[Newbies][Documentation]What's an apk and how does it work

[Newbies][Documentation]What's an apk and how does it work - XDA-University

Quick Intro :
Let me answer that question, an apk, first of all, is the format of Android apps, as .exe would be for Windows, apk means Android Package by the way.
But what’s the big deal?
Well an apk contain a lot of things into it.
When you open it as an archive, you might get those files:
AndroidManifest.xml
assets
res
META-INF
resources.arsc
classes.dex
AndroidManifest.xml is the file that contains the information about the app itself: the list of all activities, all permissions, the name of the app’s package, and the software/hardware requirements. To be able to read it, you’ll need to decompile the apk file.
Assets and res folders are meant for resources. Most often, you won’t see the assets folder because its usage is limited, (explanations here). We’ll focus on res since asset isn’t used so often.
META-INF contains CERT.RSA and CERT.SF (certificate) as well as MANIFEST.MF (a manifest)
Those files are the app signature, and META-INF is the folder that contains signature.
The resources.arsc file is the file holding most of the resources that were originally in the res folder. After compiling the code, Android Studio (or others software) compile resources into this file. You won’t be able to open it with an archive explorer. We’ll need to decompile the apk to get the resources back into the res folder.
And, finally, the classes.dex file contains the every smali files of the app. A smali file contains the java code for a specific part of the app. To be able to have the smali files (into the smali folder), you’ll have to baksmali your app.
Hopefully, apktool (a reverse engineering tool) does it for you.
Let’s decompile the apk using apktool (a popular tool used to decompile apps):
Once apktool is installed (see the apktool web page to know how to install), you’ll need to use the command prompt to decompile the apk:
Code:
java -jar apktool.jar d [name of the apk].apk
(I advise to create a folder and to put every file needed in it: the apk, the apktool.jar file, and the apktool script).
You’ll have an out folder, and when you browse it, you’ll have most of the time:
AndroidManifest.xml
original (a folder)
res (a folder)
smali (a folder)
The AndroidManifest.xml that you see here is the translated one.
In the “original” folder rest the META-INF folder and the original AndroidManifest.xml file (untranslated). As you can guess by its name, this folder contains unchanged original files.
The res folder is now full, because every resource from the resources.arsc file are now back into the res folder
Same for the smali folder, this folder contains every piece of code contained into the classes.dex file.
We will now focus on the res folder. Now that it’s complete, we can see those folders (it depends on your apk, but here is the list of the most common ones):
anim (other animation stuff, see the links at the end of the thread)
animator (animation properties)
color (color state list: in which condition this color is used for a particular element)
drawable (can be pictures or xml files, it contains a lot of things)
layout (contains the files that define the layouts of the app)
mipmap (icons for different screen densities)
values (xml files that contains values, that will be referenced in other xml files in other folders)
xml (every other unclassified xml files)
Those folders contain files that will be named following their resource ID.
So how does all of this work together?
Well, the java code written in the smali files will call resources with their IDs. This way, the app will show you the write thing at the right moment, following the code. The layouts are already described in the layout folder. What the code really do is analyzing the action of the end user and calling other resources in consequence.
For example, I’m using the XDA Labs app on my phone. I’m in my phone’s section, and I’m about to click on a thread to open it.
I clicked on the thread, so the code loaded the thread layout with every post in it, and other resources such as the little arrows at the top to jump to the end/beginning of the thread, the reply button, its color, … That’s how to work if I want to keep it simple.
I tried, in this guide, to simplify android app basic for beginners. Feel free to ask any question, I’ll be glad to answer.
If you want to go further into it, you can read a very complete guide about app basics by google (it’s a bit complicated to read, assuming you’re just starting to understand).
Here are the links:
https://developer.android.com/guide
If you have any question about that guide, you can also ask me (with the quote you didn’t understood).
Keep at mind that mastering app basics is really important if you ever want to theme/create an app. So, this guide and the google one is a good place to start.
Have fun reading

Hello Raiz,
I decompiled the apk of an androind app from playstore using dex jar and apktool however I can't find the scripts anywhere in the resulting files. Where should I look? Or is there something more that I have to do? I'm trying to edit something for personal use to make the game more enjoyable. I saw a .unity3D file in there so I presume it was made in unity if this helps.

Good tutorial about concepts of APK file. The details you share are so educational. Thanks for sharing

Related

[HOW TO] Manuals for creating a theme

In the following 3 manuals, you will be shown/told how too create a theme.
Thank you to the authors. Most of all to Stericson for he is the first to figure out HOW to create a theme for your phones.
Thank You Again
Restore your G1 back to it's original theme and fonts!

