[How-To] Custom Sense Lockring on the MT4GS - easy step-by-step. - T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide

Return to Contents Page - doubleshot Developers Reference
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Part 1: This thread.
Part 2: Edit .9.png files for the MT4GS - step-by-step.
Part 3: Edit Mode10 Files for the MT4GS - step-by-step
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In today's workshop we are going to learn how to make changes to the Sense Lockring for the doubleshot.
What you need:
1 - HtcLockScreen.apk from the ( Sense ) ROM you are making it for.
2 - 7-Zip installed and ready.
3 - Photoshop ( or equivalent - directions for photoshop ) installed and ready.
4 - Time, interest, and creativity.
* - Guide written for a Windows XP machine, please adjust accordingly if your environment is different.
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Okay - the first thing I want you to do is go to this thread:
Customize Sense 3.0 Lock Ring and read the first and second post completely.
Don't download anything or try to play along, just read it.
When you get to the bottom of post 1, click thanks if you intend to customize your lockring. Ditto on clicking thanks at the bottom of post 2 in that thread if you intend to inscribe text on your Lockring.
Once you have read and thanked the author for both of those posts, come back here and see how much easier it is to do this on the MT4GS then it's sister device.
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Preparation: Setup.
Now that you have a rough idea of what you have to do, forget about the .m10 tools, fusion.apk, and everything else except for the requirements I listed at the top of this post. Easier already, huh?
First things first - let's set up our dev environment.
1 - Go to your computer desktop, right click and make a new folder. Call this folder "LockringEdits".
2 - Place your HtcLockScreen.apk file in the "LockringEdits" folder.
3 - Open the "LockringEdits" folder, and create two new folders in it. Call one "LockringOriginal" and the other one "Lockring001".
4 - Right click on the HtcLockScreen.apk file and choose "copy" from the menu.
5 - Open the "LockringOriginal" folder, and then right-click in an empty area of the folder and select "paste" from the options menu. Once pasted, go back up one level to the "LockringEdits" main folder.
6 - Repeat step 4, then step 5 again pasting into the "Lockring001" folder instead.
7 - Stop.
Recap setup:
We now have 3 copies of our HtcLockScreen.apk file in 3 different folders.
- The "LockringOriginal" folder is a backup of our HtcLockScreen.apk file and you hopefully won't have to go in there at all, but just in case you need it it's there.
- The "Lockring001" folder is where we will actually be working on our first Lockring, and has the HtcLockScreen.apk file we are going to edit.
- The "LockringEdit" main folder this project is in also has a copy of HtcLockScreen, so when you make your next project folder ( 002 ) you have a fresh file to copy into it.
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Make sure you have 7-zip and Photoshop installed, and you have rebooted your computer after the install, before moving on with this project.
Now that we have our project folders set up, time to get down to business. We are going to extract the graphics we are going to change, change them, and then add them back into the .apk file.
Easy, right? Yep - and here's how:
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Part 1: Extraction.
1 - Navigate to the "Lockring001" folder if you aren't in it already.
2 - Right click on HtcLockScreen.apk - highlight the "7-Zip" menu option, and when the next menu pops up choose "Open archive".
*Note: Just "Open archive" NOT the option with another menu of choices.
2A - You should now have a window open that shows the contents of the HtcLockScreen.apk file.
3 - Double-left-click the "res" folder, and then double-left-click the "drawable-hdpi" folder.
4 - Scroll down the list until you see "lockscreen_ring.png" and left-click once and hold to drag it out of the .apk file and drop it in the "Lockring001" folder.
4A - Also scroll down the list and find "lockscreen_ring_highlight.png" and drag that out of the .apk file and into the "Lockring001" folder as well.
4B - Close the 7-Zip window.
5 - Stop.
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You should now see in the "Lockring001" folder 3 files:
- HtcLockScreen.apk
- lockscreen_ring.png
- lockscreen_ring_highlight.png
Switch your view of this folder to "thumbnails" so you can see what the pictures look like while they are sitting in the folder.
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Part 2: Coloring.
1 - Open photoshop. Once it loads up, go to file->open and open each of the .png files one at a time.
2 - Position them in the Photoshop window so they sit next to each other and you can see them both.
3 - Click in the "lockscreen_ring.png" window, and then go up to and click "Image" in the menu at the top of your Photoshop window. Highlight "Mode" and make sure that "RGB Color" and "8 bits/channel" are both checked. If not, make them so.
3A - Do the same for "lockscreen_ring_highlight.png".
4 - Click back on the "lockscreen_ring.png" window to bring it into focus.
5 - Go back up to "Image" in the menu at the top of your Photoshop window. Highlight "Adjustments" and then select "Color Balance" from the menu.
6 - In the window that pops up, make sure "Midtones" is selected at the bottom, then grab the middle slider and drag it all the way to "Green".
The middle text box at the top of the color balance window should now read "+100" and the lock ring itself should be a semi see-through green.
( If not, make sure the "preview" option is checked in the color balance window to see your changes in real-time before making them. )
7 - Select "OK" in the color balance window, and then save the colored lockring.
8 - Repeat steps 5 to 7 for "lockscreen_ring_highlight.png".
9 - Close Photoshop after having saved both pictures, and navigate back to the "Lockring001" folder if not there already.
10 - Stop.
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Part 3: Replacing the graphics.
You should now have two green lockring pictures in the "Lockring001" folder next to the HtcLockScreen.apk file.
We are almost done, we just have to add these graphics back in to the HtcLockScreen.apk file to finish it off. Do that by:
1 - Right click on HtcLockScreen.apk - highlight the "7-Zip" menu option, and when the next menu pops up choose "Open archive".
*Note: Just "Open archive" NOT the option with another menu of choices.
1A - You should now have a window open that shows the contents of the HtcLockScreen.apk file.
2 - Double-left-click the "res" folder, and then double-left-click the "drawable-hdpi" folder.
3 - Select both of the edited graphics in the "Lockring001" folder, and then drag them into the 7-Zip window. Make sure you are in the "drawable-hdpi" folder in the 7-Zip window before doing so.
4 - Confirm the file copy, let it copy, and then close the 7-Zip window when it's done.
That's it!
You have now successfully changed the color of your Lockring for the Sense doubleshot ROM you got the HtclockScreen.apk file from.
The only thing left to do is get the HtcLockScreen.apk file on the device, and replace the one already on it in /system/app. Once that's done, you can enjoy your new custom colored lockring!
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Part 4: Engraving.
Now that we've learned that coloring the lockring is pretty easy, especially compared to the hoops they had to jump through on the Sensation to do the same thing, let's look at engraving some text on the lockring.
Again, we have it easy. Unlike on the Sensation, our lockring is right-side up and facing the right way. You can just type your text as normal over it and it'll be just right.
Repeat the steps from above to extract and load the two lockring graphic files into Photoshop.
Type your text over the first lockring, bend it and position it so it looks good on the ring.
Then follow this quote from the Sensation lockring guide:
mohit1234 said:
Engrave on the Lock Ring
Open the lock ring in Photoshop.
Click on the TYPE TOOL in the sidebar on the left and type the text you want to engrave.
On the right sidebar, right click on the layer with your text and click on blending options.
Select inner shadow and input the following settings:-
Blend Mode = Multiply
Color = Black
Angle = 30
Use Global Light box ticked
Opacity = 75%
Distance = 5px
Choke = 7%
Size = 5px
Then select bevel and emboss and input the following settings:-
Style = Outer Bevel
Technique = Chisel Hard
Depth = 1000%
Direction = Up
Size = 0px
Soften = 16px
Angle = 30
Altitude = 30
Use Global Light box ticked
Highlight mode = Screen
Color of Highlight Mode = White
Opacity = 75%
Shadow mode = Multiply
Color of Shadow mode = black
Opacity = 75%
Click OK and save the file as a PNG file.
There will be a popup asking whether you want the PNG to be interlaced or not. Choose none.
Change the color of the Lock Ring
Open the lock ring in Photoshop.
From the top menu, go to Image ---> Adjustments ---> Variations.
A window will open up.
In the window that just opened, move the pointer towards Coarse.
You can now select the color that you want.
You can also adjust the pointer between fine and coarse depending on the color you wish to achieve.
There are also options of Light and Dark which will also help to get the desired color.
After you've changed the color, click on save and save it as a PNG file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...and that's basically it.
The only other thing you have to do is go back to the Sensation lockring tutorial and click thanks on both the first and second posts - because that tutorial made your life a whole lot easier.
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Conclusion & Thoughts:
Now that it's pretty plain out there how to make changes to the lockring on a Sense ROM for the doubleshot, i'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of you come up with.
I am not such a fan of graphics work, i'd rather be coding, but there are certainly some very talented and creatively artistic people floating around here.
Experiment, try different things, figure out how to make different shapes, and come up with some cool stuff.
I found out how to change the color of the ring on my own while I was overhauling the graphics on my ROM, I just decompiled and went through every app one at a time and changed any graphics file I could find to see what happened.
On a lark I searched for lockrings on XDA to see what was out there after I got my rainbow of colors, and found the Sensation lockring tutorial that taught me how to engrave them and a healthy appreciation for how easy it was to edit the lockrings on our device.
- ...and yes, you did just learn how to edit just about any graphic in any .apk file you come across on the device.
- If you want to start using this information to edit other graphics on your phone, DO NOT EDIT any .9.png graphics you find in this manner. You must use a completely different approach and actually de-compile and re-compile the .apk you take them from for them to work right.
See this thread: Edit .9.png files for the MT4GS - step-by-step. for .9.png files.
Other then that, just about anything else is fair game.
I tried to make the guide as simple as possible, aimed at someone with little-to-no photoshop knowledge or 7-Zip experience. All you need is an interest in doing it, and the tools to do so - the how is right here.
Here's the door, wide open, and I can't wait to see what happens when some of you walk through it.
Happy modding!
Edit - also - some graphics packages ( Like boot animations ) need to be placed back into the archives or archived without being compressed. The drag and drop method of using 7-Zip to do this will compress those images and then the file won't work anymore.
If you start messing with more graphics then the lockring explained above - just make sure to look at the information in the 7-Zip window before you remove it. It'll show you the actual size and compressed size - if they are both the same then you need to make sure it gets back into the archive without being compressed.
I use winrar for that function, I like it and it forces me to realize what graphics are compressed or not because I use a different program to deal with ones that aren't.
Your mileage may vary, but that works great for me, and is a good suggestion for others.
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EDIT: 12/16/2011
Lockscreen_ring.png
This is the graphic that shows when you need to grab it, so when the lockring is at rest on the lockscreen.
Lockscreen_ring_highlight.png
This is the graphic that is used to make it grow and appear to fly out of the phone at you once it is activated.
If the two graphics are not lined up the same in the .png files, you will have bugs.
Thus far the only bug i've encountered is that the screen turns off as it's booting - easily solved by just hitting the power or trackpad buttons to get it on again.
There may be other bugs that have not been found yet - it is recommended to keep both .png files with the graphics in the same place, and not one lower and the other higher. I am not sure what happens if you use two different graphics.
Also:
I have noticed no impact on the lock ring when you change the hidden .m10 lockring graphic in fusion.apk
What I have noticed is changing this graphic makes fusion.apk a bit buggy, and lags the system.
At this time it is still recommended to ignore the fusion.apk file altogether as mentioned at the top of this posting.
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Make sure to browse the first few posts after this one in the thread, some more in-depth and helpful explanations of the process and particulars is there.

