[GUIDE]How to Create your own theme for android apps[GUIDE] - Galaxy Y GT-S5360 Themes and Apps

Android App Theming Guide(Self)​
This is my guide on how to create themes for Android Apps.
First lets start with desktop preparation.
Tools you need
Decompiling tool : apktool
Image Editor : Adobe Photoshop(paid) or Photoscape(Free)
IDE : Notepad++ (one of the best code reading tool)
Tools and SDK : Android SDK with any API(API-10 if you want to theme only for SGY)
1.Download apktool and extract the files in windows root directory (windows) or add the directory where aptool files are in to PATH
2.Navigate to directory where the apk file is using cmd and type
Code:
apktool -v d filename.apk destinationdir
4.Now you have the folder with all the xml files and images which are now in human readable format.

---

Reserved
Image files​
First, Lets start with editing the image files..
Before that android uses png image files mostly as this format contains transparency and alpha stored in image and it is light.
The two most used image files are .png and .9.png.
The file .png can be edited by the photo editor i have posted but the .9.png requires a seperate care.
For editing .9.png first you have to use normal photo editor to edit the image and then drag the resulting png image into the draw9patch file in sdkdirectory/tools.
So What is this .9.png????
Unlike normal png files this .9.png files contain information for expansion of the image according to the content inside.
With the draw9patch draw black borders to the edges what you feel that has to be expanded.
This is how the draw9patcher screen looks like
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

---

XML Files ​
Now the second part is the xml files..
These are present in res folder.
Android uses xml files for the user interface part of the app and Java for the logic.XML files are the very important files used by an Android App.
XML files are for Layout,Manifest values..etc
We are not going to tamper with these xml files a lot.
The basic operations using XML files are editing the layout and animations or drawables etc.Also Xml editing is used to change string values in APP.
You can also add additional image to android apps.This can be exactly done by,
Choose the required image and put it in /res/drawable folder.
Now open the folder values inside res and open public.xml using Notepad++ and go to the last line of type drawable (incase of image) or any other depending on resource and create a new line like
HTML:
<public type="drawable" name="imagename" id="" />
In the place of id put the id of your previos line incremented by 1.It is in HEX so for example if my previous line ID is 0x750395f then the id for this line will be 0x7503960
SMALI FILES
smali files are present in the folder src.This is somwhat tricky part as these are dalvik-bytecodes which are of low level language and are similar to the java files you write.These are the files you have to modify in order to change the app permissions or if you want to mod the app by customising features and adding additional features.You can find more information of smali here
Tip:If you find smali difficult just write your code in java and build it.After that decompile the resulting apk and take the smali code from it...
Now once you are ready with all just build app by
Code:
apktool b WorkingFolderName appname.apk
Pls dont forget to sign your app
Press Thanks is this was helpfulll :good:
Thanks and Gud luck
optimus

---

Nice guides
ROM EVOLUTION X3
KERNEL HELL FUSION
ALINS JB THEME + EVOLUTION S3 STATUS BAR.

---

Thanks
Really needed it.
Sent from my GT-S5360 using xda app-developers app

---

Nice guide
PHONE SLOW CLICK ME?
_____________________________________
"No one lives in the slums because they want to. It's like this train. It can't run anywhere except where its rails take it."- Cloud[FFvii]"​

---

Is there a more simpler way of creating themes? Like using drag and drop method? Can someone provide a link?

---

nice, will try it on my phone but it is s6312
hope that it works

---

So, if I want to change my stock ROM pop up look like ICS, I must edit 9.png ?

---

metalhead\m/ said:
nice, will try it on my phone but it is s6312
hope that it works
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice Guide