Database Info

[Guide] MetaMorphing! (Updated 5-2-10)

MetaMorph has been updated so that all old MetaMorphs that use a .thm control file WILL NOT WORK! This guide has been updated to instruct you on how to convert your themes to the new format
MetaMorph uses .zip files for its themes which the app unzips and places in a folder.
Inside the .zip is a .xml file and several folders for the apps you want to edit. (For example, you'll see com.htc.resources and Rosie folders in themes that change the bottom bar.) Treat these folders as if they were the .apks themselves. They use the same folder structure. So if you have a file in the folder Rosie/res/drawable/ in your theme's .zip, then MetaMorph will open up Rosie.apk and stick it in the /res/drawable/ folder. Get it?
So that's how you place the files. And the great part about MetaMorph is that you only need to put in the files that you're changing. That's all it needs. This keeps the themes very small and easy to edit, since you can see exactly which files need to be changed!
To create your theme control file, download the attached theme_control_template.xml.txt (rename it to remove the .txt extension) and fill in the required fields using any xml editor (I recommend Notepad++). Name the .xml file the EXACT SAME NAME as the name of the theme. If they do not match they the theme won't work.
Once you have your .xml file created, zip up the folder, place it in the AndroidThemes folder on your sdcard and start MetaMorph. MetaMorph will unzip it, create a new, unzipped folder in AndroidThemes, and add a .nomedia file in there.
This is a very simple process that can easily be done in as little as 5 minutes.
Here is a more in-depth guide if you so desire (by the author of the app): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=591329
And here is a collection of MetaMorphs created (Note: most of these WILL NOT work on Sense ROM's! Read what ROM each theme is created for carefullly! If you have a question, ask and someone will tell you if the theme is usable on your Hero): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=589315

Thanks for the tutorial. I've always wondered why more people don't use metamorph (for the Hero at least). It's such a great application. Hopefully we'll see some new themes popping up soon. Thanks!

So If I wanted to change a file in rosie.apk I would only need to place the modded file in the apk into metamorph? All the other junk can be left out?

Just did a little more reading and looking at some examples and looks like I got it. Thank for the information

Yea I hope to see more themes using this, seems alot easier and more flexible for designers/themers

I have a few font replacements that I found within the G1 forums:
SonySketch - Credit teradaz
{
"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"
}
Custom_Font - Credit DeadBody79 *(note that this font causes some stacking in the text, such as the alarm clock time and some app names)*
Please Nandroid before installing. Both were verified with Damage Control v.2.05. Should work for any ROM based on DC v2.05, not verified on 1.5/6 ROMs although I think they would work if the font files are in the /system/fonts directory and named the same as the Morphs. Stock fonts have also been provided.

I am having bit a problem with MetaMorph. After I open up Metamorph, it says that it needs to check a few things to make sure the phone meets all the requirement. After I press "Start Checks" it opens up Superuser but does nothing. I know superuser is working fine cuz it works for wifi tether. What am i doing wrong?

What ROM version do you have installed? After it checked for updates did you get the option to select "allow", "Always Allow", etc.? If there was something wrong Metamorph would probably have given you and error.

Re: [Guide] MetaMorphing!
so use meta to change those fonts you zipped. wondering if there is a way to apply the font changes to only certain parts of the phone. would this make it easier to change the colors of backgrounds and menus etc?

souless poet said:
so use meta to change those fonts you zipped. wondering if there is a way to apply the font changes to only certain parts of the phone. would this make it easier to change the colors of backgrounds and menus etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if you could change certain fonts without it affecting all fonts on the phone.

srkmagnus said:
What ROM version do you have installed? After it checked for updates did you get the option to select "allow", "Always Allow", etc.? If there was something wrong Metamorph would probably have given you and error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using Fresh 2.0d. I just get a blank screen on superuser. It doesn't show the option to "Allow" just blank screen!

skhonda said:
I am using Fresh 2.0d. I just get a blank screen on superuser. It doesn't show the option to "Allow" just blank screen!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue on my phone, using DCv2.05. Most of the time SU force closes.

skhonda said:
I am using Fresh 2.0d. I just get a blank screen on superuser. It doesn't show the option to "Allow" just blank screen!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey I'm new to these forums but I had a previous issue that did the same thing on Fresh's 2.0d. I did a search on here and it told me to make sure USB Debugging was on. It wasn't but once it was problem solved. Hope I could help!

OsNaYa said:
Hey I'm new to these forums but I had a previous issue that did the same thing on Fresh's 2.0d. I did a search on here and it told me to make sure USB Debugging was on. It wasn't but once it was problem solved. Hope I could help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that did it. Just turned on USB debugging and everything worked. Thanks

Does anybody have a good resource for metamorph themes?
Edit: nevermind, missed the link on the first post. Any other suggestions are welcomed

Every theme I download and put on my sd card gives me a invalid theme or theme is missing error. I would know exactly what it said if it stayed up for more than a second and 1/2. I am downloading themes based on the Rom I have yet NOTHING will work. Am I missing a step here. I download, put it in the AndroidThemes dir on the sd card then open Metamorph Pro and extract. I then get the message about it being invalid or it is missing.

redram38 said:
Every theme I download and put on my sd card gives me a invalid theme or theme is missing error. I would know exactly what it said if it stayed up for more than a second and 1/2. I am downloading themes based on the Rom I have yet NOTHING will work. Am I missing a step here. I download, put it in the AndroidThemes dir on the sd card then open Metamorph Pro and extract. I then get the message about it being invalid or it is missing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting the same message? I have no idea what I am doing wrong, I followed the guides?
Running Dammage 2.06ROM

Looking for a little help here. I want to change my bluetooth images in the framework-res.apk.
I keep getting this error.....
"The theme you selected is invalid because the the theme control file could not be read and may be missing"
This is what I have in my .thm file...
framework-res.apk
/system/framework/
This is the directory structure for my zip file (test.zip)....
-test
- framework-res
- res
- drawable-mdpi
My .thm file is in the test directory my images are in the drawable-mdpi directory.
Any idea what I might be doing wrong? Is BusyBox required for this to work? I saw some posts that led me to believe it was but others don't say anything about it. I am rooted and downloaded Metamorph and it seem to run okay accept for the error when trying to load my zip file.
Thanks.

Ok, for the people who are getting invalid theme messages:
Recently, Stericson changed MetaMorph - Donate to MetaMorph Pro. MetaMorph Pro uses a different theme format than MetaMorph free does! Instead of using .thm files, it uses .xml files. This means that any themes that were made for MetaMorph free WILL NOT work for MetaMorph Pro! Kinda lame, I know, but that's the case for right now.
My best advice for you is to just install the free version for now. I know you paid $3 for the Pro version and I don't want you to waste your money, so as soon as I am able to I will look into converting these into themes compatible with MetaMorph Pro.
Sorry for the inconvenience.

Gregalous said:
Ok, for the people who are getting invalid theme messages:
Recently, Stericson changed MetaMorph - Donate to MetaMorph Pro. MetaMorph Pro uses a different theme format than MetaMorph free does! Instead of using .thm files, it uses .xml files. This means that any themes that were made for MetaMorph free WILL NOT work for MetaMorph Pro! Kinda lame, I know, but that's the case for right now.
My best advice for you is to just install the free version for now. I know you paid $3 for the Pro version and I don't want you to waste your money, so as soon as I am able to I will look into converting these into themes compatible with MetaMorph Pro.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw that and also tried a xml file.
"<?xml version="1.0"?>
<item>framework-res.apk</item>
<path>/system/framework/</path>
"
That's what I had. Very basic but thought it was enough to work but got the same message.
I am running the free version 1.9.4 I think?
.