aad4321 said:
Y u no have picture?!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose I could take screenshots at each step of the process and work them into the guide...
I've still got a few more tutorials to type up and some work to do on my ROM, so i'll get around to doing that but it's not something i'm in a big hurry to do.
I tried to make sure to over-exaggerate the explanations to make the guide crystal clear for someone to follow, as this is part 1 of 3 and I wanted to target people who have little to no experience and walk them through it. That hopefully sets them up to be able to take advantage of the other two parts after they get finished and written.
I'll link all 3 together once they are done.
Edit: For the time being if you want to see what the lockring looks like in different colors, here's the picture I posted in my ROM thread for the different lockring mod packages I made for it:
{
"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"
}
... which shows different colors and with text engraved.
There is actually text on both the top and bottom of the lockring, and when you pull it up you can see what's on the bottom.
( Just my handle, for the curious. I'm not so vain as to make that what you see on the top half of the lockring. )
Some more examples:
Misc Lockring 000
md5 = 78bc3cb1cd705f7971d937b82af5c033
Original Art - Blue6IX
Non circle design:
Batman Lockring 005
md5 = cf8c6ccc230dcfb7b547db08ffbeb279
Graphic Source
*Note - flashing these two examples will also change your lockscreen icons to Bulletproof Green.

Wu Tang Lock Rings
I haven't had much chance to test, but throwing them up anyway.
Possibly a little glitchy, I was just testing this tutorial to see if I can get it to work.
(Alpha & Ring Sizes I think need to be tweaked, I may have overlooked the Ring heights - hence they maybe a little too short.)
I am happy to rework any of these if anyone wants em cleaner.
Enjoy
5 Wu tang Rings in one zip, extract them and flash them singularly/individually at will.
DL Link = http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TXW8229A

The plunge - someone has taken it!
Looks pretty happy, now we're getting somewhere
I gotta run out for a bit, but when I get back i'm gonna download them and try them out.
One thing I forgot to mention is that the image size is:
244 pixels
by
243 pixels
If anything is bigger it just gets cut off, but it'll still work fine.
Even if they end up being too low and you can't see them on the lockscreen, you can drag from anywhere on-screen to pull it up, you don't have to touch the graphic.
Keep 'em coming!

Blue6IX said:
The plunge - someone has taken it!
Looks pretty happy, now we're getting somewhere
I gotta run out for a bit, but when I get back i'm gonna download them and try them out.
One thing I forgot to mention is that the image size is:
244 pixels
by
243 pixels
If anything is bigger it just gets cut off, but it'll still work fine.
Even if they end up being too low and you can't see them on the lockscreen, you can drag from anywhere on-screen to pull it up, you don't have to touch the graphic.
Keep 'em coming!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeap, I note the sizes (244 by 243 when extracting your original .png files... However these wu images are more oval then round, hence I retained the width at 244, but lost some height trying preserve aspect ratio.)
You're wright, the rings are still useable however slightly too short (hence not as visible as a perfect 244 by 243 ring.)
Defo gonna rework these & make moreeeeeee.
Great simple tutorial, with the necessary programs, I can knock these rings out in like less then 5mins having found a nice graphic to work with.)
Forgot to hit Thanks, will do when back on PC.
Sent from my Bulletproof_Doubleshot using XDA App

You might want to download one of my oval-shaped batman logo lockrings from the Bulletproof thread - they suffer from the same issue.
What I did was make them sit higher on both graphics, instead of centered.
This shows them above the bottom of the screen before you touch them.
One thing to note, though, is that the animation that makes it fly towards you getting bigger on the unlock becomes off-center as well. If you raise it too high it just pops up near the top of the screen and becomes much less visually impressive.
Because Photoshop lets you use layers, I left the original lockring and pasted my new graphic over it, then moved it around using the original graphic as a guide to get it positioned well.
Once I had it where I wanted it, I simply clicked the layer underneath for the original graphic and deleted it, leaving only my newly pasted and aligned image.
Let me actually grab a quick screenie to show you what I mean - give me a few mins to get it edited in.
Edit:
Broke my screenshot function on my computer for the moment - so took a pic with the MT4GS camera - sorry about that.
Here you can see how I positioned it, kind of a happy medium of getting it higher on the graphic but not too high:
Then click on the layer for the grey ring, select delete, and it's all set.
Here is what it looks like in action:
Edit again:
For the sake of convenience, i'm posting the download info for the lockring made of the graphic pictured in the photoshop window just above, that way people can easily download an example of what the picture is showing after it's finished.
Batman Lockring 001
md5 = c6b1efd118ab0e8d6b4e1beaa42b4ffb
Graphic Source
*Note - flashing this example will also change your lockscreen icons to Bulletproof Green.

Blue6IX said:
You might want to download one of my oval-shaped batman logo lockrings from the Bulletproof thread - they suffer from the same issue.
What I did was make them sit higher on both graphics, instead of centered.
This shows them above the bottom of the screen before you touch them.
One thing to note, though, is that the animation that makes it fly towards you getting bigger on the unlock becomes off-center as well. If you raise it too high it just pops up near the top of the screen and becomes much less visually impressive.
Because Photoshop lets you use layers, I left the original lockring and pasted my new graphic over it, then moved it around using the original graphic as a guide to get it positioned well.
Once I had it where I wanted it, I simply clicked the layer underneath for the original graphic and deleted it, leaving only my newly pasted and aligned image.
Let me actually grab a quick screenie to show you what I mean - give me a few mins to get it edited in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like it, that's very useful info. Great concept in prepping the positioning with layers - niiice!
Sent from my Bulletproof_Doubleshot using XDA App

dillalade said:
I like it, that's very useful info. Great concept in prepping the positioning with layers - niiice!
Sent from my Bulletproof_Doubleshot using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The hardest thing about writing up tutorials is communicating all the minor details.
It's easy to take for granted the knowledge that you have, like using layers together for example - for people who don't or haven't spent much time using a particular tool what is obvious to someone is not to someone else.
I'm glad i'm starting to get people just diving in and making stuff, because all the little things that didn't get mentioned get brought up and explained.
No matter how hard you try to cover all your bases, you'll always forget something.

I'm going to give this a try as soon as I finish getting BulletProof 1.1 set up properly and the corresponding backups made. (I have an older but still very uasable version of Photoshop around here somewhere) But I DID want to take a second and thank you for all your hard work on this ROM that runs sooooo smoothly but not only that....I want to commend you on your selfless desire to teach the rest of us about what you are doing internally with your phases of programming on this ROM. Other experienced programers, I'm Sure, appreciate your efforts on this ROM as well as your other work Blue but I HOPE that a few others will follow your lead in the role of teacher that you have taken on SO well. That alone, is appreciated beyond simple words by those of us that have always had an interest in programming, graphics, modeling, etc.... but have never seen a valid starting point before now. Your detailed explainations along with the open source nature of Linux is an inspiration that makes many (I am sure) reevaluate the possibility of it being within more people's grasps that before now have only sat in awe of the ability of real programmers like yourself. Have you ever given any thought to teaching computer programming at a college for pay so that you could get paid for what you undoubtably LOVE and that give you more time than you now have for you research?? I just HAD to ask.....and THANK YOU again.

WeekendsR2Short said:
... Have you ever given any thought to teaching computer programming at a college for pay so that you could get paid for what you undoubtably LOVE and that give you more time than you now have for you research?? I just HAD to ask.....and THANK YOU again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as being paid money to teach people...not too interested in that at this point in my life. It would twist my desire to do so into something else altogether. I prefer to give freely and help others advance who are willing to invest the time and effort to do so.

Thank you so much! ^^^

hi, do you know how to edit the shortcut icon container? I'm using MikXe sense 3.6 rom and can't find where to edit that, thanks.

Can anyone repost some pics I would like to make my lock ring a chevy emblem thanks in adv.

