode theme (using 7zip) as an archive delete meta-inf folder then replace the pngs with ones of your choice as long as they are the same scale. Then resign. and install
totally lost
I've followed these directions to a T and when it comes to using the apk manager i am getting nothing, please help
You guys that are having trouble with apk manager...its honestly not necessary to use Apk Manager for this. Mymodes themes are system .apks and shouldn't be re-signed. What you need to do is forget about apk manager (for now) and drop the UNsigned .apk into the ROM update you are using, and resign the whole ROM using the autosign tool created by jesusfreke. Or just adbpush the .apk. but don't resign the .apk.
Here's the link for the autosign tool to sign ROM updates. its in the THIRD POST and its auto-sign .zip, NOT the signing.zip in the first post. you can put it anywhere you want and you just drop (a copy of) your ROM update in the autosign folder, rename it update.zip, then run the sign.bat to sign. it will create another file, update-signed.zip. you shouldnt need to wipe when flashing the same ROM over itself, but i cant guarantee this is true for all ROMs.
you can also make an update that will only flash the .apk to /system/app, and nothing else will be changed. basically just make a copy of the update for the ROM youre using, then delete everything but the /system directory from the zip. then go into that /system directory and delete everything but the /app directory, then go into it and delete all the .apks and odex file or whatevers in there. ALL OF IT. when you are finished you should have an update with nothing in it but a /system/app directory. you put your modded .apk in there in /system/app, and thats it for that.
then you must edit the update script and remove MOST of its contents so that it only does what you want it to. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Go here to learn how to create an update script. what youll need is way simpler than the examples, youll want it to look basically like this...
Code:
assert compatible_with("0.2") == "true"
show_progress 0.1 0
copy_dir PACKAGE:system SYSTEM:
show_progress 0.1 10
this update script will copy ANYTHING in the /system directory to /system on your device, regardless of subdirectories. that means anything in /system will go in /system, anything in /system/app will go to /system/app, etc. but since you only have one .apk in there it wont mess with anything but what you put in there. this way, you have a NOWIPE update for...well, whatever you want to put in it.
so you just drop the new shortened update-script in /META-INF/com/google/android/
and then use the autosign tool to resign your new update then flash away! This also takes less time cus its only flashing one file instead of flashing a whole ROM just to replace that one file...
hope this helps...
-BMFC
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
So you cannot do this on t-mobile's rom which is 2.1 right now? I'm leery of rooting in case they ever release froyo
Tbrewer80 said:
So you cannot do this on t-mobile's rom which is 2.1 right now? I'm leery of rooting in case they ever release froyo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having issues with this as well... After I do the whole signing apk thing, it installs fine, but when I go to MyModes, the preview is black and when I select it, the MyModes app force closes. I don't get it.

[GUIDE] A n00b guide to porting themes :P (26/12/11)

Hello A little while ago I managed to learn how to theme totally from scratch. I knew nothing of anything before I started, but now I know how to port themes As I still see myself as a n00b there may be some weird things I've done, but at least I manage to create the themes This might not be the best way to theme, or the easiest, but it works
Overview PNGS
1) Getting the files
2) Getting the images
3) Port
4) Package and Sign
The only programs I've used is 7zip and autosigner download them and install 7zip and extract autosigner to a nice location for example your desktop
Getting the files
The first you need to do (after getting the programs) is to find the file you will mod (edit). This will mostly be the framework-res.apk because this decides most of looks of phone (for example the statusbar). Download the .zip of the rom your going to theme. Open it up (shouldn't require any programs, if does, use 7zip: either drag it onto the 7zip icon or right click and choose open with). Open system -> app and copy the framework-res.apk (or any other apk you would like to theme, for example the settings). Now paste it into an appropriate folder.
Getting the images
Now you need to find the images you want to use in your new theme. Find either an update.zip with a theme or an .apk with a theme chooser theme (if there is both a version for Froyo and GB, use the Froyo version as this will make it easier ) Open it up with 7zip (drag it into the 7zip icon). Now you can do either of two options:
1) You can take the whole drawable-mdpi folder and copy it out. You should probably don’t do this with a Themechooser apk, as they usually don’t have all icons in this folder, as they often lend a few from HDPI.
2) Take only the images you want and copy them to a folder. For example if you want the signal icons, copy the “stat_sys_signal_0” (-4 of course) and copy them out. If you want the statusbar background, copy “statusbar_background”. This way you can mix several themes, take the best of several themes and make your personal theme
When you’re done getting your icons, close the window.
Porting
Now open the Rom’s default framework-res.apk with 7-zip. If you’re going to port a whole theme, delete the /res/drawable-mdpi folder and copy in your own. If you’re going to port just a few icons, open the /res/drawable-mdpi folder and paste your icons. You might want to check if the icons have the same names in the different framework. For example the headset icons can be both “stat_sys_headset” and “stat_notify_headset”. Also if you port from a theme chooser theme, you will have to rename every single .png you port. This is really boring, but necessary. You need to remove the “framework_res” and the “android_systemui” from the beginning of all the names. So “framework_res_activity_title_bar.9.png” needs to be changed to “activity_title_bar.9.png”. Because this is so boring you better keep your renamed icons, so it’s easier to port it to another rom
This is kind of off-topic: my carrier lends network of another carrier. Therefor my phone is allways roaming. This puts a stupid “r” with my signal icons. To avoid this I allways take normal signal icons, copy them, and rename one of the two .pngs from for example “stat_sys_signal_1” to “stat_sys_r_signal_1”. This way I get rid of this stupid “r” and it will always show the normal icons
Packing and signing
Now the porting is done and the next job is to push the new framework to your phone. If you are familiar with adb, you can push it to system/framework on your phone. You don’t need to anything more with the apk before pushing it. Else you can create a flashable .zip for your theme. I’ve attached a .zip with update script (I haven’t created it. Just stole it from one of Elelinux’ add-ons ). Download the zip. Create a folder named system and a folder named framework. First drag the new, modded framework_res.apk to the framework folder, then drag the framework folder into the system folder, before you drag the system folder into the attached zip. If you use Clockworkmod recovery, you can just flash the zip right as it is, but if you use Amon_Ra or want it to be compatible with every recovery because you want to post it, you need to do something.
