[xda][tutorial] become a themer - Themer General Discussion

Become a Themer Tutorial By Rock-Star
First rule before to start how to learn to theme your device :
Always make a backup of the files you are about to edit or do a nandroid backup.
If anything goes wrong you will get a bootloop.
If you are modding an apk and you are seeing a textAppearance,color,background
or similar => If the value starts with
"@android:" then you will find the source
in the framework-res.apk of the same rom.
☺ TOOLS you must have ☺
1. APKTOOL [http://code.google.com/p/
android-apktool/]
This tool will allow you to decompile and
compile all apk's
When you decompile an apk, you can now
edit the xml's with a source code editor
like Notepad++
2. NOTEPAD++ [http://notepad-plus-
plus.org/]
This tool will allow you to edit the xml's
decompiled from the apk's
Written on C++ and using Win32API, you
will be able to easily change, copy, trace,
find all the codes you will find in this
guide.
3. ADB [http://developer.android.com/
guide/developing/tools/adb.html]
Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a versatile
command line tool that lets you
communicate with an emulator instance or
connected Android-powered device. You
will be able to push, replace, delete,
overwrite files directly from your
computer to your android device.
4. SMALI/BAKSMALI [http://
code.google.com/p/smali/]
An assembler/disassembler for Android's
dex format.
5. 7-ZIP [http://www.7-zip.org/]
An open source file archiver with a high
compression ratio.
6. PAINT.NET [http://www.paint.net/]
or any other Graphics editor you like to
use as Photoshop or Gimp.
Now let's play with your theme and for that, the very first thing you will need is
to locate :
framework-res.apk
SystemUI.apk
Keep always a safe copy for both of them as you may experiment some issues during
the compile phase, which means that you
did something wrong ( even a small space
or letter ) and you will must come back to
the previous "working" modded version of
your apk.
Don't try to go too fast
Start with one step at once until you feel
experimented enough to edit more things at the time
A good tip to double check if anything goes wrong : your apk must decompile and compile without errors !
Test and flash via Recovery when you are done : if it is working, then you can start from your new framework-res/systemUI
apk's to go further.
1. Status bar
1.1. Clock, Date and notification ticker
It's now much easier to modify the clock in
the status bar as it is now located within a .xml-file.
Files to edit:
/system/app/ SystemUI.apk
DECOMPILED_DIR/res/layout/
status_bar.xml
1.1.1. Clock
Search for a line that begins with
"<com.android.systemui.statusbar.Clock" .
You now have two ways for changing the
font-style and color:
Adding
android:textColor="TEXTCOLOR"
and/or
android:textStyle="TEXTSTYLE"
where TEXTCOLOR can be a HTML color
(#TTRRGGBB - TT means transparency)
and TEXTSTYLE can be "bold", "bold|
italic", "italic" or "" Changing the style of
android:textAppearance.
This can be easier but keep in mind that
this style could be used somewhere else.
A possible new line could be:
<com.android.systemui.statusba
android:textColor="#ffff0000
android:textStyle="italic"
android:textAppearance="@and
TextAppearance.StatusBar.Icon"
android:gravity="left|
center"
androidaddingRight="6.0dip"
android:layout_width="wrap_co
android:layout_height="fill_pa
android:singleLine="true" />
With this you would get an
italic, red clock.
1.1.2. Date
The date which you can see in the status
bar can be modified by editing the line
beginning with
"<com.android.systemui.statusbar.DateView".
As with the clock, you can either add
textColor and textStyle or change the
android:textAppearance
1.1.3. Notification ticker
Search for the line containing "@id/
tickerText" .
It is followed by two other lines which
contain
"android:textAppearance="@android:style/
TextAppearance.StatusBar.Ticker"" .
As with the clock, you can either add
textColor and textStyle or change the
android:textAppearance
2. Carrier, Ongoing-Title, Notifications-
Title, Clear-Button, noNotificationsTitle
Files to edit:
/system/app/ SystemUI.apk
DECOMPILED_DIR/res/layout/
status_bar_expanded.xml
2.1. Carrier
Search for the line beginning with
"<com.android.systemui.statusbar.CarrierLabe
This line contains the text for the carrier
and its appearance.
The background for the carrier label can
be changed one line above using the
"android:background" attribute.
It can be a pre-defined color value
(@color/NAME_OF_COLOR ), a html color
value (#TTRRGGBB ) or even a graphics
file ( @drawable/NAME_OF_GRAPHIC ).
2.2. Ongoing-Title
Search for android:id="@id/
ongoingTitle" .
This is the Ongoing-Title.
As with other texts you can add/change
"android:textAppearance",
"android:textColor" and
"android:textStyle"
The background is defined in the
"android:background" attribute.
2.3. Notifications-Title
Search for android:id="@id/latestTitle" .
This is the Notifications-Title.
As with other texts you can add/change
"android:textAppearance",
