ok so i did a lil reading after trying to alter the 9.pngs i would get force closes on my phone i take it this is cause i didn't edit these properly with the correct editor .....is there any 9.pngs i can alter without eclipse ????
i know i did it before but now i just get alot of fc ..and reboots if i try to alter ......
i've always modified roms to my liking so i could use any advice i can get from you themers out there that know what there doing ....
thanks in advance
No, you do not have to use Eclipse.
If you modify the PNG files you will need to compile them, you can use the APKmanager program to do this. I had problems and so I used Eclipse.
Can you give and over view of the step you are taking when you edit your PNGs, what program(s) and then how you are placing them back into your APK or back on your device.
i'm just using paint.net program on my cp to alter all the framework pngs .....but i guess i didn't realise about the 9.png's ....what would be easier to alter the 9.pngs eclipse or apkmanager
Have a look at this thread, which I think maybe you already have.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1008695
The first and second post have a document to read and then later down in the thread is a write up about 9.png.
If you load the Android SDK, there is a tool, draw9patch, that will let you edit the PNGs to make them into 9.png files.
If you are just editing PNG files and then do not need to be 9.png then I think any software can be used for editing.
Related
I've successfully used MM to push a solitary modified XML into the framework-res.apk, but it wasn't very graceful. There was no request to reboot, and the phone sort of hanged, rebooted by itself without the bootanimation and straight to the lock screen.
A subsequent reboot straightened everything out with the results of the new XML apparent. Is it the intention of MM to push XML files or only image files?
yes thats what it is for.. It can't write new ones tho.. Only overwrites...
The hanging half reboot is normal... Happens to me all the time when I modify the framework..
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
OK, great, thanks. One more question regarding the editing the compiled XML files if I could. Right now, in order to decompile an XML, I take an APK and extract it with the APK tool and overwrite the existing XML with the one I want to edit. I then zip the APK, then decompile it in order to edit it with Notepad++. I do the reverse of those steps in order to convert the decompiled XML back to the compiled format.
Is there an easier way of either using the APK tool or a different method altogether to convert the XML back and forth from one format to the other?
Apk manager takes some if that hassle away.. Its in the android themes section or the g1 section... Not sure which but danesh is a knowledgeable person and does good work with brut making all this easier..
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Right, that's the app I'm using to go back and forth between formats already. But, it seems a little long winded simply to do this seemingly simple task with having to compile the entire APK. Anyway, I've asked there with no response.
I suppose it's the only way then.
Im trying to start theming, as i have only been in the android club for about a month. The issue im having is with xml files. Everywhere i read, its like, open in notepad to edit. I open them in notepad and all i get is a bunch of gibberish symbols and letters. Is there any special way that i need to use to edit xml files?
Any help is appreciated, Thanks.
Sorry if this is a repeat, used the search but not in depth, so please dont flame.
I spent a long time searching for how to do this as well. Easiest way is to use APK manager.
Go download it from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=695701
Basically you put the apk you want to edit into the edit folder and decompile it. Then go into the projects folder and the xml files created will be readable. Edit them using textpad, notepad, w/e you want. Once you are done load apk manager backup, select the same project and then compile the apk. Thats the gist of it, its a tiny bit more complex but you should get it after trying it. Also if you are looking to edit something like services.jar I found you can rename it to services.apk and it will decompile the smali for you so it can be edited. Just play around with APK manager and it should do everything you will need.
sweet, thanks for the help. hopefully ill have a nice theme on here in a couple weeks. thanks
yeah, if you want a full look into any apk you're going to have to decompile it unless you know what you're looking for in the hex of a compiled xml... also with a decompiled apk you can see alot of stuff such as how the .9 borders (or what ever you wanna call em) are done so make sure they stretch the same way
Sorry for all the questions lately, even though I'll probably have more.
I'm working on the SystemUI.apk from IE20 and my method of compiling consists of using the keep folder method and deleting all the files I changed with apk manager 4.9.
Now I can change the Status_bar.xml and status_bar_tracking.xml without a hitch, however if I delete status_bar_expanded.xml from the keep folder (whether I change anything in it or not) I get force closes when I get it loaded onto my phone.
There's no error in the log so I'm pretty lost...So I was wondering if there's something else I have to do that anyone knows of?
Thanks if you can help!
