Database Info

[Tutorial] How to create Titanium skins (WM6.5)

Theres one thing I have to say before I begin: Make good skins!
Theres nothing wrong on reusing stuf from others (with due credits and permission, if needed) but dont go for the easy mix, make some good graphics with cool transparencies and plently of bling.
Please dont make ugly skins (like I did) for example, the M2D skin thread is huge, but only some are thrully nice and different.
Each person has its own taste, but lets all make an effort to raise the bar.
The skin change can be as simple as editing the 2 main images: The main tab and the minimized tabs, you can do much, much more, but those 2 images are the main change to the visual effect.
The minimized tab is very simple, its just a PNG inside the Windows folder named CHome_listback.png (its hidden, so use Resco Explorer if needed).
The main tab is a png inside a DLL with other icons, for that you need to edit the DLL with a special program.
To edit the DLL (containg the main graphics and icons):
----------------------------------------------------
- Download ans install the PE Explorer trial: http://www.heaventools.com/download.htm
- Copy bronzeres.dll from the Windows folder to your SD card then to your PC.
- Open the DLL in PE Explorer and click on View > Resources
- See all the files inside the RC Data folder and double-click the png number 3000 for portrait or 4000 for landscape.
- Import a new PNG into that new screen and save the dll when finished (backup yours first).
- Download, export an open MSigner and open your dll inside this software.
- Copy that dll into your SD Card and then into the Windows folder (use Resco explorer if it denies access).
- Reset and enjoy.
To change the layout of the plugin you need to edit the Titanium_*.cpr file on your Windows folder (like Titanium_240x320.cpr, or whatever your screen resolution is), its a "simple" XML inside, you can see it with Notepad.
See this link for a detailed explanation of it:
Titanium Walkthrough by drkfngthdragnlrd
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3601164&postcount=2
You can download here a (bad) example of a simple skin.
More tools for developers:
--------------------------
A Guide to Windows Mobile 6.5 by joel2009
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=3626556
CPL/CPR online creator:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=520857

Worked like a charm...
Great tutorial...
Many Thanks

Thanks, Iwas trying to look at the bronzeres.dll with reshacker and getting really confused. All I saw was a bunch of code. No images. I'll try this PE Explorer out. Anybody know if there is a chrome or grey theme already? Do we not need to sign the dll as in previous skinning like taskbar?

Hmmm... to be honest I dont remenber if I signed it, I dont think i did... :/

PNG Format
Hi TWolf,
thanks for the perfect instructions. Just tried myself. WAnt to change the 3000.png. But if I export it into Photoshop and create a new one with transparnency Titanium just shows background after having copied the new dll.
Do you know the specifications of the PNG?
Thanks
Januwar

there is also a tutorial for cpr files?
would be nice like the one for manila 2d, where people put lines and explanations...

Januwar said:
Hi TWolf,
thanks for the perfect instructions. Just tried myself. WAnt to change the 3000.png. But if I export it into Photoshop and create a new one with transparnency Titanium just shows background after having copied the new dll.
Do you know the specifications of the PNG?
Thanks
Januwar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm.. I used simple 32 bits alpha transparent pngs from flash or paint shop pro... :/
KeRmiT80 said:
there is also a tutorial for cpr files?
would be nice like the one for manila 2d, where people put lines and explanations...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The link on the first post of Titanium Walkthrough by drkfngthdragnlrd has some info on that.

when i replace the file and reboot it. I get a blank today screen and its set on windows default so i guess i'm doing something wrong. Same problem as januwar

Thats strange, could you test this?
Open your file on the signer and after its signed try to put it on the windows folder again...
I wasnt sure this step was really needed..

signed file works
thank you!!!
now just a question...how to add icons to "collapsed" tabs?
what i understood is that is possible to link to an external icon or use one in the bronzeres.dll...
...i'd like to know how

Thanks, added to the tutorial.
That depends of the plugin, if it uses icons that are inside this dll, then they can be changed too... If they use external pngs, thats even easier.

yes but only if the plugin already has the code to display an icon in the cpr right?
dont' know...it's the right place to ask for an example?
how to add an icon (not to change only) can you show the lines to add to the cpr for a generic tab? maybe it's possible to use the chome editor, i saw some registry entries related to icons in tabs editor...
something easy...newbie level please

its exacly the same procedure, just instead of being that icon number, its another one... :/
In some cases, if you edit the registry to a full path png file, it will use it.

no sorry maybe i didn't explain myself...
default plugins in titanium has only text when not selected, right?
now if i want (like i saw in some themes) to add an icon on the left to a non selected tab i think i have to edit the cpr and add some lines to create a link to a number in case of bronzeres or to an external png.
what i need is an example of these lines to add to cpr so i can replicate on my own for all my installed plugins.
i hope i've been more clear this time
ps :sorry for the dumb question as i told you i'm newbie, thank you for your help

Theres already a thread, as I said, to show ppl how tu use the cpr files... :/
You can see a example of what I did here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3788297&postcount=45
I added this to the condensed view of my resolution cpr:
Code:
<Image ID="[B]ICON[/B]" Left="0" Top="0" Width="36" Height="36" />
And this to the registry:
Code:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\CHome\system\CondensedPage]
"[B]ICON[/B]"="\\[I]My Documents\\Themes\\Titanium System Panel\\sd.png[/I]

thank you
i've read the walkthrought but i couldn't find these...maybe i have to search in the whole thread

These nice people copied the first post text and did even gave credit to xda:
http://pocketpc-live.com/pocket-pc/how-to-create-titanium-skins.html
Send them a nice letter of thanks.