Related

Timescape themes (Update for 2.1)

For 2.1 themes see post #17 on page 2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9049613&postcount=17
I decided to open a thread to share the knowledge I have collected on timescape themes. This also partially applies to mediascape and up until now has been split between these two threads:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=737778&page=46
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=765686 Please read this!
I thought it would be better to combine this into one thread that will be easier to find. If anyone disagrees then please post with reasons and alternatives. I will update this first post as we figure out more tweeks etc. (hopefully it will need a big rework soon because SE finally gets us 2.1 )
Before I start, thanks to Chewitt for finding the acet files, and for inspiring me to start messing with the look of my x10 with his Dark10 themes.
Timescape (and mediascape) do not store all of their images in the .apk resources. Oh no, that would just be too logical, and we are talking about Sony Ericsson here
The timescape theme .apk resources do contain some of the images used (e.g. the trash can and app drawer handles), and the actual Timescape .apk has the resources for the tile images etc. I'm not going to go into this as there is enough content about modifying these sorts of resources here. What I will go into is where the timescape background, wave animation, pagination slider colours and the tile alpha blending and default colours.
1. The background: This is stored in an .acet file (see the first of the above posts). This is an file that basically just contains a samll header and then rgb information (or sometimes argb, this is specified in the header which I haven't got 100% sussed yet). The background images are in the assets/ts folder in the theme .apk and are called ts_bg_app.acet and ts_bg_home.acet for the application and timescape home respectively. These can be modified with acetConverter.exe. You can load an image and export an acet file or you can go the other way. TS uses acet backgrounds without an alpha channel so leave the alpha checkbox unticked when creating them (it might work with alpha... never tried...).
2. The Tiles: I'm pretty sure the alpha blend images for the tiles are found in the system/usr/semc/seee/files folder (alpha_tile.acet and alpha_tile_fade*.acet) but I haven't modified these yet. As an aside the background for the first page of mediascape is here too. More important is the default background for a tile. This file, ts_tile_empty.acet, is a single pixel file found in the assets/ts folder for each theme. This specifies the solid colour to be used as a background for the alpha overlay on empty tiles.
3. Animation files: Wave and Pagination. This is all stored in three .afx java animation files in the themes assets/ts folder (ts_bg_wave.afx, pagination_glow.afx and pagination_area.afx). pagination_area is the square around the selected item in the scroll menu at the bottom (or the top if TS is the home page) and pagination_glow defines the lines at the top and bottom of this area. I haven't got these files fully sussed either, at the moment I'm restricted to doing some awful byte replacement to change the color (I can also change the wave pitch, but it doesn't look any good). I have attached an exe to generate these files (SetTimescapeAnimationColor.exe). Click on the white square to choose a base color and use the buttons to generate whichever of the files you want. If anyone knows how to edit these files properly please let me know, I come from a c# and c++ background and don't really know what I'm doing with java...
Thats pretty much it. Just sort out 6 files, update the png resources (the thumbnails for the theme selection are in the Timescape.apk resources folder) and you're done.
Note: I have had problems when I modified the wrong bytes in the afx files. Basically, after selecting the theme timescape just crashed. If you replace the theme file it still won't start, you need to clear the application data to get it running again. Along the same lines, after modifying a theme you need to reselect it from the themes menu as the files are cached.
Please let me know if I missed anything.
Update: I have attached the source code for the animation color tool. Please keep in mind that this was just a bit of code quickly thrown together so we can modify the animation color, I don't usually write code that looks like that
The project is a C# project from visual studio 2010 but the meat of it is in MainForm.cs so just open that if you use a different language/dev environment.
Here is the code from one of the buttons. Resources.pagination_glow is a byte array from an embedded resource (pagination_glow.afx).
Code:
string r = string.Format("{0:000}", (int)(((double)colorPanel.BackColor.R / 255.0) * 100));
string g = string.Format("{0:000}", (int)(((double)colorPanel.BackColor.G / 255.0) * 100));
string b = string.Format("{0:000}", (int)(((double)colorPanel.BackColor.B / 255.0) * 100));
byte[] bytes = new byte[Resources.pagination_glow.Length];
Array.Copy(Resources.pagination_glow, bytes, Resources.pagination_glow.Length);
bytes[949] = (byte)r[0];
bytes[950] = (byte)'.';
bytes[951] = (byte)r[1];
bytes[952] = (byte)r[2];
bytes[953] = (byte)',';
bytes[954] = (byte)g[0];
bytes[955] = (byte)'.';
bytes[956] = (byte)g[1];
bytes[957] = (byte)g[2];
bytes[958] = (byte)',';
bytes[959] = (byte)b[0];
bytes[960] = (byte)'.';
bytes[961] = (byte)b[1];
bytes[962] = (byte)b[2];
bytes[963] = (byte)',';
using (FileStream stream = new FileStream(saveDialog.FileName, FileMode.Create))
{
stream.Write(bytes, 0, bytes.Length);
}
What is important to note is that the embedded afx resources came from the orange theme, the other themes will require different offsets for the byte modification. I'm not sure why the different themes have different code here, I haven't looked closely at the wave animation code for each theme so there may only be a difference there, or there could just be one more space here and there in the preceeding lines or four spaces instead of a single byte tab ('\t')...
Anyway, the next step is to try and modify the number of bytes in the code and see if it still works, on my first few tests timescape just crashed so I thought that the number of bytes of clear-text code may be stored in the header. I'm not so sure now as I think I may have just been having problems while mixing the use of the .Net stream classes for reading an writing. I'll check this out though.
If we can modify the code however we want then I just need to learn a bit more java
The code for the wave animation is in the comments at the bottom of MainForm.cs. Here is the line with the characters being modified in bold:
fcolor.rgb = vec3(1.0, 0.91, 0.72) * ambientRatio + vec3(1.0, 0.516, 0.0) * specularRatio;
LOL this is just lazy lol, Thanks for the guide i will get the other 3 i need for Dark10 sorted on sunday.
this all sounds awesome =)
May I suggest posting the source code to your .exe files? that way others can pitch in and help improve the tools, too. slap on the GPL for a decent licence and it should be no problem
ttxdragon said:
this all sounds awesome =)
May I suggest posting the source code to your .exe files? that way others can pitch in and help improve the tools, too. slap on the GPL for a decent licence and it should be no problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good idea I have just updated the first post. I have only added the animation tool source as the .acet converter is just a direct color translation except for the header which is post in the acet thread linked in the first post.
I can post this code as well if anyone is really interested, but it will have to wait until I am back at work on the 14th, or until the VPN starts working again
VPN's up - posted the rest of the source.
calum.. just got a new charger today lol so back on track.. although some reason i cant seem to get my colour to change at al? ive rebooted, tried task managers n al but no luck..
Edit: ignore that.. managed to get it working! like an idiot i forgot to add the code at the top for mount/remount lol.. feel like a blonde
Has anyone got an original version of ms_bg_background_home_icn.acet?
Being the genius that I am, I tried to edit it without backing it up first.
I tried to convert a png image to an acet file using that acet converter but ended up with a background with a similar issue to what's in this post. Will read through all the posts tomorrow and try again.
Hey buddy any more progress with this project?
Sorry, on the road at the moment. I'll be back onto this next week.
@Mobzter: glad you got it sorted.
@Sixpence: you may have exported the image with the alpha channel. Make sure the alpha option is off for the timescape and mediascape backgrounds. I'll add complete backups to the first post next week
heres a backup of that file
_calum_ said:
@Sixpence: you may have exported the image with the alpha channel. Make sure the alpha option is off for the timescape and mediascape backgrounds. I'll add complete backups to the first post next week
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, yeh, I think that's what I did. I'll try again and see how I go. Cheers!
Thanks for backup Mobz!
EDIT: Sweet, that worked!
I just thought I'd post a link to my dark Timescape theme here.
Timescape (Dark)
If anyone else has got any modified timescape themes please post them (including the modified framework and thumbnail images). It would be nice if we didn't just all modify the Indigo them (as I did above) as if we use neutral images for the default contacts etc. then we can easily change between the different themes.
Any interest
Just a bump to see if anyone is interested in doing anything with the Timescape animation except changing the color.
If they are then I might get back into modifying the .afx files, otherwise I'll probably just move on....
I don't actually use it that much and now I've got rid of the blue I'm sorta happy, but it might be kinda cool if we can add our own animations to replace the wave...
How about the mediascape animation? I wanna make it melt into the next screen. Do u think that's doable?
How can i chnge theme for x10i
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
gavriel18 said:
How about the mediascape animation? I wanna make it melt into the next screen. Do u think that's doable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean instead of the spline/fade animation when you hit the 'more' button? I think a melting animation would be pretty ambitious and probably only doable if the fade is actually part of the animation. I'll see if I can get an editor slapped together so we can just modify the afx code directly. I'll have a look at the mediascape animation files once I've got that done...
xian08 said:
How can i chnge theme for x10i
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I need a bit more information here. Where exactly are you stuck? Do you just want to install a different theme that you have from one of the x10 themes in another forum, or do you want to create you own?
That's exactly what I was thinking, a melt to a fade into the next screen.
I'm trying to understand how it works but i don't have enough spare time right now.
OK, 2.1 is here and the file formats for timescape themes have changed...
First off, the apk names have changed. They are now named like this:
TimescapeLargeUITheme[ThemeName].apk (e.g. TimescapeLargeUIThemeSakura)
The .acet files are now .uxraw files. The file header and content has also changed: the header is now 8 bytes, that can be split into 4 16bit integers. The first two I'm not sure about, (second one always seems to be 8...) but the 3rd and 4th are width and height respectively. After the header we still have the color info, but it seems that alpha is always included. The bytes are in the order R G B A (the alpha is now the 4th byte instead of the first).
I have attached the new converter and source.
Edit: I originally wrote an incorrect value for the first byte in the header (20 instead of 0x20... oops ) this resulted in a black background...
The afx files have also changed to uxsh. There seems to be a bit more in these files but the animation code is still in plain text. I'm working on an editor, and will update this post when it's done.
2.1 or 1.6 ?
Is this for 2.1 or 1.6 ?
Looks a silly question... But, am little cautious and more excited to see this on my 2.1update1.
Thx for such a great work.
_calum_ said:
OK, 2.1 is here and the file formats for timescape themes have changed...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mitalbr said:
Is this for 2.1 or 1.6 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2.1 (I had also changed the thread title to make this clearer )
_calum_ said:
2.1 (I had also changed the thread title to make this clearer )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was just adb'ed the file system and I found I have following files...
TimescapeLargeUI.apk
TimescapeLargeUIThemeBlue.apk
TimescapeLargeUIThemeGreen.apk
TimescapeLargeUIThemeIndigo.apk
TimescapeLargeUIThemeOrange.apk
TimescapeLargeUIThemeSakura.apk
TimescapePluginManager.apk
I couldn't locate...
Timescape.apk
TimescapeThemeIndigo.apk

Updated:03-15-12-Better Draw9patch Program FOUND!