To create themes, or to edit themes to your liking, you will need a working knowledge of android, adb, how to resign apk's, knowledge of your own O/S.
Things you will need:
The rom you intent to create a theme for... Now a days there are so many to choose from so none of this will be rom specific.
You will also want to get the latest and greatest bootloader installed on your phone and to HIGHLY suggest everyone trying your theme to install it as well.
You'll find this on Android Development
You will also need the latest SDK and java:
Link to Java: http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp
Downloading SDK: http://code.google.com/android/intro/installing.html
You can also use any zipping archive to extract files from and to the update.zips. I believe there are links below to some of these.
Very Important!
You do not usually need to resign every apk that you change! Usually you only need to resign the update.zip! However there may be times that you may need to resign an apk. So dont sign the apks...if you have problems with the update then try to resign the apks.
JesusFreke was kind enough to build a custom signing tool for me that would allow me to right click on an apk and resign it from there. I am posting it here for others to use as well. Note that this is a courtesy of JF, so thank him for it. I cannot stress how much time this has saved me and will save you.
Automatic version!
Do not use this to sign APK files in Vista or windows 7! It will cause your theme to loop phones when placed on a device. Only use this to sign update files if your using those O/S's
Note, this will not work if your SDK or the path that you place this in has any spaces in the dir name!
An Example of this is c:\users\Nikki and Stephen\sdk\tools
Try to put the SDK and the contents of the zip in a dir where the names are all together and not like the one above.
I have made a batch file that will automate the entire process of setting up to use the signing tool made by JF. This batch file will set the CLASSPATH, set the PATH, install the registries, and will even allow you to sign files manually if you wish. I plan on building onto this batch file to include other things. However, for the moment, it will only include what you see here.
In order to use this you should have downloaded the sdk already. Simply extract all of the files into the tools dir of your sdk, and run autosign.bat follow the instructions and go through the options one by one, starting with 1 working through 4. You can however, put the contents of this zip anywhere on your computer and it will work. It is just better to put them into the tools dir of your SDK. Especially for the consideration of future versions.
Autosign .zip: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5...MTEyMi00NzI4LWJkMDQtZTUzNjBjMTZlMWNj&hl=en_US
Want to set up the signing tool manually?
Before using this you need to know how to set this up:
Now you will need to add the tools dir of your sdk to the environment variable CLASSPATH.
FOR XP:
Right click on My Computer click properties, then choose the tab that says advanced.
Click the button that says environmental variables.
Go to system variables find the one that says CLASSPATH
double click it
go to the end of variable value.
There should be a semicolon ; at the end, type in the path to the testsign.jar located in the tools directory of your SDK
for example the path to my testsign.jar was c:\sdk\android-sdk-windows-1.0_r1\tools\testsign.jar
If CLASSPATH is not in your system variables then create it.
Secondly, Find the system variable called PATH and add to the end of it, the full path to your sdk directory.
For example, mine was c:\sdk\android-sdk-windows-1.0_r2\tools
FOR VISTA:
Open a cmd prompt.
Replace THEEXACTPATHTO-TESTSIGN with the path to the dir that holds the file testsign.jar.
Type:
echo %CLASSPATH%
If it is returns %CLASSPATH%
Type the following:
set CLASSPATH=THEXACTPATHTO-TESTSIGN\testsign.jar
If it comes back with something else then
Type the following:
set CLASSPATH=%CLASSPATH%;.;THEXACTPATHTO-TESTSIGN\testsign.jar
For Example, when I type this it looks like:
set CLASSPATH=%CLASSPATH%;.;c:\Android\SDK\tools\tests ign.jar
To set the PATH
Replace THEEXACTPATHTO-SDK with the path to the tools dir of your SDK.
Now type:
set PATH=%PATH%;.;THEXACTPATHTO-SDK\tools
For example, when I type this out it looks like this:
path-%PATH%;.;c:\Android\SDK\tools
Now through doing this you have done two things, first off you have made the resigning process extremely easy, secondly you will not have to cd to the tools dir of the sdk to use adb or any other tool in the sdk.
Signing the Files:
Now right click the reg file that you extracted and choose to install it, or merge.
Now, right click an apk, do you see an option that says ResignApk? That's how you will resign your .apks and .zips.
When you choose it a cmd window should open for a few seconds and then close. the file you signed will be overwritten with the new resigned file.
If you find the right click menu not working for some reason you can type the following in cmd to sign your files: java testsign whateverfiletosign
General Info:
You will need to be specific in addressing what version your theme is for, RC8, RC30, or ADP1. Make sure you test the update.zip before you release it.
Every .apk contains the images relating to itself. However, every apk has the ability to use the images in framework-res.apk. The images for every apk is located inside of itself. To find these images open up the apk, you can rename it to .zip or open it with an archiver of your choice, winrar, winace, etc. Then after opening the apk open the folder called res and inside of that there are folders that are named Drawable, drawable-land, drawable-port, etc. This is where the images are stored.
There are some things you cannot edit unless you rebuild the entire apk from source, which we will not go into here.(another tutorial, another time) Just know that at this time you SHOULD NOT edit, or even open images with the extension .9.png doing so will corrupt the .9.png and cause the image to distort. You can however compile the images with eclipse.
Editing .9.png's - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=487001
Be aware, messing with .9.png's can cause problems if they are not done correctly.
If your going to build your own update.zip from scratch:
To simplify this process for you though, most rom devs provide a theme template with their roms now. You can also download someone elses theme and use their files, since they are resigned already. It may also be easier to see what files do what and go where since they have already been edited and are easy to point out.
Now, your ready to start changing things up.
You will now need to open the apk, which you can do by adding .zip after .apk, effectively changing it to a zip. or you can use your favorite archive opener.
I dont use the archive process because it can lead to very aggravating problems such as things not getting signed correctly and have heard reports of it interfering with the signing tool above. Anyways I just add zip and it works great for me.
For those renaming the .apk's to .zips
Note that if you are using windows you will need to unhide known file extension types. you can also use your favorite archiver such as winrar, winzip, etc.
See here to unhide known file extension types for Xp: http://www.mediacollege.com/microsof...on-change.html
See here to unhide file extension types for Vista: http://maximumpcguides.com/windows-v...ile-extension/
Tips:
After opening the apk copy the folder called res.
Go to your desktop, or wherever, create a new folder called Images, or whatever.
Open the folder, paste the res in there.
Now you can see what the files look like without opening them, by using thumbnails to see what they are.
Btw, you may also want to add -frame, or -launcher, to the end of the res folder you copy over to keep them separated from others.
Almost Done
So now your theme is done and your ready to make an update.zip for others to install your theme.
Update script
The update script is in a Unix format, while you do not need linux you must save it in a Unix format. I suggest using Textpad to edit this script and saving it in the Unix format.
Link to Textpad: ftp://download.textpad.com/pub/textpad5.2/txpeng520.exe
XML Edits
I have provided some additional support for the process of hex editing xml files to change things like text color, size, and more things not easily changeable.
You can find this thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=479019
Final Notes:

