Related
First - Let me start by saying I did a search of black notification bar and didn't really find anything specific to the vibrant. Actually I did find when using the search but still confused. Initially I was just uing the auto fill pop up for information.
Second - Instead of posting in Q&A, I figured it would be better posted here since it's a theme/app. Moderator please move if appropriate. Thanks.
Third - This is strictly for Stock JL5 deodexed.
With that out of the way...
The black/sort of transparent bar is driving me crazy. I'd like for the notification bar to be just straight black. Initially, I was running NeroV3.0 and liked how the notification bar was completely black. But, I just wasn't digging the gingerbread theme. So, I borrowed some of Sombonix's pngs and just copied them to my framework. That was a completely disaster. Man, am I glad I made backups.
Can any of you themer gurus help me out?
what's the name of the png file that is the notification bar? I am on my way home as we speak so I can help as much as I can from there.
I thought this is all I would have to replace but was I sorely mistaken.
statusbar_background.9.png
I am by no means a themer, but I have modified my notification bar, basically all I did was find the notification bar I wanted and used adb push to copy over the framework-res.apk from the desired source to system\framework whilst in cwm.
What all PNGs should I be modifying? There's so many in there that has to do with status bar that I'm getting lost. Also, although I'm running launcherpro, do I need to modify both the framework and twframework?
Yes there's three folder u should be looking at. One is ib the framework-res.apk. the other two are In the twframework.apk. there's 2 seperate folders u need to look into.. I believe one is hdpi, the other might be hdpi-4.. u must change all status bar png. Although I could be wrong because different roms place their png in diffrent folders.. and have a different set up...
Thanks for the tip. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of stare and compare tonight.
Yeay! I did it. Thanks for everyones help with your suggestions. Here is what I ended up doing.
1. Copied my framework and twframework from my phone on to my PC.
2. As a test, took this status bar from here: http://www.devsforandroid.com/forum/index.php?threads/axura-skins-and-themes.39/ (Thanks junkdruggler and Master).
3. Did a search of *status*.
4. Copied *status* to the appropriate places on my framework and twframework.
5. Created a zip.
6. Flashed zip via CWM.
I think one problem is I tried just copying the framework and twframework over and the OS doesn't like me doing that while it's running.
I have a question:
I'm trying to learn how to make a transparent status bar background on the pull down notification bar (not where the clock is shown but where your notifications come up) I want to make one with a solid image on the corner I've read about 9.pngs over and over and over again but maybe if someone is willing to spend a few days going back and forth on this topic it would be much easier as a group.
I basically want to make a semi-transparent black pull down background with an image of a skull on the corner in red. I know I have to modify the status_bar_background.9.png but here are the following questions I have:
The image is super slim, what are the dimensions of the actual background? Area in pixels.
After modifying and creating my own background (in photoshop) what steps do I need to make sure the picture will fit perfectly on the pull down menu?
Using draw9patch what are the requirements on each field needed to make sure the background will fit?
I want to thank everyone who is willing to help me in advance because I'm sure this will probably take some time to learn. Any tutorials and links would be perfect.
MeximCivic said:
I have a question:
I'm trying to learn how to make a transparent status bar background on the pull down notification bar (not where the clock is shown but where your notifications come up) I want to make one with a solid image on the corner I've read about 9.pngs over and over and over again but maybe if someone is willing to spend a few days going back and forth on this topic it would be much easier as a group.
I basically want to make a semi-transparent black pull down background with an image of a skull on the corner in red. I know I have to modify the status_bar_background.9.png but here are the following questions I have:
The image is super slim, what are the dimensions of the actual background? Area in pixels.
After modifying and creating my own background (in photoshop) what steps do I need to make sure the picture will fit perfectly on the pull down menu?
Using draw9patch what are the requirements on each field needed to make sure the background will fit?
I want to thank everyone who is willing to help me in advance because I'm sure this will probably take some time to learn. Any tutorials and links would be perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First open up the img you want in Photoshop. Open up the original status 9.PNG.
Make the img you want to layer by double clicking the tab. Bottom right. It should say background.( in photoshop)
Now cut the img and paste in the original status bar. Now resize the img and make the picture you want to same size as original pic.
Now if you see bottom right you will see that you have two layer.( the original, and the picture u just resized)
Click the original img and delete it.