OK...color me stupid, but I don't see CHome_listback.png on my device...I read and followed:
"The minimized tab is very simple, its just a PNG inside the Windows folder named CHome_listback.png (its hidden, so use Resco Explorer if needed)."
from the first post, but it is not there. it sharts with CHome_send..... and then a list of CHome_ Win..... images, but no CHome_listback.png!!
Any suggestions or ideas as to why?
Thanks

Strange, maybe it could be a different build, to be sure, copy my png from the UGLY SKIN to your Windows folder.

syrguy1969 said:
OK...color me stupid, but I don't see CHome_listback.png on my device...I read and followed:
"The minimized tab is very simple, its just a PNG inside the Windows folder named CHome_listback.png (its hidden, so use Resco Explorer if needed)."
from the first post, but it is not there. it sharts with CHome_send..... and then a list of CHome_ Win..... images, but no CHome_listback.png!!
Any suggestions or ideas as to why?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too, I could'nt find CHome_listback.png at all with Total commander/or Resco - just the same list as above.
I'm using NRGZ rom on the Diamond

Swype DIY Themes + Vector Templates

Alright, so we all love swype, and with the developers not wanting to share means you cannot load a theme'd apk file, this seems like the next best route, teach you how to make your own and gives the tools to make it easy!
I am not distributing Swype here, so plz don't ask, this is how to theme your current Swype set up.
Disclaimer: This is my first attempt at themes, and since im just offering my work for freeeee, don't give me crap if I overlook'd something just politely inform me and I'll do what I can. Also I only have my Droid X for testing so its kinda on you if your keyboard is not similar to mine for now. Also, im not even going to attempt to water mark this or put some symbol to show I made it since I'm giving you the files you could just remove it anyway plus they are annoying to look at, so plz just dont take credit for my work.
So first things first, to ensure this post is quick and to the point you will need to already have a few things up and running,
Currently I use keyboard manager so portrait orientation is Swype, and landscape is multi-touch since its too wide to be efficient with swype, therefore; I only created templates for portait swype so far, sorry.
ADB
WinRar(for exploring apk)
Adobe Illustrator version CS 1 and up (for editing templates)
Adobe Photoshop (for resizing keyboard images)
Side Note: Other programs will work, and other methods work, these are just tried and proven so your on your own or at least quite possibly beyond the realm of my help by using different editors.
Step 1:
ADB pull the Swype.apk file from system/app
Step 2:
Back up said Swype.apk file to ensure you can revert to stock
Step 3:
Open apk and extract "assets" folder to an easily accessible location with WinRar
Step 4:
Download 4 Illustrator Templates attatched
Step 5:
Edit templates as you see fit (font, size, color, button color, background color, GO CRAZY!)
Step 6:
From Illustrator export as .png file (make sure to keep the same file names!)
Step 7:
In Photoshop, resize images to same size as the stock ones in the folder /assets/keyboards, (480 x 320 for Droid X but you should check yours to make sure)
Step 8:
Place your newly made and sized .png files into the previously mentioned /assets/keyboards folder overwriting existing. You can make other changes here, I was focusing on the keyboards here because they are the most tedious to change but go ahead, Run Amok. "Amok Amok Amok Amok" yeahh line from the movie "Hocus Pocus" ANYWAY
Step 9:
re inject Assets folder into Swype.apk overwriting old, (i usually delete Assets, then inject to ensure overwrite)
Step 10:
ADB push back to phone and switch input method back to Swype
Step 11:
Show off your newly customized keyboard!
Step 12:
Post your .png files to help the community and show off what you did!
Alternate Lazy Way: Sit around wait for a cool keyboard to be posted and leach, simply inject someones .png files into your Swype.apk

Daves Dark Theme 1
Alright so here is the .png files for my first theme, just to get the ball rolling. Lets see what you got!

HOLY SHYTE I was planning to create AI files for this and Launcher Pro Icons, this will save some time
Any chance you have LP Icons in vector format too?

Dude.
Thanks for providing .AI files, what a great contribution! I was going to take the stock png's and photoshop them. This is much cleaner!
You don't have full-width .AI's laying around do you?

Morkai
sorry I just started making themes last night, so I don't have any Icon files lying around. Although, in the newer versions of Illustrator you can use "live trace" to make vector formats from raster images.
Jeftep
You're asking about the landscape aspect ratio keyboard right? Currently I didn't make it yet if I do landscape it will be for the stock multi-touch keyboard first then maybe id get around to swype. The keys are just too spaced out to be efficient to use with 1 finger.
And yes, thats exactly where I started too, "well lemme just see what I can do with photoshop.... awww screww it Fresh Start in illustrator"
So sorry thats a no to both questions, but come on, I just started.

SharkBaitDave said:
Morkai
sorry I just started making themes last night, so I don't have any Icon files lying around. Although, in the newer versions of Illustrator you can use "live trace" to make vector formats from raster images.
Jeftep
You're asking about the landscape aspect ratio keyboard right? Currently I didn't make it yet if I do landscape it will be for the stock multi-touch keyboard first then maybe id get around to swype. The keys are just too spaced out to be efficient to use with 1 finger.
And yes, thats exactly where I started too, "well lemme just see what I can do with photoshop.... awww screww it Fresh Start in illustrator"
So sorry thats a no to both questions, but come on, I just started.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you saying you can use one keyboard portrait and the other Landscape? Please say you are.. and do tell how!!

Morkai Almandragon said:
Are you saying you can use one keyboard portrait and the other Landscape? Please say you are.. and do tell how!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yepp! and its Amazing!!!
http://getandroidstuff.com/download-keyboard-manager-android-dual-keyboard-switch-portraitlandscape/

Batman Theme
Thinking about Batman Theme'ng out my phone, I'm not sure what the keyboard needs, but its not quite there yet...

