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[Q] App to Zip entire directory

Is there a way to zip up an entire directory not just individual files. I have a schedule with titanium backup and then uploaded them to dropbox, but if possible I'd rather have the backup as a zip file.

Leshy01 said:
Is there a way to zip up an entire directory not just individual files. I have a schedule with titanium backup and then uploaded them to dropbox, but if possible I'd rather have the backup as a zip file.
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Not with a zip file afaik, in zip format a single file is compressed.
**Use .rar format, its an archived/compressed format so it supports multiple directories. This is the ideal method.**
Alternativly you could use separate archive/compression formats such as the '.tar.gz' format where you first archive(make into a single file) the directory into a .tar, and then compress in gzip format giving you .tar.gz. You can o this using 7zip, but its not a commonly used file extension anymore rar has taken over so I suggest you use that.

Jandyman said:
Not with a zip file afaik, in zip format a single file is compressed.
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Incorrect, Zip can hold any directory structure, just like Rar and Tar.
ASTRO File Manager can handle zip files the same as a regular directory. Hit Menu -> New -> Zip File, name it, and it gets added to the file list for the current directory. From there, it acts like a directory - tap on it to navigate inside it, move/copy files/directories to it, etc.

Ghost Commander will do this as well, and it's pretty awesome.

How to make a CWM file

Hello, I have searched everywhere and cant find the answer to my question. I wanted to replace a file using CWM .zip how in the heck do I do that? Most of all I just wanted to learn how to do it as well...
Thanks,
Chad

Well to begin with you can take an existing zip with the file path you need, delete everything in the folders not touching the META-inf folder at all, those are the install instructions, and put the file you want to flash in the correct folder. I think thats how everyone starts out.

studacris said:
Well to begin with you can take an existing zip with the file path you need, delete everything in the folders not touching the META-inf folder at all, those are the install instructions, and put the file you want to flash in the correct folder. I think thats how everyone starts out.
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but your update-script has to match what you are flashing via cwm. if you take a rom zip and just pop in a few files in place of the whole rom structures, your flash will fail because your update-script is looking for specific structures.

Oxicottin said:
Hello, I have searched everywhere and cant find the answer to my question. I wanted to replace a file using CWM .zip how in the heck do I do that? Most of all I just wanted to learn how to do it as well...
Thanks,
Chad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One way would be to use: Update Zip creator/modifier (Requires Windows)

yeah it would be bad mojo if you used a wipe rom zips META INFO to make an update zip.....

Thanks a million everyone......

Sorry for being late to the party again.. Here goes my attempt at an explanation though:
Essentially, a CWM flashable zip is just a zip file with the file system replicated in it. So for example, if you wanted to add swype, and you know Swype.apk would regularly go in /system/app, then you would create a blank folder called 'system', and another folder inside system called 'app', and put your Swype.apk inside that. (/system/app/Swype.apk)
After that, all that's left is to build an update script. So, from your root directory (where your system folder is), you would make another directory called META-INF, with a folder inside called 'com', another one inside that called 'google', and finally one called 'android' inside that (/META-INF/com/google/android), you put a text file in there called 'update-script' that tells recovery what you want to do (in this case, copy swype over to the corresponding directory on the file system).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=641223
^There's a guide for how to make those. You can also pick apart any rom you find in the dev section and check out the update script for reference.
After that, it's just a matter of zipping up all the contents in your root directory, then signing the zip with testsign.jar

modest_mandroid said:
Sorry for being late to the party again.. Here goes my attempt at an explanation though:
Essentially, a CWM flashable zip is just a zip file with the file system replicated in it. So for example, if you wanted to add swype, and you know Swype.apk would regularly go in /system/app, then you would create a blank folder called 'system', and another folder inside system called 'app', and put your Swype.apk inside that. (/system/app/Swype.apk)
After that, all that's left is to build an update script. So, from your root directory (where your system folder is), you would make another directory called META-INF, with a folder inside called 'com', another one inside that called 'google', and finally one called 'android' inside that (/META-INF/com/google/android), you put a text file in there called 'update-script' that tells recovery what you want to do (in this case, copy swype over to the corresponding directory on the file system).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=641223
^There's a guide for how to make those. You can also pick apart any rom you find in the dev section and check out the update script for reference.
After that, it's just a matter of zipping up all the contents in your root directory, then signing the zip with testsign.jar
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Is there a way from the CWM interface to do the same with a backup you create? I noticed backups are not in the same format, they are usually .img, .tar, and an md5 file?

[Q] need help to make a .apk installable from another rom

hi guys i have a .apk file i.e. sectabletplayer.apk from another rom i dont want to mention name. when i tried to install it like a general .apk file it says "Aap not installed" . i googled around alot found ADB injecter it says "installation failed" and reason for this error is "unable to mount system r/w " tried to make custom flashable .zip file the file existed in given path but not installed i mean not running totally useless. can anybody help me out of this?

try to set ON Unknown-Sources in Settings/Security/Device-management

ameya1990 said:
hi guys i have a .apk file i.e. sectabletplayer.apk from another rom i dont want to mention name. when i tried to install it like a general .apk file it says "Aap not installed" . i googled around alot found ADB injecter it says "installation failed" and reason for this error is "unable to mount system r/w " tried to make custom flashable .zip file the file existed in given path but not installed i mean not running totally useless. can anybody help me out of this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First this app will only work on a stock/stock base ROM. Second, you need a root file app, like root explorer or root browser. In root explorer you have to select to give r/w permission.
Go to the location of the app, long press it and select copy. Then navigate back to
/system/app and paste it. Then long press it again, select permissions and make it rw-r--r--. Then reboot
Hopefully this will install for you. If it doesn't than the apk itself would need to be modified.
One last thing, if you have another sec.player.apk in system/app, you might need to change it from .apk to .bak then reboot before you begin the other process. You can just rename it back to
.apk and make sure permissions are right then reboot to re-enable it.
Lies, spewed poetically from galaxy S3!