Unpack autosigner and launch the exe file inside. Drag the .zip into the new window and press sign. It will now appear a new file in the same folder as the file you wanted to sign. Its name is the same, but with “_signed” at the end. You can rename the file as you wish both before and after the signing.
XML Editing:
I decided to add a little section about XML editing as well I really don't know all about this myself, but i can tell how to set it up and some examples to what you can do Even though this may seem really complicated, it's not written in a completely different language, like Java in the smali files, so often it is possible to use logic to get what you want
Tools needed: APK Multi-tool. as well as Java, if you don't have it installed.
Overview:
1) Setting up
2) Examples
3) Finish
Settings up
Download APK Multi-tool and extract/ unzip it to wherever you want ( I have it on my desktop). Now you can place the apk you want to modify (usually the framework_res.apk) in the "Place_apk_for_modding" folder. Then you open the script. If you don't get an error, proceed to b), if you do get an error proceed to a)
a)) If you do get an error where it says something like "java not found" you need to correct the Java path (or install Java if you haven't done that, which you should have) . I had to do this to get it working. First open my computer and click disk C, or D if you have installed Java there. Open programfiles (or whatever it's called in your language) and scroll to the Java folder. Now open the folder there jdk folder or whatever you have there and open the "bin" folder. Look at the top of your window, where it says where on you're computer you are (like Windows: C to the left, and then Programfiles and so on). Right click it and click copy address. Mine is "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_01\bin . Now you can close the window.
Open "My computer" again. On the top bar below the navigationbar, click Sytemoptions (sorry, not really sure what it's called in Englsih, as my computer is Norwegian, please correct me if I'm wrong). On the left click the "advanced" link and in the popup that appears click "environment variables". Scroll down to the "path" variable and edit it. Paste the address you copied and click OK. You should now be able to proceed to b). If you still get an error, please tell me and I'll try to help
b) type 25 and press enter to select current project. Here you will see all the apks in the "Place_apk_for_modding" folder. Select the appropriate number (in this case probably 1) and press enter to continue. Then you hit 9 and enter to decompile it. I cannot really explain it, but it enables you to edit the xmls in the apk. If you try to edit them by using 7Zip, the xmls will be just messed up. When it's done decompiling, you have gotten a new folder in the "projects" folder. In this case it is probably named framework_res.apk. Minimize the script (DON'T CLOSE IT) and you're ready to edit the xmls
Examples on edits:
COMING SOON
Finish:
When you're done editing, open the script again (remember what I said about not closing it? ). Click 11, unless you are editing a non system apk. If you are editing the framework or settings or such, use 11. If you get an error now, you have probably done something wrong, try to see in the log what you have done wrong. Every time I've had an error, I've ended up in bootloop when I've flashed, so it is probably better to just start over. Another tip is to do one thing at the time. For example: you decompile, edit the notification color in pulldown, compile. Take the compiled apk, decompile edit another thing and so on, this makes it easier to not mess up and it also shows what you are doing wrong.
On the "Is this a system apk?" you should probably say y, as I said above. I also usually copy over the files I didn't edit, as this seems safer. Follow the instructions and you should be fine. When you're done and the script is done compiling, you will find a unsigned_**** (for example unsigned_framework-res.apk) in the "place_apk_for_modding" folder. This is your modified apk, and you can try to push it to ur device with an update.zip or adb, if you know how to use that
Well this was the end of my guide for now If there's anything which is unclear or you have other suggestions, feel free to post I've probably forgotten something
Finally after all my attemps to modify the android framework before i have do it correctly. I have changed a couple of things, the lock screen and battery icons so far. The framework I'm modifying is the one on Ele's Gingerbread and i wonder how to get the battery icon percentage 1 by 1 as i saw in some other themes. What i mean is that in the original framework there is only battery icons for 15, 20, 25 and so on, and if i push the 16, 17, 18, 19 they won't work. Is Theme Chooser the one on charge of this? how can i get that? some help please?
(Also tryed to theme a sense rom, but everything was messed up, i guess because of sense or maybe I did something wrong)
So thanks for your guide, really helpfull
Yeah, I've never tried to theme Sense so I don't know. It is probably possible to make icons for every %, but then you'll have to decompile using APK tool, and it is harder. I don't know how. If you want to try, you could try asking a question here
thanks
so funny=))
i'm tried
Great guide helped me a lo thx.
Finally, someone who CAN explain it...
I'm now porting ICS to GB (no cm7), cause I think CM sucks.
mDroidd said:
Finally, someone who CAN explain it...
I'm now porting ICS to GB (no cm7), cause I think CM sucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, ICS themes can be made really awesome, if you do some more advanced stuff. For example you want to remap the pulldownbar a bit, and change som text colors. But to do this you need to use a tool like APK multi-tool, and it is a bit more advanced. If you want to, I can create a new section where I show how to this
Thank you.
GUIDE UPDATED! Added a section about XML editing really quick, probably forgotten something and such, so just ask if there is something you don't understand This is for those who are getting used to the PNG editing and want to proceed to something slightly more advanced, for example you 7Tosta
Cheers
BTW: I should've reserved the 2nd post, this is getting messy
Edit: If there's anything specific you want me to add to the EXAMPLES section, tell me

[Guide/Reference] The Basic APK & Theming Thread... {15/11/15}

Hi there.