Editing market apps
With market apps, if you make changes you usually need to make sure you dont resign their apk because you will overwrite their signature keys with the test keys.
If anyone has any questions please try asking for help in this thread before emailing me for help Usually I will respond to questions in this forum.
I hope this Tutorial has been helpful. I will add on to it as needed.
Any questions can be directed to me at [email protected]
Stericson
Links of interest:
Using ADB: http://code.google.com/android/reference/adb.html

How To Theme Develop for Windows For Dummies in 10 easy steps (( no your really not a dummy its just an easy name for a how to lol))
well i'm going to give this a shot in the dark on how to create this how to be as easy as possible
1st
download these files if you don't already have them
JAVA
http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp
download the JDK
Winrar
http://rarlabs.com/rar/wrar380.exe
and Auto-sign.zip
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?uwzjjydnm2r
2nd
Download my included Auto-sign files.
what it contains.
the Test keys file..
and an update.zip file
and a batch file i created called auto-sign to make things easier to sign
3rd
after you have downloaded my Auto-sign
then you extract it to where ever you want.
4th.
use the update.zip included if your a Beginner it includes my windows 7 theme .. i edit so many files that it's easier to tell what does what and whats goiing to go where. now open that zip file DON'T EXTRACT just open it using winrar..
5th
When it is open go to Framework.. and open Framework-res.apk
NOW IF THE APK. POPS UP AND SAYS IT CANT OPEN BLAH BLAH SELECT A PROGRAM AND THEN SELECT WINRAR.
6th
Once you open Framework-res.apk KEEP THIS WINDOW AND UPDATE.ZIP WINDOW OPEN!!
then just extract the whole Res Folder to where ever you like this makes it easier to see what files you wish to edit.. most of the files will be in the folder called Drawable
7th
open up your favorite photo editor .. i use photoshop along with 90% of the people who Graphic Design... Edit your pictures Remember a file with a .9 can mess up your phone so edit those carefully.. and save what ever pictures you have
8th
Now drag the whole Res Folder .. back into the Framework-res.apk
now your update.zip file is going to say files has been changed to framework-res blah blah do you wish to save it . click yes .. now your framework has been updated you can close everything out
9th
go to the Auto-sign folder.. and open Auto-sign this will now sign your update.zip .. and rename it to update_sign.zip .. now just delete your old update.zip.. rename update_signed.zip to update.zip
10th
put it on the root of your memory card.. reset using green call + menu + end
then hold home and end .. until the recovery mode shows up .. then press Alt+S and hope your device isn't bricked
Disclaimers
I'm not responsible if your brick your device.. but i will help to the best of my abilty and if i can't help i'm sure XDA will
i don't sign every file in my update.zip i just sign update.zip .. and hey it works lol..
For ADP or RC 8 versions .. just download your favortie ADP theme or RC 8
put it in the Auto-sign folder.. and rename it to update.zip if it isn't already then just follow my steps