Now bottom right above the layer tabs there is opacitiy.
It should say 100%. Turn down the opacitiy of the picture you resists. Save it. Your done.
I'm assuming you have some knowledge in Photoshop. If you don't, and stuck pm me.I will assist you.
is this my final result
Ok so I duplicated the background to get the transparent black and a solid skull but I'm not sure if this is what you meant let me know if I'm wrong check the images below any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
MeximCivic said:
Ok so I duplicated the background to get the transparent black and a solid skull but I'm not sure if this is what you meant let me know if I'm wrong check the images below any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't see well on my phone but it seems about right. Just make sure to save it as PNG.
Hit me up on gtalk if you still run into issues.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Just flashed my theme but the image still shows the original, hmmm...
any suggestions on what I did wrong?
Firstly, I am using Mik's rom.. with pngs modified to my liking.. I have also searched around quite extensively for getting my questions answered.. but without any success.
I have been trying to mod the rosie launcher and am running into a few issues.
1. I can mod the icons pretty easily.. no problems there.. I can also remove the text "Phone" from the center icon.. but phone image is a little off center plus it is vertically offset (shifted a little up). I was told I can play around with the png image file and get that fixed.. however.. I am wondering if there is an xml file in particular that defines the x and y co-ordinates of the launcher icons. So yea.. I am verse with adb, decompiling, recompiling etc.
2. I am looking for a way to get the phone on the left and app drawer in the center.. any guidance with regards to this will be of great help to me. I am guessing this is somewhere in the smali files in Rosie.odex. I have decompiled it resulting in a bunch of smali files.. can someone tell me which particular one I am supposed to edit?
3. Wanting to know if there is any way to add a 4th button to the rosie launcher instead of the usual 3.
Again, I am looking for the know-how... NOT just a mod that I can apply via flashing.
I appreciate anyone who can direct me to a tutorial or a guide.
Thanks.
wow.. not a single reply!... I guess I would have gotten at least a few responses if I had posted this in the development section.
Grab one of my Rosie mods on theMikMik. It has the phone on the left and app drawer in the middle. grab one of those and mod it to your liking
chingy51o said:
Grab one of my Rosie mods on theMikMik. It has the phone on the left and app drawer in the middle. grab one of those and mod it to your liking
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.. but like I said "Again, I am looking for the know-how... NOT just a mod that I can apply via flashing.""
I want to know which xml files require the editing etc. I am surprised there are no Rosie Guides anywhere that explain which xml/smali files are commonly involved the typical mods.
Observations:
I was skeptical at first because there are no QHD resolutions listed in UOT kitchen, but figured if I supplied the files, then it would maintain the resolutions in the files.
Must have all three files to upload for it to compile correctly...
1. SystemUI.apk
2. Framework-res.apk
3. com.htc.resources.apk
I've changed the battery indicatior, added statusbar icons successfully, and change the background to more transparent on the Notifications/Quick Setting pull-down. I've also successfully changed the lockscreen icons.
I'm having difficulties making the statusbar more transparent, however. They have a setting on the Status Bar tab, but it seems to have no effect.
I did try to manually adjust the transparency on status_bar_background.png in Framework-res.apk, but it didn't seem to do the trick. Is there another file that is used based on the Sense base?
Nope. Those are the files needed, one bit of advice though--triple check the operational file it uses.
I.E. For boot animation, use the CM file directory, not the suggested data/local. It may be something in the framework.res file that needs to be changed. UOT works for EVERYTHING, provided you make sure the operational file is correct upon submission.
jeepers007 said:
I'm having difficulties making the statusbar more transparent, however. They have a setting on the Status Bar tab, but it seems to have no effect.
I did try to manually adjust the transparency on status_bar_background.png in Framework-res.apk, but it didn't seem to do the trick. Is there another file that is used based on the Sense base?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm Sense(or any ginger for the matter) responds to the status bar B/G used in SystemUI.apk(drawable HDPI). And the images used on all the qHD phones from HTC use the same size for .pngs as their WVGA counterparts(some things are bigger, but not many), scaling seems pretty good AFAIK.