The greatest thing about Android is that you can change just about every element of the U.I, and if all you want to do is change a few images it's as simple as copying and pasting, but this guide will teach you how to...
[*]Use ADB Commands
[*]Deodex
[*]Decompile
[*]Recompile
[*]Sign
[*]Zipalign
...in an easy to follow manner that will have you theming your own apks in no time. There are many many GUI programs which I'll link to below that automate the following process but experience has taught me that it's important to know the basic process for when those programs don't work, are no longer maintained or you just don't like them for whatever reason etc, and to be honest command line editing for me is just as quick, and I personally prefer the ability to have everything in one folder. So lets begin.
Some Requirements:
A Rooted Phone.
A BACKUP OF YOUR PHONE!
Java - Do this first if you don't have it installed already.
Notepad++ - An essential program for xml editing!
Photoshop or Gimp - You'll need one of these for image editing.
7-Zip or WinRar - Required for apk editing.
Patience. :silly:
Use Linux or a Mac? See the following threads for more information on using apktool on other Operating Systems...
[WIN/LINUX][Decompile/Compile] Quick Mod Tool 4.0 [decompile and compile with speed]
APK Manager for Mac OS X
[Linux][UTILITY][TOOL] APK Multi-Tool
[tutorial] decompiling,recompiling and signing in linux (27-01-2013)
How to install and use Apktool with Ubuntu
​
Quick Tips;
.apk files are applications on your Phone, but when they''re on your computer you can browse them exactly like you would a .zip file, so set your default zip program as the default program for handling apks which will makes things much easier when working with them.
Download themes for your Phone, for other Phones too even and compare the res folders and screen shots of the theme as that will give you a good idea of what image you need to look for when modding your own apks.
If all you want to do is change images then you don't even necessarily need to decompile, you can just drag and drop images in to an apk to replace a stock image so long as they have the same file name.
For more complex mods like changing text colors and layouts (.xml files) and editing .9 png images then you will have to decompile.
​
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Most of us will have Java already installed, but if you don't then get it installed before doing anything else. To save you the time and hassle of figuring out what else you need to download etc I've made a zip for you to download which contains Apktool and ADB.
Download APKTool_CMD.zip to a location of your choice, preferably the C:\ drive which will give you a folder to work from. This is how mine currently looks...
Once your folder is setup, java and other tools installed, you're going to want to get any apks you want to theme off your Phone and there are numerous different ways to this, but we're going to use adb commands to pull files to your computer so we need to open a command prompt window in your Apktool folder. To do this simply hold the shift key then right click your mouse in the Apktool folder and select "open command window here", or just click on the included command prompt.bat.
I like to pull the whole system as soon as I'm rooted as it gives me a backup of stock files which I can then copy and deodex to be themed.
The command to pull your whole system is...
Code:
[B]adb pull /system/ Z1C_368[/B]
...you can choose something other than Z1C_368 as your folder name but it will create that folder in your Aktool folder. Alternatively you can just download individual folders, the commands are as follows...
Code:
[B]adb pull /system/app/ Z1C_368 app
adb pull /system/priv-app/ Z1C_368 priv-app
adb pull /system/framework/ Z1C_368 framework[/B]
...or pull individual files...
Code:
[B]adb pull /system/framework/framework-res.apk[/B]
...so now you should have a APKTool_CMD folder with another folder within it and at least your app, priv-app and framework folders in that, which we can use for the next step.
The tool I use is this - [Tool/Utility] JoelDroid Lollipop Batch Deodexer. While I will deodex all the files I've pulled to my computer experience and battery life has taught me to only deodex the apps I've themed on the phone, rather than run a fully deodexed ROM.
Before you can do anything else you need to install your framework-res.apk and SemcGenericUxpRes.apk/twframework.apk, which will put two apks at C:\Users\YourPCName\apktool\framework which are the resources apktool uses to work its magic. The two commands to install your two resource apks are...
Code:
apktool if framework-res.apk
apktool if SemcGenericUxpRes.apk
The command for decompiling is...
Code:
[B][U]apktool[/U] [U]d[/U][/B] framework-res.apk
...which will create a folder named like for like except for the .apk extension, and in this folder is where you'll find a couple of folders, the main one always being the res folder as it's in this folder that you'll find your images and xmls to edit. First glance of a decompiled res folder can be overwhelming, 596 folders in my frameworks, but we only need to focus on a handful in the majority of apks, and they are...
drawable
drawable-xhdpi-v4 (drawable-xxhdpi-v4 depending on your device)
layout
values
...you may need to delve into others sometimes but it's very rare that I've had to.
Once you've finished making your mods you need to recompile your apk using the following command...
Code:
[B][U]apktool[/U] [U]b[/U][/B] framework-res
...notice you only use the folder name here. If you get any errors here due to a bad edit apktool will usually tell you, in a roundabout way, you just need to read the code it throws up then retrace your steps, correct any bad edit and try again. If all goes smoothly you'll now have a new folder called dist, which contains your newly modified apk, but you can't use that just yet.
This is where 7-Zip or WinRar comes in to play. We need to extract from the original apk the Android.Manifest.xml and META-INF folder, into the dist folder, then from the new apk extract the resources.arsc also into the dist folder, then drag and drop all three files back into the new apk, but NOTE, it's important that you choose store as the compression method, any other will break the apk, and if you replace a broken framework-res.apk you will bootloop.
And signing is as simple as that. Alternatively you can use the following command...
Code:
[B]java -jar signapk.jar testkey.x509.pem testkey.pk8[/B] framework-res.apk.apk framework-resS.apk
...notice the extra "S", the output name has to differ from the input name otherwise it will give an error, if done right it will create a new apk called framework-resS.apk, just remember to rename it back to the original before using it on your Phone.
