Related
In this post I'd like to share a small bit of Android information with you. I've discovered it while looking around at the build.prop file and did some research on it, and it turns out to be a pretty cool and powerful feature. Of course, seeing as this requires root you can probably already guess that it involves some more-than-consumer level risk, so anything you do here is your responsibility. This is not a tweak for a fairly novice user. You will need some basic knowledge on command line terminal and how to copy/edit files. I will be assuming you know how to setup and run ADB, and how to execute it and work with it in command prompt.
What's this mod do? Basically it changes your resolution (not really, but for simplicity sake we'll say it does) to a higher pixel density. What this means is everything on your screen will look smaller as if you changed your resolution on your PC to a higher setting. Now obviously we don't want to increase this too much or it will make our screen look bad and be impossible to read things, so I recommend you stick with the settings I have and only tweak it if you're daring.
Now for setup:
1: You require root access for this to work, so make sure you have it prior to doing anything else.
2: Next you will need to get your build.prop file from the /system directory. An easy (and free) way to do this is to use Astro file manager. Open up Astro, navigate to /system/ and copy the build.prop file to the sdcard.
3: Hook the phone up to your PC and enter USB Mass Storage mode. Open the drive on your computer and copy the build.prop file to the desktop.
4: IMPORTANT: make a second copy of this file, and rename it to: build.prop.BAK - accept the change to filetype and leave it alone for now.
5: Open up build.prop using notepad. Once its open you'll see a whole ton of text assuming you have Word Wrap enabled. Press Control + F and type in "density" then press enter.
6: Close out the search menu and find the number "240" to the right of "density"
7: Change the number from 240 to 200. Save the file and close notepad. (Note - higher numbers means bigger text/objects, smaller numbers means smaller text/objects allowing you to fit more on the screen)
8: Put your phone back into PC Mode, and then enable USB Debugging in Settings->Applications->Development
9: At this point I assume you have ADB setup on your PC. Copy and paste the modified build.prop file into the folder with ADB, and then open up a command prompt, change directory to wherever you have ADB installed (ex: cd C:\adb\ ), and type in "adb devices" without the quotes to start ADB and make sure your device is configured properly
10: Now you must push the modified build.prop file to your sdcard. To do so type this in:
adb push build.prop /sdcard/build.prop
11: You should see the text indicating it successfully transferred the file. Now type in "adb shell" without quotes. You should see a $: appear. Once it does, type in "su" and it should change to a #: sign.
12: Now that you're in root access, you must mount /system as read/write to copy over the new build.prop file. To do so type this in exactly as it is, making sure to not skip any spaces or use wrong letters/characters:
mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/system /system
You should see the line repeated and that means it went ok. If you get anything else like an error, somethings not right with the text you entered. Go back and double check it.
13: Now we'll copy the file from the sdcard to the system directory to overwrite the old build.prop file:
cp /sdcard/build.prop /system/build.prop
Again, you should see the line repeat below to confirm it copied it successfully. You can now reboot the phone to make the changes happen (note: for a speedy reboot, simply type in "reboot" from the #: prompt, this will drop you out of root shell and do an automatic reboot of your phone pretty neat)
Once your phone is booted back up you should notice some pretty significant changes in appearance. Everything will look smaller much akin to the changes you see on your desktop PC when you increase the resolution from say 800x600 to 1600x1200. In case you want to change it back to the old look, simply re-trace your steps using the original build.prop file, with the pixel density set to 240 instead of 200.
Screenshots for comparison. Note how lines of text are fully exposed in the new screenshots compared to the old ones, where it has to scroll/cut off text in App names etc:
http://forum.androidcentral.com/motorola-x-roms-hacks/32035-how-resolution-tweak-req-root.html
Or you can save a whole lot of time and effort and use this app. http://www.xda-developers.com/android/lcd-density-changer-application-v3-0-released/
I think that is pretty sweet bro!! Great finding
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
njfoses said:
Or you can save a whole lot of time and effort and use this app. http://www.xda-developers.com/android/lcd-density-changer-application-v3-0-released/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been using this for a few days now. It works great. They should have released the Evo with the higher resolution from the start.
Looks great in my opinion. I lowered just slightly to 220 and i used RootExplorer to just change the Build.prop file.
Shouldn't this be in general? This is like dpi in windows lol... not resolution
rawdikrik said:
Looks great in my opinion. I lowered just slightly to 220 and i used RootExplorer to just change the Build.prop file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, root explorer is fantastic. it even creates a backup for you after you edit the file.
The interesting part about this is, I made a thread about the density change back when the EVO first launched and nobody cared lol
Just changed to 200 with the aforementioned app, the only problem I have is the main status bar and most of the popup menus and stuff look like crap. Hoping we can find some higher resolution (or whatever) pieces to use. Might be because I'm using Manup's theme.
bdoople said:
Just changed to 200 with the aforementioned app, the only problem I have is the main status bar and most of the popup menus and stuff look like crap. Hoping we can find some higher resolution (or whatever) pieces to use. Might be because I'm using Manup's theme.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i noticed that too....so i just went to like 215. 200 was looking good though
ro.sf.LCD_Density=240
Is that the proper value to change in root explorer?
Right below it, there is another value of 160, that's why I ask. I'm on an Evo
Poor resolution has always bugged me. On such a big screen, that number of pixels really isn't enough. This will be a great mod, just don't wanna mess it up.
Thanks.
see there's an easier way to do everything, by that i mean there is an app for that, lol.
scottspa74 said:
ro.sf.LCD_Density=240
Is that the proper value to change in root explorer?
Right below it, there is another value of 160, that's why I ask. I'm on an Evo
Poor resolution has always bugged me. On such a big screen, that number of pixels really isn't enough. This will be a great mod, just don't wanna mess it up.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The line below it (With the value of 160) has a # in front of it as that is the default value if none specified. Change the 240 to 200 or 220 or 210 or 190 etc depending on your preferences. Again, appelflap has an awesome application to easily do this for you and it provides a boot monitor as well that will check to make sure you can see the screen, and if you can't it will revert back to default setting in case you mess something up. It costs approximately $1 and is well worth it.
On my evo I am using the app and I set mine to 180. Everything looks fine so far. I don't recommend using it with the sense launcher at this level though.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Appreciate all the feedback. When it comes to system tweaks like this, I've always preferred to do them manually. Makes it easier to keep track of changes, and, if you know what's goin on 'behind the scenes'. Even with winmo, I always would opt for tweaking via registry editor, rather than some blind, hands-off tweak app.
Thanks all, though.