Ace42 said:
Hmmm Sense(or any ginger for the matter) responds to the status bar B/G used in SystemUI.apk(drawable HDPI). And the images used on all the qHD phones from HTC use the same size for .pngs as their WVGA counterparts(some things are bigger, but not many), scaling seems pretty good AFAIK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Found it! Giving that a try.
Thanks!
Trust me, it works. I cannot remember off the top of my head (bit drunk) but UOT works on just about everything. You need to double check where each enabled visual/operational is WITHIN your choice of rom. Then, you can triple check UOT's placement of the modified file.
I'm trying to remove the clock, but I couldn't find where that was located anywhere in there. Anyone have any pointers?
I'm a kitchen noob so I just made a simple battery change that I'm going to put on when it's done cooking.
(BeastMOD 1.3.1)
Spovik said:
I'm trying to remove the clock, but I couldn't find where that was located anywhere in there. Anyone have any pointers?
I'm a kitchen noob so I just made a simple battery change that I'm going to put on when it's done cooking.
(BeastMOD 1.3.1)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me look into it when I get home...I might be able (time willing) download your current rom and cook it--or at least find where to zap the clock so you can do it to your liking.
My battery cooking turned out to cause a boot loop so no-go on that. I appreciate any help you can offer and let me know if there's anything I can do to make things easier.
Spovik said:
I'm trying to remove the clock, but I couldn't find where that was located anywhere in there. Anyone have any pointers?
I'm a kitchen noob so I just made a simple battery change that I'm going to put on when it's done cooking.
(BeastMOD 1.3.1)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The clock is in the service.jar.. The kitchen won't work for that mod.
okay, I think I'm starting to get more comfortable with this kitchen.
I've got transparent status bar, and modified status bar icons.
Now, I'm looking for some help with another graphic. I unlock my phone for use with a pin. I see lockscreen in UOT only seems to modify the icons and gesture styles.
Where can I look to change the color of the numeric pin keys?
Spovik said:
My battery cooking turned out to cause a boot loop so no-go on that. I appreciate any help you can offer and let me know if there's anything I can do to make things easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is imperative that you open your rom .zip and extract:
com.htc.resources.apk
framework-res.apk
SystemUI.apk
All are found within your particular rom package. Upload via UOT's upload page. That is how their kitchen knows what to change and give you an individualized .zip to flash. If you want an in-depth explanation, PM me and I would be happy to go through the whole process step-by-step. Once you get the gist, it is easy as pie.
As for the clock, yea...it is under services.jar and UOT does not change that. There can be another way to delete it, if I have time today I will try to make a flashable .zip for just the clock delete--unless someone beats me to it.
Yeah, I went through the UOT guide and video tutorial before I started working with UOT (I really do RTFM) and it still crashed out on me. I'll give it another shot when I have time available and I can get in.
As for the flashable zip, I'd love you long-time.
Spovik said:
Yeah, I went through the UOT guide and video tutorial before I started working with UOT (I really do RTFM) and it still crashed out on me. I'll give it another shot when I have time available and I can get in.
As for the flashable zip, I'd love you long-time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not going to have the time to make a clock delete zip....work is busy and getting ready for the holiday. It's not too hard for someone familiar with the sdk to use smali/etc. To push the needed code.
Sent from my HTC Amaze 4G using xda premium
TheSneakerWhore said:
I'm not going to have the time to make a clock delete zip....work is busy and getting ready for the holiday. It's not too hard for someone familiar with the sdk to use smali/etc. To push the needed code.
Sent from my HTC Amaze 4G using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen some code about it, but didn't know if it's exclusive to the device type, or if it's the same basic thing for gingerbread so I never jumped. I'll see if I can mess with it later this week.
Spovik said:
I've seen some code about it, but didn't know if it's exclusive to the device type, or if it's the same basic thing for gingerbread so I never jumped. I'll see if I can mess with it later this week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as you pull the services.jar file out of the Rom you want to flash to, you are fine.
Sent from my HTC Amaze 4G using xda premium
Hi Guys,
Before I begin, I'd like to shoutout to all the great devs here in XDA who regularly updates us with their mods while living their own busy lives.
I'm using a ST15i on stock ICS and managed to customize it by reading around. I've rooted my phone from GB to ICS and flashed custom zips to add or modify certain functions and changed how it looks to give it a different feel and to better suit my taste. I've reached a point where I can't modify it anymore due to lack of knowledge and training. And now I'm here.