[TOOL] pySignare - Quickly Sign APKs [Windows]
Signing For The Play Store
If you plan on Publishing a Theme or any other app/apk to the Play Store then using the above method to sign your apks just wont work because you need to give it an individual signature that is unique to you, thankfully @AndroidGraphix has written a great guide that will show you how, it's a bit more fidgety than the above method but simple enough to follow...
AndroidGraphix said:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Noobs guide to signing an APK with a Private Key​
DISADVANTAGES OF UNALIGNED APKs
Quite understandably, situation would be reserved for unaligned application packages. Resource reading would be slow and memory usage would be on the higher end of the spectrum. It would also depend on how many unaligned applications are present. For example, if less number of applications with an unaligned home application, you’d see slower application launch times. This is the best case scenario. For a worst case scenario, having a number of unaligned applications will result in the system repeatedly starting and killing processes, struggling with lags and huge battery drain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- SOURCE
Move your new signed apk into your APKTool_CMD folder, you can overwrite your original if you want, and use the following command...
Code:
[B][U]zipalign -v 4[/U][/B] framework-res.apk ZAframework-res.apk
...notice the ZA, zipaligning creates a new apk which has to be named different from the original, but use what you want, it'll need renaming again before you use it.
So now we need to transfer your apk back to your Phone, you can do it by copying to your SD, then to your system, change permissions, then copy to the right folder, but that's not only time consuming but highly tedious too, so a simpler method is to use adb using the push command as this allows us to push straight to the system overwriting the original with the correct permissions too. To use this method you'll need you'll need an unsecure kernel and/or Chainfires adbd Insecure app. Try the app first but if you still can't mount and push files read this thread - [HOW TO]Make your favorite kernel adbd insecure to run ADB as root on /system and try again.
Rename your zipaligned apk to it's original name, then we need to mount the system before we can push direct to the the system, and the command for that is...
Code:
adb remount
...then we need to make sure we're pushing our apk to the right folder on the Phone, so for the framework-res it's...
Code:
[B][U]adb push[/U][/B] D:\Xperia\Z1C_368\APKTOOL\framework-res.apk /system/framework
...yet for the SystemUI it's...
Code:
adb push D:\Xperia\Z1C_368\APKTOOL\SystemUI.apk[B][U] /system/priv-app/[/U][/B]SystemUI
...if it's any one of those two then generally you need to reboot, so just type...
Code:
adb reboot
...your Phone will restart and if you've done everything right your new mods should be displayed, happy days. So that's it for how to use command prompt for modifying apks.
So now you know how to prepare an apk for editing your going to want to theme it obviously, and the following links will help you with that.
XML 101 - XML Modding Made Easy!
How To Edit Resources
The Ultimate Android Themeing Guide
[GUIDE] Smali coding guide for beginners
[Reference] Interactive Phone Modification [GUIDE]
[TOOL] Android Drawable Resizer Tool
[GUIDE] Want to learn how to theme?
[Guide] demystifying build.prop [Valid entries]
General Questions about Themes GO HERE!!!!!
[INFO] Custom framework-res.apk resources.arsc using vendor overlays
[Tutorial][NICS Themer] Create Your Own Themed apk & Become a Themer
​
U.I Modding
Tutorial :- Changing App Icons
[TUTORIAL]How to Theme Your MMS
[How-to] Edit the "About Phone" display
[Tutorial][VIDEO] Add/integrate apps into Settings app!
[TUTORIAL] Where to find the colors for making a theme
[MOD][GUIDE]LockScreen Clock with seconds[ANY ROM]
[TUTORIAL] How to add various framework/Settings mods
[TUT][JB] HOW TO THEME SystemUI.apk for TOTALLY newbie!
[HOWTO] Integrating/Adding applications to the settings menu
[TUTORIAL][ICS][GB][JB]How to change Android's black background
[GUIDE][Ultimate]Theme Apps To Dark Theme | Theme Whole System | Newbies Here! 12/11
​
Text...
Text Color Guide
[GUIDE] Tips for themers
[GUIDE][REF]Changing System Text Settings
​
Statusbar...
[MOD][TUT] Merge The WiFi And Signal Icons
[GUIDE][MOD][SYSTEMUI] How to add 0.00KB/s meter on statusbar GB/ICS/JB
[TUT] How To Center The Clock On The Statusbar..And Move Other Icons As Well!
[How-To]Removing Battery Percentage, Adding Toggles,Battery Circles to Statusbar
[GUIDE][Mods][All Devices]How to add/ Change Clocks to Analog/ Digital with Seconds
​
The three best/most popular GUI programs are...
@Diamondbacks - Virtuous Ten Studio
@Ticklefishs - [TOOL] Tickle My Android
@BDFreaks - [Tool]Advanced ApkTool
...there are others but these are I what I tend to see referred to the most.
TIP:
Restoring modified files if you mess up is easier and quicker with a CWM.zip, especially if you're modifying any framework apks! Just because an apk might build with no errors doesn't mean it won't give you any when installed to the Phone.
I hope after reading this explanation you're left wondering what all the fuss is about, as it really is quite simple. I'll use the following two images, btn_default_pressed_holo.9 & status_bar_close_off.9 to illustrate the basic point of the borders...
Decompiled .9pngs:
Recompiled .9pngs:
Those borders control which part of the image is stretched (Left & Top) and where on the image content will be displayed (Right & Bottom). We'll use Draw 9-patch which is for editing the borders of decompiled .9pngs and lets you see how the image, when stretched, will be displayed on the Phone. Notice that the borders are different sizes, well that's because I only want/need a certain part of the image to stretch to get the desired look on the Phone.
...in the image below the left side shows the stretched image and desired effect should look on the Phone and the right side shows how it would look if I had edited the borders incorrectly or used none at all...