"android:textColor" and
"android:textStyle"
The background is defined in the
"android:background" attribute.
2.4. noNotificationsTitle
Search for android:id="@id/
noNotificationsTitle" .
This is the text when no notification is
displayed.
As with other texts you can add/change
"android:textAppearance",
"android:textColor" and
"android:textStyle"
The background is defined in the
"android:background" attribute.
2.5. Clear-Button
Search for android:id="@id/
clear_all_button" .
This is the text of the Clear-Button
________________________________________
3. Notifications
Files to edit:
/system/frameworks/ framework-res.apk
DECOMPILED_DIR/res/layout/
status_bar_latest_event_content.xml
In this file you find the texts for :
the title of the notification: Search
for android:id="@id/title" .
Textcolor and textstyle are editable via
style or directly in the xml (see point
1.1.1.)
the description of the notification:
Search for android:id="@id/text"
the time of the notification: Search
for android:id="@id/time"
________________________________________
4. Color of the progress bars and seek bars
4.1. progress bars
Files to edit:
/system/framework/ framework-res.apk
DECOMPILED_DIR/res/drawable/
progress_horizontal.xml
The progress bar uses gradients to set the
color which goes from top to bottom.
You have to set three colors: start (top of
the bar), end (bottom of the bar) and
middle.
<item android:id="@id/background">
is for the unused part of the progress
bar.
<item android:id="@id/progress"> is
for the used part of the progress bar.
4.2. seek bars
Files to edit:
/system/framework/ framework-res.apk
DECOMPILED_DIR/res/values/ styles.xml
Seek bars are progress bar like components
which enables you to change a value within
a range (you will see some in the sound
settings (Settings -> Sound -> Volume) or
when changing the brightness of the
display).
By default, the seek bars are using the
color settings of the progress bar to
display the current position (so it should
be possible to use different ones by using
another .xml than the progress bars).
To modify it, open the styles.xml
Search for <style name="Widget.SeekBar"
parent="@style/Widget"> .
Here you can change :
the height (<item name="maxHeight"> and
<item name="minHeight"> ),
the appearance (<item
name="indeterminateDrawable"> and <item
name="progressDrawable"> )
the graphic of the thumb ( <item
name="thumb"> , res/drawable/
seek_thumb.xml ).
The thumb itself comes in three files,
located in res/drawable-hdpi:
seek_thumb_normal.png
seek_thumb_pressed.png
seek_thumb_selected.png
________________________________________
5. Color of selected text within text fields
Files to edit:
/system/framework/ framework-res.apk
DECOMPILED_DIR/res/values/ styles.xml
Search for <style
name="TextAppearance"> in the
styles.xml.
The color for the selected text is the node
textColorHighlight
________________________________________
6. Transparency
6.1. notification drawer
If you use a ROM that doesn't have a
transparent notification drawer by
default, then you have to do this:
Decompile your SystemUI.apk using
apktool.jar (or just decompile the
classes.dex using baksmali). Browse to the
folder smali/com/android/systemui/
statusbar/ (or com/android/systemui/
statusbar/ if you have just decompiled
classes.dex).
Edit the file StatusBarService.smali.
Search for the following line:
invoke-direct/range {v0 .. v5}, Landroid/
view/WindowManager$LayoutParams;-
><init>(IIIII)V
above that line you must have
const/4 v5, 0x2
change this to
const/4 v5, -0x3
After recompiling SystemUI.apk and
pushing it to the phone you can get
something like this :
6.2. Status bar
If you use a ROM that doesn't have a
transparent status bar by default, then
you have to do this:
Decompile your SystemUI.apk using
apktool.jar (or just decompile the
classes.dex using baksmali).
Browse to the folder smali/com/android/
systemui/statusbar/ (or com/android/
systemui/statusbar/ if you have just
decompiled classes.dex).
Edit the file StatusBarService.smali.
Search for the following line:
invoke-direct/range {v0 .. v5}, Landroid/
view/WindowManager$LayoutParams;-
><init>(IIIII)V
directly above it you will find
const/4 v5, 0x2
change this to
const/4 v5, -0x3
Recompiling SystemUI.apk and pushing it to
the phone (I tested it with the emulator).
________________________________________
7. Graphics
After you have decompiled your .apk files
you will end up with a lot of graphic files
in :
res/ drawable-hdpi (or res/drawable-
hdpi-v4 depending on your apktool.jar
version).
This is the right place to edit notification
icons, the notification bar and drawer,
menu item background (list, grid, etc.),
buttons, etc.
Some files will have .9.png . These are
Nine-Patch-files.
You will find more information on those
files :
http://developer.android.com/guide/
topics/resources/drawable-
resource.html#NinePatch
http://developer.android.com/guide/
topics/graphics/2d-
graphics.html#nine-patch
Let's begin with the status bar and
notification drawer:
7.1. Status Bar
To get a new status bar background, you