ToDo:
1. Explain about the files that make up themes
a. Explain update.zip and folder structure
b. Explain about pngs and apks
2. Explain the tools
a. WinRaR
b. Auto-sign
c. Java JRE and JDK
d. Draw9patch tool
e. Editing tool
3. Setting up your phone for themes
a. Choosing which JF firmware to use
b. Using the Eng Boot Loader and why
4. Explain the process to get the files
5. Explain which files to edit
6. Explain how to import modified files
7. Explain about auto-sign and how to use it - I am building a program that will making signing files easier. check it out as i build it! here
1. When you download a theme it comes in the form of an update.zip file. Basically the same as the full update looks, but it is a watered down version. All of the operating system, boot loader and radio files have been removed.
a. If you check the file size of JF’s RC30 1.31 and compare it to any of the themes, you will notice that the theme file is about a 3rd the size. JF’s update.zip contains data, META-INF and system folders it also contains a boot.img file. Where as a theme update.zip contains app, framework and META-INF folders. The theme update.zip only contains the folders and files that are necessary for changing the Android theme. If you were to dig deeper into JF’s RC30 1.31 update.zip you will find the folders that are in the theme’s update.zip. For example, double click the system folder and you will see 11 folders and 2 files. The only ones we are concerned about are app and framework. So when you flash a theme it doesn’t bother rewriting all of the OS and boot loader, but only the app and framework folders.
b. Inside the app and framework folders are apk files, apk files are like zip files or containers. There are many folders and files inside the update.zip but we are only going to cover a few for now.
(app folder) - This folder contains all of the apps that will be installed during an update or wipe. You will need to extract only the apks of the apps you wish to change the icon and graphics for.
(Launcher.apk) - This file is in the app folder and contains the menu launcher tab, clock, Google search widget, wallpapers and a few other things.
(framework) - This folder contains framework-res.apk, this is where the bulk of your editing will take place.
When you open a apk you will see:
(assets) - This will contain images, sounds and other content used by the programs. Not always used!
(META-INF) - This contains the encryption data for the update.zip.
(res) - This folder contains all of the png and xml files. The xml files are used to format the UI, these can be used to change the locations of things on the screen. They need to be unencrypted first.
Depending on the apk there can be a bunch of folders under the res folder but we will only concentrate on the drawable ones.
-drawable - The png files in this folder are displayed wheather the keyboard is open or closed. The majority of the files are here.
-drawable-land - These are the files that will show when the keyboard is open. There won't be as many files in these folders. Most of the time the programmer will re-organize the layout with an xml file.
Basically the interface of Android is a bunch of pictures; the programmer links these to certain actions. As someone making themes you do not have to worry about any programming, in the future when people start unlocking the xml files to change the way things look. Then you will have to learn some basic programming, but for now we will only talk about changing the picture files.
2. The tools you use for creating themes are very basic and you might already have 3 out of 4 installed.
a. WinRaR is a must have for everyone, it allows you to create and open compressed files (i.e. Zips, RaRs and about 25 other file types) It would best if you associate WinRaR with zips and apks, the zips can be associated during the install of WinRaR. To associate apks you can right click on an apk and choose “Open With…” make sure to check off the box that says “Always use this program to open this kind of file”
b. Auto-Sign was released by Dave da illest 1, to make signing the apks and update.zip an easier process. Before you can flash an update or theme the phone checks to make sure the update.zip is signed by google or by JesusFreake. I will explain this more in Section 3.
c. Android apps are built on Java, hence the need for JRE and JDK, You will not be working directly with these apps but part of the signing process uses Java. You can get both files here: http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp you will want to grab the first and second downloads.
d. The draw9Patch tool comes with the Android SDK, it is located in the tools folder. This tool is used to edit stretchable images. There is still a lot of research that needs to be done on using this tool. So for now let’s just say do not touch any files with .9.png as an extension. Dave da illest 1 has changed a few of these .9.png files without issue so maybe we can get him to explain them better. I have also edited some of these files but it made some of the images stretch weirdly.
e. I am not sure what other photo editors you can use, but everyone I have spoken to about modding the theme uses Adobe Photoshop. I am sure you can use other programs. But I am not aware of any at the time of this writing.
3. Before changing the theme on your phone you will need to gain root access which is explain here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=442480
a. As you look through all of the different themes, you will notice some say they are for RC30, RC8 or ADP1.
i. RC30 – Is the US version
ii. RC8 – is the UK version
iii. ADP1 – Stands for Android Developers Phone and was produced for programmers. This version is completely unlocked and does not have any of T-Mobile’s software or locks.
b. So your phone is rooted and you’re wondering why you should have the engineering boot loader. Well one reason is because of the 3 Androids on skateboards, the other reason is if your phone bricks during a flash you can fully recover your OS with the fastboot option. More about this can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=455860
4. You have a few options here, you can either get the files from RC30 update.zip, one of the other theme’s update.zip or you can use the themes template at the bottom of this thread. All 3 methods you will need to open the update.zip go into the framework folder (if you get it from RC30 you will need to go into system\framework) Extract the framework-res.apk to a folder of your choosing. Most of your editing will take place on the files from this apk. When you are looking at these files in Windows explorer it is best to change the view to Thumbnails and look at all of the images and see if you can figure out where they are placed on your phone’s screen.
::TIP1:: Your best bet is to create a Themes folder on your desktop or in My Documents, somewhere simple to find. You will be dealing with a lot of files and it can get very confusing quickly.
The other file you will want to change is Launcher.apk; this file is in the app folder and contains the menu launcher tab, clock, Google search widget, wallpapers and some other things.
::TIP2:: When you open Launcher.apk from inside the update.zip file, WinRaR may default to a temp folder...(i.e. C:\Documents and Settings\bobbyd\Local Settings\Temp\Rar$DI71.579\framework-res) double check the location of where WinRaR wants to extract the files, this is how I ended up flashing the original files after spending a decent amount of time photoshopping.
5. Now the only files you will want to edit are png image files. There are also xml files, they are used to format the UI, you can change the locations of things on the screen but the xmls need to be unencrypted before you can edit them. I have not done this process yet and will update more information later.
6. Importing the files is very simple, as long as you know the layout of the update.zip. Once you have edited all of the files you plan to or just want to test to see how your theme looks. Open the update.zip in WinRaR and go to the location of the files (i.e. Say you changed the 3G icons, you would go to the framework folder and double click on framework-res.apk. This will open another WinRaR window, open Windows Explorer where your edited files are and hold the Ctrl key while clicking the files you want to copy. Now drag them onto the open WinRaR window from the framework-res.apk. When it asks to replace the files choose “Yes” or Yes to All”. Close that WinRaR window and the one from update.zip will tell you “Files have changed would you like to save this file now” click “Yes” again and now your update.zip will contain your modified files.
7. Download and install Stericson's auto-signing tool here.
I have been slacking on this guide, I will update soon again.