Edit: ok, foot in mouth. So I opened root explorer, found build.prop, opened it clicked the mount R/O toggle, but can't seem to edit it no matter what. NVM, found editor
Also, I checked out the app on the market, looked at comments and saw lots of people say that density broke certain apps, and can't get back to normal, broken phones, blah blah blah
Anyone speak to this?
Exposes lame apps
Worked great on rooted EVO running CM6.2.
Need to increase the power of my bifocals now!
Also exposes lame apps that display set screen resolutions, such as WeatherChannel. Poopnoodles!
Very cool find, not one I will be keeping though. The taskbar icons get a bit blurry, and the widget/icon spacing looks ugly.
njfoses said:
Or you can save a whole lot of time and effort and use this app. http://www.xda-developers.com/android/lcd-density-changer-application-v3-0-released/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tried that. Was able to make a few changes with no problems. As soon as I tried to go back to the stock settings my phone would no longer boot past the white EVO screen. Doing a restore now
And of course the restore isn't working properly for some reason. Argh.
yeah
Yeah, I read the thread by Appleflap, about his app, and it really sounds like there are a lot of issues from doing this (at this point), some of which cannot be recovered from. And at the very least, there are apps and icons that won't scale properly, and there's no fix for that but to find new ones (from the horses mouth).
Things to be worked out by some real sharp devs.
I'm not totally convinced that this makes things anything beyond just smaller. I've been testing this a various resolutions and am not sure it really adds any new pixels...aren't "pixels" more hardware related? If it were just a software thing wouldn't everyone do it?
Just wondering if anyone is interested in this? I learned how from the original back on the Motorola Droid and have made it work for other phones. I used to be a themer but have since been spending my free time on other things. However, I still have the urge every once in awhile. For those not familiar, this will create a little looped video playing on the pull down screen.
Guide:
Instructions for Windows users... (Linux users: You should be able to follow along, as the idea is the same in both)
Things you will need:
The knowledge that whatever you do with this information is YOUR responsibility and not mine, nor the creators / developers of the mod and / or rom.
Basics -
Working computer.
Time.
Patience.
Animation images / Idea for making your own animation.
Computer Programs:
Java: http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp
Apk Manager: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=695701
Text Editor (Suggested - Notepad++: http://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/v5.9.6.2.html )*
Archive Managing program (ie WinZip, WinRar, 7zip) (Suggested - 7zip: http://www.7-zip.org/download.html )*
Image Manipulation program > Whether it be Photoshop, Paint.Net, or GIMP, we'll refer to it as PIMP for short from now on.
(Suggested - Dark Silent GIMP: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9903887/PCApps/Dark_Gimp.rar )*
Batch Renamer > if you are making your own (Suggested - http://www.den4b.com/?x=downloads&product=renamer )*
You'll also need the SystemUI.apk from your favorite rom.
(Found in: rom.zip > system > app > SystemUI.apk)
If wanting to make one with images from a video, you'll need:
A short vid (if you are wanting to use one from, say, http://www.youtube.com/ then you would copy/paste that web address to a site like http://www.savevid.com/) and export the video as a file to your computer.
Video Editor (Suggested - iWiSoft Free Video Converter: http://www.iwisoft.com/videoconverter/ )*
It's easiest to export the images as PNGs.
Alternatively, you can make your own images with PIMP or kang them from someone else's already made animation (Don't forget to send them a thanks if you do!).
Common Questions:
*How big does the image need to be? - The screen size is 480 x 800.
*How many images can I have? - I'm not sure. The one I made has 14 and there have been no issues whatsoever. I've used as many as 30 on my Atrix and didn't have any issues, but others did and the apk will get a little bloated with that many images, especially if it's not very transparent or there are a lot of colors.
*What duration should I change the animation to? - Again, this really depends on what you are going for. How the animation looks, how many images you have, etc. The default on mine is "200" Trial and error ftw!
*What kind of animation should I do? - Only you can answer that! If you are having trouble thinking of something, browse the forums and see if you can't find some ideas. Search YouTube for a cool video. Play with some creating some logos. Only limitation is your imagination.
After editing images or finding the ones you want to use...
Place your SystemUI.apk in the Apk Manager's place-apk-here-for-modding folder.
Double Click the Script.
Choose 22.
Choose the number of SystemUI.apk and hit Enter.
Choose 9 for Decompile.
Naviage to Apk Manager > projects > SystemUI > res > drawable hdpi (or drawable hdpi v4, depending on rom)>
Place your images resized and renamed as status_bar_background_animationX.pngs here. (where X is the number of the image in sequential order)
Navigate to Apk Manager > projects > SystemUI > res > drawable > and place this: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9903887/status_bar_background_animation.xml in there.
The one I posted here is just the normal one I use that has 14 images, but you can adjust for the amount of images you want and the speed of the image changes using your Text Editor. You can just go from 1 - "X" number sequentially or you can have the images go 1-2-3-4-5-6-5-4-3-2 etc. depending on the style of animation or if you are trying to keep the image number down.
After that... (it really does not matter what order you do these in, but this might help you the first time or two to have a set path)
Navigate to Apk Manager > projects > SystemUI > res > layout > status_bar_tracking.xml and open with Text Editor.
Find:
com.android.systemui.statusbar.TrackingView in the second line and right after that (leave a space) add:
android:background="@drawable/status_bar_background_animation"
Make sure there is a space after this too, then save the xml.
After you have edited your images and xml and saved all of them go back to the script for Apk Manager and choose 11 to compile. After it finishes it will ask you if it is a system apk (Y/N). "Y" + Enter. It will ask you if you want to keep blah blah blah (Y/N). "Y" + Enter.
Go to the "keep" folder in Apk Manager > keep and delete the "res" folder and the resources.arsc file (this is the lazy/easy way).
Go back to the Apk Manager script and hit Enter.
The apk will be completed and named unsignedSystemUI.apk and you will find it in the "place-here-for-modding" folder. Even though it says unsigned, it is signed and you will not need to do anything else to it beyond renaming it to SystemUI.apk. This new finished SystemUI.apk will be added to a flashable zip file in this format (open zip as archive to not break the signature):
flashable.zip > system > app > replace previous SystemUI.apk
Place this on your SD card and install via ClockworkMod Recovery. You will not need to wipe data or cache for this.
The very first time you pull down the screen it will be static, but any other time it should start to animate. This is the same with every phone I have seen and not sure why this is.
Sorry if this seems crazy difficult, but I just wanted to be thorough so even relatively new people can at least see how it is made. If you need help, hit me up on Talk with my screen name. Enjoy!