SharkBaitDave said:
Alright, so we all love swype, and with the developers not wanting to share means you cannot load a theme'd apk file, .......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.......?
Ummm.. I have always shared how to theme with whom ever has asked.. plus all mine are simple to load... some swypes are custom to certain themes, and in those cases the dev's aren't going to spend time explaining how to do each part.
Not trying to bash, just stating a point.
As many know i have made quite a few swype themes(check sig), and many custom order for other devices who "technically" arent supposed to have swype.
If anyone needs help modding the tracer, or if you run into the "amp&" issue when playing with any other KB's i will be happy to help.
Good work btw, all the extra people theming makes more stuff avail, never anything wrong with that.

Swype C&D
Alright thats my fault, I meant the developers of Swype, not the XDA community.
http://www.xda-developers.com/announcements/xda-notice-swype/
this is what I was talking about with not really being able to share swype on the forum in an installable format. I was just trying to show a new way we can still all share themes while keeping the forum out of the firing range of C&D letters or worse.
While I'm certainly not claiming this to be a breakthrough in any means as its simply another way we can continue to share themes for this great app. I definitely agree there is a better way to install than this run around...
Have you modified the tracer for version 1.64.40.9380? I found a few forums that showed how to do it, but only in the newer versions and not droid X. Is libSwypecore.so different by Swype version? manufacturer?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=801770
Says to modify 5b410, 5b411, and 5b412 for Blue, Green, Red but it doesn't seem to change the color after I push it back to the phone. I got a newer version, but it was configured for 800x480 not our screen and repeadly threw errors.
Thanks

ahh, agreed. The creators are definitly unfriendly towards devs.
you are correct on the file to edit for the tracer. If you open up an unmodified .so file and search for the string "dda25bff" that is the hex color part. Since its in hex its backwards. The proper color code would be ffb52add. So say you wanted to make the color black = ff000000. You would type it in reverse 000000ff.
Only change that string and you should be good.

Tracer Edit worked like a charm, thanks.

Sketch theme
just found an new ADW theme and wanted a sketchey/hand drawn style KB

how do i complete step 4? where are the 4 Illustrator Templates attatched?

[mod] My Amigo Skin Ported to Android Igo My Way

I created this for Amigo a long time ago. I made a quick port for the Android version, and I thought I would share it. I have ZERO plans to develop it more, but if anybody else would like to develop it, go ahead. I've included the gro converter to turn the file to a zip for editing.
Problems:
Only works in landscape mode.
There are alignment issues.
The starting animation is off center.
I'm sure there are more problems.
All these problems were fixed by Mmarz. Bobroberts has gone ahead and polished the skin and added multiple resolutions. Thank you to both of them!
You can use this skin by copying the data.gro to /data/data/com.navngo.igo.javaclient/
Back up your original data.gro first. You may need to change the permissions on the new data.gro to "777"
Here is what the skin looked in Amigo: http://www.igo8navigation.com/index.php?topic=161.0
To summarize, you can add vias, advanced saving of favorites, add/remove speed cameras, add/remove road blocks, create routes, and lots more.
Well, enjoy.
Use Bobroberts's version found here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=18529122&postcount=32

Thank you for this!
I worked on this skin and got most of the portrait mode working:
MyAmigoSkinV41AndroidFix9
This is the 9th version I've made. (I upgraded the version number because I added some goodies)
Place the data.gro inside the folder /data/data/com.navngo.igo.javaclient/
I've included an audio folder with some wav files from the skin that you must place in the following folder if you want the red light camera voice prompts to work:
/data/data/com.navngo.igo.javaclient/audio

See above.

Thanks for this, very nice!
Exit button doesn't work though,

sbarro said:
Thanks for this, very nice!
Exit button doesn't work though,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does it do when you press the exit button? Nothing?
Can you send me the data.gro that you used before that worked?

Sorry, I should have elaborated; the program goes thru the exit sequence, and then reboots.
I think I found the culprit, in \ui_android\common\ui\general.ui
<state ExitState>
<uselayer ui_Exiting/>
<script init>
remote_call 0 "android.on_exit_pressed" - change to: remote_call "android.on_exit_pressed"
1 EXIT
</script>
</state>

sbarro said:
Sorry, I should have elaborated; the program goes thru the exit sequence, and then reboots.
I think I found the culprit, in \ui_android\common\ui\general.ui
<state ExitState>
<uselayer ui_Exiting/>
<script init>
remote_call 0 "android.on_exit_pressed" - change to: remote_call "android.on_exit_pressed"
1 EXIT
</script>
</state>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both ways work for me. I'll change it to your way since it is more compatible.... I guess. Not sure what the "0" does. Thanks! I'm really glad I found this skin for Android. I loved it for Amigo.

mmarz said:
Both ways work for me. I'll change it to your way since it is more compatible.... I guess. Not sure what the "0" does. Thanks! I'm really glad I found this skin for Android. I loved it for Amigo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. I considered freddysams' Amigo skin the best out there. Fascinating to follow his developing it from v10 or so up to his last - v40!
Thanks for the fixes, I know how much work is involved, been there, done that.