[HOW TO] Easy steps for creating a theme
I know there are a million and 1 walkthroughs on here for creating themes but after doing it for a while I have really refined my process and made it as easy as possible. Im just hoping to clear up some of the confusion so after you know how to sign your files you will know how to finish making them into your own custom theme.
First you need to get signing setup properly. This topic is covered in many places and my recommendation is to use the Stericson walkthrough or the Stericson auto-signing setup tool. Once you can click on any zip or apk file and get the option to Resign it you are ready to proceed with making your own theme.
1. Download an archive manager that allows you to open archives inside of archives without creating new windows. My recommendation for this is the application 7-zip. It is tiny, free, easy to use, and on all my computers it has replaced winzip and winrar.
2. Now take a blank theme from Stericson to use as your starting point, in my case I use the ADP1.1h version since I am building for JFv1.43 which uses ADP1.1h this will be the minimum needed to change your theme and will contain all the original artwork.
3. Open the update.zip and inside are typically 3 files, framework, system or app, and META-INF. Leave META-INF alone, you wont be touching that. Inside framework and system/app is where the files are that you can change. In this case we will open update.zip, then double click framework and then double click framework-res.apk (this is where the next archive will open inside the same window, your life just got a little easier).
4. Now you are looking at assets, META-INF, res, and a couple other random files, the resources.arsc can be edited but I will show you that in another tutorial. Now open up the folder res and you will see the treasure we are searching for, folders with the name drawable. All of the folders that start with the name drawable are where we can edit the themes, this includes drawable, drawable-land, drawable-port, and drawable-finger.
5. Now drag and drop the folders drawable and drawable-land onto the desktop. Once they are on the desktop you can edit the .png files in those folders until you are ready to put your theme together.
6. Now in your still open window at \framework\framework-res.apk\res\ you will open the drawable folders one at a time and drag and drop your edited files into the archive, only dragging and dropping the files you edited and not just everything inside the folder.
7. Once you have your new images copied into the archive in the correct place you can just hit the close button or browse up a couple directories and find other files to edit. Any time you edit an apk and browse out of it or close it you will be prompted to update it in the archive by 7-zip (this is my secret shortcut), always press ok.
8. Now you have a freshly created theme ready to install, all you have to do is right click, chose to Resign the file, and once its done you can copy it to your SDcard, make sure its named update.zip, and flash your new theme.
Its literally that easy! And you use this same technique in the system/app folder to edit the apk files for the individual apps on the phone. Explore around in the update.zip and see what you can find, I only told you about the major items but there is plenty more to find and change. You can always copy a folder out of the archive and if you cant edit anything just toss it but if you can find something to edit, do so and throw it back in the archive. You guys now have all the info I had when I started plus all my tricks to making that process 10x easier.

I Just Want To Change My Clock. I want everything else stock. Sorry for asking but when i search so much comes up. I know its really simple to do. If anyone can just point me in the right direction or give me a quick how to that would me AMAZING!

Read:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=482205

notifi
jut want to change notification to white on statusbar

Before I tried to setup the autosign tool, when I double clicked on zip files it opened them up, which was how I wanted it. After trying to setup the autosign, when I double click on zip files nothing happens, except a java command prompt window pops up, same happens when I right click and hit resign zip, how can I fix this?
Edit: I reinstalled Java which fixed my issue

i got this tryin to update
E:No digest for framework-res.apk
i edited someone else theme, did not edit no .9 file.. i right click on the update.zip and resigned it. what went wrong?
EDIT: nevermind i got it.. i followed the one for dummies, guess i am dumb lol

What the image file for the tab on the bottom of the screen called? I couldn't find it searchin throguh the framework-res.apk

its in launcher.apk. Check in drawable portrait and drawable landscape.
Stericson

thanks i should of explore more before posting

Hi,
I've got 99% of my theme done although I can't find where the bottom of the notification bar is and the white bit where the notifications would be.
I've done a little picture below to help me explain.
Bottom notification bar is the arrow.
The white bit where the notifications would be is the hatched.
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"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
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Thanks for help in advance.

Also could someone tell me how to put icons in for well know apps from the market. At the moment I have put the full apk in the update and change the icon. But this increases the theme size. Thanks again!

NO DIGEST? Failed?
what does it mean when I try to flash the new update.zip and it fails because it says NO DIGEST? What does this mean? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

parmenti said:
what does it mean when I try to flash the new update.zip and it fails because it says NO DIGEST? What does this mean? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
means it hasn't been properly resigned.

thanks, that's what I thought. Can't seem to get it right. Does the image, the apk, and the zip all have to be resigned? Or just one or the other? THanks for your help.

parmenti said:
thanks, that's what I thought. Can't seem to get it right. Does the image, the apk, and the zip all have to be resigned? Or just one or the other? THanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just the update.zip needs to be resigned.