[GUIDE] Newbie's How To: Port Theme's

How To Port Theme's
(Using Apktool, and Theme Porter)
Since there are some people out there willing to learn but not exactly able to with all of the convoluted information on the forums, I decided I'd start putting together a guide similar to other's to aid those trying to learn. Stay tuned as this is under construction!
All credit is due to original creators of the product's used in this process, without them there wouldn't be a reason for this guide . Please be respectful of other's work, sometimes it's best to ask before attempting (if it is an original product) but at very least give credit and a link back.
What is porting?
Porting very basically is taking .png files and XML changes from one theme (typically created for a different model, but using the same resolution) and copying them into deodexed stock rom's such as EC10/EE19 Pick and Pack so that they can be flashed onto our phones and used with our framework and/or updated framework.
Sounds really easy, doesn't it? At first it will be cumbersome and frustrating, but after you've used the processes enough you will be able to snap these out in 30 minutes or less! The problem lies in the way these files are packaged, they are mainly just a .zip file that isn't compressed, however there is another layer to an .apk that you can only see once you've learned how to use tools such as apktool/apkmanager. The other tool we will use to aid us in this painstaking process is an application called Theme Porter, which essentially is a script that has been written that will do all of the legwork for us. Let's get started!
What will I need?
Apktool I currently use an older version of the program, you can download here, this one I know works for sure - last I heard the other has issues.
ThemePorter
7zip (Win rar could be used instead)
Notepad++ (Or equivalent code editing software) which will be used to make the xml changes. If you're not familiar with using something such as this, you may want to take time to research before attempting to port.
How to set up;
Begin by getting ThemePorter setup, you just need to unzip the download and that will be "theme porter" It is basically just made up of a few folders, and has a batch script that you will use to initiate the process. I just place mine on the desktop for easy access.
Secondly, get apktool downloaded and unzipped. place the apt folder somewhere where you can easily navigate to it through a command prompt. C: might be a good place if you want to save yourself some keystrokes.
Next just make sure you have notepad++ or another editor installed for use later.
Lastly, get 7zip installed so that you're able to open .apk and .zip files without actually extracting the files.
Where do I get my source files?
You can use any framework from any rom that can be decompiled correctly with apktool. This means when you decompile it, there are no errors and it generates a folder with the same name. Download the rom of your choice and save it (still zipped) somewhere on your desktop, and make an extra copy in case you mess up and overwrite the wrong files. You will ALWAYS use these in the NEW folder within theme porter, but we will get to that.
As for the theme you're trying to port, I usually use fascinate theme's, because it is basically a direct copy of our phone (Note: As of 2.2 they now have a Data on/off icon in their status pull down, where we have Silence, so this will often need to be taken care of separate from this process.) I've also recently started using Vibrant theme's, as these are also very similar - but there are tweaks with these too and I will try to cover them in the guide at some point. You may find others that will work too, at this point this is all I've had time to mess with. Either way, download the .ZIP file and also place it somewhere easy to access.
This is where it get's sort of difficult.
Stock ROM's have some differences to theme's that theme porter cannot handle for you. These are basically MOD's that may exist in the theme ROM and/or XML changes that have been made to alter text color's to accommodate the theme (black to white, white to black, etc.) These changes WILL NOT be ported over using theme porter and unfortunately also cannot be made AFTER using theme porter, so there is a certain process to go about this.
Now enter's apktool. Apktool is a script brut.all very kindly wrote to assist android developers in decompiling/recompiling .apk files without losing structure that normal compression software breaks. Basically there are two reasons you will need to take this step.
When;
Editing Text Color- When choosing a theme to port you will need to pay attention to the screenshots the original poster has posted, as these will clue you in whether or not this needs to happen.
The Pick and Pack rom is essentially still stock, as far as XML goes - so the text on menu's for example, will be Black text on a white background. If the theme you chose has something different, you will need to take this step so that the text is legible in the final theme.
Adding accurate battery MOD- Also when choosing a theme you will need to take a look at the framework-res.apk file to determine if the themer has added the accurate battery mod. Essentially all this means is the XML and image's have been edited to show you each percentage of battery life vs. the stock one that only shows odd increments of 10/15/20.
Open framework-res.apk with 7zip
Navigate to res/drawable-hdpi (this also may be drawable-hdpi-v4 depending on your theme, I haven't quite figured out why this is)
Scroll down until you see the status_battery icons near the bottom - if there are not images for every percentage - then no mod exist's and you can skip using apktool for this step.
How;
For either change you will follow this process to decompile To gain access to the XML/PNG files that contain these text values, we will need to decompile the framework-res.apk file from the rom.
Copy framework-res.apk from the rom and place in the APT folder created earlier.
Rename this to something shorter such as "FW.apk" for easier command lines
Start a command prompt (in windows 7 type "cmd" in the search bar within start menu)
Navigate to the APT folder, For example;
Code:
CD c:\Users\brandon\Desktop\apt
Type
Code:
apktool d FW.apk
This will decompile the .apk into a folder called FW within the APT folder, allowing you access to the files. I will cover the actual changes in a later post.
At this point you have the files in a folder and they can be edited how you see fit (should you choose to just edit the stock ones vs. actually porting already changed ones).
You'll notice when examining the folder that there are quite a bit more files. Also, you will be introduced to the .9.png file type, which essentially is just a .png file that has some black lines embedded in the file to instruct android how to resize and reuse the image within the framework.
Any edits made to these files must be made carefully, as to not alter the integrity of these black lines. When the file is recompiled, the lines will disappear but will be included (if you tried doing this without decompiling - your photo editor would nix these lines and android wouldn't know how to size them)
If all your edits were complete, you would then recompile the file through apktool. (I will continue with the theme porting guide in the next step, this is just a good reference point for these steps.)
Type this into the command prompt
Code:
apktool b FW framework-res.apk
This would then create the framework-res.apk file in the APT folder, however there is an important step here. During this process the META folder is lost, and the AndroidManifest file is corrupted.
Delete the AndroidManifest.xml file from the new framework-res.apk
Copy the META-INF folder and the AndroidManfiest.xml file from the ORIGINAL framework-res.apk (now named FW.apk in this example) and place it in the new framework-res.apk using 7zip (do not extract the file, open the archive with 7zip.)
At this point, your framework could be ready for replacing in your theme.zip (will be covered later) with the edit's you've made Or if you're learning how to port theme's, continue reading.