*I receive no form of compensation for these recommendations. I merely suggest them as they are free, have a fair amount of support, and work well enough for me.*
I have attached for you to use/edit as you see fit:
*status_bar_background_animation.txt http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9903887/status_bar_background_animation.xml
*14 multicolored Honeycomb images inspired / kanged from the boot animation.
*status_bar_tracking.txt - Pretty sure these are similar/same between CM7 and Stock or just use as reference guide.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9903887/status_bar_tracking.xml
*Empty flashable zip for ClockWorkMod - Use the Archive Manager to open as archive and place your SystemUI.apk inside /system/app. Do NOT unzip and rezip as it will break the signature and not flash correctly.
es0tericcha0s said:
Just wondering if anyone is interested in this? I learned how from the original back on the Motorola Droid and have made it work for other phones. I used to be a themer but have since been spending my free time on other things. However, I still have the urge every once in awhile. I'll post a how to if there is interest. For those not familiar, this will create a little looped video playing on the pull down screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm interested, but how much does this impact the battery? Does it run while the statusbar is up? A little more info would be helpful but I'm certainly interested.
Nah, it only runs while the screen is down so the effects on the battery are negligible.
This one is NOT mine, but just so you get the idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5ZD6WzwS0k
And it's built into the SystemUI.apk, not framework for our phones.
es0tericcha0s said:
Nah, it only runs while the screen is down so the effects on the battery are negligible.
This one is NOT mine, but just so you get the idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5ZD6WzwS0k
And it's built into the SystemUI.apk, not framework for our phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very nice, that would be something of interest.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium
Alrighty then. It's dinner and movie time with the lady. I'll post it up here a little later on.
OP edited with detailed instructions!
es0tericcha0s said:
Nah, it only runs while the screen is down so the effects on the battery are negligible.
This one is NOT mine, but just so you get the idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5ZD6WzwS0k
And it's built into the SystemUI.apk, not framework for our phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for negligible battery loss. I've ran this with my G2x for a few months now, only minor issues if the person who puts the animation gets too crazy.
es0tericcha0s said:
Just wondering if anyone is interested in this? I learned how from the original back on the Motorola Droid and have made it work for other phones. I used to be a themer but have since been spending my free time on other things. However, I still have the urge every once in awhile. For those not familiar, this will create a little looped video playing on the pull down screen.
Guide:
Instructions for Windows users... (Linux users: You should be able to follow along, as the idea is the same in both)
Things you will need:
The knowledge that whatever you do with this information is YOUR responsibility and not mine, nor the creators / developers of the mod and / or rom.
Basics -
Working computer.
Time.
Patience.
Animation images / Idea for making your own animation.
Computer Programs:
Java: http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp
Apk Manager: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=695701
Text Editor (Suggested - Notepad++: http://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/v5.9.6.2.html )*
Archive Managing program (ie WinZip, WinRar, 7zip) (Suggested - 7zip: http://www.7-zip.org/download.html )*
Image Manipulation program > Whether it be Photoshop, Paint.Net, or GIMP, we'll refer to it as PIMP for short from now on.
(Suggested - Dark Silent GIMP: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9903887/PCApps/Dark_Gimp.rar )*
Batch Renamer > if you are making your own (Suggested - http://www.den4b.com/?x=downloads&product=renamer )*
You'll also need the SystemUI.apk from your favorite rom.
(Found in: rom.zip > system > app > SystemUI.apk)
If wanting to make one with images from a video, you'll need:
A short vid (if you are wanting to use one from, say, http://www.youtube.com/ then you would copy/paste that web address to a site like http://www.savevid.com/) and export the video as a file to your computer.
Video Editor (Suggested - iWiSoft Free Video Converter: http://www.iwisoft.com/videoconverter/ )*
It's easiest to export the images as PNGs.
Alternatively, you can make your own images with PIMP or kang them from someone else's already made animation (Don't forget to send them a thanks if you do!).
Common Questions:
*How big does the image need to be? - The screen size is 480 x 800.
*How many images can I have? - I'm not sure. The one I made has 14 and there have been no issues whatsoever. I've used as many as 30 on my Atrix and didn't have any issues, but others did and the apk will get a little bloated with that many images, especially if it's not very transparent or there are a lot of colors.
*What duration should I change the animation to? - Again, this really depends on what you are going for. How the animation looks, how many images you have, etc. The default on mine is "200" Trial and error ftw!
*What kind of animation should I do? - Only you can answer that! If you are having trouble thinking of something, browse the forums and see if you can't find some ideas. Search YouTube for a cool video. Play with some creating some logos. Only limitation is your imagination.
After editing images or finding the ones you want to use...
Place your SystemUI.apk in the Apk Manager's place-apk-here-for-modding folder.
Double Click the Script.
Choose 22.
Choose the number of SystemUI.apk and hit Enter.
Choose 9 for Decompile.
Naviage to Apk Manager > projects > SystemUI > res > drawable hdpi >
Place your images resized and renamed as status_bar_animationX.pngs here. (where X is the number of the image in sequential order)
Navigate to Apk Manager > projects > SystemUI > res > drawable > and place this: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9903887/status_bar_background_animation.xml in there.
The one I posted here is just the normal one I use that has 14 images, but you can adjust for the amount of images you want and the speed of the image changes using your Text Editor. You can just go from 1 - "X" number sequentially or you can have the images go 1-2-3-4-5-6-5-4-3-2 etc. depending on the style of animation or if you are trying to keep the image number down.
After that... (it really does not matter what order you do these in, but this might help you the first time or two to have a set path)
Navigate to Apk Manager > projects > SystemUI > res > layout > status_bar_tracking.xml and open with Text Editor.
Find:
com.android.systemui.statusbar.TrackingView in the second line and right after that (leave a space) add:
android:background="@drawable/status_bar_background_animation"
Make sure there is a space after this too, then save the xml.
After you have edited your images and xml and saved all of them go back to the script for Apk Manager and choose 11 to compile. After it finishes it will ask you if it is a system apk (Y/N). "Y" + Enter. It will ask you if you want to keep blah blah blah (Y/N). "Y" + Enter.
Go to the "keep" folder in Apk Manager > keep and delete the "res" folder and the resources.arsc file (this is the lazy/easy way).
Go back to the Apk Manager script and hit Enter.
The apk will be completed and named unsignedSystemUI.apk and you will find it in the "place-here-for-modding" folder. Even though it says unsigned, it is signed and you will not need to do anything else to it beyond renaming it to SystemUI.apk. This new finished SystemUI.apk will be added to a flashable zip file in this format (open zip as archive to not break the signature):
flashable.zip > system > app > replace previous SystemUI.apk
Place this on your SD card and install via ClockworkMod Recovery. You will not need to wipe data or cache for this.