have to edit the file :
statusbar_background.
You find it in the SystemUI.apk . Can be
.png or .9.png
7.2. Notification Drawer
(The notification drawer constists of
several files.)
7.2.1 Carrier/Provider area
To change the background for the Carrier/
Provider area you have to edit the file :
status_bar_header_background
You find it in the SystemUI.apk . Can be
.png or .9.png
7.2.2 Ongoing and Notifications
To change the background for the Ongoing
and Notifications area you have to edit
the file :
title_bar_portrait
You find it in the SystemUI.apk . Can be
.png or .9.png
7.2.3 Notifications
To change the background for the
notification area you have to edit the file
:
status_bar_item_background_normal
You find it in the framework-res.apk .
This will be the background if you're just
look at the notifications.
When focusing a notification it will be the
file :
status_bar_item_background_focus
when you push/press it you have to edit
the file :
status_bar_item_background_pressed
The notifications are divided by the file
divider_horizontal_bright. Can be .png or
.9.png
7.2.4 Unused area
The area where no notification is displayed
is set in the file :
SystemUI.apk/res/layout/
status_bar_tracking.xml .
You have to change the attribute
android:background of the View-node.
It can be a color-value, a predefined color
or a graphics file.
Depending on your ROM it will even display
transparency. Can be .png or .9.png
7.2.5 Bottom
The bottom part of the expanded drawer is
status_bar_close_on .
You find it in the SystemUI.apk . This will
use transparency too. Can be .png or .9.png
7.3. Animated notification icons
7.3.1 Battery (uncharging)
Depending on your ROM there will be more
or less files for the battery gauge.
They begin with stat_sys_battery_
followed by a number.
The order how they are get displayed is
configured in the file :
res/drawable/ stat_sys_battery.xml .
You find it in the framework-res.apk .
7.3.2 Battery (charging)
Depending on your ROM there will be more
or less files for the battery charging
gauge.
They begin with
stat_sys_battery_charge_anim followed
by a number.
The order how they are get displayed is
configured in the file :
res/drawable/
stat_sys_battery_charge_anim.xml .
You find it in the framework-res.apk .
7.3.3 Download and upload animation
The files for the upload and download
animation begin with
stat_sys_download_anim and
stat_sys_upload_anim followed by a
number.
The order how they are get displayed is
configured in the files :
res/drawable/
stat_sys_download_anim.xml
res/drawable/
stat_sys_upload_anim.xml .
You find it in the framework-res.apk .
8.4. Other files
8.4.1 Title for detailed view in call history
You will find the background for this in
the file title_bar_tall. You find it in the
framework-res.apk .
8.4.2 Title for contacts
You will find the background for this in
the file title_bar_medium. You find it in
the framework-res.apk .
8.4.3 Background for the grid menu
The grid menu is the one when you press
the menu button within an application.
The following files are used and you find
them in the framework-res.apk :
menu_background: This the background
for one grid element.
menu_background_fill_parent_width:
the whole grid
To change the text color you have to set
the color for the style
TextAppearance.Widget.IconMenu.Item in
the file res/values/ styles.xml
After pressing "More" you will find
another menu. The text colors for this
menu can be found in the style
Theme.ExpandedMenu.
________________________________________
9. Applications
9.1. Ongoing downloads
You should have noticed that the text color
of ongoing downloads in the notification
area doesn't look like the text colors for
normal notifications.
To change this color you have to change
the file /system/app/
DownloadProvider.apk .
You'll find the color values in res/layout/
status_bar_ongoing_event_progress_bar.xml .
It uses the same names as the one in the
framework-res.apk. After you have
recompiled it you can flash it to your
phone. You should see the new colors at the
next download.
9.1. Notifications of music player
If you are using the default music player
(/system/app/Music.apk) then you can
change the colors it uses for notifications
as well.
After you have decompiled it, open res/
layout/ statusbar.xml and edit the values :
@id/artistalbum
@id/trackname
Thanks for your time and your attention
Have Fun ☼
#PLEASE PRESS THANKS#

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What has thus to do with themer launcher? Not that it is a nice compiled something but, well, wrong forums.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Free mobile app

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Where should i post these

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In the Android themes section.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Free mobile app

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So interesting and usefull information and it's free,thx

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Good
really good tutorial. Thanks