[REQ] Igo Skin/Modded apk for QHD Resolution for Atrix, Sensation,etc [I can pay $]​
I need it badly which is the best for Middle east navigation (United Arab Emirates). I can pay some $ if somebody can provide me a modded apk with QHD resolution support.
Thanks.

rselva_kr said:
[REQ] Igo Skin/Modded apk for QHD Resolution for Atrix, Sensation,etc [I can pay $]​
I need it badly which is the best for Middle east navigation (United Arab Emirates). I can pay some $ if somebody can provide me a modded apk with QHD resolution support.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be able to use this skin. Try adding the following to your sys.txt:
Code:
[rawdisplay]
screen_x=640
screen_y=910
screen_x2=960
screen_y2=590
highres=1
double_screen=1
show_cursor=0
combine_dirty=1
You can find sys.txt in this folder: /data/data/com.navngo.igo.javaclient/

For which resolutions is this skin?
I checked the link you provided and says that support 320x240 resolution, but it is very big for that.
Is there any way that I can do to make it fit, on 320x240 screen or it doesn't supported?

dancer_69 said:
For which resolutions is this skin?
I checked the link you provided and says that support 320x240 resolution, but it is very big for that.
Is there any way that I can do to make it fit, on 320x240 screen or it doesn't supported?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it doesn't support it. It would take a lot of work to make all the resolutions function. This is 480x320. Igo does have a "stretch" option, but I don't think you can make it shrink.

thanks for this, i was using the only other 480x320 skin i could find: 12Carrera12 Sbertaud13 V7.0d EUR+ , but unfortunately some parts are in french, this one has the advanced options at least in english
EDIT: you can also use thin igo v1.2 http://oron.com/8c1dbsrv5rqs/2.rar.html if you dont have root or just want an easier way to edit data as it installs and run all data from SD

I made one last touch up to the interface. Everything should work for the most part.
http://www.multiupload.com/T53BLIC5XO

Application not found
Each time I modify something in the zip, iGO didn't start: application not found.
I have modified a lot of data.gro for win version without problem.

corfou said:
Each time I modify something in the zip, iGO didn't start: application not found.
I have modified a lot of data.gro for win version without problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Open the file, within the zip that you modified, using a hex editor. For me, sometimes random invisible characters are inserted at the beginning of the file. Delete those using the hex editor.
Never use the return key inside of a windows text editor as it might add hidden characters as well. Use copy and paste of nearby lines instead, and then overwrite the line.
Never completely unzip the zip. Extract the files you would like to edit. Modify them, and then add them back into the zip.
Last comment, does the unmodified data.gro work?

If anyone wants to carry this on, here is a half way done port of the skin for 800x480:
http://www.mediafire.com/?j85ht32c610vlxn
I don't have a device to test it on, but this should theoretically load on your device. It will look all wrong. That is for sure. But all of the functions and images are in there. The only thing that hasn't been done is fixing the x-y location of all the elements
Here is what needs to happen to finish the skin. I've included three folders. 800_480_final contains the files inside data.zip that still need to be edited. Every single element within these file is correct except their location and size. These are the values used in the 480x320 skin created by Mmarz. What needs to happen is that you need to go line by line and fix the following values:
x=
y=
w=
h=
fontsize=
paddingright=
paddingleft=
align=
iconalign=
iconvalign=
Just so you understand the language m3:x= would be the x location in landscape mode and m4:x= would be the x location in portrait mode. x is measured in pixels from the left side of the screen. y is measured from the top of the screen. w is the width of the element and h is the height in pixels.
In the folder 800_480_orig I included the files from a regular 800_480 igo my way skin. This contains the correct x,y,w,h..etc values for the majority of the elements. Use these as a reference when fixing the values. Some elements won't be in here.
In folder 800_480_myamigo_old I included the files from the original my amigo skin. This contains the correct x,y,w,h..etc values for any elements missing from the above folder. But this is only the landscape version. For portrait values (m4:x=, m4:y=, m4:w=...etc), you'll need to use your best guess as to the correct location and size of the elements.
If anyone decides to finish this, please post it back on here so others can enjoy it.

Not it! I don't have a 800-480 screen, nor the free time.

mmarz said:
You might be able to use this skin. Try adding the following to your sys.txt:
Code:
[rawdisplay]
screen_x=640
screen_y=910
screen_x2=960
screen_y2=590
highres=1
double_screen=1
show_cursor=0
combine_dirty=1
You can find sys.txt in this folder: /data/data/com.navngo.igo.javaclient/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Noob Here. Does his require rooting. Trying to get the QHD resolution on Sensation

sadiqsabia said:
Noob Here. Does his require rooting. Trying to get the QHD resolution on Sensation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need rooting but the method described above does not work in general. Someone needs to make that resolution specifically for your phone.

[How-To] Edit .9.png files for the MT4GS - step-by-step.