[Q] How to modify lenovo-res.apk?

Hi, I'm trying translate lenovo-res.apk for my lenovo a850 but I still can't do it. I always get only bootloop. I try apktool, kitchen, jBart... I'm trying it many days. Can anyone help me? Thanks

Tedruart said:
Hi, I'm trying translate lenovo-res.apk for my lenovo a850 but I still can't do it. I always get only bootloop. I try apktool, kitchen, jBart... I'm trying it many days. Can anyone help me? Thanks
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I have the same problem on Lenovo P770....

I can help. Try the following steps:
1. Make a full backup of your device!
2. Get the lenovo-res.apk file onto your PC. Copy it to a safe place as a backup.
3. Download an archive manager (WinRAR, 7zip), and open it.
4. While in the archiver, navigate to the directory where the lenovo-res.apk file is located (not the backup one!).
5. Extract lenovo-res.apk to an empty folder of your choice (name suggestion - "lenovo-res modding").
6. Go back to your regular file explorer and open the folder you just extracted the files to. Open and modify what you like.
7. Now, open up your archiver program again, and navigate to the directory inside the lenovo-res.apk file where the files you modified belong (for example, lenovo-res.apk\res\drawable-mdpi).
8. Back in your regular file explorer, select and drag the modified files from the file explorer window into the archiver window. Drop the files in the archiver window.
9. Hit "Yes" or "OK" if asked if you're sure.
10. Repeat steps 6-9 as many times as necessary.
11. When done, close the archiver window to finalize the changes.
12, Now, you can ADB push the modded lenovo-res.apk file to your device, but don't replace the one on your system with the push! You will get a bootloop!
13. Instead, push it to your external sdcard (for example, /mnt/sdcard).
14. On your device, open up your file explorer app (I use ES File Explorer), and navigate to where you pushed the lenovo-res.apk. Copy it, and paste it directly into the directory where the system file is (for example, /system/framework).
15. If the paste succeeds, you did it. Your device will hot reboot itself after the replacement, and will then boot up using the new lenovo-res.apk.
16. Done!
If the above steps are helpful, please, please click the Thanks button below!
:good:

Thanks, but this will not help me. Because I need give to lenovo-res.apk new slovak and czech translates (folders values-sk and values-cs). If I unzip the apk file, as you wrote, there is no all subdirectories in "res" directory, where language files are.
All Subdirectories in "res" directory are creates only when you use JBart or Apktool:
color\
drawable\
drawable-hdpi\
layout\
values\
values-in\
values-ms\
values-ru\
values-vi\
values-zh-rCN\
If you will use 7ZIP, there are only:
color\
drawable\
drawable-hdpi\
layout\
I need to add values-sk and values-cs subdirectories. Normaly I use jBart or Apktool, make lenovo-res.apk file, no errors. Then install ROM file, but phone will stop on bootloop. On all other apk files procedure with jBart/Apktool works well, except lenovo-res.apk not.
I do not know how to compile this one apk. Please help me. Thanks.

I know this is a little bit off topic..Kindly help.. am trying to locate the systemUI apk on my lenovo k80m.. cant seem to find it in priv- app or app folders.

[Q] Need help preparing a flashable zip file

Hi,
i currently had some issues with my GPS, and i found this thread with an attached gps.conf file which fixed them.
However, i want to create a flashable zip file for TWRP to ease and automate the installation of the custom file.
I used the cacert-installation zip from http://android.opensomething.org/ as a starting point for my creation. This zip was created by some people i know and they automate the installation of the CaCert.org root certs on android.
However, i set up my own commands in the update-binary (which is essentially a shell script in this zip) and copied the gps.conf as the payload of the zip. But now i have the problem that the flashing fails, and i don't know why.
I would be very happy if someone could look at the zip and my commands in there, and maybe has an idea, why the installation fails.
Thank you very much.

Use a root file explorer and copy that file to etc folder and check permissions,(rw-r-r) though generally this isn't an issue..
Sent from my A0001 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

The zip file is in the same folder where my other flashable zip files are. It has also the same permissions. I double-checked the directory on my desktop where i created the zip file from, and its contents had exactly the same permissions that the contents of the cacert zip file have.
The syntax of the update-binary file should be correct.
Is there some sort of verbose mode i can activate in TWRP? Some errors like "Extracting zip... ERROR could not open update-binary FAILED" could be very helpful for me.

simonszu said:
The zip file is in the same folder where my other flashable zip files are. It has also the same permissions. I double-checked the directory on my desktop where i created the zip file from, and its contents had exactly the same permissions that the contents of the cacert zip file have.
The syntax of the update-binary file should be correct.
Is there some sort of verbose mode i can activate in TWRP? Some errors like "Extracting zip... ERROR could not open update-binary FAILED" could be very helpful for me.
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The .zip you provided above is empty.. No files other than meta and system.. I'll build one and upload it..
Sent from my A0001 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Here you go..

Thank you very much. How did you create the zip? Just for the records, and for me to learn. I have my android phone for 10 days (was used to iOS before) and i like such actions very much.