Guide Part 2....
Preparing for Theme Porter
Okay now that we have some of the side process out of the way, let's get back to the guide.
Determine if you need to make any XML edit's for battery or text color changes and perform them per the processes detailed below. If you do not need to make them, you may skip this step completely and move on to using theme porter.
Correcting Accurate Battery Mod Animations-
Follow this guide to make the changes to the framework to use the new charging animation images and will allow you to then use theme porter to swap the .png files
Decompile the framework-res.apk from the ROM download (I usually just rename this to EE19.apk or whatever the rom is i'm working with)
Decompile the framework-res.apk (I first rename the framework-res.apk file to NEW.apk (or whatever you wish) Note: It will typcially give you errors (unless it's theme'd correctly) but you're just after some code from a few .xml files so don't worry.
In the NEW folder Navigate to
Code:
\res\drawable-hdpi\
or
\res\drawable-hdpi-v4\
Copy all of the battery charging .png's and drag them to a folder on your desktop. Then open the EE19 folder within APT (the one you decompiled from the rom you're working from) Drag those images into the /res/drawable-hdpi-v4 directory replacing any existing ones.
open the following file in notepad++
Code:
\apt\NEW\res\drawable\stat_sys_battery_charge.xml
Also open the same file within the EE19 decompiled folder
In the THEME xml file select all and copy
In the EE19 xml file, paste this replacing the text. Then save it overwriting the original.
At this point, the battery mod is done and the new .png files exist so that theme porter can do it's work (And the xml is there to make it works when it get's to your phone). If you don't have any text edits to make, you can recompile the apk (as stated in steps in first post) and move on to steps below (skipping the section on changing text).
Changing text colors-
If you have determined that the text in the theme is different from the rom framework (I.E. Text on notifications, menu's, etc.) then you will follow these steps to locate where these changes need to be made.
If you haven't already, decompile the framework-res.apk from the Rom.
Next, determine what text color edit's you need to make and then use this wonderful reference to determine which actual files those edit's correspond to.
Locate the file you need to edit in the decompiled folder, and open it with 7zip.
Typically removing the "inverse" reference on the color line will change it from black to white, or white to black and is the easiest/best way to alter colors in a ROM. (For a quick note, searching for "menu" in the styles.xml files located in /values/ will give you the items you need to change, watch for _bright references for the dividers, change those to _dark instead.
Once you are done making these edits, recompile the folder as stated in first post. And move on to using theme porter.
Using Theme Porter-PAY CLOSE ATTENTION HERE.
Now that you have the appropriate prep-work done, the easy part finally comes. (Hopefully)
Copy and paste the applications & framework-res.apk twframework-res.apk files from the THEME.zip into the appropriate folders within the OLD folder in theme porter.
Now copy and paste the same files that you copied from the theme.zip, now from the rom (EE19 for example) to the NEW folder in theme porter.
Once all files are in appropriate folders, run the Script.bat file in theme porter. Use a selection of "1" and press enter.
Theme porter will now copy all of the .png files from one .apk to the other (where the folder names are an exact match)
NOTE:At this step, you may have issues where the images aren't brought over (This typically only effects the framework files and just depends on how the file was generated/edited). This can be detrmined by opening the .apk in 7zip and pulling out the res folder, where you can view the files (you will see if it's been changed or not) If it hasn't, you will need to make sure the folder within the Themed .apk's are the exact same as the ROM you're themeing and re-run the theme porter script. (meaning you need to add or remove the -v4 ending depending on where the previous themer placed the themed files)
If you're lucky, everything is done at this point and you can move on to packaging a flashable update.zip.
Packaging A Flashable Update.Zip
A flashable package is simply a .zip file (stored as "store" in 7zip, no compression) that is made up of META-INF and System folders. The META-INF folder is very important as there is a big difference between using one from a ROM (pick and pick) and a theme (NeonGT) You will need to download a theme and pull the META-INF folder out so that you can use it in your theme ports. This is to ensure you have the correct script (edify or ammend) typically now we're using edify so use one from one of the H57 theme's via baked_tator The system folder should contain two folders "framework" and "app" each of which will hold the respective .apk files you have been working with. (but could also contain a "Media" folder for changing bootanimation.zip files, basically any files within the folder structure you create (matches the system structure) will be replaced when flashed. So be careful not to include things I haven't listed here unless you know what you're doing. And be sure to test these things before even thinking about a release.
Create the following folder that can be re-used with any new theme port, it's the easiest way to keep things organized and not lose track of files.
Create a new folder on your desktop called New Theme
Within that folder paste in the META-INF folder from another EE19 theme.
Create a new folder called "system"
Open system and create two new folders "app" and "framework" (and "media" if you are including the bootanimation.zip from the theme (which typically will work on our phone)
Place approprate files from the NEW folder within theme porter into these folders, respectively
Back up so that you see the META-INF folder and System folder, select those two, right-click and select "add to archive" in the 7zip menu.
Name the file "EE19 ThemeName VX.zip" and select "Store" for the method
Drag this to your desktop and this will be what you will place on your SD card for flashing.
Test the theme thoroughly to make sure everything ported over and everything still works (make sure to test USB, even color XML edits can cause odd issues) and get help from others to make sure the bugs are out.
If you run into issues, check the next post for possible resolutions.
BE SURE TO CREDIT THE PROPER CREATORS!!! I can't express this enough, I have a format for the way I do release posts, feel free to copy it if you'd like but either way make sure you make it known that it's not your work!

FAQ / Common Issues / Other Resources
Common Issues:
Images do not transfer to new framework.apk files.
(typically the applications all have the same folder names, so no problems occur here.)
As stated in the guide, all folders within each res folder within each .apk file used in theme porter must have exact matching folders/files for the .png to actually transfer. If it's been edited with apktool, it typically has the -v4 extension.
Troubleshoot your issue by opening the resulting .apk file in 7zip and comparing to the downloaded theme file in 7zip. You may have to pull the res folders out and look that way to actually see which images didn't transfer.
First thing to check is the folder names within the res folder, if the rom folder's names are "drawable-hdpi" and "drawable-land-hdpi" and the theme has "drawable-hdp-v4" then you need to remove the -v4 from those folders and run theme porter again.
NOTE: I've also run into situations where both folder's existed in the .apk file, meaning both drawable-hdpi and drawable-hdpi-v4 folders were there, but only one actually had the themed .pngs. In this case it was the drawable-hdpi folder that had the themed ones, but I needed it to be -v4, so I deleted the existing -v4 folders and renamed the others to -v4 - this also slimmed the rom because you really don't need the extra folders/files (nor wan't them!)
Some times icons don't exist on other phones, or they are completely different icons. I.E. with 2.2 fascinate theme's the Silence icon does not exist and therefore would need to be pulled from another theme or created to be fixed. This can be done with 7zip, no need to decompile the file if you're just swapping .png files (in the final framework-res.apk .
[*]Problems after testing theme.
This has happened to me on all sorts of levels;
Problems Restoring - Sometimes after testing theme's you'll go to restore and things will not be right when you boot, FC's and whatnot. Best case scenario you can restore to a vanilla restore (meaning your rom + any app's you wanted, but no theme's) or just flash your rom to fix.
Problems with icon's not being correct on a restore or a flash.
Same as above, sometimes things just go awry when you're flashing theme on top of theme, so i'ts best to start from the rom. Make a restore point with your rom + all your apps, then you can always go back to it and flash your day to day theme - this will give you the least trouble.
Phone stuck in airplane mode, setting is disabled.
I had this happen to me randomly once, no idea why but if you do run into this the only thing that fixed it for me was an odin back to a full build. No restore or flash would fix it. Typically your problem should be solved with a fresh flash of your rom, but sometimes going to a full build with odin is the only way.
FAQ:
Post them and we'll get them answered and edited in here. So far I've tried to cover everything I knew of in the guide .
Reserved
Reserved
Reserved
Other Resourcs:
Great guide by nitsuj17 on how to theme
Hex Colors
Free Photoshop Alternative
XML Color Edit Guide - in case you missed it above - credits to KBanause

wow, you rock bde. thanks for your time and help with this, I will be following it to help you guys out with stuff more.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

sageDieu said:
wow, you rock bde. thanks for your time and help with this, I will be following it to help you guys out with stuff more.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, and thanks, I'm glad to share what I've learned with the community

Great write up,ive read through it several times. Just wish I hadn't traded my desktop for tattoo work this weekend. ..
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

man you write some good tutorials...
Very thorough and still easy to understand, Great work!!