You can get away by not using a border but you would need to edit your image to specific dimensions to accommodate for the stretching, for example it might look fine for a simple OK button but it might not look right if you used the same .9png for a screen press which stretches the whole length of the screen, so you're better off just using them to begin with, plus you'll more than likely get errors down the line while decompiling or recompiling your apk.
The use of the border is made even more clear when you add text to an image. For my status_bar_close_off.9 I've filled all four sides of the image (except for an empty pixel in all four corners as that is the max amount of border you can use) as I need it to stretch the image just how I've edited it...
...but if I used the same sized left side border as the btn_default_pressed_holo.9 then this is how it would look on the Phone...
...which is obviously not the look I'm trying to achieve, as the left side border is causing the image to stretch incorrectly.
So that's basically it, depending on the image you're editing you can usually leave the borders alone but if you create one from scratch then you might need to play about with them if your images doesn't look quite right when used on the Phone. Here's a few links that will assist you further, especially the batch editing...
How to edit .9.pngs
[TUTO] Create your 9.png !
[UTILITY][TOOL] 9patchPngSuite [Windows&Linux]
How to draw NinePatch images with Photoshop - .9.PNG
[TOOL][Multi-Platform][.9.png][ALL DPIs] Android Resizer Tool
[Tutorial][Commentary] How To Batch Edit .9PNG/PNG Images
[tool] 9compiler - batch process for themers android
ClockworkMod Recovery zips are used for flashing individual files to whole ROMS and can be a life saver if you push a badly edited apk to your Phone that results in a bootloop. There's also a few programs that can assist you with that too, but if all you're doing is replacing a few files all you really need is a template, then it's just a matter of creating the Phones folder setup in the zip which is simply creating folders: system\app - system\media\audio etc then dragging and dropping your files into it. A basic understanding of the updater script is essential, a ROM.zip will more than likely wipe your Phone whereas a Theme.zip may just replace files but it might delete some also.[/QUOTE]
See below for a CWM.zip Template but first some helpful links...
[Tool]easy flasher v4 (ur own update.zip)
[Tool][Windows/Linux] Android Flashable Zip Creator
[Utility-Tool][DEVandThemers]CWMflashpack.zipCreatorV1{TheCollective}w/EdifyScripting
ERRORS encountered in CWM Recovery
[TUT] [for NOOB] editing updater-script for noobs!
[TUTORIAL] Making Flashable ZIPs, EDIFY Script, ZIP Signing & Key Creation
​
This is my Restore_zip which is set up so you can add your own files to the framework and apps folders in the main system location, but you can easily add other folders to it if you want to add things like fonts, tones or anything else, just remember to add folders within folders if that's where the files you want to include are such as tones, media\audio\alarms for example.
If you navigate to META-INF\com\google\android you will find the updater-script which controls how the zip works and the text you see when you run it in CWM. As this zip is just for basically over writing files you don't need to edit anything except for a few lines...
...this is how I've edited it for my theme...
...so just edit it using Notepad++ to your liking.
When adding files to your zip add them using Normal as the Compression Method...
...Remember to remove the text files I've added otherwise they will be flashed to your folders too.
And that's pretty much it, the only way you're really going to learn is by reading then putting into practice what you've read and picking stuff up along the way, fortunately there are numerous guides for numerous mods and tools to help with a variety of tasks.
Notable credits and thanks to @iBotPeaches and @Brut.all for making it possible with - Apktool
Useful Suff...
rovo89 said:
In this thread, I'm presenting a framework which gives you the possibility to modify your ROM - without modifying any APK (developers) or flashing (users)!
...
Advantages:
No need to modify any APKs. This means:
No need to decompile, change things in smali, compile, sign, ...
It will work for odexed and deodexed ROMs.
Your mod is not bound to a specific version of the ROM. Unless there is a major change in the methods called for a certain functionality, your mod will continue to work even when you upgrade your ROM. Hell, it will probably even work with different ROMs.
Multiple mods can be installed at the same time, even if they change the same package. So you can use these battery icons and those quick toggles. Even hooking the same method twice is possible. Of course, this only works properly if the mods are not trying to do incompatible things.
It does its magic at runtime. That means you can implement options to let the user decide if they prefer the bikeshed to be painted in red or blue. Or you can have some extra logic for certain ROMs without building different mod versions.
It can be disabled easily without having to reflash.
It's open source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- [FRAMEWORK ONLY!] Xposed - ROM modding without modifying APKs
Annex1 said:
CM10.1-THEME_BOOK
Theme book was created by Annex and Ebs512. I've been asked alot of questions from how to get started? what do I need to get started? to What Graphics program do I use? etc. We made a real simple theme guide to help get you started. This is in Layman Terms.. Nothing fancy.
ONLY THING FANCY IS MY FLASH BOOK
YOU MUST HAVE A FLASH PLAYER INSTALLED TO VIEW THIS!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- [GUIDE] HOW TO THEME CM10.1 - Animated Book
[Guide] Porting XTheme themes
[How to] XMLGenerator.jar + batch script v2.0
[Guide] Xposed Framework/TabletUI (Noob-Friendly)
[Tool] Drawable XML generator for CM7 theme chooser
[Guide] How to port themes to T-Mobile Theme Chooser
[Tool] [Theme Creator] [CM/Avatar] Theme creator tool
[INDEX][WiP] List of APPs & MODs that use XPOSED Module
[Tool] nhnt11's XML Generator Revived V2+Extended UPDATED!
[DEV/GUIDE]Creating APKs for use with TMobile Theme engine
[Tool][PortCx] Port CM Themes to Xtheme Engine in One Click!
Theme-Porter [v1.0] [Any Firmware / Rom Compatible] [WINDOWS]
[GUIDE] T-mobile theme engine for the faint at heart (non-linux users)
[1/30/2013] Mega 4.2.1 BlackBean Theme Template [XXHDPI/XHDPI/HDPI/TVDPI]
[MOD][XPOSED][4.0+] XThemeEngine beta5 - Theme engine for any rooted phone
[APK][Xposed] ResXploit : Theming your android the easiest way! No decompiling APKs!