[Q] HELP - how to edit (modify) themes (mixing images)

Hello,
little background. i know my way around ROM installation (changing Kernels,modems, installing themes etc.) and read about how to use apk manager.
one of the things i still can't figure out, and seems to me like the next step is modifiyng themes.
i am currently using Perception 10.2, with stock theme. i really like the paragon basic theme + few more icons and items from phoneix and other themes.
i wend ahead and decompiled framework-res.apk from all the themes, and tried to copy over the images from the paragon drawable-hdpi folder to the same folder in Perception.
importent note, i know that there might be an issue with editing a .9.png file, but i assumed copying over a file that works in another rom is acceptable.
hope some of you are still with me.. here is the catch... tried to Compile the apk... and errors...
here is a parital log:
--------
|Sat 01/22/2011 -- 17:23:37.28|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
java version "1.6.0_22"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_22-b04)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 17.1-b03, mixed mode, sharing)
'adb' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
W: Could not find sources
I: Checking whether resources has changed...
I: Building resources...
libpng error: Read Error
ERROR: Failure processing PNG image Z:\F\kombinator work\android hack and hebrew\Developer\Tools\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\framework-res.apk\res\drawable-hdpi\btn_zoom_down_disabled.9.png
libpng error: Read Error
ERROR: Failure processing PNG image Z:\F\kombinator work\android hack and hebrew\Developer\Tools\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\framework-res.apk\res\drawable-hdpi\btn_zoom_down_disabled_focused.9.png
libpng error: Read Error
ERROR: Failure processing PNG image Z:\F\kombinator work\android hack and hebrew\Developer\Tools\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\framework-res.apk\res\drawable-hdpi\btn_zoom_down_normal.9.png
libpng error: Read Error
ERROR: Failure processing PNG image Z:\F\kombinator work\android hack and hebrew\Developer\Tools\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\framework-res.apk\res\drawable-hdpi\btn_zoom_down_pressed.9.png
libpng error: Read Error
ERROR: Failure processing PNG image Z:\F\kombinator work\android hack and hebrew\Developer\Tools\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\framework-res.apk\res\drawable-hdpi\btn_zoom_down_selected.9.png
libpng error: Read Error
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
different error:
Z:\F\kombinator work\android hack and hebrew\Developer\Tools\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\framework-res.apk\res\values\public.xml:3756: error: Public symbol drawable/zzzzz_tw_quickcontact_slider_grip_left declared here is not defined.
Z:\F\kombinator work\android hack and hebrew\Developer\Tools\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\framework-res.apk\res\values\public.xml:3757: error: Public symbol drawable/zzzzz_tw_quickcontact_slider_grip_right declared here is not defined.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i hope someone can make sense out of this... i thought it would be a simple proccess, hope i did something wrong and it will be an easy fix...
Thank you so much for reading this far, your help will be appreciated!
Yossi

The problem you're having is with semi-transparent .9 files. The Android SDK png handler can't decompile them, so when you look at them in explorer they'll have a default image meaning they're corrupt.
The easiest way to deal with them is to not decompile and recompile.
PNG Only: With apk manager, take the original framework files from the ROM (or phone if stock) and drop them into place-apk-here-for-modding, then take the themed frameworks, rename them (something like framework-resParagon.apk) and drop those into place-apk-here-for-modding.
Select each one and extract (not decompile).
Open the drawable-hdpi folders side-by-side of the original and the theme, and drag (Copy) the ones you want to the original.
Then Zip the original and select System APK, and you're done. The reason this work is because the .9 files are still in their compiled state.
If you need to copy xml files, do this first, then the first step for png files: Decompile the two, copy the XML files, and recompile. Compiled XML files convert the png names to IDs which may be different between two roms. If you already have .9.png files that don't decompile, here's the fun part and I guess I'm doing all of this out of order, sorry...
Have an orginal apk decompiled with a different name, extract your modded apk, drag the drawable-hdpi out to say desktop, delete that project, decompile, drag the original decompiled drawable-hdpi into your modded one, and now you can edit/copy XML files and recompile. Then delete the project, extract, delete drawable-hdpi and drag the desktop drawable-hdpi to the project and zip it up. Done.

Or quick version.. 7zip helps.
right click the apk you want the images from, extract it.
right click open archive the apk you want the images in.
navage down to the folder that the images are stored in while in 7zip.
go back to the extracted folder and navagate down to the folder the images you want are in.
drag and drop them into the open archive 7zip window.
close archive
push