Very nice! Just fixed the white on white text in my super light port. Big Thanks!

Great write up!

So, I tried using apktool to decompile the framwork-res.apk and it worked fine, recompiled it and everything was good, are these the same steps I would use for other APK's such as in the apps folder (i.e. Settings.apk) because I cannot get them to work I keep getting brut.androlib errors

bwot75 said:
So, I tried using apktool to decompile the framwork-res.apk and it worked fine, recompiled it and everything was good, are these the same steps I would use for other APK's such as in the apps folder (i.e. Settings.apk) because I cannot get them to work I keep getting brut.androlib errors
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Usually if you get errors in compiling there have been things added or removed after compiling, this is sometimes caused by using theme porter for example.
Apktool works on any apk, but i'ts fussy about what's there before it recompiles. Try decompiling and recompiling with no changes, if it doesn't work then it won't work on that .apk (to my knowledge). You basically will always need to start with one of the deodexed apks from phidelt's pick and pack, then add changes while i'ts decompiled, then run theme porter after it's recompiled if needed.
And glad you all appreciate it

I vote sticky on this how-to...very good write up and it makes my life easier!!!

Definitely sticky
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

Thanks for the good reading bde. great tutorial.

Hey thanks, glad to share the wealth
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App

I followed this guide and made XML editing for Framework-res.apk to change font colour in the Menu using Notepad++, but after xml edit, cant build the framework.apk, it says sources have changed and does not build the apk. Am using apktool for this. Any suggestions how to go about it. Or somebody can guide, how can I change the menu background so that Menu texts are visible?

trip007in said:
I followed this guide and made XML editing for Framework-res.apk to change font colour in the Menu using Notepad++, but after xml edit, cant build the framework.apk, it says sources have changed and does not build the apk. Am using apktool for this. Any suggestions how to go about it. Or somebody can guide, how can I change the menu background so that Menu texts are visible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As stated in an above post, try decompiling the framework-res.apk you are working with - without any edits and see if it will recompile with no error. If it doesn't then re-read my guide

Ok thanks will check it.

Never mind, I figured it out.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

I did some major fixin' on the OP, hope it's more clear!

[MOD] Black Check Marks - Much easier to see!

NOTE: I'm probably not going to make any new versions of this. There are simply too many rom versions. Instead, I have provided complete instructions in this post on how to do this yourself. Check the DIY section.
This is a modification of the framework-res.apk that turns the green check marks into black ones. The green ones don't have enough contrast and are very hard to see with the phone held at a normal distance from your eyes, or in bright sunlight. I made a point not to change the aesthetics of the existing icons. I just wanted to make them darker.
I tested the new icons in a variety of apps, and every app I tested that used the old icons now shows the new ones. Some apps like Gmail use square, holo-style check marks and aren't affected by this mod. The check marks in the HTC settings are also not affected. I'm not sure where those icons are stored, or else I would change them, too. Those ones can be changed by picking a different HTC skin. The "Matte" skin, in particular, makes those check marks dark blue.
I have created different versions for different Sense-based roms here on XDA.
CleanROM 4.5
CleanROM 4.2 LE/SE
I have not tested the versions for Sick Sense or Xi40 r119, however, there's not much that could go wrong with them. I extracted the framework-res.apk from those roms, stuffed in the new PNGs, added them to my flashable mod structure, zipped them up, and signed them. Please let me know if you try them out. Make a nandroid backup first, though!
If you are currently running a theme that already modifies framework-res.apk for your rom then this mod will eliminate those changes. This is meant to be applied over the default theme of the specific versions above. If your rom gets updated then this may or may not work with the new version. These best way to check this is to compare the MD5 hash of the unaltered framework-res.apk from one of the above rom versions to the unaltered framework-res.apk from whatever new version has come out. If the checksums are the same then the rom maker hasn't updated framework-res.apk and you can freely overwrite it again with the Black Check Marks Mod.
Screenshots
Here's a set of 25% resolution before and after screenshots. This sort of simulates difficult viewing conditions, and shows how hard it can be to see the green check marks, and how much easier it is to see the black ones.
{
"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"
}
Here's a large screenshot from Windows showing the icons in detail:
I also edited the smaller "zzzhtc holo" version of the icons which are used by some apps. They aren't shown here, but are used by "reddit is fun" in the screenshot above.
Notes About Flashing
This is a flashable mod. I've only flashed it with TWRP 2.2.0, but it doesn't use Aroma or anything particularly unusual, so I don't see why you couldn't flash it with CWM. Obviously, you are flashing this at your own risk. Do a nandroid backup first!
Undo
If you want the ability to easily undo this mod, then just backup your current /system/framework/framework-res.apk. If you forget, you can always extract it again from the rom itself without having to reflash the whole rom. Or, just restore the nandroid backup you obviously made before applying this!
Source Graphics
I have included a zip file containing the source graphics. This will let you modify the icons further to make your own, or to add these icons to a different version of framework-res.apk. This includes the PSD files I created to make the icons. The PSD files use adjustment layers with masks. It would be quite easy to make versions that were some dark color instead of black by only changing the adjustment layers.. All the icons for a given size are in one file in layers. (Two PSD files total.)
DIY!
There are simply too many roms and rom versions for me to keep up with them all, so from now on, I'm not going to provide any new versions. I might provide versions for the ROMs I use, but starting with 2.23.707.2 the size of framework-res.apk is 18MB. Even when zipped it's still 12MB and too big to attach here on XDA. So, you can make your own mods from now on. It's super easy! There are a lot of steps here because I want to explain it in enough detail so everyone can do it. This whole process takes under two minutes once you know what you're doing.
Things you will need
A Windows PC.
7-Zip
Java (to sign the zip file at the end.)
The attached template file, "BlackCheckMarksMod_Custom.zip", which contains the source PNGs, the updater-script, and testsign.jar.
Step by step instructions
1. Extract framework-res.apk
You need a copy of framework-res.apk from your rom. Most of the time you can simply open the rom zip file in 7-Zip, navigate to /system/framework and drag the file from there to your desktop. Some rom makers use an Aroma installer with multiple versions of framework-res.apk and none of them are in /system/framework until after you install the rom. You can either find the right file somewhere inside the rom first, or wait until you install the rom then extract it from your phone. The second idea is the most foolproof. You just need a file explorer on your phone capable of navigating to your /system/framework folder, and you copy framework-res.apk from there to /sdcard. Then mount the SD card on your PC and copy the file to your desktop.
2. Copy framework-res.apk into the template
Download and unzip the template zip file, "BlackCheckMarksMod_Custom.zip". (When unzipping there is no need to unzip it into a containing folder because the root of the zip file only contains one folder.) This contains everything you need to make a flashable zip. Inside you will find the following structure:
(Directories in bold)
BlackCheckMarks_Custom
____BlackCheckMarksMod
________META-INF (contents not shown)
________system
____________framework
________sign.bat
________testsign.jar
____PNG files
________A bunch of check mark icons
Copy your framework-res.apk into BlackCheckMarks_Custom\BlackCheckMarksMod\system\framework. At this point, this is still the unaltered version from your rom.
3. Replace the stock check marks
There are two ways to open the APK with 7-Zip.
The easiest way to do it -- but hardest to demonstrate because of differences in versions of Windows and their various dialog boxes -- is to simply associate the .apk extension with 7-Zip. This involves using the Open With... command from the right-click menu on the APK file, or just double clicking it then selecting 7-Zip as the app to use for APK files.
The second way to do it is to launch the 7-Zip File Manager and then navigate to the APK. This is the process I will show here.
In your Start menu, locate and open 7-Zip File Manager.
When it opens, navigate to the folder where you placed the APK: BlackCheckMarks_Custom\BlackCheckMarksMod\system\framework
Alternatively, you can just paste in the path that you copy from the Explorer window.
It should now look something like this:
Now, double click on framework-res.apk. You will see a file listing from inside the APK.
Double click on the "res" folder and you should see more folders.
Double click on the "drawable-xhdpi" folder and stop there.
You should now see a bunch of icons. Now we need to copy our custom icons over the ones inside this folder.
In Windows Explorer, go back up to the root of the "BlackCheckMarks_Custom" folder and you should see a "PNG files" folder.
Open the "PNG files" folder.
Make sure you can see both the 7-Zip window and this Windows Explorer window.
In Windows, Press Ctrl-A to select all the files in the "PNG files" folder, or just select them all manually.
Drag and drop the PNG files into the 7-Zip window.
7-Zip will confirm that you want to add these files to the zip. (It doesn't always come to the front, so you may have to click on 7-Zip to see the prompt.)
Click "Yes" to confirm adding the files.
After a split second it should be complete and you can now close the 7-Zip window.
4. Make the mod zip file
You are ready to make the flashable zip file.
In Windows, navigate to the BlackCheckMarks_Custom\BlackCheckMarksMod folder.
Select just the META-INF folder and the system folder. (If you don't know, to select both you click on one then hold down Ctrl and click the other.)
When they are both selected, right click one of them and choose 7-Zip > Add to "BlackCheckMarksMod.zip" (See screenshot)
After a few seconds you should have a BlackCheckMarksMod.zip in the BlackCheckMarksMod folder. (See screenshot)
5. Make sure the batch file can find Java
You may or may not have the Java binary path in your PATH environment variable. If you don't know what this means, it doesn't matter. I will tell you how to find out, and what to do in either case.
How to find out if Java is in your PATH:
Press WindowsKey-R, or chose Start>Run... from the Start Menu.
Type in cmd and press enter. This will open a command line.
In the command window, type in java and press Enter.
You will see one of two things. See the screenshots below.
This output means Java IS in your PATH variable:
This output means Java is NOT in your PATH variable:
If Java is NOT in your path variable then you need to edit the batch file in step 6. Otherwise, proceed to Step 7.
6. Edit the batch file only if Java was not in your PATH in step 5
We need to edit the batch file so that it points directly at your copy of java.exe which is probably in your Program Files folder. (Or perhaps your Program Files (x86) folder if you are on a 64-bit machine.
The likely places to find java.exe are:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre1.6.0_22\bin\java.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_22\bin\java.exe
Perhaps you will have a slightly different version number, or maybe you installed Java in some other location. To modify the batch file:
Go to the BlackCheckMarks_Custom\BlackCheckMarksMod folder
Right click on Sign.bat and choose Edit. This should open the file in Notepad.
In Notepad, replace the first word, java, with the full path to your java.exe. It should look like one of the two paths above.
You must surround the whole path to java in double quotes! See the example of the whole batch file below:
Code:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre1.6.0_22\bin\java.exe" -classpath testsign.jar testsign BlackCheckMarksMod.zip BlackCheckMarksMod-signed.zip
pause
Once you've edited the file, save it and close Notepad.
6. Sign the zip file
Now that you've made sure the batch file is OK, you just double-click it. This will run testsign.jar on the zip file you made. The command window that opens will pause to let you see any errors that occur. You will have to close it manually when it finishes.
If it worked, you won't see much:
If all went well you should now see BlackCheckMarksMod-signed.zip in your folder.
You are done! Stick this file on your phone, do a nandroid backup, then flash this zip and see if it works!
MD5s
CleanROM 4.2: 445d07b8112bce8a090d43940951ae9b
CleanROM 4.5: 993c96203d895d97c02e66a69ec39080