The only thing that should be deleted are images that you edited (if you didn't edit any images just leave the folder). But if you edited ANY xml ONLY delete the resourses.arc from the keep folder. But don't delete any individual xml's from keep. And yes the size will change because of the compression used in apk mgr.
good day.
chopper the dog said:
The only thing that should be deleted are images that you edited (if you didn't edit any images just leave the folder). But if you edited ANY xml ONLY delete the resourses.arc from the keep folder. But don't delete any individual xml's from keep. And yes the size will change because of the compression used in apk mgr.
good day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response,
However, by not deleting the xmls I edited in the keep folder it seems it just replaces them with the stock files.
Soo...This stopped the force closes, but none of my edits took.
Maybe it's time to to switch to a linux build environment...I'm frustrated to say the least. Google'd every possible problem and nothing...
EDIT: But before I do that could someone possibly try to compile this SystemUI.apk with a color edit in the res/layout/status_bar_expanded file?
Would highly appreciate this ^^^
Hi
sorry if for expert devs this is a basic question
I have been looking around but I did not found this explained
HOW TO CHANG THE ICON ASSOCIATED WITH AN APK ????
I know how to open a apk with 7 zip and that I have to change the png file there
but which file ?????
do I need to change just the file associated with the icons or all the others ?
I mean .... inside (for example) mm.apk I found the icons related to contacts.apk to email.apk etc ... do I need to chenge all of them with the new ones ?
decompile and recompile
Decompile the app with apktool and go into the res folder and find the icon u want to replace ,,change it and recompile with apktool.Lastly sign the app and you are good to go
I have never tried change icons but i tried to change the background images for dialer and system menu. I used the same method mentioned above by opening the apk using 7zip and changing the images files with my custom images and rename them exactly the same as old ones.
Then I used CWM to flash the zip which contains the modified apk (i.e. contacts.apk and framework-res.apk)
However, I would recommend that you backup your ROM before flashing the modified zip file just in case something wrong happens.
Good Luck
I remember that there is a tool much faster than apktool ti decompile recompile but ... I have not been on the forum for long and I lost it
Is it also possible to change only theicon by using vrtheme ? if yes can someone explain how ?
Thanks
Give this thread a whirl...should be very useful
Basic theming guide by Dully79
Darkside Agent said:
Give this thread a whirl...should be very useful
Basic theming guide by Dully79
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All very interesting I am sure I will use it at some point
I installed Java SDK and APKtool ... I remembered what they are for ... but still ...
the only thing I needed to know was if I need to change all the images in res or only that associated to the icon.....
ads7112 said:
All very interesting I am sure I will use it at some point
I installed Java SDK and APKtool ... I remembered what they are for ... but still ...
the only thing I needed to know was if I need to change all the images in res or only that associated to the icon.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fine, whatever, ignore my post
Please .. do not missunderstand me !!!
Your help is very much apreciated
I knew approximately what to do to modify the theme also if in general I preferred kitchen uot
Instead I was hoping in a simple change of icon afetr decompressing/decompiling the apk but apparently it is not so simple ...never mind
I used dex2jar to decompile classes.dex , and used jdgui to convert those files into java files to edit, now I don't know how to recompile back, I'm not even sure it will work properly, or at all, but worth a try, I was trying to mod the vanilla Messaging app and remove all the attachment options for videos, pictures etc. because it's a waste of space, any help?
Use baksmil n smil tool ita simple.....
don't forgot hit thanx....
Probably might not work. The java files you get aren't quite the right ones. They will give you an idea of what to edit in the smali though.
Seeing as it is the stock messaging app, you would be better to download the source of the app from AOSP, edit that and compile. As said above, dex2jar does not give perfect Java code, so even if you did recompile it, you might not get a working app.
Or you could use baksmali to decompile the app to .smali format, and then use smali to recompile after editing the .smali files (not as easy to edit as Java source files).
The Smali Files are the machine language file type thing isn't it?, I've learnt the basics at Uni (using Spim), and understand what each thing does, but as it isn't directly coded, there isn't enough comments, for me to do anything with, I need to have some kind of info about what this does and what that does.
And about AOSP, I've tried downloading the source and It should be all downloaded and I've tried compiling it for my device (Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray (ST18i, Urushi) but it always comes up with errors, so I have put that stuff aside and gone back to attempting to mod some apps (First time, newbie), but I don't know where the Messaging App would be and how to change it. Sony Ericsson have Source Code for their Stock rom right?, I have tried getting hold of that, but have no idea how to read the file, and edit it, so it's much like AOSP. How to read files and how to edit and compile them?.