Can anyone point me on how to change the transparency of the status bar, change the battery icon of my choice on my ST15i running on stock ICS? Also, can you help me in reverting to the stock icon fron "No available network"? All the info I found didn't help me. Tried the kitched but that didn't work for me either. I'd rather learn how rather than be spoonfed.
This is my first time posting here, so go easy on me.
Thanks!
I don't think a transparent statusbar is possible in ICS. In earlier versions, it was just a case of making the statusbar background itself transparent.
But Google have made it harder to do with later versions.
To change the battery icon, you just need to change the png files in one of the drawable folders in either framework-res.apk or SystemUI.apk. With the Mini on ICS, it's most likely drawable-mdpi in SystemUI.apk.
If you want to change how the icon works, going from changing every 10% to every 1% for example, then you need to decompile the app and edit some xml.
It's a little long-winded, but it's simple enough and I'm always happy to help. The battery icon mod was the first one I found out how to do and I spent months trying to figure it out. Literally.
It's worth checking out Tickle My Android from the link in my signature. It can do the battery mod for you, if you want it to, and can handle all the decompiling and recompiling as well actually taking apps off your phone to begin with.
Not sure what you meant about reverting icons..is it possible you can provide a screenshot of what you want to change?
Ticklefish said:
I don't think a transparent statusbar is possible in ICS. In earlier versions, it was just a case of making the statusbar background itself transparent.
But Google have made it harder to do with later versions.
To change the battery icon, you just need to change the png files in one of the drawable folders in either framework-res.apk or SystemUI.apk. With the Mini on ICS, it's most likely drawable-mdpi in SystemUI.apk.
If you want to change how the icon works, going from changing every 10% to every 1% for example, then you need to decompile the app and edit some xml.
It's a little long-winded, but it's simple enough and I'm always happy to help. The battery icon mod was the first one I found out how to do and I spent months trying to figure it out. Literally.
It's worth checking out Tickle My Android from the link in my signature. It can do the battery mod for you, if you want it to, and can handle all the decompiling and recompiling as well actually taking apps off your phone to begin with.
Not sure what you meant about reverting icons..is it possible you can provide a screenshot of what you want to change?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there, Ticklefish! Thank you for taking the time to reply. You're one of my favorite devs here in xda.
Could you take a quick peek at this? There's an update on his notification toggle for a transparent status bar so I got me thinking whether this was possible or not. As for the battery, I'll still have to search for the battery icon I'm fancying about or I might have to create it from scratch. Sorry, I forgot to mention this but I tried to use your tool. I just didn't know how the battery icons would look like that's why I chickened out at the last moment. Instead I used it to create a zip to flash a stock SystemUI.apk to remove the Notification Toggles which I had extracted from an earlier CWM backup (Can't find an uninstaller. I figured all I needed was stock to remove it). Great tool, by the way.
I can't post any screenshots at the moment since I haven't been able to add that feature to my Mini yet. So I'll try my best to explain what I meant about reverting the network icon. If you would notice whenever you lose the network signal an icon appears on the notification bar? Well mine used to be color grey and had a yellow exclamation point beside it. Now it's all red. This might not be an issue for some but it's pretty hard on the eyes. I'd like to have the old one back.
Just to give you an idea, I'd like to improve my Mini's functionality and aesthetics while keeping it as close to stock as possible. So far I've managed to:
-Insert Reboot/Reboot to Recovery
-Use Wavelock
-Use Xperia S apps (Alarm, Callscreen, Clock, Conversation, Contacts, Font, Home, Keyboard, Phonebook & Walkman)
-Supercharge
-Notification Toggles (which I removed)
Changing the status bar and reverting to stock icon for no network signal is next on my list.
messagemode said:
Hey there, Ticklefish! Thank you for taking the time to reply. You're one of my favorite devs here in xda.
Could you take a quick peek at this? There's an update on his notification toggle for a transparent status bar so I got me thinking whether this was possible or not. As for the battery, I'll still have to search for the battery icon I'm fancying about or I might have to create it from scratch. Sorry, I forgot to mention this but I tried to use your tool. I just didn't know how the battery icons would look like that's why I chickened out at the last moment. Instead I used it to create a zip to flash a stock SystemUI.apk to remove the Notification Toggles which I had extracted from an earlier CWM backup (can't find an uninstaller. I figured all I needed was stock to remove). Great tool, by the way.