Thank you!
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
EDIT: Doesn't work on xi40, based off of Sense. Won't get past the boot screen. Oh well.

theking_13 said:
EDIT: Doesn't work on xi40, based off of Sense. Won't get past the boot screen. Oh well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's odd. I'll check it out tonight.
EDIT: The Xi40 framework-res.apk is quite a bit different from the one in CleanROM. I wonder if the CleanROM one is even the same as the stock one. I'll have to look inside a stock rom. For now, I'm going to label this mod as designed for CleanROM.
It's really easy to change the check marks yourself if you'd like. Making it a flashable zip is a bit more work, but that's not necessarily needed. You can just use the file manager in your recovery to push the modified file into the system folder.
Copy framework-res.apk from your rom's /system/framework to somewhere on your computer.
Download the zip file of icons from up above.
Open the APK in 7zip. Do not unzip it into a folder. Just open it in 7zip.
Navigate in 7zip to the folder within the APK: \res\drawable-xhdpi
Drag and drop the PNG checkmark icons from my icon pack into the drawable-xhdpi folder in 7zip. It will ask you to confirm adding them to the APK.
Close 7zip.
Now you just put this file on your /sdcard storage and reboot into your bootloader. Use the file manager to copy it into /system/framework. Perhaps you should backup the old file by renaming it to framework-res.apk.bak or something. It's easier to undo this change with that file than it is to restore a nandroid backup. Then you need to fix the permissions on the file. In TWRP's file manager there is a button to set permissions to 755 ("chmod 755") This will grant unneeded execute permissions, but that can be changed later in any root file explorer, like Root Explorer. It can probably even be left as-is with no harm. Ideally it should be 644, though. (rw-r--r--)
Alternatively, unzip my mod and replace the framework-res.apk that's inside of it with the one you just edited, and zip it back up. Then use the Android Signer to sign the new zip file. Note: the signer won't work unless you have the path to the java bin folder in your PATH environment variable. You also need .Net 2.0 installed.
Either method can be a little tricky. Personally, I find making the flashable zip to be easier. Especially since I already wrote the updater-script for it.

Good work on this! I've been thinking a lot about the check marks located in some of the system settings areas, and I'm thinking the respective pngs to change them are located within the framework-htc-res.apk in system/framework but I could be wrong.
Digging into a few of the xml files in original framework-res.apk yielded some hex color codes for certain ui elements as well. Could be that changing the right one of those may have the desired effect for the rest of the check marks. Just a few random leads to investigate.
I haven't had much time otherwise I'd look more into it. But thanks for taking the time to make this a flashable. :good:

theking_13 said:
EDIT: Doesn't work on xi40, based off of Sense. Won't get past the boot screen. Oh well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I created a version for Xi40. If you would like to try it, let me know if it works.

QQNoob said:
I created a version for Xi40. If you would like to try it, let me know if it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, will be more than happy to test.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

theking_13 said:
No problem, will be more than happy to test.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

Thanks, guys. Let me know if it works.
I just upgraded to CleanROM 4.2 and had to make a new version of this mod for that.

You think the r119 mod will work on r122?
Eh, to hell with it. Backing up now and coming back with results.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

theking_13 said:
You think the r119 mod will work on r122?
Eh, to hell with it. Backing up now and coming back with results.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could always just unzip each mod and compare the MD5s of the two framework-res.apk. If they are the same, then you're good to go. If they're different, then it still might work, but the rom designer probably changed those resources for a reason. You'd lose whatever changes they made.
EDIT: Considering that Xi40 r122 doesn't even have a framework-res.apk, I'd assume that it won't work.