UPDATED 03-15-12:
Elex_kr has introduced a NEW DRAW9PATCH Program. Please scroll down through the post to view his work. AND DONATE. This DEV deserves a lot of credit for bringing a new improved program to the rooted community. I can attest that his program is very easy to use and extremely fast. We're working on new ways to improve the program. Please post your comments and suggestions to Elex_kr below.
03-15-12-Direct link to his latest Better 9-patch Tool
Here's quick video of what Elex_kr's Better 9-Patch Tool
Original Post:
I'm putting this thread together because it's been too long that draw9patch has been in place without any updates or improvements since its release. I'm also posting this because I'm sure there's a dev willing to redesign draw9patch and make it easier to use. Here's a quick video of why we need an improved draw9patch program.
The main issue for many themers is how time consuming it can be to fill in only ONE pixel at a time. I've been using draw9patch for almost a year and it consumes a large portion of my day. The IDEAL draw9patch would be able to select multiple pixels at the same time. For example, selecting one end of the png and holding down (Shift) while selecting the end point where the pixels would automatically fill in. I'm open to suggestions or comments. Please keep this professional.
Donation: I'm willing to give any DEV $100 for a newly improved draw9patch program. Conditions as follows:
1) Must be based off the original draw9patch
2) Must have the improvements stated above, allowing for multiple pixels to be selected based on holding (CTRL, SHIFT or ALT)
3) Must have the ability to save the PNG as a .9.png.
4) Must be compatible with Windows 7.
*-*-*
Just to give the dev an idea of how long draw9patch can take. Today I used the program to stretch 59 .9.png's. It took an average of 2 1/2 minutes per 9.png. That's 2 hours and 26 minutes of solid time spent using draw9patch. I could have done these in probably 35 minutes tops if the program was more user friendly and had the above stated actions.
Attention moderator(s). If this video can be embedded, please correct it.
Well as I am fairly new to the .9 drawing itself, can you please explain the general idea and workflow?
I know that those lines and pixels are used to determine what in the image is stretchable and what not.
And I have another question:
You say that the new too lneeds to be based on the old one... What do you mean exactly with that sentence?
Is there any special kind of problem doing these .9 files? Or is it just drawing the lines and then saving the file as a normal png?
Diamondback2010 said:
Well as I am fairly new to the .9 drawing itself, can you please explain the general idea and workflow?
I know that those lines and pixels are used to determine what in the image is stretchable and what not.
And I have another question:
You say that the new too lneeds to be based on the old one... What do you mean exactly with that sentence?
Is there any special kind of problem doing these .9 files? Or is it just drawing the lines and then saving the file as a normal png?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for dropping in Diamondback! Draw9patch places a one pixel border around the PNG. The border is used to place black pixels in areas the png will stretch.
My workflow consist of making the png from scratch in CS5 (Adobe Photoshop) then saving the image as a png. That PNG is then places into draw9patch for editing. I place the pixels around the border as needed then save the work in draw9patch. Draw9patch automatically saves the png as a .9.png.
The .9.png is in it's raw decompiled format. Which means, the pixels are still visible. The only way to hide the outer border is to place the .9.png into either Eclipse (Instructions found here on my thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1140034
Or XUltimate draw9patch compiler(reference: xeudoxus). Website:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/xeudoxus/47283-release-xultimate.html
Both of the programs will compile the .9.png which then can be used in any apk. XUltimate's being the quickest and easiest to use by far.
What the new draw9patch needs:
"The new Tool needs to be based on the old on." Really, I just need to be able to see how the png will look when my pixels on the border are added. When you drop a png into draw9patch, you'll know what I'm talking about. Aside from that, it's basic functions would be nice. Such as,
1) Show lock
2) Show Patches
3) Show content
4) Zoom
5) The drop and drag png's into the program
6) MOST IMPORTANTLY a faster way to draw the pixel border around the png. An example of this would be to hold shift down and select the beginning point and end point of where a pixel line should be place.
If it could compile itself upon saving, that would be another great feature to add.
There's really no kind of problem with doing .9.png's other than the draw9patch program we are forced to use is a dinosaur and lacks efficiency. Hundred's of Devs and themers use draw9patch on a daily basis. This product alone would be valuable to anyone needing a more efficient tool. With that said, I'm sure themers like myself would gladly pay to use a more efficient program.
raider3bravo said:
Thanks for dropping in Diamondback! Draw9patch places a one pixel border around the PNG. The border is used to place black pixels in areas the png will stretch.
My workflow consist of making the png from scratch in CS5 (Adobe Photoshop) then saving the image as a png. That PNG is then places into draw9patch for editing. I place the pixels around the border as needed then save the work in draw9patch. Draw9patch automatically saves the png as a .9.png.
The .9.png is in it's raw decompiled format. Which means, the pixels are still visible. The only way to hide the outer border is to place the .9.png into either Eclipse (Instructions found here on my thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1140034
Or XUltimate draw9patch compiler(reference: xeudoxus). Website:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/xeudoxus/47283-release-xultimate.html
Both of the programs will compile the .9.png which then can be used in any apk. XUltimate's being the quickest and easiest to use by far.
What the new draw9patch needs:
"The new Tool needs to be based on the old on." Really, I just need to be able to see how the png will look when my pixels on the border are added. When you drop a png into draw9patch, you'll know what I'm talking about. Aside from that, it's basic functions would be nice. Such as,
1) Show lock
2) Show Patches
3) Show content
4) Zoom
5) The drop and drag png's into the program
6) MOST IMPORTANTLY a faster way to draw the pixel border around the png. An example of this would be to hold shift down and select the beginning point and end point of where a pixel line should be place.
If it could compile itself upon saving, that would be another great feature to add.
There's really no kind of problem with doing .9.png's other than the draw9patch program we are forced to use is a dinosaur and lacks efficiency. Hundred's of Devs and themers use draw9patch on a daily basis. This product alone would be valuable to anyone needing a more efficient tool. With that said, I'm sure themers like myself would gladly pay to use a more efficient program.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm, okay so the only real "work" is drawing lines around the image, okay.
I wonder if those lines are really needed? Does the final (compiled) image somehow has those lines too?
Or are the lines only an easy way to tell the compiler what to do?
Would it be possible choose another way of "marking" those areas instead of lines if we create a different compiler?
What about the sources of the compilers? Are they opensource?
Edit: Actually the biggest problem would be the preview... But I see that this is the most important part too
Diamondback2010 said:
Hm, okay so the only real "work" is drawing lines around the image, okay.
I wonder if those lines are really needed? Does the final (compiled) image somehow has those lines too?
Or are the lines only an easy way to tell the compiler what to do?
Would it be possible choose another way of "marking" those areas instead of lines if we create a different compiler?
What about the sources of the compilers? Are they opensource?
Edit: Actually the biggest problem would be the preview... But I see that this is the most important part too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lines are exactly what you say. They aid in telling the compiler which way to stretch the png. Sometimes if you have complex png's like I do, you have to be very specific on where you place the pixels. The same problem remains though, the bottom pixels and the right pixels take the longest.
If the compiler was modified to to automatically place these borders in a specific place each time, it would lead to png's that may not look as intended. For example:
{
"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"
}
The screen shot on the left shows several of my buttons. Look specifically at the button with the words "Set" & "Cancel". These buttons require very specific pixel alignment on the bottom of the png which tells where to place the text. If it were on the entire bottom portion of the button it may lead to text running over parts of my graphic where I didn't intend it.
I'm not sure if the compilers are opensource. I would talk to the dev that made XUltimate.
**Adding the ability to select multiple pixels at the same time with the current program in place is the ideal solution.
I would love thus as well. Now while I don't mind hold the mouse button and dragging the pointer down to draw the line instead of the single click method it would be so much easier with making 2 points and then having the rest get filled in.
I would love to work on that project here but actually I don't have enough time to code and maintain two projects ( of which is one way bigger than everybody thinks)...
So maybe someone else can join me?
We do have several "harder" tasks to do:
Crerate an engine which can generate the patches fro mthe patch lines