Return to Contents Page - doubleshot Developers Reference
----
Part 1: Custom Sense Lockring on the MT4GS - easy step-by-step.
Part 2: This thread.
Part 3: Edit Mode10 Files for the MT4GS - step-by-step
--------
This installment will cover working with .9.png files, their special handling requirements, and a little bit about what makes them so special.
This is a slightly more advanced guide, and I won't be over-exaggerating explanation of simple things like copy and paste that were covered in part 1.
Working with .9.png files is easy once you know what steps to take and have the tools set up on your computer - it's just time consuming and tedious. So let's take a look at what you need.
What you need:
1 - Android SDK installed
2 - Java JDK installed.
3 - Apk Manager 4.9
4 - 7-Zip installed and ready.
5 - Photoshop ( or equivalent - directions for photoshop ) installed and ready.
6 - A copy of HTCCamera.apk from the Sense ROM you are changing the graphic in.
* - Guide written for a Windows XP machine, please adjust accordingly if your environment is different.
--------
This is a lot of stuff to manage, but if we take our time and do it in order it'll be a piece of cake. ( ~Tasty! )
First thing is to install the Android SDK and Java JDK - both actions are outside of the scope of this guide but well documented all over XDA.
This guide will pick up assuming both the Android SDK and the Java JDK are installed.
This guide also assumes that Apk Manager is installed. Please see the Apk Manager 4.9 thread for the tool if you have trouble in this area.
Lastly, this guide assumes you have read my guide: Custom Sense Lockring on the MT4GS - easy step-by-step. as I won't be explaining how to do things again that were already covered there.
( ... and of course, that you have Photoshop installed and ready...or another graphics program of your choice - but instructions are for Photoshop. )
--------
Okay, we have everything installed, now we need to get our hands on one of those .9.png files so we can play with it.
Let's talk about them for a minute first. Those .9.png files are pretty special, because they are a stretchable graphic.
This means that Android can use the same graphic in many different places, and these different places can be different sizes.
These graphics have some special information attached to them, outside of the border of the graphic there are black lines and dots that tell Android how far and in which directions it can stretch the graphics.
An important thing to note here: These black lines and dots MUST BE black, and no other shade or color. If they are not perfectly black, it will not work.
If you simply extract the graphic from the .apk file with 7-Zip, edit it, and put it back in, your .apk file will break. The reason being is the extra information about how and where to stretch the graphic gets broken when you do this.
The only way to edit these files correctly is to de-compile the .apk, then edit the graphic, and then re-compile the .apk file.
The example we are going to use is from the HTCCamera.apk, and it is called 'scene_frame_pressed.9.png'. It is in the 'res' -> 'drawable-hdpi' folder in the .apk
--------
Preparation: Setup.
First things first, let's set ourselves up. Make a new folder on your desktop, and call it 'CameraEdit'
Next, get a copy of HTCCamera.apk and put it in this folder.
Now, find your apk_manager_4.9 folder, where you set up this tool, and open it.
You will see a handful of folders in here, but there are only two folders we will be working with:
1 - place-apk-here-for-modding
2 - projects
( There is a third, called 'keep', but it's not there yet. It will be generated later. )
Make a copy of your HTCCamera.apk file, and put it in the 'place-apk-here-for-modding' folder.
Okay, stop.
Now we have:
1 - A new folder on the desktop with a fresh copy of HTCCamera.apk in it. This is our final product when we are finished.
2 - A second copy of HTCCamera.apk in the 'place-apk-here-for-modding' folder in the apk manager tool.
So far, pretty simple.
--------
Part 1: De-compiling your apk.
Now that you have your .apk file in the 'place-apk-here-for-modding' folder, go into the apk_manager_4.9 folder and you will see an MS-DOS batch file called 'script'. Double left click this to open it up.
Now you see a cool green menu, with a lot of numbers and options - but don't worry i'm gonna walk you through it. Just make sure not to close this window until I tell you to - simply ignore it when you aren't using it.
First thing you have to do is type the number '22' and hit enter. This lets us select what .apk file we are going to work with.
The only option on the list is '1 - HTCCamera.apk'
Type the number 1, then press enter.
You now find yourself back at that main menu, and up in the top right corner of the window it will say 'Current-App: HTCCamera.apk |'
Now we are ready to decompile the apk file. Type the number 9 and press enter.
It will say 'decompiling apk' and when it is done you will see the main menu again, with a blinking cursor after 'Please make your decision' at the bottom.
Now, we can forget about this window for a little while. Don't close it, just ignore it.
You can find your de-compiled apk in the 'projects' folder.
--------
Part 2: Coloring.
Open up Photoshop, and once it's loaded go to File-> Open, and navigate to the 'projects' folder in the 'apk_manager_4.9' tool.
You will see a folder called 'HTCCamera.apk', go in here, then into the 'res' folder, and then into the 'drawable-hdpi' folder.
Once there, you will find 'scene_frame_pressed.9.png' - open this file into Photoshop.
Once you have this open, you will notice something you didn't see before - there are solid black lines on each of the four sides of the colored square of the graphic.
You do not want to touch, change, edit or in any way affect these black lines. To alter them even the slightest bit will make your whole .apk file broken - and we don't want that.
So what we are going to do is grab your 'Rectangle Marquee Tool' and select everything EXCEPT the black lines around the outside.
Once you have the whole picture selected, except the black lines, you will go up to the menu at the top of the Photoshop window and select 'Image'. From the drop-down list, select 'Adjustments' and then 'Hue/Saturation'
Now you have a dialog box for the Hue/Saturation control of the graphic.