How do I check the MD5 sums?
EDIT: I'll try it in the morning, so tired and took forever to back up lol
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

theking_13 said:
How do I check the MD5 sums?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no point now. r122 doesn't even have a framework-res.apk, as I mentioned in my last post. If it did, you would simply open each ROM in 7zip or some other zip tool, and drag framework-res.apk out of the rom to somewhere handy. Then use a tool like http://www.winmd5.com/ to generate the MD5 hash for each copy of the file. If the values are the same, then it's the exact same file. If they are different, then something was changed in that APK for the new rom version. But there is no framework-res.apk in r122, so it's moot.

Damn, wish there was. I would love to try your mod, the green check marks are so deceiving sometimes.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

I hope Jelly Bean fixes these check marks for us. I'd love to try this but I'm stock but rooted.
Sent from my HTC PG09410 using xda premium

theking_13 said:
Damn, wish there was. I would love to try your mod, the green check marks are so deceiving sometimes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It turns out that there are no less than four versions of framework-res.apk in this rom. One for the three carriers of this phone, and one generic one. None of them match the MD5 of the r119 one. I assume this rom gives you a choice during install of what carrier branding you want. Which one are you using? I can make a flashable version of Back Check Marks for them all, anyway.
EDIT: Done and uploaded.

FYI: Tried ATT and Generic for r122. Neither worked for me.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

phatboypat said:
FYI: Tried ATT and Generic for r122. Neither worked for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a pity. Guess I'll might have to flash it myself and take a look. Can you look in your /system/framework/ directory and tell me if framework-res.apk is in there?

QQNoob said:
That's a pity. Guess I'll might have to flash it myself and take a look. Can you look in your /system/framework/ directory and tell me if framework-res.apk is in there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

phatboypat said:
Yes, it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say it didn't work. Would it not boot, or were the check marks simply still green?

QQNoob said:
When you say it didn't work. Would it not boot, or were the check marks simply still green?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check marks were still green.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

AutoMod [Modding Tool] [Script] [Linux/OSX]

AutoMod BETA 1.6 by MAD Industries
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First off, this is not another APK Manager, this is also not Auto APK Tool. These two tools focus on the decompiling and recompiling of APK and jar files. AutoMod intends to bring a new paradigm to modding. That is, there are mods and there are roms. AutoMod makes them friendly with eachother. APKs are handled internally by the script.
I wrote this tool because as a developer who was using APK Manager, I ran into several obstacles along the way. One of them was that I liked to be able to take requests from users and personalize the mod to their tastes. Unless I was impeccable with my folder organization, it very quickly got out of hand with people asking for personalizations based on other personalizations. I would find myself decompiling a version I made the day before so I could remember what was in it and create yet another version on top of it. All this back and forth and I would end up with a mess of recompiled, decompiled, original, custom, extracted, etc files all over the place taking unnecessary HD space. On top of that, every step of the way required user input in the form of a yes/no prompt or selected a menu option for decompiling/recompiling/keep folders/signing/etc. And then I would manually create a flashable zip file for each version. AutoMod solves many of this issues in it's current BETA state. When it is finished, it will have solved all of them.
Features for End-Users:
Mods are dynamically applied to your ROM (this allows mods to stay up-to-date with the ROM without original developer support)
Mods often work across multiple similar ROMs (easy porting)
Mods are stored in what I call "opensource" format which means it is very easy to dig into the Mod package and change things to your personal preferences with very little knowledge modding
Only the modified files within the apk are stored in a mod package. This greatly reduces filesize
AutoMod encourages backups at every major step in the process
Backups are dynamic, meaning it will only backup the files which are modified
Backups are automatically saved as a flashable zip file so you can have it ready if a mod does not successfully integrate
AutoMod always keeps itself up-to-date with the latest features
Distribution of AutoMod requires only the script itself
AutoMod has the ability to accept a ROM Install file or an actual device as a base for creating a flashable zip file out of any mod package
Supported devices can have mods applied instantly and automatically over adb
Features for Developers
Since mod packages only contain changed files, you no longer have to hunt through hundreds of files to find a single png (such as when creating five different colored versions of a theme)
Easy packaging of mods for redistribution for this tool as well as update.zip format
AutoMod can "install" multiple ROMs into it's system so you can make a mod once, and then distrubute it for several ROMs at the same time
If you run nightly builds of your own ROM, AutoMod will soon include a scriptable feature which will allow you to release nightly themes, mods, etc with no extra effort
Much of the developer features are yet to come (such as quick prototyping of mods and parallel device/ROM support)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tutorial written by mybook4 on post #16 (be sure to thank him)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Download automod.sh script and place it into an appropriate directory (I used one called AutoModTest)
2) Download the ROM Install zips you would like
3) Create your mod package (see below)
4) Run automod by typing “bash automod.sh” in a terminal
5) Select option 5 (Install a new ROM file into AutoMod), and follow the script's directions (copying your ROM zip, to the directory, not moving it or it will be overridden)
6) Select option 4 (Install a new mod package into Automod), and follow the script's directions (copying your mod zip, to the directory, not moving it or it will be overridden)
7) Select option 3 (Use a ROM Install zip + mod to create a flashable zip for another ROM/device), choosing the appropriate ROM and mod package.
8) Out came the zip! This makes things soooooooooooo much easier and more manageable!
Notes about automod mod packages:
1) A mod file is structured as a zip file with the extension .zip replaced with .mod (so as to separate it from flashable zips with the same name)
2) In the mod file is a directory with the name of the mod.
3) In the directory with the name of the mod is a directory tree leading to the files within the specific apk you would like to modify. For example, in the ICSBlueFull.mod file, the directory tree is as follows: ICSBlueFull, system, app, SystemUI (the apk being modified), res, directories with modified files (images, xml files, etc).
4) Just to be safe (and to match the ICSBlueFull mod supplied), I set permissions on all folders in my mod to 755 and all files to 644 (if these numbers don't mean much to you, open a terminal and type “man chmod”)
5) There is a command to package mods you have made into .mod files. This can be found in the developer menu. (option 11)
6) Spaces in file name are currently not handled very well. Try and name your mods accordingly.
---------------------------------------------------
How To Create A Mod
click to enlarge
---------------------------------------------------
Download the script here: http://cl.ly/code/463B1C3B123i
Note: Proper syntax is 'bash automod.sh'
Download an example mod here (for stock GS3 touchwiz based ROMs) [Fixed!]: https://github.com/downloads/MADindustries/automod/ICSBlueFull.mod
Original thread for this mod can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1775235
View the source/branch it here: https://github.com/MADindustries/automod (check this to see if using a 'forceupdate' would add features/functions)

awesome work dude!

invisiblek said:
awesome work dude!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Btw you are in the credits on the script itself. (even if it was a couple binaries haha)

Wow. Great work. Can't wait to see more!
Ta very much indeed.
ALQI
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Nice job buddy..No Windows support?

This is amazing. +100000000000
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

incubus26jc said:
Nice job buddy..No Windows support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not just yet. I'm on Mac personally which makes it not too difficult to see some Linux support as well. But Windows would be a completely new write from what i can tell. It will likely happen after this is out of beta unless a Windows dev feels like working with me on it. Obviously everything is open source and i would love to see a port pop up before i get around to it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Very cool indeed.
Tried to download the example mod but appears it's down/not available.
Definitely want to give this a try.
Thanks for sharing

MAD Industries said:
Not just yet. I'm on Mac personally which makes it not too difficult to see some Linux support as well. But Windows would be a completely new write from what i can tell. It will likely happen after this is out of beta unless a Windows dev feels like working with me on it. Obviously everything is open source and i would love to see a port pop up before i get around to it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It might work on windows with the right install of cygwin. I'd have to create a windows VM to test it out and I'm not all that familiar with cygwin anymore, any windows devs out there good with cygwin?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

alquimista said:
It might work on windows with the right install of cygwin. I'd have to create a windows VM to test it out and I'm not all that familiar with cygwin anymore, any windows devs out there good with cygwin?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah! I totally forgot about cygwin. Yeah that should do it. It has all dependencies packaged with it except java and wget/curl. And only java is really necessary if you kinda know your way around.