Something that can work with the patch lines to show the previews
The user interface needs to be easy to work with
I would code that with C# and WPF, so if we have some talented experienced .NET WPF devs here it would be cool to make a little team
Alternative to using draw9patch
Here's a alternative method I uncovered using Adobe Photoshop.
1.Drag and drop png's into Adobe Photoshop instead of Draw9patch
2.Increase canvass size by 2w and 2h.
3. Use the pen tool to make your corrections like you would in draw9patch.
4. Convert pen tool by right clicking on the line you created and select stroke path/pencil/ok
5. Delete the path
6. save the png as .9.png
7. Compile
Here's video on how. For now, it's the best alternative to draw9patch.
This process alone has saved me hours of time. Especially, on large png's.
http://youtu.be/kwpQ8A9r_Zo
Updated 12-16-11. Someone out of Korea just created an awesome draw 9 patch program. It's a must see. Link here.
http://fly-elex.tistory.com/m/entry/the-9-patch-builder
Hello,
I just make a new id in xda to let you know that
I made an alternative 9 patch tool with Java.
And you can download it from my blog.
(sorry, it says that i shouldn't link external ... oh.. i'll attach the '.jar' file.)
Please try it. Thank you.
DOWNLOAD FROM HERE
Elex_kr said:
Hello,
I just make a new id in xda to let you know that
I made an alternative 9 patch tool with Java.
And you can download it from my blog.
(sorry, it says that i shouldn't link external ... oh.. i'll attach the '.jar' file.)
Please try it. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome work Elex_kr! Downloading now. This could change the entire Theme Community/rooted community. Good work. I'll report back soon.
Updated:
WOW! This is a must have Themer tool. Very nice job. Thanks for posting your initial link on my Youtube video. Very much appreciated, your donation has been sent!
Newly updated!!!
Following is your requirements.
1) Show the outer line pixel being drawn. It really helps to see it being draw9 out. This is a must. The shading you designed helps but it will help much more if we see the border being drawn.
2) Your program draws the line from one end to one end. The original draw9patch leaves at least one pixel at each corner. Have you experienced any problems with your .9.png’s being designed like this?
3) Can you add a copy button or port button to allow the image to be immediately opened up in the old draw9patch editor so we can see how the image stretched? Or at least make it super easy for us to save the path to our draw9patch program from command prompt then press a button to have the image created in your program transfer over to draw9patch.
4) Create a transparent border around the png. With your latest release, there’s only a transparent border on the left and right. The top and bottom should also have a little buffer room to make things equal.
5) A save as button would be nice so we can direct the image to a folder where we want our work to be saved. Even better, give us an option to create a default work folder where our .9.png’s are saved.
6) This is of course much more difficult but would be a nice feature. Being able to compile the .9.png upon save. That would save some time. That would for sure be the icing on the cake.
DOWNLOAD FROM HERE
------------------------------------------------------
I think I solved 1) ~ 5).
And 6) will be available on next release.
Please, check attached file.
And thanks for your donation!
FINALLY a New Draw9patch Program
Elex_kr said:
Following is your requirements.
1) Show the outer line pixel being drawn. It really helps to see it being draw9 out. This is a must. The shading you designed helps but it will help much more if we see the border being drawn.
2) Your program draws the line from one end to one end. The original draw9patch leaves at least one pixel at each corner. Have you experienced any problems with your .9.png’s being designed like this?
3) Can you add a copy button or port button to allow the image to be immediately opened up in the old draw9patch editor so we can see how the image stretched? Or at least make it super easy for us to save the path to our draw9patch program from command prompt then press a button to have the image created in your program transfer over to draw9patch.
4) Create a transparent border around the png. With your latest release, there’s only a transparent border on the left and right. The top and bottom should also have a little buffer room to make things equal.
5) A save as button would be nice so we can direct the image to a folder where we want our work to be saved. Even better, give us an option to create a default work folder where our .9.png’s are saved.
6) This is of course much more difficult but would be a nice feature. Being able to compile the .9.png upon save. That would save some time. That would for sure be the icing on the cake.
------------------------------------------------------
I think I solved 1) ~ 5).
And 6) will be available on next release.
Please, check attached file.
And thanks for your donation!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW. Your work is amazing and SPOT ON
I really enjoy having the push button that exports the 9.png to the old draw9patch, I'm impressed. The lines around the png certainly helps along with having an even buffer around the image. I'm very excited for the next release.
Up until now, theming .9.png's have been a serious pain and very time consuming. Another donation sent just now...as promised! Thank you sir. We all look forward to the next release.
This looks awesome guys. I cannot wait to give it a try.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
Hey D! Thanks for the linky. I just got back from honeymoon
TO imbed youtube...........
Use the YOUTUBE Tags with this in between: 2Wvw1aNXRw4
[youtube ]2Wvw1aNXRw4[/youtube ]
no spaces in between brackets yield this:
now, you can drop '.9.png'.
as you know,
it's been a massively complicated calculating job..
i hope you could test it and report me some bug, if any.
and some 'preview' would be available on next release.
merry christmas~
DOWNLOAD FROM HERE
Elex_kr said:
as you know,
it's been a massively complicated calculating job..
i hope you could test it and report me some bug, if any.
and some 'preview' would be available on next release.
merry christmas~
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far, so good. The "Center" feature you added saves a lot of time. That's a very nice feature to have.
Here's a thought.
1) Add a "New Project/New" button so we don't have to close the program to start a new project.
2) Batch open and save, based on your "Center" feature you added. I'm sure we couldn't use this feature on all our .9.png's but the majority of the buttons all use the same "center" feature you added.
1) I couldn't understand why 'new' is needed. Is there any difference between dropping new image on a workspace? Please explain more..
2) Processing entire images inside a folder with same values, good idea! I'd better let it an additional function for a paid version.
Thank you for your ideas!
+ 1
raider3bravo said:
Here's a alternative method I uncovered using Adobe Photoshop.
1.Drag and drop png's into Adobe Photoshop instead of Draw9patch
2.Increase canvass size by 2w and 2h.
3. Use the pen tool to make your corrections like you would in draw9patch.
4. Convert pen tool by right clicking on the line you created and select stroke path/pencil/ok
5. Delete the path
6. save the png as .9.png
7. Compile
I was just about to suggest this same thing, however I use gimp.
But the process is exactly the same except I only add a 1 pixel border usually.
You then select that border so you don't affect the rest of the image when drawing your lines.
You must be good at 9 patching to use this method but after spending so much time with the android 9 patch tool like you said it should be a easy for you.
I don't think it could ever really get easier than this.
I swear I have seen a tutorial a long time ago when I was getting started that showed a guy doing exactly as you described by drawing the lines by hitting shift. I was never able to figure it out.
I am going to try your tool Elex_kr
It sounds very promising.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Elex_kr said:
Following is your requirements.
1) Show the outer line pixel being drawn. It really helps to see it being draw9 out. This is a must. The shading you designed helps but it will help much more if we see the border being drawn.
2) Your program draws the line from one end to one end. The original draw9patch leaves at least one pixel at each corner. Have you experienced any problems with your .9.png’s being designed like this?
3) Can you add a copy button or port button to allow the image to be immediately opened up in the old draw9patch editor so we can see how the image stretched? Or at least make it super easy for us to save the path to our draw9patch program from command prompt then press a button to have the image created in your program transfer over to draw9patch.
4) Create a transparent border around the png. With your latest release, there’s only a transparent border on the left and right. The top and bottom should also have a little buffer room to make things equal.
5) A save as button would be nice so we can direct the image to a folder where we want our work to be saved. Even better, give us an option to create a default work folder where our .9.png’s are saved.
6) This is of course much more difficult but would be a nice feature. Being able to compile the .9.png upon save. That would save some time. That would for sure be the icing on the cake.
------------------------------------------------------
I think I solved 1) ~ 5).
And 6) will be available on next release.
Please, check attached file.
And thanks for your donation!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to say thank you. I don't think clicking the button is good enough. Thank you for improving the infrastructure of development tools.
Awesome, awesome, awesome work. Every time I have to use draw9patch I'm reminded of how long it takes to do such a simple task. Can't thank you enough for the work you've done on this!