The very first time you pull down the screen it will be static, but any other time it should start to animate. This is the same with every phone I have seen and not sure why this is.
Sorry if this seems crazy difficult, but I just wanted to be thorough so even relatively new people can at least see how it is made. If you need help, hit me up on Talk with my screen name. Enjoy!
*I receive no form of compensation for these recommendations. I merely suggest them as they are free, have a fair amount of support, and work well enough for me.*
I have attached for you to use/edit as you see fit:
*status_bar_background_animation.txt http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9903887/status_bar_tracking.xml
*14 multicolored Honeycomb images inspired / kanged from the boot animation.
*status_bar_tracking.txt - Pretty sure these are similar/same between CM7 and Stock or just use as reference guide.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9903887/status_bar_tracking.xml
*Empty flashable zip for ClockWorkMod - Use the Archive Manager to open as archive and place your SystemUI.apk inside /system/app. Do NOT unzip and rezip as it will break the signature and not flash correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I use Clockmod Recovery to flash the MultiColored Honeycomb Animation.zip or is there something else I need or need to do?
The Honeycomb zip ONLY has the 14 images of the animation. It won't do anything if you try to flash it. And, to get those to work, you'd have to follow the guide in the opening post. It's pretty thorough. If you get stuck, let me know.
Hi, I'm extremely interested in getting this working.
I spent a good four hours designing a custom set of frames to match my current background, all before I realized that for some reason my current ROM's SystemUI.apk will not decompile correctly, and therefore won't RE-compile correctly. I spent a couple hours trying different versions of APKtool and aapt, all proving the same result. Finally I felt stupid when I tried it out on a random APK I had from a backup, decompiled and recompiled perfectly...
Has anyone tried this on an MIUI ROM? If so, I'm really interested in finishing this half-a-day project I've just started and could use some help xD
If you want, hit me up on Talk using my screen name.
Sent via telepathy
k4p741nkrunch said:
Hi, I'm extremely interested in getting this working.
I spent a good four hours designing a custom set of frames to match my current background, all before I realized that for some reason my current ROM's SystemUI.apk will not decompile correctly, and therefore won't RE-compile correctly. I spent a couple hours trying different versions of APKtool and aapt, all proving the same result. Finally I felt stupid when I tried it out on a random APK I had from a backup, decompiled and recompiled perfectly...
Has anyone tried this on an MIUI ROM? If so, I'm really interested in finishing this half-a-day project I've just started and could use some help xD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would be awesome on MIUI.
k4p741nkrunch said:
Hi, I'm extremely interested in getting this working.
I spent a good four hours designing a custom set of frames to match my current background, all before I realized that for some reason my current ROM's SystemUI.apk will not decompile correctly, and therefore won't RE-compile correctly. I spent a couple hours trying different versions of APKtool and aapt, all proving the same result. Finally I felt stupid when I tried it out on a random APK I had from a backup, decompiled and recompiled perfectly...
Has anyone tried this on an MIUI ROM? If so, I'm really interested in finishing this half-a-day project I've just started and could use some help xD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The key to decompiling certain system apps with MIUI is using apktool and then installing the framework from the MIUI rom as a dependency.
Windows Users (Linux Users - if you can use Linux, you probably know how to use the CMD Prompt well enough to follow these directions for your system too):
1) Place the framework-res.apk and SystemUI.apk from the rom in the folder where your apktool is located.
2) Open CMD Prompt and navigate (change directories / cd) to your folder with apktool and apps.
3) apktool.jar if framework-res.apk
4) apktool.jar d SystemUI.apk
5) This will create a subfolder in the main folder that will be named SystemUI.
6) Make your edits following the guide in the OP.
7) When finished, compile the apk with this:
apktool.jar b SystemUI
8) This will build the app for you and you will find it located in the subfolder Dist inside of the SystemUI folder.
I threw one together here*: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9903887/MIUISystemUI.apk
This SystemUI is from the stock based MIUI rom ported by stormageddon posted here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1421713
It has:
1) status_bar_background_animation.xml added to res/drawable (14 image version)
2) 14 Honeycomb themed images in /res/drawable-hdpi
3) status_bar_tracking.xml edit in /res/layout
4) This version IS able to be decompiled without errors by Apk Manager, so if it doesn't work, at least you can decompile and make the needed edits.
* I have NOT tested this. I am not currently running MIUI as I NEED wifi calling and my SIM card will not work with it. I purchased another SIM card from some suggestions I have seen around the forum, but unfortunately was not paying close enough attention and purchased the same one I already had instead and am not interested in spending an hour with a nandroid backup, flashing MIUI, testing, then nandroid restoring back to my current rom. So, good luck and let me know if I can help any more.
Thank you es0triccha0s!
That got me to decompile and compile correctly! Yes I am on Linux, and yes it was the if (install framework) command. Got a new problem though, the animation doesn't show. I noticed a few things though..
For one, I'm using a Galnet MIUI based of ICS. Inside the Res folder is a "drawable-hdpi-v4" folder, not sure if that v4 is going to mess anything up with this mod. I'm going to nandroid and then test with a GB version right now.
Secondly, in the scripts you provided in the OP, in the file status_bar_background_animation.xml you have all the images referenced as status_bar_background_animationX, but also in the OP, you mention we should place our created pngs into the drawable-hdpi folder as "status_bar_animationX". I simply removed all "_background"s from the file and it compiled, but I'm not sure if that is causing them not to be seen.
I'm gonna check a few things and report back.
Okay I put it on the Galnet 2.16 MIUI build. Made sure verything was as it should be as far as mod instructions are concerned. It booted, but there is NO status bar whatsoever.. Do you think its a permissions issue or something? Next thing I'm going to try is manually pushing it to the phone with ADB. This is just a test ROM, I have my actually useful nandroid backup when I get tired of this. Once again, will report back.
k4p741nkrunch said:
Thank you es0triccha0s!
That got me to decompile and compile correctly! Yes I am on Linux, and yes it was the if (install framework) command. Got a new problem though, the animation doesn't show. I noticed a few things though..
For one, I'm using a Galnet MIUI based of ICS. Inside the Res folder is a "drawable-hdpi-v4" folder, not sure if that v4 is going to mess anything up with this mod. I'm going to nandroid and then test with a GB version right now.