The only thing we are going to change is the Hue, so make sure the 'Edit' box at the top of the window says 'Master' and then grab the Hue slider and drag it all the way to the right.
The text box above Hue should now say +180, and the color of the square has changed. ( If the color didn't change, make sure the 'preview' box is checked in the Hue/Saturation window )
Click on 'OK' and apply the change.
Save the file, and then close Photoshop.
--------
Pretty easy so far, right? not really that much to it - and we're almost done.
Next up we have to recompile the apk, and i'm going to make you take an extra step at the end of the process to reduce your chances of getting a bad apk from a compile error.
--------
Part 3: Re-compiling your apk.
Okay, find your apk manager window I told you not to close, and bring it back into focus.
You should see a blinking cursor at the bottom after 'Please make your decision'.
We are now going to type the number 11, and then press enter. This will tell it to compile the apk.
It will say 'Building Apk', and this part can take a little while - so just be patient.
When it is ready for you, the next thing it will say is:
Code:
Is this a system apk (y/n)
Type input:
You will type 'y' and press enter. Any apk that came from or goes into the /system/app folder on the device gets this answer.
Then it will say:
Code:
Aside from signatures, would you like to copy
over any additional files that you didn't modify
from the original apk in order to ensure the least
# of errors (y/n)
Type input:
You will again type 'y' and press enter.
A whole mess of text will shoot up in the window, and the very last line will be:
Code:
Press any key to continue...
Don't press anything yet, just ignore this program window for the moment.
Now, what you have to do is go back into the apk_manager_4.9 folder and you will find that 'keep' folder I mentioned before. It wasn't there until now, because it's a temporary folder the apk manager program is using to compile your apk with.
What you have to do is go into it, and delete any files you changed.
In this case it's easy, because we only changed one file.
Go into the 'keep' folder, then the 'res' folder, then the 'drawable-hdpi' folder, and find the 'scene_frame_pressed.9.png' file we edited.
Delete the 'scene_frame_pressed.9.png' file.
Now go back to the apk manager window, and press enter.
Let it do it's thing, and when it's done it'll be back at the main menu with a blinking cursor after 'Please make your decision:'
You can just hit the X in the top right corner to close the window, we're done with this wonderful tool now. ( yes - now you can finally close it. )
--------
Okay, now we have de-compiled, edited, and re-compiled our apk file - but we aren't done yet there are still some things to take care of.
Don't worry, it's almost done - and the hard part is over ( which wasn't really that hard, was it? )
--------
Part 4: Avoiding potential bugs.
Next, go into the 'place-apk-here-for-modding' folder in the apk_manager_4.9 folder.
You will see two .apk files:
1 - HTCCamera.apk
2 - unsignedHTCCamera.apk
The second one is the one you just edited, but you will notice the file size is much smaller then the original one.
Now, you could just copy the unsignedHTCCamera.apk into another folder, rename it deleting the 'unsigned' part at the beginning, and push it to your device.
We're going to add an extra step to the whole process to reduce the chances of a compile error and give you more chance for stability in the larger sense of your Android operating system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remember that folder on your desktop called 'CameraEdit' I had you make with a fresh copy of HTCCamera.apk in it? I want you to copy 'unsignedHTCCamera.apk' and paste it into this folder.
You now have two apk files in this folder, the fresh un-touched one, and the new one we did our work to.
So, use 7-Zip to extract the newly edited 'scene_frame_pressed.9.png' file from 'unsignedHTCCamera.apk' the way I taught you in Custom Sense Lockring on the MT4GS - easy step-by-step and drag it into the 'CameraEdit' folder.
You now have 3 files in this folder, the two .apk files and your newly edited .9.png graphic.
Simply add this graphic to the original HTCCamera.apk file with 7-Zip, and you can call this project done. All you have to do now is test it.
Install the new HTCCamera.apk file on your Android, take a picture, and then tap the thumbnail in the bottom corner that shows your new picture in the camera app.
It brings you to a screen where you see a full screen preview of the picture, so tap the screen and press 'grid view' from the options at the bottom.
When you see the grid of pictures, touch one and look at the color of the highlight that appears around the picture - this is what we changed.
Congratulations! You just edited your first .9.png file!
* - Don't forget to go back to the Apk Manager 4.9 thread and click thanks!
--------
Conclusion & Thoughts:
The reason we did that last step at the end is because we were only changing one small thing - there is no reason to risk the computer making a mistake while compiling the whole .apk file just to change one graphic.
By removing it from the newly compiled .apk, and placing it in the original one that you know works, you eliminate the potential for a lot of bugs and problems.
You don't have to take this extra step at the end, and could just use your re-compiled apk file - but if you've already put this much effort into it, wouldn't you want to minimize the risk of errors by taking an extra minute to do so?
Above and beyond editing a .9.png file, we have also learned how to de-compile, edit, and re-compile an .apk file for Android.
You can now de-compile an .apk file and change XML files or most anything else inside of it and re-compile a working .apk file.
Look for part 3 of this tutorial series that will teach you about .m10 files and how to work with them. Afterwards you will be able to work with all of the graphics (and most other files!) you come across in your Android system.
The only thing we changed in the graphic during the tutorial was the hue, because this isn't a guide on all the cool things you can do with Photoshop or a graphics program.
There are a lot of other creative things people can do with the graphics, and i'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of you come up with now that editing .9.png stretchable graphics is something the MT4GS community knows how to do.
Hope you all are as excited as I am!
Happy modding!