whiteguypl said:
Or quick version.. 7zip helps.
right click the apk you want the images from, extract it.
right click open archive the apk you want the images in.
navage down to the folder that the images are stored in while in 7zip.
go back to the extracted folder and navagate down to the folder the images you want are in.
drag and drop them into the open archive 7zip window.
close archive
push
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CuriousTech said:
The problem you're having is with semi-transparent .9 files. The Android SDK png handler can't decompile them, so when you look at them in explorer they'll have a default image meaning they're corrupt.
The easiest way to deal with them is to not decompile and recompile.
PNG Only: With apk manager, take the original framework files from the ROM (or phone if stock) and drop them into place-apk-here-for-modding, then take the themed frameworks, rename them (something like framework-resParagon.apk) and drop those into place-apk-here-for-modding.
Select each one and extract (not decompile).
Open the drawable-hdpi folders side-by-side of the original and the theme, and drag (Copy) the ones you want to the original.
Then Zip the original and select System APK, and you're done. The reason this work is because the .9 files are still in their compiled state.
If you need to copy xml files, do this first, then the first step for png files: Decompile the two, copy the XML files, and recompile. Compiled XML files convert the png names to IDs which may be different between two roms. If you already have .9.png files that don't decompile, here's the fun part and I guess I'm doing all of this out of order, sorry...
Have an orginal apk decompiled with a different name, extract your modded apk, drag the drawable-hdpi out to say desktop, delete that project, decompile, drag the original decompiled drawable-hdpi into your modded one, and now you can edit/copy XML files and recompile. Then delete the project, extract, delete drawable-hdpi and drag the desktop drawable-hdpi to the project and zip it up. Done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks guys! i knew there should be a simple solution!
will try this soon. and post results!
Yossi

Also make sure to double check the sizes, the height and width my be different and give you issues if you copy and past the pngs
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App

Also with 2.2.1 there's a problem with compressed apk files, so in apk manager, you need to set compression to 0. It's not a problem when dropping them into an apk with 7zip.
Different sized png files are usually the expanded notification bar switches. The darkness theme for example uses smaller ones. The size change is in twframework-res.apk/res/layout/status_bar_expanded.xml so those should be copied together (decompiled).
Another way to customize just 1 or a few .xml or .9.png files is to decompile the original, edit the xml or .9.png (with your modified one in mind), then compile. Then rip the compiled files from it and drop them into the themed one, assuming you already used the original the first time.

CuriousTech said:
Also with 2.2.1 there's a problem with compressed apk files, so in apk manager, you need to set compression to 0. It's not a problem when dropping them into an apk with 7zip.
Different sized png files are usually the expanded notification bar switches. The darkness theme for example uses smaller ones. The size change is in twframework-res.apk/res/layout/status_bar_expanded.xml so those should be copied together (decompiled).
Another way to customize just 1 or a few .xml or .9.png files is to decompile the original, edit the xml or .9.png (with your modified one in mind), then compile. Then rip the compiled files from it and drop them into the themed one, assuming you already used the original the first time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so, double - checking that i understood...
method1: replacing images (same size) using copmpiled source and destination.
if i want to copy iver png's from one theme to another, i only decompress (or 7ZIP - open) the apk's - Replace the pics, and compress bacl (with compression set to 0).
method 2 : replacing images of different sizes
if the images are of different sizes, i should decompile both apk's, than i should copy the corrosponding XML from the new image's source, and drop in the original drawable directory, compile the apk, than copy over the image using method 1.
am i correct?
Thank you all for your help!!!
Yossi

In method 1, don't decompress it when using 7zip (or any other), just open the apk, drop the files in where they go, leaving the apk (zip) intact. If you extract the full apk, modify the files, and compress it back to a new apk it will lose the signature. That's what apk manager does when you zip it and select "system APK". It copies the signature from the original to the new one. Think of it like a zip comment. It's not a file, but a chunk of data attached to the zip that can't be copied from one zip to another.
Method 2: Too complicated. Just use method 1 to do as much as you can.

Whoever put the theme together originally did it incorrectly/lazily.
If you want to spend the time fixing it, then you need to decompile the same version of the .apk (the Samsung stock version, for example) and copypasta the themed one on top of it, while keeping the 1 pixel border.

One more question...or maybe two
when i decompile a framework-res.apk, i only get one drawable-hdpi folder.
if i open the apk using 7zip...i have a 2 folders: one is the same... and and another one that have this name: drawable-hdpi-v4
i replaced all the items i wanted in the drawable-hdpi folder..uploaded to the phone...and nothing happend... than i tried copying over some items to the drawable-hdpi-v4 foder..than i saw the changes.... the question is... do i have to copy the files to both follders? or just the drawable-hdpi-v4 folder?
another question tha poped into my mind right now, is it common that after i replace the framework-res.apk, my accounts data gets erased? (gmail account, facebook, etc)?
Thanks!
Yossi

Get the apktool in this thread and rename your old one just in case:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=864424&page=5
Oh, read the thread too. Good info!
The -v4 folders are higher resolution, or supposed to be. They take priority over the others, so if the image is only in drawable-hdpi it will be used, if it's in both the -v4 is used, or if it's only in -v4 it's used. I just leave the non-v4 alone, but it might save space to empty it, just scared to try.
You shouldn't lose account data though. That might indicate a problem. Not sure?

MikeyMike01 said:
Whoever put the theme together originally did it incorrectly/lazily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the theme makers are to blame. Try decompiling a stock apk, then set the opacity of any .9.png to anything but 100%, draw9patch it again, then compile, then decompile and try to view that png. It's going to be damaged.
Well, it's actually easier to photoshop a compiled one, then remove the .9 and drop in draw9patch but you know what I mean.
I just don't think apktool can handle the extra info in a png.

[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.