Secondly, in the scripts you provided in the OP, in the file status_bar_background_animation.xml you have all the images referenced as status_bar_background_animationX, but also in the OP, you mention we should place our created pngs into the drawable-hdpi folder as "status_bar_animationX". I simply removed all "_background"s from the file and it compiled, but I'm not sure if that is causing them not to be seen.
I'm gonna check a few things and report back.
Okay I put it on the Galnet 2.16 MIUI build. Made sure verything was as it should be as far as mod instructions are concerned. It booted, but there is NO status bar whatsoever.. Do you think its a permissions issue or something? Next thing I'm going to try is manually pushing it to the phone with ADB. This is just a test ROM, I have my actually useful nandroid backup when I get tired of this. Once again, will report back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for pointing out the _background deal. Missed that in my proof reading stage. I'm going to update the OP in a bit. The drawable_hdpi vs drawable_hdpi-v4 thing seems to be dependent on either the apktool version or rom, not entirely sure. Have seen it on other phones / roms I have worked with, but seems random. Never really delved into the whys and hows. However, not really sure why the status bar disappeared on you. It might have something to do with update.zip's update script. I haven't messed with theming MIUI in a long time and am not sure if there needs to be any changes made to the update script that would be different vs. AOSP or CM7. It will almost certainly not work adb pushing the SystemUI though. That always messes things up, from my experience. Since it is just your test rom, try to put the SystemUI into the rom zip with an archive manager via opening as an archive (do not unzip, add, then rezip) and reflash.
I liked this idea. went ahead an made my own blue flames, and it looks nice (although I may mess with it a bit to get it a little smoother).
Just a note though: Unless you also remove the reference to shade_bg in status_bar_tracking.xml, you'll end up with both an animated and non-animated background.
Also, I'd recommend you have people only delete the resources.arsc and the status_bar_tracking.xml files from the keep folder when compiling. Otherwise, it's not uncommon that certain decompiling errors will transfer over to your finished product and give issues like the previous poster was having.
I'm not sure why I had never though of doing this before, but I'm glad you brought it to my attention
Okay, I'm trying something new tonight.
I went and checked every XML file and did some manual comparisons to see if I could find what was causing it not to show. For one, I think the Animation Flasher zip isn't doing the job so from now on I'll be packing it into the MIUI zip. Secondly, I noticed a lot more references to other status bar BG files in status_bar_tracking.xml. I replaced every reference of background="@drawable/blah blah bg" to background="@drawable/status_bar_animation"
I'm gonna see how this goes, will report back xD
Edit: Okay, so DON'T do that xD. At least I know my edits are recognized. Going back and removing the unnecessary edits, then packing it into the ROM Zip again, will report back.
Edit2: Okay, I'm very close to having this working with MIUI. Now that I've included it into the ROM ZIP, the statusbar is appearing completely white with the animation going on behind it. I can barely see the animation at the bottom of the status bar. Something is drawing that white background on the status bar, perhaps a default theme. I think that may be what is causing the general incompatibility with MIUI, the built in theming. I'm gonna fiddle around with the themes, see if I can find a way to use NO status bar theme. Will report back.
k4p741nkrunch said:
Okay, I'm trying something new tonight.
I went and checked every XML file and did some manual comparisons to see if I could find what was causing it not to show. For one, I think the Animation Flasher zip isn't doing the job so from now on I'll be packing it into the MIUI zip. Secondly, I noticed a lot more references to other status bar BG files in status_bar_tracking.xml. I replaced every reference of background="@drawable/blah blah bg" to background="@drawable/status_bar_animation"
I'm gonna see how this goes, will report back xD
Edit: Okay, so DON'T do that xD. At least I know my edits are recognized. Going back and removing the unnecessary edits, then packing it into the ROM Zip again, will report back.
Edit2: Okay, I'm very close to having this working with MIUI. Now that I've included it into the ROM ZIP, the statusbar is appearing completely white with the animation going on behind it. I can barely see the animation at the bottom of the status bar. Something is drawing that white background on the status bar, perhaps a default theme. I think that may be what is causing the general incompatibility with MIUI, the built in theming. I'm gonna fiddle around with the themes, see if I can find a way to use NO status bar theme. Will report back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you need to delete android:background="@drawable/shade_bg"
It's possible that MIUI calls it something different like statusbar_background or status_bar_background. Either way, it needs to be deleted, not modified.
MWBehr said:
I liked this idea. went ahead an made my own blue flames, and it looks nice (although I may mess with it a bit to get it a little smoother).
Just a note though: Unless you also remove the reference to shade_bg in status_bar_tracking.xml, you'll end up with both an animated and non-animated background.
Also, I'd recommend you have people only delete the resources.arsc and the status_bar_tracking.xml files from the keep folder when compiling. Otherwise, it's not uncommon that certain decompiling errors will transfer over to your finished product and give issues like the previous poster was having.
I'm not sure why I had never though of doing this before, but I'm glad you brought it to my attention
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't think about the shade_bg as it's not linked to that in every rom. You don't have to actually remove it. You can also do this instead:
android:background="@android:color/transparent"
Also, I am of the school of thought that if the app decompiles with errors then you shouldn't use that as your base. I've done a ton of theming and I just won't use an app that decompiles wrong. It usually only happens if you are trying to decompile an app that has already been modified by the dev. Best to find a "stock" base framework or SystemUI to work with.
Easy
Can anyone make a flashable zip?
Of what and/or for what?
Sent via telepathy
Now on Google+ !
https://plus.google....615763333814534
Update 5-27-2012
This update replaces the text based view pager indicator with a sliding bar that looks just like the stock launcher's indicator. I'm still not satisfied with the contrast between the bar and the surrounding elements, because it isn't easy to see at this point. I'll keep tinkering with it, and would welcome suggestions. In addition, I have figured out how to allow viewing of read protected directories like /data/. My implementation isn't perfect, which leads me to my next point. I have come to realize that there are some fundamental shortcomings to a few of the apps underpinnings, and I need to find a way to fix them. I have yet to figure out how to make the root process persist so that root functionality doesn't throw up a toast every time it does something, and I seriously need to clean my code.
Therefore, my plan is thus: I'm going to take a crack at helping the dev of OpenExplorer figure out how to enable full root functionality. His code is the only resource I have been able to glean much useful info from, and his own implementation is still half-baked. (seriously, why are there no robust root related resources out there?) Then, (tentatively) I'm going to fork his repo and replace the look and feel of his app with that of Holo File Explorer, while retaining what appears to be a vastly superior back end. The downside to this is that we're looking at something of a rabbit hole, so you guys may not hear from me for a bit. The upside is that forking OpenExplorer will provide a less buggy experience, plus lots of extras like network folder, dropbox and box.net access.