-·=»‡«=·-[JB][CM10] Theme Engine Template Updated To V4 [8-7-12][XHDPI/HDPI]-·=»‡«=·-
Hi Guys, I tried to do a small tweak to my ROM like just a color change to signal bars, as mentioned in the XDA university, but once the apk is pushed to system/app and restarted, it went to bootloop. I just changed the color of a image file using GIMP (as mentioned), then dint work, so just tried decompiling SystemUI.apk and then recompiling then folder without any changes and push to system folder, even that dint work, then i saw this thread, i tried the replacing the resources.arsc from old apk (opened using winrar, and dragged to my folder), the opened my new recompiled SystemUI.apk with winrar and added this resources.arsc file which i extracted with compression option as Store, then pushed it bcak to /system/app folder , every time i pushed i connected the phone in recovery mode. But still in bootloop, the moment i replace the apk with original one, it works, can some one pls point out what am I doing wrong ?
Hardware - I9100 - galaxy S2
ROM - JellyBAM 3.3
Kernel - Siyah 5.1+
thanks,
merin
merin_83 said:
Hi Guys, I tried to do a small tweak to my ROM like just a color change to signal bars, as mentioned in the XDA university, but once the apk is pushed to system/app and restarted, it went to bootloop. I just changed the color of a image file using GIMP (as mentioned), then dint work, so just tried decompiling SystemUI.apk and then recompiling then folder without any changes and push to system folder, even that dint work, then i saw this thread, i tried the replacing the resources.arsc from old apk (opened using winrar, and dragged to my folder), the opened my new recompiled SystemUI.apk with winrar and added this resources.arsc file which i extracted with compression option as Store, then pushed it bcak to /system/app folder , every time i pushed i connected the phone in recovery mode. But still in bootloop, the moment i replace the apk with original one, it works, can some one pls point out what am I doing wrong ?
Hardware - I9100 - galaxy S2
ROM - JellyBAM 3.3
Kernel - Siyah 5.1+
thanks,
merin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi There
Try using 7zip to update the apk instead of winrar. if that doesn't work, post your logcats,
Thanks
trevd said:
Hi There
Try using 7zip to update the apk instead of winrar. if that doesn't work, post your logcats,
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will try that when i get back home today, and is there any option i need to set when using 7zip like store mode ?
thanks,
merin
hi, I tried with 7zip, 1st i just opened the recompiled zip with 7zip and dragged and dropped the resources file from original apk to this archive, and pushed to phone , still boot looping, and then tried to right click on the resource file from original apk, and selected add to 7zip archive, and changed the archive format to .zip/compression mode to Store and saved, then pushed to phone, still boot looping. So here i have attached the logcat, hope that is correct how i have done it, after rebooting the phone, i typed in consle logcat > log.txt and it was waiting for device, once in boot loop i did ctrl + c, then it exited. Please let me know if you need more info, do i need to attach my original SystemUI.apk and framework-res.apk ??
Happy New Year !!!
thanks,
merin
Nice tuts I will try at home :thumbup:
Sent from my ST18i using xda premium
merin_83 said:
then i saw this thread, i tried the replacing the resources.arsc from old apk (opened using winrar, and dragged to my folder), the opened my new recompiled SystemUI.apk with winrar and added this resources.arsc file which i extracted with compression option as Store, then pushed it bcak to /system/app folder , every time i pushed i connected the phone in recovery mode. But still in bootloop, the moment i replace the apk with original one, it works, can some one pls point out what am I doing wrong ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi.
Are you copying the AndroidManifest.xml and META-INF folder from the original to the new apk too?
Actually i did the exact thing you said yesterday, when i found in the youtube, and it worked thank you!, but dint copy the resource file (but had some fc's when opening camera 1st time), may thats the reason,,, so i should copy AndroidManifest.xml and META-INF and resource file ?, and is this a standard procedure when we do a recompile every time ? or it varies with situation ?
thanks,
merin
Hey hi guys....can any 1 tell me how to set boot image which i want hmmmmm
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using xda app-developers app
merin_83 said:
so i should copy AndroidManifest.xml and META-INF and resource file ?, and is this a standard procedure when we do a recompile every time ? or it varies with situation ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's how I do it every time and never have an issue (unless I've screwed up somewhere), so yes.
sagar4all007 said:
Hey hi guys....can any 1 tell me how to set boot image which i want hmmmmm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh okey thank you XperienceD, does it make a difference if we just use apktool or Androidsuite for decompiling and building ?
thanks,
merin
merin_83 said:
oh okey thank you XperienceD, does it make a difference if we just use apktool or Androidsuite for decompiling and building ?
thanks,
merin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think androidsuite uses apktool for its decompiling and build it just uses it through a ui as apktool is command line so its more a preference of use for you
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA Premium HD app
ttibbetts83 said:
I think androidsuite uses apktool for its decompiling and build it just uses it through a ui as apktool is command line so its more a preference of use for you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he said. I've set this up for when such programs don't always work.
How about some links for how to guide for Ubuntu user and some links on .XML file editing I was doing .apk mods on windows then started messing around with Ubuntu and find its I little more work to get it setup but all an all it to me is a better environment for android then windows IMOA
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA Premium HD app
ttibbetts83 said:
How about some links for how to guide for Ubuntu user
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After a quick search for android theming ubuntu there doesn't seem to be a lot of information for it, and this post...