[APP][2.2+]Holo File Explorer (Update 4-11-2012)

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.

[GUIDE] Cooking With The Ultimate Online Theme (UOT) Kitchen

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*If you find this Guide Thread helpful, feel free to hit the "thanks" button below!​
The Android OS is a highly customizable system, we all know that. The preferred way by the majority to customize Android are the launchers, or by flashing a custom ROM. When you use a modified ROM, like CyanogenMod, customization options are expanded through options that do not exist in the original ROM. However, to customize the overall look like system icons, status bar, window transition effects an others things, it starts getting a bit more limited… or rather, it was. You must be thinking, "But there are dozens of themes to customize them." Yes, there are, but these themes leave your Atrix 2 with the aesthetic preferences of the creator of the theme, and not yours! You can not change individual parts of the themes, without some extensive knowledge of editing .xml files and so on. So, I present the solution for maximizing the customization of your Atrix 2, the UOT Kitchen.
"Kitchen? But, we will customize android or cooking a tasty casserole?" Well, this is more or less the same. Let’s cook, but not a casserole, but our ROM. And the ingredient list is quite varied, including battery icons, system menus, boot animations, fonts, and others. In the end, you will put the "ingredients" in the "oven" and wait for your finished version of your customized ROM to cook. Confused? See the tutorial and you will understand. UOT is an online theme configuration tool, or Ultimate Online Theme Kitchen. Due to differences in ROMs your cooking time may need to be adjusted. Be prepared, it will take at least a half an hour of your time. Be careful, if you accidentally click the wrong link, your work will be lost. If, for some reason, there are any problems encountered through your own experiences, let me know, and I will find out how to answer them or bring resolution to them.​
Prerequisites & Comments:
To use this application, you must have root access on your Atrix 2
You need a basic understanding of the Android file system for this process
You current ROM's SystemUI.apk, framework-res.apk and twframework.apk
framework-res.apk: system/framework
SystemUI.apk: system/app
twframework.apk: system/framework
The processes I will overview may be different if you are using another ROM or another phone.
Kitchen features:
Battery mod for ICS ROMs (NEW!)
Notification window for qhd/hdpi/mdpi/ldpi ROMs (NEW!)
Boot animations for qhd/hdpi/mdpi/ldpi ROMs (NEW!)
Flashing folders for system files
Additional patch to fix images
Custom battery for MIUI ROM
Settings download/upload
Support for Touch Wiz ROMs
Quick settings tab
Lock screen pattern
Lock screen lens style
Lock screen rotating style
Lock screen sliding tabs
Lock screen icons
Custom loading circle
Custom list dividers
Notification window for hdpi/mdpi/ldpi ROMs
Pull down background animation
Volume and Download bar customization
Flashing script for Data++ ROMs
Popup customizing
Support for stock odexed ROMs
Support for GB ROMs with Sense
Optional Theme preview
Over scroll glowing
Font packs
Supporting Theme Chooser for CM7 ROMs
Enable transparency in status bar for GB ROMs
Supporting Gingerbread ROMs
Edify and Amend installation script
Supporting hdpi and mdpi ROMs
Patch9 images auto-fix
Super Circle Battery with %, version [A-P]
Custom style battery, version Z
Themed icons for status bar
Uni-color icons
Customizable notification drop-down window
Boot animation changer
Corrected files for popular ROMs/themes
Custom battery for MIUI ROM
Showing battery % while charging
Custom charging animations
Windows animations
Icons for Notification Power Buttons
Access site: UOT Kitchen: http://uot.dakra.lt/kitchen/
Sometimes, when you access the site it says it’s full. The site has a limit of active orders, so be patient, wait a few minutes and try again.
Choosing Ingredients:
By accessing the site, you will see many options for customization. I will explain each one.
To use the option, click it and check "Use this mod".​
Battery:
To change the battery icons. There are two options:
SCB with %: Choose a package, with icons for current status of the battery, battery charging, no batteries, etc.
Custom battery: Choose individual icons for current battery status, battery charging, no batteries, etc. Choose your options and click "Generate Preview".
Icons:
To change system icons, menus, status bar, etc.
Themed Icons Set: packages of pre-defined icons. You can choose which icons you will use each package.
Custom Uni-color Icons: Icons packages of only one color. You can choose a package and change the color of the icons and background.
Status Bar:
To change the status bar and window notifications. You can change the background color, transparency level, font, font color, font size, etc.
Caution:
Select the correct resolution!
Popup:
To change effects of over-scrolling, alerts, volume bar, download bar, menus and dividers charging indicator (one that is running while something is being loaded). You can choose colors, glow effects, styles, etc.​
Lock screen:
To change the lock screen. You can choose the style of the buttons (slider, rotary, etc.). And themes to them; colors, what options will be available at lock screen, etc.
Caution:
Select the correct resolution!
Window:
Effects and animations of windows and menus. You can choose effects like slide, unfold, turn page, scroll, etc.​
Fonts:
To choose the font to be used in the system.​
Boot animation:
To change boot animation.
Caution:
Select the correct path to boot animation!
Select the correct resolution!
Okay, now that you’ve chosen the "ingredients", we will prepare and put them in the oven!
Cooking:
Select "File Upload". Here you need to set some options and send some files from your phone to be modified according to your choices.
First, it is highly recommended to perform a full backup of your current ROM. If you want to modify the "Popup", you will need to upload the file "framework-res.apk." To do this, using the Root Explorer app (or another app of your choice), go to "system/framework/" and copy "framework-res.apk" to the SD card. If you want to change the "Status Bar", you will need to upload the file "SystemUI.apk." To do this, go to "system/app/" and copy "SystemUI.apk" to the SD card. Now, copy the two files from your SD card to your computer.​
Now, let's look at the site options:
Select flash-able zip scripting: You can use the ROM manager or the CWM to transfer your changes. But that depends on a script that varies according to the ROM and the device you are using.
Flashing folder for system files: Defines where the files will be transferred in your phone. Select "/system/framework" and "/system/app" respectively.
Patch9 auto fix: leave this option selected.
Theme Chooser preview: Optional. If you select it, will generate a preview in the Theme Chooser.
Kitchen’s settings (optional): Here you can download a file containing the current settings UOT Kitchen, or upload a file to a previous configuration that you have already done.
Select your ROM from kitchen’s list, or upload your own files: Check "Upload System Files" and upload the files "framework-res.apk" and "SystemUI.apk" into the right place.
Let's begin, with a more "visual" tutorial, shall we?
Before you even load the Kitchen, create a temporary folder for your work. Place a copy of your ROM on your desktop or other location fro easy access. Use 7zip (or whatever) to unzip it here. You'll see why in a moment. Now, fire up the Kitchen...​
Pre-Themeing Checklist:
You will need the ROM you're trying to theme, 7zip (or a comparable compression utility), and a notepad (any will do). Also, it helps to have a clear idea of what you want to create. There are a lot of options in the kitchen, and if you don't know what you're after it's easy to get bogged down.​
When you start the Kitchen you will see this:
Breakdown of the Kitchen:
The Kitchen is broken up into tabs, like a browser. Let's start with the tab labeled "Battery". In every mod of the Kitchen there is a check box, to select whether to use it or not. Select the check box if you want to theme the battery indicator. There really isn't a lot to this, you can use any combination of icons and settings without issue, except do not use any settings for MIUI.
If you happen to notice that the preview hasn't been rendered, that happens quite a bit, so you need to be patient. Also note that the color selections are in hex format. This is where the Notepad++ (Windows) or Leafpad (or other for Linux) comes in. I usually use three colors in my themes, a main as well as one a bit lighter and one a bit darker. Note the hex codes for your colors with the notepad, for easy copy and paste operations. This way you will have consistent colors across your theme. Like so:
The reason I use three shades per theme is for the pop ups, volume bars, and sliders. All of these options will let you use three or more colors. I like to assign the darkest shade for the top and bottom colors, and the lightest for the center in my volume bars. This creates a touch of a 3D illusion.
Now feel free to go wild with the modules of the kitchen, but two warnings:
Do not use an animated background for the notification area. This will crash the status bar, and you'll have no notifications.
Be careful when selecting the place for your boot animation.
We now have a Cyanogenmod-based ROM. Choosing the wrong location will result in a boot animation that can't be changed later (without jumping through a bunch of hoops! Solution at the bottom of the post.) One other thing, there are places in the Kitchen that need to know if your phone is HDPI, MDPI, or LDPI. After you are satisfied with your work, go to the file upload tab.
Don't be intimidated by settings you don't understand, just set them like mine (if they aren't already, these are the defaults). You will need to upload two files, that's why we chose the unzipped ROM back at the beginning. For the framework-res.apk, you will find it in /system/framework, for SystemUI.apk, you will find it in /system/apps. You also have the option of downloading your settings to a file. This makes for easy updating in the future. If you forget to save your settings, don't panic. Look inside your UOT .zip file with 7zip, and you'll find it in the folder called (what else?) /settings. Once those are uploaded you can go to the summary tab. Everything should be green or white like so:
Now, let’s put the recipe in the oven. Select the "Summary" tab and make sure all the options you chose are green. If any are red, return the corresponding tab and do the necessary corrections. If everything is correct, click "Submit work to kitchen". Will be generated a protocol number. Keep this number, you will need it to identify your order when it is ready. Orders can take some minutes to several hours to get ready, depending on the traffic order on the site and the amount of changes you requested. Please be patient. Go to the top "Pickup" tab and follow the progress of orders. Once your ready, download it. (the orders will be stored on site for a maximum of 12 hours. After that, they are deleted). Now you can use your preferred method to transfer files to your Atrix2, using the flash method (ROM Manager / CWM) or extract files from ZIP and transfer manually (Root Explorer or another).​
Now you are ready to click submit. You should see something like this:
General Tips:
It's easy to go overboard. Think of the impact of not just the preview you're looking at, but of all of your customizations at once. Sometimes a little goes a long way.
If you are working on several themes at the same time, make note of the UOT number. Now go to the pick up page, and wait for your number to come up. Now you can download it for testing. It isn't unusual to re-cook a theme three or four times, to get it just right. If you are satisfied, it's time to give it a descriptive name, upload to something like Mediafire, put some screen shots on Photobucket, and post it here, if you'd like!
If you are updating a theme, just upload your UOT file in the settings tab. Note - For some odd reason, the Kitchen doesn't seem to save icon settings. You need to reset that every time. At least I do, but that might just be me.
Forget to save your settings? Like a theme by someone else, and want to do a remix? Please remember to give proper credit to the original theme author.
Open the theme zip file with 7zip (or similar) and look for the folder "settings", your UOT file will be in the root of that folder.
Want to use a boot animation other than what's in the kitchen? Make your own with this nifty tool, and flash away!
Again, with 7zip (or similar) open your theme zip file. Navigate to /system/media where you'll find a file named boot animation.zip. Overwrite this with your custom file re-named to boot animation.zip. Now you need to resign your zip, or it won't install.
Have a boot animation that just won't go away? Tried flashing new themes, and different boot animations with no effect?
Use Root Explorer (or similar) and navigate to /data/local. Delete the boot animation.zip. Reboot and enjoy!
Feel free to ask questions, or make observations. I will continue to edit and tweak this guide, and I welcome your feed back.
Video Tutorial Using The UOT Kitchen
Credit to Jermaine151​
Credits & Thanks
Special Thanks To:
http://www.qubenet.net/ - for hosting kitchen
rveupen - for additional boiler in the kitchen
daveba - for additional boiler in the kitchen
tankertuf - for additional boiler in the kitchen
xRepinsSporx - for additional boiler in the kitchen​
Credits & Thanks to:
QLIRATU - for creating original scripts that create the frameworks
MENDOZINAS - for making the custom version, creating the new layout, designing the new features
AVREEN - for Dr. Droid themes
FIGHTSPIT - for providing the Super battery Mod and verifying .xml files
BRUT.ALL - for making apktool
NROSIER - for giving us the animated icons, Mod E ,Mod G and more
TRINITYEON - for providing us with BLUE SENSE icons and Mod C
TieT - for fixing typo's errors
POTTER1984 - for nice boot animations
PENDO - for white dancing droid and help with apk-tools
CASTAWAY1 - for nice battery style
HOOOLM - for circle style icons and battery mod K
CHE123 - for Desire 3D turn boot animation
ACEJACKSOOTE - for Mod L battery
ESK02K - for Mod MW battery
DYSGENIC - for glow and particles boot animations
Crysis21 - for Version P, Glowing Crysis battery style
TheMasterBaron - for Scribble Rays and Jumpgate boot animations
Oijkn - for Carbon emoticons
Team Carbon - for Steel Blue icons set and boot animation
Fachadick and d_1000 - for font packs
Dmatik - for Version S battery
Rudolf895 - for Rudolf windows animation
TheSkepticalGuy - for Resident Evil boot animation
Danmcq - for 3d Bumblebee boot animation
Akoe101 - for akoe101 icon set
jsmccabe78- for Anastasdroid icons sets
TheGrammarFreak- for fixing typo's errors
CdTDroiD- for tutorial guide for n00bs video
kgill7- for Cloudy Theme
rascarlo- for Drizzle, Tesseract boot animations
kalagas- for Kalagas animated icons
aca85- for AlchemyDroid boot animation
LfcFan1977- for Digital battery
Than33- for SegoeThan and TrebuchetThan fonts
MrDSL - for loading circle and notify animation from Mixer theme
Tsachi - for Version T and W battery styles
halfsoul - for Version U battery style
kilo1548 - for Visual guide
fdespotovski - for Android 3D boot animation
despotovski01 - for Linux Bios boot animation​
Disclaimer
It took a lot of time and effort from all the above to make this kitchen, and it takes a lot more to maintain it. Users should realize this and appreciate the work done.
Bugs and errors (except de-compiling error) will try to be solved; however, the members listed above will need the code you receive back when you upload your file. Backups of the same will be kept for 12 hours, so if you have an error respond within that time.
Myself, nor any of the above will not be responsible for any damage that occurs to your device by the use of the themes created here, though if such an unfortunate event occurs do tell us we'll be happy to help.
Suggestions are welcomed for future releases.
Nice, guide. Hopefully some people will create some really cool things using the UOT, as I am not too sure how many users actually knew about it. Glad you brought it back to the front of the line, for everyone.
I was just going through a guide to use apktools for de/recompiling systemui.apk, now this looks even more interesting.. cant wait to try this.
have to wait till sunday though. Luckily i know a thing or two about patience, thanks to moto
Sent from my MB865 on rooted ICS leak
Awesome!
+10 fantastic guide!!!!! Was thinking of going to bed now I got a good reason to stay up a few more hours lol THANKS for the hard work on the guide.....
This is interesting stuff that I didn't know about. Good for people who are artsy or have some designing talent
Gonna start on a SCV7 theme using this :good:
Sent from my locked MB865 on Ice Cream Sandwich.
Has anyone had a chance to check this out? It's pretty awesome...
Sent from my rooted Mayan Calendar
Apex_Strider said:
Has anyone had a chance to check this out? It's pretty awesome...
Sent from my rooted Mayan Calendar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea all I used was a font but am going to get the pieces that I like and build a theme the old way..... :highfive:
Holy sh**. This is rad...my kind of stuff. I'll have to check it out soon! Very, very soon!!!
Sent from your mom's house....
Nice Guide
I think you did a really good job putting info together for a guide.
Although a lot of these things are probably posted, most lot of the information is fragmented and difficult to either find or follow.
Thanks for putting this guide together, and hope a lot of people put out some good looking mods!
MD
Just used this for the first time. Its awesome! Thanks Apex! This is some cool stuff.
Sent from my MB865 using xda premium
Nice guide as usual. I have used UOT multiple times for little things, and it is great for doing the stuff that is so tedious to do manually.
Thanks for the guide! very helpful!
good job
Good job dude! Thanks for tutorial! You pinp my phone.
Why do I always leave this
UOT-06-24-08-45-1 SHTF view error log
Hi All,
Anyone know if this kitchen can be used to cook theme for Nexus 5 running Android 4.4.2?
If so, which screen resolution should I use and is there anything else I need to know before start cooking?
Thank you