I'm also hopeful that at the end of this process, I'll have my own code hosted on GitHub and ready for collaboration. If I can get interested parties to help with development, It'll speed up the rate of releases. Because to be honest, my rate of release hasn't exactly been timely of late, and you guys deserve better than that. This is the best answer I can come up with to solve the problem. What does everyone think?
Original Rootz thread: http://rootzwiki.com/topic/17572-ap...er-formerly-ics-styledswipe-update-3-29-2012/
Hello Everyone. I've been working on a new file explorer app for phones since the beginning of the year, and I would like to present what I have accomplished so far in order to get some feedback. The reason why I decided to make this app is that most (if not all) of the file explorers out there have clunky/unoptimized user interfaces and/or lackluster feature sets.
I recently purchased a Galaxy Nexus and had decided that I needed a file browser to match the aesthetic appeal of the rest of the system. After hours of searching through several dozen of the market's best browsers, the only one I could find with any degree of stock visual polish was inKa file browser. Unfortunately, the app was too basic for my needs. No root features at all, etc. This prompted me to build my own file browser (although it is still far from complete).
{
"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"
}
What the app has thus far:
1) Swipable pages. There are 2 (for now - hoping to enable "new tabs/pages") swipable views that can be navigated independantly (just like you would on a desktop computer with 2+ explorer windows open.
2) Files can be cut, copied and then pasted within or across the swipable pages. (long press anywhere on an item or check the boxes in order to bring up the "contextual action mode" (screenshot 3)
3) The drop down at the top of the page displays the folder hierarchy for the currently selected folder view.
4) The start of a file details screen (Screenshot 5). There are a lot of functions that people can perform on files (MD5 checking roms is a big one in my mind) and I just don't like the idea of relegating those functions to dialog boxes or menus. I know that this kind of view isn't something that any of the other file explorers have, but I think there is value in departing from that convention. Note: MD5 and permissions aren't implemented yet. Soon though.
5) MD5 summer and checker is now working! I tested it on a 100+mb rom and it ran pretty quickly (5 or 6 seconds) on my Galaxy Nexus, so Rom Flashers might enjoy using this one. I don't have the UI polished to my satisfaction yet, but the functionality is there.
6) Sharing files is now enabled. The updated ShareActionProvider for 4.0+ will be coming at some point.
7) Opening/installing files/apks! Bugs aside, the app now handles almost all of the usual file explorer functions.
8) Themes! Switch them under general settings, and then exit if switching between dark and light or darkactionbar to get the text colors to reload properly. Working on fixing this.
What isn't done yet:
1) Root actions. This is a biggie, as I want this app to satisfy both power users and casual users at the same time. Feel free to comment on your most desired root functions.
2) File summary views. This would open if you clicked on a file, and would present a summary of the meta information. This view would also provide functions like md5 comparison, opening in external apps, permission setting, etc...
3) Themes. As you can see, the app is currently built on Holo Light (one of the ICS stock system themes). I plan on adding an option for Holo (dark) and maybe more. Depends on the demand.
4) A robust data summary view, including something similar to what you find in the DiskUsage app in the market, as well as some other metrics. Maybe even an miui-like file type size summary.
5) I'm considering a view (linked to from a button in the top right corner of the app) that displays currently running and finished file operations. I think this might be better than throwing up a dialog box for big file copy/paste tasks and having it keep the user from doing anything until the operation is done.
6) Bookmarks
7) Search. Not sure if this will be a basic file search or a grander attempt at indexing and speed.
8) A text editor.
9) Other basic things like an actual settings page, polished action mode icons, image previews and apk icons, an actual app icon, proper folder and file icons (the one's in place now look terrible and are improperly sized, but I'd rather focus on other things first), and general UI polish.
10) Image previews And there you are. Please provide any and all feedback/criticism/praise/trolling that you can. I'd really like to build this into something that works for everyone. Thanks!
The Story of my Progress Thus Far:
UPDATE - 2/9/2012:
Jake Wharton just released beta 6 of Action Bar Sherlock last night, so I'll hopefully have a backwards compatible version of the app out soon (maybe within the next day or so? Depends on how many things are broken in Gingerbread and beyond.) Done as of "alpha 2". I have an old Droid X, so I just need to do some flashing to test both Froyo and Gingerbread. I've also made incremental progress in a lot of areas. A basic settings screen is in place, "new folder" and "refresh" action buttons have been implemented, and I have the start of the file properties screen together. Things are moving along quickly!
UPDATE - 2/14/2012
New stuff:
*A placeholder settings menu now appears when users click settings
*See screenshot 5 for a look at the file info screen. Currently accessed by clicking on a file. Not sure if this is how things will stay, since this is a departure from the ususal "click to open in another app" behavior.
*Gingerbread compatibility! May be a few bugs here and there, but I have the thing running on my old Droid X with CM7. Theme is a little rough for GB devices, so I have some work to do there.
*Buttons more clearly indicate whether they have been implemented.
UPDATE - 2/15/2012
New stuff:
*A whole bunch of bug fixes dealing with copy, cut and paste. Things are still a little broken, but way better than they were before. Remaining issues deal with the UI not properly reflecting paste status - nothing sinister.
*Blue dividers between each page of the viewPager
*Sharing files now works! Select 1 or more files and send them via 3rd party app.
*Files can now be opened in 3rd party apps from the file view screen *Files can be MD5 summed and compared in the file view screen
*I did some checking and things seem to work in Froyo too
*Tinkered with the file icon logic a little bit, and in addition to some less obvious things I got apk icons working. *Based on some of the name suggestions, I renamed the app to "File Swipe." Name still isn't final, but someone mentioned that "Swipe" was a bit confusing. I'm listening to your name suggestions, so please keep em' coming.
*Polished up the action bar icons a tad bit (Search used to be a little too fuzzy, Data summary was too small, add didn't reflect that it was for adding folders, and bookmarks was too dark.)
UPDATE - 2/27/2012
New stuff:
*Themes! In addition to the original ICS Holo Light theme, we now have a dark and light-with-dark-actionbar theme. (You need to exit the app using the new exit button in order to get the themes to switch properly. Working on fixing this.) CAVEAT: There is currently a bug in ActionBarSherlock which prevents the loading of action bar icons when they are referenced via theme. Therefore, for now we are stuck with text instead of icons on the action bar. According to Jake Wharton's github bug tracker, we are about 9 days away from another Release Candidate, and the bug should be fixed then. Until then, don't freak out! (fixed now)
*A lot of internal refactoring and housecleaning. Not that interesting to you guys, but it had to be done in order to make themes work.