I can't post any screenshots at the moment since I haven't been able to add that feature to my Mini yet. So I'll try my best to explain what I meant about reverting the network icon. If you would notice whenever you lose the network signal a icon appears on the notification bar, well mine used to be color grey and had a yellow exclamation point beside it. Now it's all red. This might not be an issue for some but it's pretty hard on the eyes. I'd like to have the old one back.
Just to give you an idea, I'd like to improve my Mini's functionality and aesthetics while keeping it as close to stock as possible. So far I've managed to:
-Insert Reboot/Reboot to Recovery
-Use Wavelock
-Use Xperia S apps (Alarm, Callscreen, Clock, Conversation, Contacts, Font, Home, Keyboard, Phonebook & Walkman)
-Supercharge
-Notification Toggles (which I removed)
Changing the status bar and reverting to stock icon for no network signal is next on my list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screenshot should already implimented just not in the power menu. All you have to do is hold power and vol down button.
evilbarcode said:
Screenshot should already implimented just not in the power menu. All you have to do is hold power and vol down button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! Didn't know that. Just tried it just now and it worked. Thanks! Will be posting/updating once I've recreated the situation.
messagemode said:
Hey there, Ticklefish! Thank you for taking the time to reply. You're one of my favorite devs here in xda.
Could you take a quick peek at this? There's an update on his notification toggle for a transparent status bar so I got me thinking whether this was possible or not. As for the battery, I'll still have to search for the battery icon I'm fancying about or I might have to create it from scratch. Sorry, I forgot to mention this but I tried to use your tool. I just didn't know how the battery icons would look like that's why I chickened out at the last moment. Instead I used it to create a zip to flash a stock SystemUI.apk to remove the Notification Toggles which I had extracted from an earlier CWM backup (Can't find an uninstaller. I figured all I needed was stock to remove it). Great tool, by the way.
I can't post any screenshots at the moment since I haven't been able to add that feature to my Mini yet. So I'll try my best to explain what I meant about reverting the network icon. If you would notice whenever you lose the network signal an icon appears on the notification bar? Well mine used to be color grey and had a yellow exclamation point beside it. Now it's all red. This might not be an issue for some but it's pretty hard on the eyes. I'd like to have the old one back.
Just to give you an idea, I'd like to improve my Mini's functionality and aesthetics while keeping it as close to stock as possible. So far I've managed to:
-Insert Reboot/Reboot to Recovery
-Use Wavelock
-Use Xperia S apps (Alarm, Callscreen, Clock, Conversation, Contacts, Font, Home, Keyboard, Phonebook & Walkman)
-Supercharge
-Notification Toggles (which I removed)
Changing the status bar and reverting to stock icon for no network signal is next on my list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it might be possible. There's a lot that can be done if you just know how. I'll have a look at a transparent status bar soon. It was incredibly simple to do on early GB so hopefully it can be done on ICS as well.
There are a lot of battery icons out there. If you find the ones you want, TMA can put them into your app for you, or I can tell you how to do it manually.
As for the icons that come with TMA, you can see what they look like on the thread. Some look better on HDPI, and our phones are MDPI, but the tool can backup your original app so you can just try whichever one you want without being in danger of losing anything.
Changing that icon should be pretty simple. All you need to do is find out which image file it is and change it. Either by downloading one of the GB roms here and taking the new image file out of that, or by using a graphics program and just recolouring it yourself. If you're doing that, and if you're in a creative mood, you could even redesign the icon completely..
Thanks for the kind words, btw. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!
Ticklefish said:
Well, it might be possible. There's a lot that can be done if you just know how. I'll have a look at a transparent status bar soon. It was incredibly simple to do on early GB so hopefully it can be done on ICS as well.
There are a lot of battery icons out there. If you find the ones you want, TMA can put them into your app for you, or I can tell you how to do it manually.
As for the icons that come with TMA, you can see what they look like on the thread. Some look better on HDPI, and our phones are MDPI, but the tool can backup your original app so you can just try whichever one you want without being in danger of losing anything.