[INFO]Editing system files (smali,dex,apks)

NOTE: If you want to edit framework-res.apk or systemui.apk, follow this guide, it's the best available:good:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2086771
Now, lets start
smali, dex....whaaat?
It's simple our odexed ROMs have .apk which use .odex files which contain cache. When the ROM is deodexed the .apk contains classes.dex which now contains information present in the .odex files!:good:
Smali is nothing but disassembled .dex file! The .dex file is disassembled into java code which can be edited via Notepad ++( simple notepad works too)
WHY?
Why do you need to edit classes.dex !
For me, i was trying to make CRT on/off animation which required editing classes.dex in service.jar!
More edits where classes.dex inside services.jar is needed
- Changing status bar clock color
- Changing text color in notification bar
- More? Tell Me!:highfive:
HOW?
Requirements: Java SDK!
I have APK Multi Tool, although it decompiles .apk and .dex files inside the apk, it doesn't provide option to decompile a separate classes.dex!
Still it's best software for decompiling apks and more!
Smali-Me 1.0
Download and Instructions:
http://www.wrapcode.com/android/baksmali-smali-dex-files/
ROM Tools by iamareebjamal - More noob friendly
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2163286
Once you have decompiled classes.dex, you'll get various folder with various files. Edit the files required and then recompile!
So after generating new classes.dex, put it back to services.jar by opening the file in winzip!:good:
ONE MORE THING
Make your own flashable zip
The recompiled systemui.apk or framework-res.apk, when pushed via root explorer give lot of force closes. This is normal, however if u wish to avoid it u can create a cwm flashable zip for the same!:good:
I'm attaching the sample.zip here and u can add your files in the specified folders. For more details read the source forum:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1721680

Reserved- for more stuff!

Subscribed.. will see what it is later

Hey, add this to your guide, i far more easier and nice to look at too than smali me
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=40435351#post40435351

[HOWTO] [DIY] Making your own Holo Theme for ICS

Hey people, I've just found it at O3D forums and I think I should share the information, as I don't have time for creating a good tutorial myself.
This way you can change colors for your own likes and make a lot kind of themes.
Before starting you should have your Apktool environment set up.
1. (only if you never saw APKTOOL in your life, otherwise, just jump it)
1· Download and install latest version of Java JDK
2· Download latest version of APK Multi-Tool as we'll be using it for un/packing APKs and push/pull them from/to our device.
3· Extract it anywhere you may like. If posible, in C:/ to avoid any kind of problems. Be sure to read README file before asking something about it.
4· Run Setup.bat, type 3 and press Enter. Close it.
5· Run Script.bat, type 0 and press Enter. Now let's type our framework's path.
6· /system/framework/framework-res.apk for basic framework file. This will be pulling it out from our phones.
7· Repeating Number 5, type /system/framework/lge-res.apk for LG's framework file.
8· Now move to X:\...\APK-Multi-Tool\place-apk-here-for-modding\ and copy both apks (framework-res + lge-res) and paste it at X:\...\APK-Multi-Tool\other\
9· Run Setup.bat again, type 2 and press Enter. Now both frameworks should be installed and we are ready to un/pack APKs from the version we're actually using (v30A/B/C/D...). Close it.
10· Back in Script.bat, type 0 again followed by Enter, then type the path of your desired APK. (/system/framework/xxxxxx.apk for frameworks & /system/app/xxxxxx.apk for apps). After pushing it, select it as your actual project.
11· Now type 9 followed by Enter. This will unpack our APK.
12· Now is the time for tunning anything you want to. Go to X:\...|APK-Multi-Tool\projects\xxxxxx.apk\ and you'll find there everything.
13· When it's done, let's re-pack it typing the option 11 followed by Enter. When repacking gets done, it will ask if you want to use any files from your original APK. Tell it Yes, otherwise your apk won't get signed.
14· When the extracting is done, move to X:\...|APK-Multi-Tool\keep\ and erase everything there BUT META-INF folder + AndroidManifest.xml. Now press anything at APK Multi-tool window and you'll get your APK ready to go.
15· Now type 8 to push it back to your phone and type the desired path. If it cames from /system/app/xxxxx.apk or /system/framework/xxxxx.apk.
If you get any error recompiling it, you should take a look at the log, typing 23 and fix it at the projects folder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2.
potaturrias said:
When i maked this theme (my first theme) y used trial and error procedure.
The first step is replace or edit 9.png. pictures in drawable-hdpi folder located in framework-res.apk and lge-res.apk, you can do this quickly using this tools:
http://jgilfelt.github.com/android-actionbarstylegenerator (Check that the names of new pictures match with the old pictures)
http://android-holo-colors.com/
Many images have to edit them by hand
If you put more files than originally,for example switches in lge-res drawable-hdpi, you will get an error when try to compile.
The second step is replace xml files in drawable folder using xml files from zip file that you downloaded in the previous step.
If you don't get the desire result you have to edit styles.xml or drawable folder files or layout files to change backgrounds colors, text color,etc.
Remember there applications with lines in XML files that reference to framework or lge-res, for example:
android:textColor="@*android:color/transparent makes reference to transparent color defined in framework-res and
android:textColor="@com.lge.internal:color/transparent makes reference to transparent color defined in lge-res.
I hope that this mini guide help you, remember that you can make your theme based on this theme, will be easier i think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to @potaturrias!

Database Develop

welcome