*App now handles reopening and orientation changes without crapping out (used to stop updating the navigation dropdown and would sometimes force close on actions). Learned some interesting things about viewpagers (the swipey pages as found in the market) in the last few days, so I'm hoping to be able to share that info with other coders out there in some fashion.
*The beginnings of a settings page (whoooo!)
*Settings includes the theme switcher and a popup to update the default directory. Haven't gotten it to verify directory input yet, so don't go too crazy.
*A new exit button. As mentioned earlier, you need to exit in order to get the themes to load properly. May disappear later. Not sure.
UPDATE - 3/5/2012
New stuff:
*Nothing show-stopping. Just little tweaks and fixes here and there
*After talking with some of you guys, tapping on a file now opens the file instead of a details screen. Details are now reached via the menu. The option will only present itself when a single file item is selected. Keep up the feedback (because I listen)!
*Tweaked some of the colors a little to provide contrast between file names and file details.
*Pulled in the latest code base from Jake Wharton's ActionBarSherlock. Therein lies the real bounty of changes. (This guy is a beast)
*Pre-3.0 users now get a proper ICS navigation dropdown, instead of that bloody spinner list.
*Icons are back, so things are looking normal again.
UPDATE - 3/28/2012
Holy bugger this has been a crazy month. Since the last update, I moved from PA to NC and started a new job. It's been a while but thanks for your patience.
New stuff:
*I'm back! (whoooooooo!)
*A hopefully bug-free scroll position/history stack. Essentially this means that instead of taking you up a level, the back button returns you to the previous folder you were at (each scroll pane gets its own history too), and it also remembers your scroll position when you go back. It's a small touch, but it really makes the whole thing more natural.
*Moved the pagertitlestrip from the bottom to the top and changed the styling a bit (as inspired by today's google maps/navigation update today). You'll all have to let me know if you like the change. Haven't figured out how to shrink the text size on it either, so those caps should be less obnoxiously large sometime soon. I'll try and make sure you don't have to wait another month before the next update Maybe sometime this weekend. Depends on how ambitious I am.
Update 4-11-2012
The most obvious change for today is the the theme. I've switched the default over to the app's "Identity" theme. The new goods are pictured in the updated screenshots. I've also fixed the app so that it displays the navigation dropdown at load time, and I figured out the bug that was making everyone's root file location only display one folder. There are probably some other small visual tweaks, but nothing that important.
Download "Alpha 9" apk here: http://goo.gl/olMcn
have been following the development on rootz for a while now but never tested the app for more than a few minutes. 95% of the stuff I need a file explorer for requires root, so really looking forward to that
XlAfbk said:
have been following the development on rootz for a while now but never tested the app for more than a few minutes. 95% of the stuff I need a file explorer for requires root, so really looking forward to that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just curious, what are the root functions that you engage in most often?
bkensey said:
Just curious, what are the root functions that you engage in most often?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the most used, for most users, are copy/cut/paste/delete files on /system, and set permissions for files there.
Sent from my X10 Mini Pro using Tapatalk
Felimenta97 said:
I think the most used, for most users, are copy/cut/paste/delete files on /system, and set permissions for files there.
Sent from my X10 Mini Pro using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I figured. As soon as I can get my file operation scheduler hammered out, I can start on the root file operations. The ones you mentioned are at the top of my list.
the ones mentioned + change owner, create softlink, run .sh script (basicly it's just "busybox sh script.sh")
No root here. I but zip unzip show/hide hidden files would be awesome
blackbearblanc said:
No root here. I but zip unzip show/hide hidden files would be awesome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, and that too still keep me on Root Explorer. But if you do what I said + what the guy I quoted said, I move to Holo File Explorer.
Sent from my X10 Mini Pro using Tapatalk
Agree with all the requests features so far, but for the record, the UI looks immaculate. Can't wait for it to get full root functionality.
dialmformostyn said:
Agree with all the requests features so far, but for the record, the UI looks immaculate. Can't wait for it to get full root functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Immaculate is what I was going for
Just posted a new update with file sorting included. Useful if you're checking the download folder.
Archive is what compared to delete?
blackbearblanc said:
Archive is what compared to delete?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be zip/tar/etc. I do recognize that the label "archive" should be changed (since it does have gmail/deletion meaning attached to it), but I didn't want to just use zip either because zip only refers to one kind of file compression. Any ideas on how to handle that? Should I label it "compress" or just say screw it and use "zip" to initiate zips and tars?
looks amazing! Probably gonna move over to this file explorer when root features are added.
I'd go for "zip". While technically it's not correct everyone knows what it means with zip being the most known archive format.
XlAfbk said:
I'd go for "zip". While technically it's not correct everyone knows what it means with zip being the most known archive format.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough. I'll switch the label over for the next update. I'll look at a better icon too. I don't think the current one is very good for "zip," especially since there is a pretty cohesive icon design language out there for Zip already.
bkensey said:
Fair enough. I'll switch the label over for the next update. I'll look at a better icon too. I don't think the current one is very good for "zip," especially since there is a pretty cohesive icon design language out there for Zip already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. Just the icon. Looks like Gmail archive as u said
Looking really good, I will be following closely, once it has root stuff I will swap from root explorer in a heartbeat, actually, I will install it, and let you know what I normally can do with root explorer but is missing from this, as I am not 100% sure what you need root access todo.
Main root (I think?) stuff I do:
Accessing the root dir, messing with system files permissions, and pasting apks into the system dirs.
This might become my primary file tool once it gains root powers. Looking very great.
-Root with mount system as writable and change permissions;
-LAN/FTP;
-Dropbox.
With these Holo File Explorer would have no rival. Would be PERFECT!
Looks really nice, but unfortunately it shows only the LOST.DIR folder from my sd, nothing additional.
Running a desire s with cm9.
This is for Pure XL users that use the flip cover instead of the silicone case (or no case at all)
This was an interesting idea brought up by @MatisasB on this thread.
MatisasB said:
Is there any way to add new pictures?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I took some time to check it out and found out that it is possible to add or change the current background images that you see when you wake your phone with the flip cover closed.
Requirements:
Rooted Pure XL
Some File Explorer application with root capabilities (I personally use Root Explorer. The stock File Explorer app doesn't work, even if you grant it root permission)
Some suitably large images (at least 1440x1067 to be optimal, but can be larger or slightly smaller)
Image editing software
First get some pictures that you want to use as a background. If they're not 1440 pixels wide and 1067 pixels high (1440x1067), use some image editing software to crop/resize them to that size. It doesn't matter if the image(s) are larger if you only want a portion cropped from it. The image can also be slightly smaller, but resized and cropped to 1440x1067 because honestly, 720p resolution still looks acceptable to me on a 1440p 6.0" screen. Your opinions may differ.