Changing that icon should be pretty simple. All you need to do is find out which image file it is and change it. Either by downloading one of the GB roms here and taking the new image file out of that, or by using a graphics program and just recolouring it yourself. If you're doing that, and if you're in a creative mood, you could even redesign the icon completely..
Thanks for the kind words, btw. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, I won't hold back in asking for assistance anymore.
I've attached a screenie of the icon problem I'm facing right now. If you would look at the upper lefthand corner, it's all red. I wonder if it's the same for the other ST15i Stock ICS users. It' used to be grey with a yellow exclamation point or something like that (can't recall how it exactly looked like but, yeah, something like that). Now for the battery icon, I'm fancying the Purple Android Battery Icon in TMA, only in green and shouldn't mess with the original height of the status bar. I've cooked a battery icon using the kitchen and it messed the height of the status bar. Could you also point how to manually change the battery icon? I'm trying to do it myself so I won't be asking around here anymore. I think others will benefit from it, too.
The stock SystemUI.apk that I've attached came from a stock version of my ST15i's ICS. I wondering if the network icon is found in the framework-res.apk, not in the SystemUI.apk. Since I've flashed the stock one and managed to remove the Notification Toggles but Red icon is still there.
Hopefully, you can find something with the transparency of the status bar. Thanks for all the help!
messagemode said:
OK, I won't hold back in asking for assistance anymore.
I've attached a screenie of the icon problem I'm facing right now. If you would look at the upper lefthand corner, it's all red. I wonder if it's the same for the other ST15i Stock ICS users. It' used to be grey with a yellow exclamation point or something like that (can't recall how it exactly looked like but, yeah, something like that). Now for the battery icon, I'm fancying the Purple Android Battery Icon in TMA, only in green and shouldn't mess with the original height of the status bar. I've cooked a battery icon using the kitchen and it messed the height of the status bar. Could you also point how to manually change the battery icon? I'm trying to do it myself so I won't be asking around here anymore. I think others will benefit from it, too.
The stock SystemUI.apk that I've attached came from a stock version of my ST15i's ICS. I wondering if the network icon is found in the framework-res.apk, not in the SystemUI.apk. Since I've flashed the stock one and managed to remove the Notification Toggles but Red icon is still there.
Hopefully, you can find something with the transparency of the status bar. Thanks for all the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That icon might be in framework-res.apk but I suspect it's SystemUI.apk. That's where most of those things are. This is a stock icon so flashing a stock system app won't do anything to change it. If you want, you can change the icon yourself by loading the png into a graphics program and messing around with it. If you want it to be grey and yellow, then you can make it grey and yellow.
Battery icons won't change the height of the statusbar. Android automatically scales images to the right size. As long as they're in the right folder. The Mini and Mini Pro both keep their images in drawable-mdpi for ICS. If images are put into drawable-ldpi, drawable-hdpi or even drawable-xhdpi (which would be insane on such a small screen), Android will scale them for a low, high, or extra high resolution screen. Which will mess the statusbar height. Your battery icons can be any height you like, they just have to go in the right place.
By the way...Tickle My Android will automatically put them in the right place. Just saying...
To change battery icons manually, you need to use apktool or a utility that uses apktool to decompile framework-res.apk and SystemUI.apk
Hey....Tickle My Android uses apktool...(subtle, ain't I?)
Then find the battery icons in whichever drawable folder they're in. They might be in more than one but that's not an issue. Replace them with ones you want.
If you're changing how often they change, you'll need to edit the xml files in the layout folder. If you got your icons from a kitchen, they should have come with the right xml files. In fact, if you've got a version of the Purple Android icons, you could use TMA to put those on first and then change them to the icons you want. That'll ensure you get the right xml files.
Then you use apktool to recompile the apps you changed. Make a copy of the original app, use 7zip to copy the res folder from the recompiled app into the copied one (this will ensure it's signed correctly), extract resources.arsc from the recompiled app, add that to the copied one at store levels of compression and..well, that's it.
The copied app is now ready to be put back onto your phone.
Eyes glazing over? Brain leaking out of the ears? I know it sounds complicated but it's quite simple once you've done it a few times. It can get a bit tedious if you're doing it a lot....which is why I wrote Tickle My Android in the first place.