Nikkopt said:
What and where have you heard about Ubuntu helping on theming? It depends on personal taste and choice. You also have much more tools to help you graphically on windows and mac os.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
from this thread - Which version of Ubuntu is recommended for theming? suggests why.
here are some links for ubuntu installs that will help with .apk modding on ubuntu for those who want it
how to setup apktool on ubuntu
http://my.opera.com/ubuntunerd1/blog/2012/08/20/how-to-apktool-with-ubuntu-under-construction
ubuntu version of paint.net
http://pinta-project.com/
xaraxtreme looks to be a good program from what i have read but i have not tryed it out yet
http://www.xaraxtreme.org/download.html
gimp is avalable through ubuntu software center and for .xml ubuntu has built in editer software just by right click and open with text editer
hex color website http://www.procato.com/rgbfind/
Nice guide my friend :good:
if anyone get apktool doesn't work on apk JB 4.2.2 ROM you can use this Latest apktool http://d-h.st/cze
Rizal Lovins said:
Nice guide my friend :good:
if anyone get apktool doesn't work on apk JB 4.2.2 ROM you can use this Latest apktool http://d-h.st/cze
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Rizal.

[guide]easy apk modding (linux)

Most of the guides ive read on XDA say you have to decompile and recompile APKS just to make a couple of modifications to the images. Well I dont believe this to be true. I have tested my method on ubuntu 14.10 and with my nexus 5.
This guide is specifically for modifying images inside of the apks, not the code, or xml itself.
- ADB pull the APK file you want to modify (i chose SystemUI.apk)
- Double click it in File Manager on ubuntu, this should open it up in the archive manager. If not, manually open it up in archive manager
- Click on the "Add Files" button and select which files you want to replace. It will automatically overwrite the current ones.
- Make sure that you are keeping the proper directory structure and are putting the images in the proper place with proper names.
- Copy the new APK file back to your device on /sdcard/file.apk
Then, to get the APK file back on your system without causing problems, I rebooted into TWRP, mounted system and went into the file manager and copy/pasted the APK in the appropriate folder. When you get back into android, chmod 644 new-file.apk. I would not suggest trying to copy the modified APK file into your system while android is running live. Thats why I did it in TWRP. It could cause system unstability, crashing, etc... Im sure that I am not the first person to realize this could be done, but I did discover this on my own because I like to try things. PLEASE, make a backup in case something doesnt work correctly after your mod. Good luck!
bynarie said:
Most of the guides ive read on XDA say you have to decompile and recompile APKS just to make a couple of modifications to the images.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine doesn't.
XperienceD said:
Mine doesn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um, not to be rude but the guide on your signature shows using apktool to decompile and recompile. Soo....? Unless its another guide. And Im not saying ALL guides are, but some, and thats ok. Could you link me to your guide please? I would love to take a look at it. Thanks
EDIT - woops im sorry i didnt really read it... i do see where it says drag and drop the images... good deal. sorry
bynarie said:
Um, not to be rude but the guide on your signature shows using apktool to decompile and recompile. Soo....?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edit: No need for my original reply as you found it.
XperienceD said:
Edit: No need for my original reply as you found it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and your guide is very good. Thank you for that.

[MOD][TEMPLATE] Magisk Module Template with EvilTheme Patcher

Hello everyone.
This is a little mod to the Magisk Module Template that allows you to patch APK files on-the-fly and have them created as a Magisk Module.
For example, you could have a modified camera module for your ROM, where this patcher would replace the classes.dex file with mods, then pack that as a Magisk Module, using the original file found in the /system (ROM)
For some of the devs that have been around for a while, you would be aware of the old VRTheme modding system, which would allow you to patch files on-the-fly. EvilTheme is basically a newer version of that, so combined with Magisk can be very useful
Here's what this module CAN do:
Replace resources.arsc, classes.dex, AndroidManifest.xml, and META-INF folder
Replace compiled res folders / files
Here's what this module CAN'T do:
Replace files in res/values or smali folders
How to use EVilTheme
(Example using /system/priv-app/SecSettings2.apk)
In the eviltheme folder, go to system and make a folder called priv-app. Inside it, make another folder called SecSettings2.apk
Now make folders as necessary, according to the location of the files you want to theme. For example, battery_icon_50.png is located in res/drawable-hdpi, so make a folder named res inside SecSettings2.apk.
Inside it, create a folder named drawable-hdpi, then paste your new battery_icon_50.png inside.
Repeat step 2 until you've placed your theme files in their appropriate locations.
When you're done, go back to the root folder of the theme (the one that contains eviltheme, engine, etc.) and put all the objects in a ZIP file.
You should use Deflate compression with compression level on Normal, but if your theme is huge, you can safely try compressing using Deflate and the level set to Ultra or whatever high level is available.
Test your mod.
For information regarding the Magisk Module subbmision etc, please read the information HERE
Link to Github Repository: HERE
Enjoy
Nice! Sounds interesting!
I've been using vrtheme for years and even contacted spanna aabout adapting the script to achieve modding of live system files this eliminating the need for recovery zips and even Aroma!
So I have a question about the use and locations of the asset files.
Would it be possible to change, at least the location from which the files get pulled from and placed into the execute folders?
So basically could it be set to pull the image/resource, whatever file from either a data folder or my preference, sd storage?
I've used an asset folder built into my system for similar commands, but with enough options and large files the system partition can get extremely crowded.
Does my question make sense?
Basically i would like to eliminate a big section of my packed 2gb Aroma zip. About 700mb is all vrtheme injected compiled files.
Either way I will definitely be looking into this!
Thanks
stangdriver44 said:
Nice! Sounds interesting!
I've been using vrtheme for years and even contacted spanna aabout adapting the script to achieve modding of live system files this eliminating the need for recovery zips and even Aroma!
So I have a question about the use and locations of the asset files.
Would it be possible to change, at least the location from which the files get pulled from and placed into the execute folders?
So basically could it be set to pull the image/resource, whatever file from either a data folder or my preference, sd storage?
I've used an asset folder built into my system for similar commands, but with enough options and large files the system partition can get extremely crowded.