Use your creativity to get them to look like what you want to see through the flip cover window!
Make sure to save in .png format, .jpg doesn't work!
Adding New Backgrounds:
After you're done editing your image, rename them to a number above 10 (11 to 10+whatever number of pictures you want to add)
Copy them to /etc/GN_SkyLight
Restart your phone and see the changes!
Replacing Existing Backgrounds:
Copy your edited images to your phone's internal storage or installed microSD card (Make sure your phone's USB connection is set to the File Transfer mode)
Use your File Explorer app to navigate to /etc/GN_SkyLight
Decide which image(s) you want to replace, and back up those files (e.g. Adding "(Backup)" or "(Original)" to their names, or copy the entire folder to your computer somewhere)
Rename your image files to those file names (1-11).png and copy&replace the old images.
It works instantly without a restart!
Hey, great job. Unfortunately I wasn't able to root this decice yet. I tried lots of 1 click root apps but bone of them worked auntik now...
Hello.
I have a simple question, is there any way to control Spotify with the flip cover closed. I mean, to get access to the controls (next, previous song, start/stop) from the flip cover window.
If this is possible, maybe there's a eway to change the flip cover background by syncing with the album art.
Thank you.
Hi guys,
I often see the question howto backup and restore GB Whatsapp...
I faced this problem by swiching in april 2023 to a new phone and restored all there, my chats, my pictures, my videos, just everything!
Its very easy to do this and here is my tutorial...
1 ) On youre old phone open GB Whatsap, tap the 3 dots menu on the top right corner,
then tap on the bottom of the popup menu settings (NOT GB SETTINGS), tap chats, on the bottom of this menu tap Chat-Backup!
2) For the next step start again on the 3 dots menu on the top right corner,
now tap GB Settings (the opposite of the first step), then tap Universal, then Backup and restore, on the top tap Backup WhatsApp data!
3) Now close GB Whatsapp and connect your Phone via USB to your PC with Datatransfer enabled, i use a Windows PC, first time will take a view seconds to install the Drivers (on Windows 10 and 11 automaticly), then open the File Explorer and click on youre device (xiaomi, samsung or whatever), on Linux and OSX it should be allmost similar!
4) Now you will see the SD-Card folder, there you click the Android folder, then media folder, there you will find a folder named com.gbwhatsapp!
Copy this folder wiht all inside to your PC, for example on your Desktop! Be aware the folder can be huge , depending on your chats pictures and videos inside,
my folder was about 5 Gigs and needet about 10 Minutes!!!
4a) Instead of copy to PC you can connect a USB Drive to your phone and copy the folder to it!
5) Now connect your new Phone to PC the same way like before your old phone!
5a) Now connect your new Phone to SD-Card the same way like before your old phone!
6) Now copy back the saved folder to the same folder like before (Android - media, if the media folder dont exists, create it... )
7) Now install GB Whatsapp and open it.
8) ON THIS STEP YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFULLY, DONT TAP THE RED RESTORE BUTTON, INSTEAD TAP THE GREEN BUTTON UNDER THE RED BUTTON called something like AGREE AND CONTIUNE!!!
DONT INSTALL GB WHATSAPP BEFORE YOU COPIED THE BACKUPFOLDER or if you did allready, DONT OPEN IT BEFORE!!!
Enter your Phone Number using the simcard from your old phone (DO NOT USE A NEW SIMCARD/PHONE-NUMBER) and recive your verification Code after verification you will get a message something like found backup, restore? Tap yes, your username will be showed (in my case it was correct) and let it restore...
I think if the username is not correct (like John D. instead of John Doe) the restore will fail so if you make the backup it can be usefull to check your EXACT username just to prevent failtures...
Thats all, after restore everything should work like on your old Phone!
Let's get to the themes!
I really searched all over the internet
there is NO ONE tutorial on how to create your own GB Whatsapp Themes!
Everywhere you will only find "download themes through the app" etc!
However, I found out how to change background images of ready-made themes and that's enough for me personally!
So the themes of mine are existing themes where I just changed the background, in other words, don't thank me but thank those who created the original themes!!!
First, just look for one (or more) original themes where you like the layout, i.e. icons, colors, fonts, etc. regardless of the background image! If you download a theme in the app, you will find it in the Download - FMThemes folder, let's take the Coca Cola theme as an example!
It consists of 3 files:
Coca_Cola.xml
Coca_Cola_homeW.jpg
Coca_Cola_w.jpg
The first file is apparently responsible for the layout already mentioned and is not changed!
I'm not sure about the second one, although it has a .jpg extension, it can't be opened as an image file, so we'll leave that one as well!
The third file is clearly an image file and can be opened as such!
We will now replace this file with an image file of our choice!
To do this, we right-click the file on the PC and go to rename, we copy the marked text (Coca_Cola_w) with another right-click!
Then we find the image file we want to replace the original with, right click on it again and go to rename again and then right click on paste again, this way we make sure the file WILL BE NAMED EXACTLY THE SAME!
That's almost it, now you add your theme (preferably in a separate folder) back to the Download - FMThemes folder on your smartphone (or wherever you want)!
Then you open GB Whatsapp, go to the 3-point menu at the top right - GB Settings Themes - Load theme - look for the folder Download - FM Themes - Coca Cola Theme (or whatever you named the folder where your theme is)
and select the file Coca_Cola.xml from our example! If you then go back to your chat folder you can see your new wallpaper...
Some themes also have 2 working background images, there you can of course change both background images using the method mentioned above!
Presumably the non-working .jpg files mentioned above can also be changed with it, which will probably change the chat overview, but I haven't tested it myself! Feel free to do that and post the result here!
I picked a total of 18 themes and varied each of these 18 themes with about 90 different background images, that's over 1500 variable themes that I've attached in a zip file! I've also included the 18 original themes that were used as a zip file, so you can see for yourself what I've changed! Have fun tinkering...
Ps: My favored Varables are
1
3
6
8
9
10
(see in each Folder) Which variables do you like most?
I have also created some themes with adult content, but for understandable reasons I will NOT post them here, not even via PM!!!
You can basically use any type and size of image as long as it is in .jpg format!
I allso found a animated theme from an other whatsapp mod, maby a older version, the xml file is totally different from the files above and dont work in this version of GB Whatsapp! Is here a coder who maby can translate the code to work in this version of GB Whatsapp!?
Would be great if someone can make this work...