Question having read this:
A)Can I not just take the .9.png file we worked/saved in Part 2
B)Then by-pass Part 3
C)Then in Part 4 with 7-zip: use the .9.png file directly saved at Part 2 (without recompiling)?
Probably a silly question, but thought I'd ask before diving in.
Sent from my Bulletproof_Doubleshot using XDA App

dillalade said:
Question having read this:
A)Can I not just take the .9.png file we worked/saved in Part 2
B)Then by-pass Part 3
C)Then in Part 4 with 7-zip: use the .9.png file directly saved at Part 2 (without recompiling)?
Probably a silly question, but thought I'd ask before diving in.
Sent from my Bulletproof_Doubleshot using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, in order for it to work correctly you must perform step 3.
What happens is when you de-compile the app, it takes that system information and translates that into those black lines or dots around the outside of the graphic file.
When you re-compile the app, it turns those black lines or dots back into the machine code it translates into - the system doesn't see them as simple black lines or dots.
If you were to put the graphic back into the .apk file through 7-Zip without actually re-compiling it, the system would see those black lines and dots, not the machine code instructions they should be, and treat it like a regular graphic file.
It then would not be able to stretch it, try to fit it in whatever situation it was trying to use it in, and then you could get any number of results from nothing to a never-ending loop you have to battery pull and re-install the ROM to get past.
( and yea, I found out about that never ending loop first-hand, there was nothing I could do to make it stop, short of that drastic solution )
Basically what it boils down to is those markers around the border of the graphic are you writing machine code without actually typing it - the compile operation translates your dots and lines into the code for you, but only during compiling.
If it wasn't for that, you could just extract and replace them the same way you did in part 1 of the guide. 7-Zip is incapable of this operation, as awesome as it is for other stuff.
This is the same principle behind trying to use 7-Zip to pull an XML file from an .apk file - try it, and then open the XML file in notepad++ and see what you get - it won't be what you want.
That's a good question, and I wanted to go into more detail about that in the guide, but this one was already getting pretty long and I didn't want to make it too much to read through.
--------
Now, if you are not going to edit the graphic, then that's a totally different story - you can feel free to pull it out with 7-Zip and put it back in, or in another .apk file.
That's only if you don't change it at all though. If you want to edit the graphic you have to follow the steps outlined above.
Because we aren't changing it when I have you pull it from your re-compiled .apk and put it into the fresh one at the end of the guide, that's an acceptable action.
I think that might be the piece of information that was lacking that caused you to ask your question.

Nice write up bro! This would have been very useful to me about a year ago lol. I get questions about 9s all the time and now I have somewhere to send them! Keep up the great work bro!
Sent from my BluMagic CM7 Glacier using the Blu Premium App

Blue6IX said:
No, in order for it to work correctly you must perform step 3.
What happens is when you de-compile the app, it takes that system information and translates that into those black lines or dots around the outside of the graphic file.
When you re-compile the app, it turns those black lines or dots back into the machine code it translates into - the system doesn't see them as simple black lines or dots.
If you were to put the graphic back into the .apk file through 7-Zip without actually re-compiling it, the system would see those black lines and dots, not the machine code instructions they should be, and treat it like a regular graphic file.
It then would not be able to stretch it, try to fit it in whatever situation it was trying to use it in, and then you could get any number of results from nothing to a never-ending loop you have to battery pull and re-install the ROM to get past.
( and yea, I found out about that never ending loop first-hand, there was nothing I could do to make it stop, short of that drastic solution )
Basically what it boils down to is those markers around the border of the graphic are you writing machine code without actually typing it - the compile operation translates your dots and lines into the code for you, but only during compiling.
If it wasn't for that, you could just extract and replace them the same way you did in part 1 of the guide. 7-Zip is incapable of this operation, as awesome as it is for other stuff.
This is the same principle behind trying to use 7-Zip to pull an XML file from an .apk file - try it, and then open the XML file in notepad++ and see what you get - it won't be what you want.
That's a good question, and I wanted to go into more detail about that in the guide, but this one was already getting pretty long and I didn't want to make it too much to read through.
--------
Now, if you are not going to edit the graphic, then that's a totally different story - you can feel free to pull it out with 7-Zip and put it back in, or in another .apk file.
That's only if you don't change it at all though. If you want to edit the graphic you have to follow the steps outlined above.
Because we aren't changing it when I have you pull it from your re-compiled .apk and put it into the fresh one at the end of the guide, that's an acceptable action.
I think that might be the piece of information that was lacking that caused you to ask your question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes... I can see clearly now Blue!
Great stuff.
I'm gonna do some lockrings, some theming over stock apps, then look to dive into building a theme... progress through naturally with your tutorials.
Thanks
Sent from my Bulletproof_Doubleshot using XDA App

Wow. I haven't seen that guide since I had the G1.

[Q] How to dim soft keys Loli 5.1

Title say all , i have a Nexus 5 lolipop 5.1 and i want to full dim 0 my visor . Softkeys inclued.
Need help please.

If you want to dim the navigation bar (why would you need to?) you'll probably have to decompile SystemUI, modify the drawables then recompile, or use Xposed.

It's not necessary to decompile. As .apk is actually a .zip, you can simply change .png-s inside drawable folders.
But if you use 5.1 it will be much harder to change original SystemUI with yours, because of security changes in system partition.

zagorteney said:
It's not necessary to decompile. As .apk is actually a .zip, you can simply change .png-s inside drawable folders.
But if you use 5.1 it will be much harder to change original SystemUI with yours, because of security changes in system partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one is tricky though since you have to make sure, not to damage the signature. Some PNG use a "special" format and need to be decompiled first --> modified --> recompiled --> injected again in the Framework.

Gorgtech said:
This one is tricky though since you have to make sure, not to damage the signature. Some PNG use a "special" format and need to be decompiled first --> modified --> recompiled --> injected again in the Framework.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wrote this many times: you DON'T need to decompile apps which came from factory image. And even .9.png-s can be simplycomment on this are changed. For example: We wish to change background of power widget. 1. Pull the Settings.apk from /data/priv-app. Copy to PC. Rename it to .zip (you don't need any extra tool for this) or use TotalCommander - you even don't need to rename .apk to .zip with it. We must look for appropriate image (appwidget_bg_holo.9.png in /res/drawable-xxhdpi-v4) inside. Make some regullary png in Photoshop in size and resolution of original one - you can free your imaginations about colors as you like. Now copy the name of original image and with paste rename your own. Put your renamed image into .zip (overwrite original one) and thats all philosophy.
This is possible just with apps from factory image and you will not brake any signature. This works for me since Xperia X10 until Nexus 5 with 5.0.2. On 5.1 biggest problem is (at least for me) that I don't know how to integrate updates of system apps into rom. But if you are on 5.0.2 or above, you can simply try. Just remember to backup first.
Regards, Zagor
P.S. Any further informations are welcome, but at least people try this first. And it's a little annoying to write this down over and over again.