Does my question make sense?
Basically i would like to eliminate a big section of my packed 2gb Aroma zip. About 700mb is all vrtheme injected compiled files.
Either way I will definitely be looking into this!
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could, but you would have to look at update-binary and installtheme.sh, then modify it for your needs. So instead of copying the modded files from the flashable zip, you would just have to remove the unzip function and change the path of where they are unzipped to to the location of where the files are on your data partition.
Give it a try
so with this I can technically change the rotation of an app without ever messing with the apk? I've tried editing the AndroidManifest.xml, but after editing I've never been successful putting it back into the apk
dimm0k said:
so with this I can technically change the rotation of an app without ever messing with the apk? I've tried editing the AndroidManifest.xml, but after editing I've never been successful putting it back into the apk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you plan to change androidmanifest.xml you will have to include the newly created META-INF folder for it too.
Could this be used to convert substratum themes to work systemlessly with magisk?
Sent from my Pixel using XDA Labs
qwer777 said:
Could this be used to convert substratum themes to work systemlessly with magisk?
Sent from my Pixel using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're talking about pre-packaged APK theme files, no it probably won't work, as they still need to be installed.
This is more for files that are already installed that require patching.
Nice work
Got one question - is it possible to modify classes.dex if .apk file is not in system folder? I mean for example, if system app gets updated, it creates new folder in data/app/ with the name of the package and with either -1, -2 or whetever number at the end (ex. data/app/com.google.android.youtube-2).
Do I need to just integrate update into system and then modify it? Or just create new folder in eviltheme one with data/... instead of system/...?
Thanks
I tried to modify system/framework/framework-res.apk/res/drawable-xxhdpi-v4/default_wallpaper.jpg, but unfortunately it did not work. Neither on InFocus M808/mod stock 6.0(mt6753) nor on SamsungS5Neo/mod stock 6.0.1(exynos7580)
Both tried with official Magisk 12.0 and newest beta.
nevermind i didn't read all the way
drei.liter.milch said:
I tried to modify system/framework/framework-res.apk/res/drawable-xxhdpi-v4/default_wallpaper.jpg, but unfortunately it did not work. Neither on InFocus M808/mod stock 6.0(mt6753) nor on SamsungS5Neo/mod stock 6.0.1(exynos7580)
Both tried with official Magisk 12.0 and newest beta.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Started another try to replace some icons. did not work. am I missing something or is this template just faulty?
anybody who got this working?
drei.liter.milch said:
Started another try to replace some icons. did not work. am I missing something or is this template just crap?
anybody who got this working?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was a bit rude.
Edit: better to give some details on what you've actually done, maybe even upload your files. Easier to find any faults on your side or possible bugs that way.
I want to add the clock onto my lockscreen statusbar. Would this help me achieve that?
Didgeridoohan said:
That was a bit rude.
Edit: better to give some details on what you've actually done, maybe even upload your files. Easier to find any faults on your side or possible bugs that way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes ok, the word "crap" maybe was a little bit over the top. i'm sorry for that. I just would like to know, if anybody can report this module/template as working. If so, I would go on looking for the error on my side.
I've actually followed exactly the guide given in OP. (It seems not that tricky to me)
-placed folder tree system/framework/framework-res.apk/res/drawable-xxhdpi-v4/ in the eviltheme-folder and put my default_wallpaper.jpg file in drawable-xxhdpi-v4 folder
-edited module.prop und config.sh
-zipped the whole template folder
-installed via magisk manager
-rebooted
tried with to different phones, beta and official magisk (see my first post)
I'll reproduce my logs and attach them later.
anyway thanks for the hint
drei.liter.milch said:
yes ok, the word "crap" maybe was a little bit over the top. i'm sorry for that. I just would like to know, if anybody can report this module/template as working. If so, I would go on looking for the error on my side.
I've actually followed exactly the guide given in OP. (It seems not that tricky to me)
-placed folder tree system/framework/framework-res.apk/res/drawable-xxhdpi-v4/ in the eviltheme-folder and put my default_wallpaper.jpg file in drawable-xxhdpi-v4 folder
-edited module.prop und config.sh
-zipped the whole template folder
-installed via magisk manager
-rebooted
tried with to different phones, beta and official magisk (see my first post)
I'll reproduce my logs and attach them later.
anyway thanks for the hint
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash Via Recovery, it may work. didnt work for me when i installed from magisk manager.
btw i have a question, is there any way to remove a file from the apk?
shekhawat2 said:
Flash Via Recovery, it may work. didnt work for me when i installed from magisk manager.
btw i have a question, is there any way to remove a file from the apk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx, i'll try that. which magisk-version do you use? and i guess maybe you can remove a file by placing a dummy.
drei.liter.milch said:
thx, i'll try that. which magisk-version do you use? and i guess maybe you can remove a file by placing a dummy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No brother, I want to delete the file, not to replace it with dummy file. Replacing with dummy file will give system ui FCs.
I saw something delete.list in the installtheme.sh, but I don't know how to use it. If anyone can help, pls help me.
BTW I am using Magisk v12.
shekhawat2 said:
No brother, I want to delete the file, not to replace it with dummy file. Replacing with dummy file will give system ui FCs.
I saw something delete.list in the installtheme.sh, but I don't know how to use it. If anyone can help, pls help me.
BTW I am using Magisk v12.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I see. Perhaps you find sth about it in the vrtheme-topic. Btw. flashing in recovery doesn't work either. I'm not messing around with this anymore and continue using flipster :good:
Where can we download? I want to change Viber's background to pure black so I will change the AndroidManifest. Will this theoretically work?
I was wondering what, if anything, I would need to change for this to work on a pixel. On Pixel's, the install path is system/system. I couldn't tell whether or not this could detect the correct path on its own.
Edit: Never mind. I got it to work.

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