Nice! Another great tool for the community!

Just what ive been waiting for
---------- Post added at 08:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 PM ----------
Looks like running with cygwin gives unknown operating system. Can't proceed after that.

clark44 said:
Just what ive been waiting for
---------- Post added at 08:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 PM ----------
Looks like running with cygwin gives unknown operating system. Can't proceed after that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah, that will have to be changed. run the command 'echo $(uname)' in a cygwin terminal and let me know what it outputs. I'm guessing just cygwin. Then i'll update the script to support it.

Any chance anyone has the example mod posted in the first post available on another hosting provider? It's been down for 2 days

myn said:
Any chance anyone has the example mod posted in the first post available on another hosting provider? It's been down for 2 days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fixed it! Sorry about that. I don't know what happened with cloud.

Automod works great! Thanks so much! Here are the steps I took to create a quick little test mod to enable a 40x38px navigation bar and have only the wifi, bluetooth, gps, rotation, sync status bar toggles for Beans R8. I'm on Beans R3.1, so I didn't get a chance to test the zip in CWM.
1) Download automod.sh script and place it into an appropriate directory (I used one called AutoModTest)
2) Download the ROM Install zips you would like
3) Create your mod package (see below)
4) Run automod by typing “bash automod.sh” in a terminal
5) Select option 5 (Install a new ROM file into AutoMod), and follow the script's directions (copying your ROM zip, to the directory, not moving it or it will be overridden)
6) Select option 4 (Install a new mod package into Automod), and follow the script's directions (copying your ROM zip, to the directory, not moving it or it will be overridden)
7) Select option 3 (Use a ROM Install zip + mod to create a flashable zip for another ROM/device), choosing the appropriate ROM and mod package.
8) Out came the zip! This makes things soooooooooooo much easier and more manageable!
Notes about automod mod packages:
1) A mod file appears to be structured as a zip file with the extension .zip replaced with .mod
2) In the mod file is a directory with the name of the mod.
3) In the directory with the name of the mod is a directory tree leading to the files within the specific apk you would like to modify. For example, in the ICSBlueFull.mod file, the directory tree is as follows: ICSBlueFull, system, app, SystemUI (the apk being modified), res, directories with modified files (images, xml files, etc).
4) Just to be safe (and to match the ICSBlueFull mod supplied), I set permissions on all folders in my mod to 755 and all files to 644 (if these numbers don't mean much to you, open a terminal and type “man chmod”)
The 5StatusBarNavBar mod package for Beans R8
The CWM zip for the above mod package

MAD Industries said:
Oh yeah, that will have to be changed. run the command 'echo $(uname)' in a cygwin terminal and let me know what it outputs. I'm guessing just cygwin. Then i'll update the script to support it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CYGWIN_NT-6.1-WOW64 (edit: uname -o will just return Cygwin)
Took a quick look at your script and I don't think it will too much of effort to offer cygwin support. Package manager by default will install bash, and curl/wget is available as well. You would need to install java naively on OS (it is accessible via your bash shell). Also to note don't think it will be required for your script based on my quick look, but you could always use the built in 'cygpath' command to convert windows<->unix paths if necessary.
Unfortunately only have a Windows box at work so can't spend to much time on but if no one gets to it I will take a stab later this week time permitting.

incubus26jc said:
Nice job buddy..No Windows support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Linux is free and easy to dual boot. Nothing stopping you.

Or just run Linux from a VM. You can even forward the USB ports with Vitualbox.

mybook4 said:
Automod works great! Thanks so much! Here are the steps I took to create a quick little test mod to enable a 40x38px navigation bar and have only the wifi, bluetooth, gps, rotation, sync status bar toggles for Beans R8. I'm on Beans R3.1, so I didn't get a chance to test the zip in CWM.
1) Download automod.sh script and place it into an appropriate directory (I used one called AutoModTest)
2) Download the ROM Install zips you would like
3) Create your mod package (see below)
4) Run automod by typing “bash automod.sh” in a terminal
5) Select option 5 (Install a new ROM file into AutoMod), and follow the script's directions (copying your ROM zip, to the directory, not moving it or it will be overridden)
6) Select option 4 (Install a new mod package into Automod), and follow the script's directions (copying your ROM zip, to the directory, not moving it or it will be overridden)
7) Select option 3 (Use a ROM Install zip + mod to create a flashable zip for another ROM/device), choosing the appropriate ROM and mod package.
8) Out came the zip! This makes things soooooooooooo much easier and more manageable!
Notes about automod mod packages:
1) A mod file appears to be structured as a zip file with the extension .zip replaced with .mod
2) In the mod file is a directory with the name of the mod.
3) In the directory with the name of the mod is a directory tree leading to the files within the specific apk you would like to modify. For example, in the ICSBlueFull.mod file, the directory tree is as follows: ICSBlueFull, system, app, SystemUI (the apk being modified), res, directories with modified files (images, xml files, etc).
4) Just to be safe (and to match the ICSBlueFull mod supplied), I set permissions on all folders in my mod to 755 and all files to 644 (if these numbers don't mean much to you, open a terminal and type “man chmod”)
The 5StatusBarNavBar mod package for Beans R8
The CWM zip for the above mod package
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for writing this! I am adding it to the OP. (let me know if you want me to take it down for some reason though)
Quick note, I think step 6 was supposed to be copy mod file to install directory? Also, a .mod file is exactly that; a zip file renamed to .mod. I did this to differentiate it from flashable zip files because the two would likely have the same name and it would cause confusion yet I still wanted to keep the .mod format easily modifiable/not proprietary. And one last thing, there is a hidden command called "packagemod" which can be used after you create your own mod to zip it up properly for distribution. It is entered at the main menu in place of choosing an option. Syntax: 'packagemod ICSBlueFull'.
lowg said:
CYGWIN_NT-6.1-WOW64 (edit: uname -o will just return Cygwin)
Took a quick look at your script and I don't think it will too much of effort to offer cygwin support. Package manager by default will install bash, and curl/wget is available as well. You would need to install java naively on OS (it is accessible via your bash shell). Also to note don't think it will be required for your script based on my quick look, but you could always use the built in 'cygpath' command to convert windows<->unix paths if necessary.
Unfortunately only have a Windows box at work so can't spend to much time on but if no one gets to it I will take a stab later this week time permitting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tips. I have next to no experience with cygwin so this information is very helpful. I'll look into adding support to the next release.