Extracting and inserting pictures is not the problem but like I mentioned before, the "9" PNG. If you simply copy them, edit them and reinsert them again, it might turn out to be a mess and these pictures are not displayed the right way. I gave up theming stuff a long time ago since it´s not really worth the trouble anymore. At least if you use a legal Gfx tool ( since I have my doubts that most people own a real licensed version of Photoshop anyway ) like eg. GIMP, you might expect some trouble if you don´t decompile "9" PNGs first. At least I can tell that I had to go through the trouble while I still had my old Galaxy S3 in order to make them usable, the way I wanted them to be
I know the procedure, don´t worry

Gorgtech said:
Extracting and inserting pictures is not the problem but like I mentioned before, the "9" PNG. If you simply copy them, edit them and reinsert them again, it might turn out to be a mess and these pictures are not displayed the right way. I gave up theming stuff a long time ago since it´s not really worth the trouble anymore. At least if you use a legal Gfx tool ( since I have my doubts that most people own a real licensed version of Photoshop anyway ) like eg. GIMP, you might expect some trouble if you don´t decompile "9" PNGs first. At least I can tell that I had to go through the trouble while I still had my old Galaxy S3 in order to make them usable, the way I wanted them to be
I know the procedure, don´t worry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said: you must not copy and edit existing .9.png. You have to create a new one and just name it with the procedure as I wrote above. So you have to copy the name of .9.png and paste that in the name of your own image. Am I clear enough now?
Forgive me to say, but you don't know this. Sorry.
Best regards, Zagor

I guess you don´t read what I write ? If you want to color a existing image ( "9" ), it will be displayed faulty if you don´t proceed like I did. End of the story. You can replace it with another image you can rename but it won´t be displayed the right way in some circumstances. I´m out.
zagorteney said:
As I said: you must not copy and edit existing .9.png. You have to create a new one and just name it with the procedure as I wrote above. So you have to copy the name of .9.png and paste that in the name of your own image. Am I clear enough now?
Forgive me to say, but you don't know this. Sorry.
Best regards, Zagor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Gorgtech said:
I guess you don´t read what I write ? If you want to color a existing image ( "9" ), it will be displayed faulty if you don´t proceed like I did. End of the story. You can replace it with another image you can rename but it won´t be displayed the right way in some circumstances. I´m out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of what? Space?
I don't guess, I conclude: You don't read or understood what I wrote.
Back to topic: OP: If you want to change navbars buttons (those are ordinary .png-s) you can simply pull them off, modify them and put back into .apk as I already described. You don't need to decompile, compile, undercompile or hipercompile anything.
Regards from Jupiter (yes, I'm also out), Zagor

And the last and for all!
This has been done without superduperpuper compiling. Just pure windows and photoshop.
@Elluel, @Gorgtech and all of the other sceptics: Look at the navbars of attached screenshot and next time, please check the informations before you disagree with them.
Regards, Zagor

IMO @zagorteney is right as long as you do not unzip/extract the apk. If you check the .9.png with a zip viewer then you can see the black border of 1px. Modifying the icon/log/picture without touching the black borders should not create bugs.
Regarding the navbar buttons it's easier as explained above.

@Primokorn
I've changed almost all of Xperia S UI on that way, to looks more AOSP. But at the end I figured it out, that it's simplier if I get Nexus.
Just to notice you. The problem is because in photoshop you can't create .9.png-s. But if you create your own png and rename it with the mentioned method, there will be no problem with those images either. For example, you can try to change power widget background on this way.

zagorteney said:
@Primokorn
I've changed almost all of Xperia S UI on that way, to looks more AOSP. But at the end I figured it out, that it's simplier if I get Nexus.
Just to notice you. The problem is because in photoshop you can't create .9.png-s. But if you create your own png and rename it with the mentioned method, there will be no problem with those images either. For example, you can try to change power widget background on this way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually you can create .9.png files with Photoshop. I did it a lot of times.
Anyways all my modded apks have been decompiled/modified/recompiled because you cannot use this method for .xml files, can you? Moreover, theming files with a phone is a mess compared to a comfortable destop version of PS lol

@Primokorn
Yes, its true if we are talking about some serious theming. But OP just want to get little different nav buttons. So, I just want to say, that you don't need to change any .xml for that purpose, you don't need to decompile and recompile and you don't need to worry that you'll break signatures. As simple as that.
That's all folks.

zagorteney said:
@Primokorn
Yes, its true if we are talking about some serious theming. But OP just want to get little different nav buttons. So, I just want to say, that you don't need to change any .xml for that purpose, you don't need to decompile and recompile and you don't need to worry that you'll break signatures. As simple as that.
That's all folks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I know. Everything is clear on my side

Primokorn said:
Yes, I know. Everything is clear on my side
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At least one who deserves all of those thanx.

zagorteney said:
At least one who deserves all of those thanx.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do not be rude. Nobody can know everything and it is one of the goals of XDA to learn every day. All recognized members deserve their status.

A app that do that easy and without so much work is nice , my know how on this stuffs are limited :crying: , im kitkat i use a app that does that without so many work , now i use another but just dim the visor the softkeys still are very white full light... :crying:

Primokorn said:
Do not be rude. Nobody can know everything and it is one of the goals of XDA to learn every day. All recognized members deserve their status.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that n00bs are mislead by recognized members who think that they know everything. At least they could check before post.
And no, I'm not rude. Rude are exactly those contributors.