[BootTheme] MotoBlack v2.0 by xpmule 2016

I would say this is my best attempt at a Black mod of the stock default BootLogo.
I tried a huge amount of logo's and colors and effects but i was going for a simple style.
I re-created every single image in intense detail.
I also will start calling these a Boot "Theme"
This is a package made up of not just the Boot-Logo but ALL the Bootloader's 27 images.
So in reality it's far more of a theme than just a Logo.
I started doing this because i noticed a sloppy lame effort by Motorola on the default Logo.bin
I think my "themed" BootLogo came out looking a LOT better.
FEATURES:
- 5 separate flashable Boot Logo Sets (all using the same Menu Buttons)
- High Resolution.. Images @ 245 DPI (DPI of the Moto-E ?) Logo sourced from High Res 1600x1600.
- Smallest File Size.. I was aiming for performance + quality (This is far smaller than the default Logo.bin)
- Tested.. Charging etc + Flashing via TWRP & ADB/PC on Marshmallow & Lollipop.
- Simple Style.. Boot Logo Text "Android" dropped / removed. (just because)
- Unlocked Boot Logo.. Same Logo for Locked or Unlocked Bootloaders (Unlock Warning Removed)
- New Bootloader Buttons.. Colors were chosen carefully to make navigation more intuitive.
- Bootloader Button Text.. Changed the Menu Options Text to be shorter and more descriptive.
- Optimized Graphics.. Flat PNG's made with Adobe Fireworks (32bit, 245DPI) + cut away unneeded space.
- Cleaned up.. Removed the 3 Charging Images because they are never used (replaced with 1 pixel images)
- Improved Arrow Buttons.. Fixed alignment and created new images with a gradient effect (Wingdings3 font)
- Improved Menu Text.. Used much larger font size to make it easier to read (Droid Sans)
- Droid_Operation.. Android Robot on Bootloader was made larger and centered and a bit darker.
- Flashable Zip Format.. Or if you want to use ADB/PC to flash it just extract the Logo.bin from the zip file.
- Supported Systems.. Android 5.0, 5.1, 5.1.1 & 6.0
Note: I used the update-binary from inside the MotoBootLogoMaker Program + my own Update Script.
So comments / suggestions are welcome..
I did already make a few variations such as a Blue Sky with some clouds glass effect Logo.
I may share that one too later but i wanted to see if anyone has any suggestions or requests.
Note: I originally did this Logo Dark-Grey but felt the Blue color was a bit better.
I also did a Logo that matched the original shade of blue (all with black backgrounds)
And yeah i have seen others do it already.. but they usually do a sloppy job of it.
I also wanted to share this thinking some people may want it simply to use the Buttons etc.
So people feel free to take my Logo.bin and put your own Logo-Picture in and share it etc.
[animated (x5) Downloadable Logo's preview - right click view]
{
"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"
}
EXPECT MORE !​
I am reserving this spot for a couple of the variations i made.
(most of the work is already done)
PS:
Expect more = i mean, Expect more from us who make & share things.. don't settle for sloppy crap
EDIT:
Here is a variation i was going to add.. Same logo as what i already uploaded but i put some effects on it.
So do you people think it's better with or with out the Text (new or old font?) sometimes i like all 3.
Anyway, does this one look interesting?
Other Logo suggestions etc ?
hxxp://i68.tinypic.com/2lt288m.jpg
Well since i edited my last comment i went and threw together + Tested another Logo quick..
It's the same as the first one but a different Main Logo. (download = post attachment)
MotoBlack v2.1 "DarkFeather"
Same as first one just a new main Logo..
MotoBlack v2.2 "VerticalLines"
Last one for a while
This one is the same but a new Logo featuring India.
MotoBlack v2.3 "Earth"
xpmule said:
I am reserving this spot for a couple of the variations i made.
(most of the work is already done)
PS:
Expect more = i mean, Expect more from us who make & share things.. don't settle for sloppy crap
EDIT:
Here is a variation i was going to add.. Same logo as what i already uploaded but i put some effects on it.
So do you people think it's better with or with out the Text (new or old font?) sometimes i like all 3.
Anyway, does this one look interesting?
Other Logo suggestions etc ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
love it! see if u can silhouette a face or a canadian leaf(flag?) in the reflection!:laugh:
@lenigma1too
Not a bad suggestion.
I imported a bunch of different CAN flags into the PhotoShop Plugin i am using on Fireworks
(Custom Reflection Maps) combined with the Alien Skin Glass effect but sadly it just wasn't working too good
I may have a another go at it to see if i can get something though.
I just wanted to acknowledge your suggestion and let you know i did look into it.
It did give me some ideas and experimenting is good so it wasn't a loss.
Feedback is welcome guys and do whatever you want with these i shared.
DarkFeather & Earth looks AMAZING!
rushabshah32 said:
DarkFeather & Earth looks AMAZING!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks i hope you guys like the Bootloader Menu buttons i took a long time on those.
If someone wanted them i can share the editable PNG's i used to make them.
I created one file with all options inside it..
I also have been using the DarkFeather one for myself ever since.
One thing i noticed is there is a difference in brightness between my phone and my PC.
So i sometimes i quickly go back and adjust the brightness to make the Logo way darker.
The Boot screen tends to make true black super bright
xpmule said:
Thanks i hope you guys like the Bootloader Menu buttons i took a long time on those.
If someone wanted them i can share the editable PNG's i used to make them.
I created one file with all options inside it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm actually scared to try this because, the boot menu buttons are different in my phone.. I think it's because I've an older bootloader? So This theme " might" mess up my bootloader.. So can you just send the logo.bin file for those 2 themes? Thanks in advance
Sent from my XT1521 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Quality workmanship... Lenotorola should b embarrassed!
Yeah dude, super impressed. As I stated before I have three of these phones, and I enjoyed your bootloader theme so much it's now on all three of them! Two of them are daily drivers, & third one is my ROM/App tester, as it has a small crack in the screen, thus ->> not a daily driver. Out of all the logo.bins' ive flashed, and mods installed, & Everything I've ever loaded, yours are by far the most detailed and beautifully constructed visuals I've ever had! And the details with the bootloader images & the buttons/keys & the front? Better than icing on the cake, it's like butter icing in a spoon (if that could be any better?!? Lolz!) Come to think of it, I think I've only ever encountered one other flash that change the font. Never mind changing all 27 images, centering them and graphic resizing them so it looks appropriate and proportional!
My hat goes off to you sir!
Its such a quality job, rest assured they will be on every Moto E 2nd edition I ever own, I ever fixed, or repair...
I somehow end up doing a lot of those last two things
@ lenigma1too
Thanks for the kind words
I did this for myself like i was saying when i seen how sloppy the default Moto buttons were.
It would be easy for me to make the txt in the menu items like the original bootloader (if you all want)
And yeah the TXT alignment was irritating the hell out of me on the original menu items.
They would jump around all over LOL
And to the other guy i have no reason to believe it would be a problem on your phone.
All these do is change the pictures.. that is it.
It does nothing else like modifying the Bootloader or changing fonts etc.
And i have been downloading and comparing Firmware packages since 5.0
And the stock Logo.bin from Motorola has never changed.
For example..
XT1527_SURNIA_RETCA_5.0.2_LXI22.50-53.8_cid14_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml
MD5: af89b4f5f32b6a16e6b8611e5b7051e0
XT1527_SURNIA_RETUS_5.1_LPI23.29-18.9_cid9_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml
MD5: af89b4f5f32b6a16e6b8611e5b7051e0
XT1527_SURNIA_RETCA_6.0_MPI24.65-39_cid14_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml
MD5: af89b4f5f32b6a16e6b8611e5b7051e0
And MANY more i tested.. ALL them exact same !
One thing i did notice i think though is on Lollipop Bootloaders
the entry for WIFI Flash would show up and can be seen..
But On Marshmallow Bootloaders it's now gone.
It's the Bootloader that controls that stuff.. it decides.
I do not think WIFI Flash was ever implemented for real.
It was a beta feature in the works i seen after googling it recently back on Lollipop.
Which seems to be removed from Marshmallow (at least the visible text / menu entry anyway)
So guy..
I said in the first post either flash it with TWRP etc
OR.. just extract the Logo.bin file from the zip file and use ADB to flash it.
And if anyone is curious what is inside them just download "MotorolaBootLogoMaker"
then open the Logo.bin i shared and browse to see all the images. (or add you own instead etc)
Flashable zip files are just normal zip files guys.
So there is no point in me uploading the theme logo 2 times.
Also i had debated on sharing a different version of the planet one.
I had originally made it all blue using a color filter effect but i opted to share the full color one even though both looked good.
The other major reason i did these was the Bootloader menu options were so hard to read.
I wanted to make the text on the menu options way bigger.
I flashed it and man it looks so damn cool! Thanks @xpmule . Btw is there a way to freeze the phone at the bootlogo for a longer time so i can look it the cool logo ? Hehe
Edit:
This theme is so good it makes me want a special bootanimation.. Something like the Earth bootlogo, but the earth spins and u can see the cool lights as night approaches in different countries :silly::silly:
I do not think you can stop it..
Thanks for the feedback too
I also had thought of making an animated Bootlogo to go with these too.
To start a black background conversion of the original Animation
and then a couple variations too.
But i had issues with the tools and then keep forgetting.
One issue is most Logos's and animations are image based,
so if i took one of them and modded it i have to covert it to a video so i started looking into that
I know i can probably use ffmpeg via commandline but i wanted a program with a GUI (i found one)
SO there is more to come
It would make more sense to be calling it a Boot theme if included an Animation also.
i really just wanted a mod of the original one with black-backgrounds to make it easier on my eyes.
That is the main point here for all this..
In case you guys didn't know you can use ANY video as a Bootloader-Animation.
So the options are limitless. (You can also convert animated images into videos too)
But be careful installing the old style Moto v1 BootAnimations some of them may brick your phone.
*Some* of the older more common animated JPEG sets seem to work and other trap your phone into a bootloop
I know i did it myself LOL
What i did was get a BootAnimation zip that had inside it jpeg's (it was an official Moto one untouched with same 540x960)
But it got part way through then locked up.. my phone could not boot afterwards and i had to restore from a back-up.
You can tell them apart by opening any BootAnimation.zip file
then checking if you see a ton of jpeg's or 2 mp4 files (mp4 = new version on Moto E 2015)
The first mp4 is a short clip meant to play once then the 2nd super short one is meant to loop / repeat.
This make it last longer if the Booting takes longer than normal etc. (so the video animation can vary in length dynamically)
Lastly i did some digging and i got the Encoder settings for the official Motorola Boot Animations
And then i created a profile for the x264 encoder on Avidemux (to create video's exactly like the originals)
Blah blah blah
Point is i will work up some more stuff to share soon i think LOL
Menu Buttons Source
So i zipped up the source to the buttons and added them here as an attachment.
This includes the Font i used and the editable PNG and a note text file.
The text file lists the original + changed colors and names.
The font.zip has all Droid fonts but i only used "Droid Sans regular" 40 point (and Wingdings 3 default on Win7)
Note: the PNG has the two little arrows "grouped" together. (right click them and select un-group in Fireworks)
Only 1 text entry and arrow set should be visible then save..
Then on next button hide those and make 2 other ones visible and save again.
Then put them in MotoBootLogoMaker.. save, flash & boot
I have lots of weird fonts.. i could do the buttons in Klingon if needed but i was going for "normal" LOL
The point to this was i was just trying to make the menu buttons easier to read and maybe look a bit nicer.
But if anyone wants what i used to make their own mod feel free to do what ever you all want with this stuff.
Fonts included their respective license files (Apache)
Here is another another one just a different main logo.
This is the default Marshmallow BootLogo converted to a Black background.
It has a nice smooth result because i used a color filter to flip Black/White while keeping Color.
I also upped the DPI to 245 (from 72)
Couple quick notes..
First the original png can only be found inside the bootanimation.zip listed as SOL.png
If you go get the same picture from the stock Logo.bin it will be the old version
as seen on Lollipop Firmware's and on Current Marshmallow Firmware's.
Why care?
Because it's different.
It has subtle textures applied to it and a slightly different color of Blue.
It also matches the BootAnimation "Stitches" for Marshmallow by Motorola.
And yes i have started working on converting the animation to go with this too.
But it's a LOT of work !
I have made a test so far and the result is the video encoder i used is making the black a bit too bright.
And because of the background now being black the texture flickering is far more noticeable
then it is on the stock white one from Moto.
So i am not sure how the "Stitches" animation converted to Black is going to work out.
I guess i will finish making it soon and upload it and you all can decide..
In the meantime i uploaded here the Boot LOGO part as an attachment.. flashable.zip / tested
(hopefully you guys got what i meant by all this rambling)
EDIT:
Added the test MP4 video i was talking about earlier as a zipped attachment.
It's the 2nd part of the default MM animation with a Black background conversion.
You can all probably see how the Texture flickers and is noticeable in Black.
PS:
Let me know if these pictures are killing your browser.
I can re-size them smaller if they are too much..
EDIT2: "stitches update"
I changed tools and got a better more exact result using FFMPEG.exe
So far i completed the 2nd 4 second clip matching the encoder settings 99.99 exact as the original.
The next one is 14 seconds long so will be more work / time.
What i had to do was dump every single video frame out into a lossless image format
then apply a Photoshop Filter (using Fireworks) effect to each individual image frame one by one.
the 4 seconds clip required me editing 96 images totaling around 100mb's.
Thank god for keyboard shortcuts LOL
So i will for sure finish it up and test it then upload it soon guys.
To recap, this will be the Boot-Animation for Marshmallow called "Stitches" with a black background.
And it will match perfectly the Boot logo i uploaded on this comment v2.4
MotoBlack v2.4 "Stitches"​​
These are really great logos. My favorites are the Moto Black with the solid black background and the Moto Black Stitches. I have always liked the simple Motorola logo and these are super clean. Did the glass reflection logo get removed?
Thank you for your work.
sean_p said:
These are really great logos. My favorites are the Moto Black with the solid black background and the Moto Black Stitches. I have always liked the simple Motorola logo and these are super clean. Did the glass reflection logo get removed?
Thank you for your work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for letting me know.
I did not make the Blue Glass Logo into a Logo.bin.
Was not sure it was good enough to be honest.
I posted it as sample to see if anyone was interested if i made it into a Logo.bin file.
I tend to like the simple ones myself and dark too.
Anything i have shared i hope is dark so the icons on the home-screen are easy to see.
I don't like bright wallpaper backgrounds they are too distracting.. and can be too bright i think.
There will be more uploaded i have some ideas i am working on.
If anyone has any suggestions feel free to post them. (or questions)
Thanks for the feedback :good:
@xpmule
What program did you use to modify the logo.bin file? I've tried what I found online to no avail.
Thank you.
jrc2 said:
@xpmule
What program did you use to modify the logo.bin file? I've tried what I found online to no avail.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[APP] Motorola Boot Logo Maker (source code included) (Version 2.4)
It's from an XDA user here and the download link is on his first post.
Have fun with it.. i thanked him many times it's a well done program !

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