Editing the framework.apk (Solved)

So I was wondering, is there anyway for me to edit the base and accent colours of the framework.apk in the system files so I can make my phone look different from others. I know this can be done using Cyanogenmod's theme engine but I'd prefer to stay on a stock version of android which is more stable and up to date.
I have android 7.1.1 beta with root and an unlocked bootloader, I have tried taking the framework.apk from other device to put on my own but it always causes a stuff up in the data partition (which is kind of expected) meaning that I need to factory reset my phone to get it working again.
Thank you in advance.
Images of some extreme examples are available below

Substratum legacy works on stock roms, but ypu need root from ive read! Ive never tried! Always make backup first

Jackio987 said:
So I was wondering, is there anyway for me to edit the base and accent colours of the framework.apk in the system files so I can make my phone look different from others. I know this can be done using Cyanogenmod's theme engine but I'd prefer to stay on a stock version of android which is more stable and up to date.
I have android 7.1.1 beta with root and an unlocked bootloader, I have tried taking the framework.apk from other device to put on my own but it always causes a stuff up in the data partition (which is kind of expected) meaning that I need to factory reset my phone to get it working again.
Thank you in advance.
Images of some extreme examples are available below
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it is possible. Decompile your framework-res.apk and change the accent colors in your res/values/colors . XML and your Systemui.apk and your Settings Google.apk for the switchbar background.
{
"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"
}

Tulsadiver said:
Yes it is possible. Decompile your framework-res.apk and change the accent colors in your res/values/colors . XML and your Systemui.apk and your Settings Google.apk for the switchbar background.
View attachment 3925511 View attachment 3925512 View attachment 3925513
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I have taken a look at the framework-res.apk/res/values/color folder and extracted a few of the .xml files to take a look at them. I opened the files using notepad++ but nothing comes up correctly and I can't find any number values to represent the colors. So I was wondering if there were any special programs that I have to open the .xml files in and if there is can you also point me to the .xml file that edits the colors of the quick settings.
I have also taken a look at Substratum and it says that android 7.1.1 is unstable for use with the application.

Jackio987 said:
So I have taken a look at the framework-res.apk/res/values/color folder and extracted a few of the .xml files to take a look at them. I opened the files using notepad++ but nothing comes up correctly and I can't find any number values to represent the colors. So I was wondering if there were any special programs that I have to open the .xml files in and if there is can you also point me to the .xml file that edits the colors of the quick settings.
I have also taken a look at Substratum and it says that android 7.1.1 is unstable for use with the application.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you using to decompile the apk? If you haven't already, try using apktool. Install apktool and then in a terminal use:
Code:
apktool decode framework-res.apk
That should spit out proper xml files.
screenshot:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ap6auRM.png[/IMG]

Jackio987 said:
So I have taken a look at the framework-res.apk/res/values/color folder and extracted a few of the .xml files to take a look at them. I opened the files using notepad++ but nothing comes up correctly and I can't find any number values to represent the colors. So I was wondering if there were any special programs that I have to open the .xml files in and if there is can you also point me to the .xml file that edits the colors of the quick settings.
I have also taken a look at Substratum and it says that android 7.1.1 is unstable for use with the application.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are looking at files that have not been decompiled Apktool is a great tool. Take a look at "tickle my android" if you want the best and easiest one around.
And, for the QS background, you will need to decompile Systemui.apk I believe it is in the layout folder, a XML file called qs_background_primary. XML change the solid color from ?android color primary to the hex code color of your choice
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1633333

synesthete said:
What are you using to decompile the apk? If you haven't already, try using apktool. Install apktool and then in a terminal use:
Code:
apktool decode framework-res.apk
That should spit out proper xml files.
screenshot:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ap6auRM.png[/IMG]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your help. Now I just want to make sure because this is my first time actually playing around with system apk's, Do I need to do anything special to package the apk back together and onto my device other than applying the right permissions?
Also the reason why the xml's weren't working at first was because I just used winrar to extract the files because that worked on iOS's IPA's when I used to work with them and my current guess would be that if I was to put the apk back onto my phone I would need to do more than package it as a .zip and rename it as an .apk.
I would test this on my Moto G first but it's super stuffed up at the moment.

Jackio987 said:
Thank you for your help. Now I just want to make sure because this is my first time actually playing around with system apk's, Do I need to do anything special to package the apk back together and onto my device other than applying the right permissions?
Also the reason why the xml's weren't working at first was because I just used winrar to extract the files because that worked on iOS's IPA's when I used to work with them and my current guess would be that if I was to put the apk back onto my phone I would need to do more than package it as a .zip and rename it as an .apk.
I would test this on my Moto G first but it's super stuffed up at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To recompile,
Code:
apktool b systemui
(or framework-res) You will want to replace the meta-inf and android manifest of your newly recompiled apk with the original ones.
First, before you do any decompiling you must install your framework
Code:
apktool if framework-res.apk

Tulsadiver said:
To recompile, Apktool b systemui (or framework-res) You will want to replace the meta-inf and android manifest of your newly recompiled apk with the original ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you I'll try it now

Ok it worked. Thank you so much for your help. With this new found knowledge I probably won't do much but it's just something useful to know just in case I have a sudden urge to make my operating system's main colours yellow and brown. Also editing just the colour values in the framework edited the colours in the quick settings and the settings application because they all refer to the framework for that colour.
Things I have learned:
How to decompile apk's properly
How to edit system ui/ framework/ settings colours
How to recompile an apk
How to make sure that the apk works when your device boots up.
Thank you everyone I couldn't of done it with out you.

EDIT: Oops. Just saw that someone else replied (and with better info). You can disregard this post. I'm glad you got your answers.
Jackio987 said:
Thank you for your help. Now I just want to make sure because this is my first time actually playing around with system apk's, Do I need to do anything special to package the apk back together and onto my device other than applying the right permissions?
Also the reason why the xml's weren't working at first was because I just used winrar to extract the files because that worked on iOS's IPA's when I used to work with them and my current guess would be that if I was to put the apk back onto my phone I would need to do more than package it as a .zip and rename it as an .apk.
I would test this on my Moto G first but it's super stuffed up at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The apktool decode command will spit out a folder tree. After making your edits, you should be able to use the apktool build command to recompile to an apk file again. If you don't specify a specific output path, it will probably dump it in a "dist" subfolder within the decompiled apk folder. If you just type "apktool" in the terminal, it should give you more detailed instructions for its options. Once you have an apk, you might need to sign it. You should be able to do that easily on your android device with the app zipsigner: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kellinwood.zipsigner2
Once you have the signed apk you should be able to replace the original with the same permissions and group policy settings and reboot. I would recommend making a nandroid backup to revert to in case you get stuck in a bootloop. It has been a long time since I have done this, so I might have missed something. Maybe I will give it a try when I have some time later.

how to add pixel icons in system apk

hilla_killa said:
Substratum legacy works on stock roms, but ypu need root from ive read! Ive never tried! Always make backup first
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately Substratum isn't really working too well on the 7.1 DP and it will notifiy you when using the app that modifying anything may very well cause bootloop, which in my case was very true. Tried to install the Pixel Theme that worked flawlessly on 7.0, then bootlooped after the required reboot. However, you can still try it and revert back fairly easily. The dev created 2 .zips in the Substratum folder to fix the bootloop if it does happen (the legacy zip is what fixed mine).

A$h!$h said:
how to add pixel icons in system apk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which icons are you referring to? Navbar or apps?

Jackio987 said:
So I was wondering, is there anyway for me to edit the base and accent colours of the framework.apk in the system files so I can make my phone look different from others. I know this can be done using Cyanogenmod's theme engine but I'd prefer to stay on a stock version of android which is more stable and up to date.
I have android 7.1.1 beta with root and an unlocked bootloader, I have tried taking the framework.apk from other device to put on my own but it always causes a stuff up in the data partition (which is kind of expected) meaning that I need to factory reset my phone to get it working again.
Thank you in advance.
Images of some extreme examples are available below
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Jackio987,
Yeah! that's true
Refer to my post for better customizations! That's here