I have spent days searching the internet and not found a single comprehensive tutorial on modifying an existing CM7 theme.
Specifically, I am looking for a step by step guide to extracting a theme's apk, replacing images within the theme, and recompiling the apk so that it will be usable in Theme Chooser.
To make this thread helpful to as many people as possible, I am asking that you be as thorough in your explanations as you can. Please do not leave out any steps, even if they seem obvious to you.
If there is already a thread with a fully detailed answer to this question, please direct me to it. Otherwise, I appreciate any answers you can give me.
See if this helps:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=964391
Instructions seem simple enough...
I used APKTool to extract the contents of a theme's apk to view it's contents. I am assuming that the the images in the extracted theme can be replaced and then the theme can be compiled and signed again using either APKTool or APK-Manager/APK-Multi-Tool...
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Hi all,
please anyone can post a short reference for a rom newbie to:
- retrieve content (.cab) from existing rom
- how to cook a new rom (or simply modify an existing one).
I've read some threads but it's difficult for me to find a simple method (a lot of tools and a lot of steps).
If anyone with more experience can simply post some link to specific threads would be great.
Thanks in advance.
You can't really retrieve cabs from Roms ... but you can extract the files necessary for any given application.
If you want to cook your own rom, do a search on here for a tutorial made by ITJE that tells you what to do step by step.
xda_Luke said:
I've read some threads but it's difficult for me to find a simple method (a lot of tools and a lot of steps).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not simple. I think after you learn and try you will have much respect for the cooks that are on here.
I'm just wanting to change up some font colors and grahics on a rom I have. I was told Eclipse was the way to go, so I set up an Android Dev machine with all the plugins and recommended tools. Now what?
Since no one is willing or able to help, could someone or a Dev be so kind to get me the correct xml file that will change the top title bar fonts to white instead of black. I will put the file in the rom and re-sign it myself.
I am by no means any good at theming, I fail pretty hard, but this might help. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=535630
Also, maybe try posting in the theme forum. Good luck.
There are different xml files for different stuff. Check out colorchange app. It works with cyanogen to change all stuff. Much easier that the xml stuff we used to have to do. Pm me if you have any specific questions.
If you search for colorchange or even posts by me you will find it. When I turn my pc on later I will post a link if required.
Thanks for the info mates (MontAlbert and bcrook). I will check out the colorchange app. One day I will find some write ups on Elclipse and android rom programming. Will let you know how the app worked out, MontAlbert.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=535630
long thread to read through but it has allthe answers you need.
MontAlbert said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=535630
long thread to read through but it has allthe answers you need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this. I will have a read later tonight. And thanks for your help. I did find the file you were refering too but am lost on if it is flashed to the phone or loaded into my dev system.
zeroplace said:
Since no one is willing or able to help, could someone or a Dev be so kind to get me the correct xml file that will change the top title bar fonts to white instead of black. I will put the file in the rom and re-sign it myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You probably want to ask these questions in the Android dev group(s) on Google groups. The digests I get every day indicate there is a lot of activity there.
Could someone point me to a guide where I can learn to take certain aesthetics from one ROM and make them work on another? Also, which files in the .zip are the actual images (so i can create my own), and in turn sign the .zip and make is flashable?
Ill admit i didnt even attempt a search, as I havent the faintest as to what keywords to cycle in (YOU search "port" or "theme" amd sift through it LOL!)
I am relativly familiar with android, so maybe someone could even just do a quick stripdown in a comment.
I thank you MOST kindly
from themes apks and such thread:
Theme Resources:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=4438978&postcount=1
Making a theme:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3175518&postcount=2
Easy steps:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3175518&postcount=6
How To Theme Develop for Windows For Dummies in 10 easy steps:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3175518&postcount=4
Breakdowns:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3175518&postcount=5
There is a guide in the themes thread.
You guys have been most helpful, and I apologize for the noob question especially for the clutter.
Thanks again, both of you!
Hello everyone I'm new on XDA please don't judge me bad but with the forum's restriction I can't answer any thread until I get 10 or more points (don't know how get them if I can't answer or publish anything with links)
My issues is weird i've followed every threads that talk about how to create themes I've made all pngs files and xml as well but when I compile it with android studio and I try to install it fails I don't know why.
I've tried also to take an already compiled apk of some themes and tried to mix them fixed xml as well and recompiled with apktool then I've uninstalled official version of the theme and tried to install modified apk but it didn't work anyway I try..
Hope that u can understand I'm Italian and a quite good knowledge of English and android world.
Thank you (hope also to get 10 points to be unrestricted user)
Hola guys. To all of you. Particularly the ones who are familiar with MIUI. I will just stick to the point. If you ARE familiar with miui then you must have come across those flashy themes. You must also have found out the way to bypass the infamous theme policy WSM tools and Xposed and all. But I recently started taking interest in those flashy themes. You know that once you download a theme from the default Themes app the mtz file starts getting downloaded and as soon as the downloading has finished it gets unpacked into bits (com.android.contacts, com.miui.home, icons, lock_wallpaper, locksreen and so on) and gets copied to the MIUI folder in main storage and again into data/system/theme. This is the first problem. I can't copy the whole mtz file to a safe place because it gets unpacked as soon as it has been downloaded which is basically a zip file containing several other zip files that is, the 'bits' I was talking about. Second thing. the default themes app does not recognize mtz files downloaded from the official miui themes website. It declares them as third party themes. What I did was, took some of those 'bits' and replaced some XML files inside them and some png elements and put them back into data/system/theme. But miui has a way to prevent this from happening. As soon as it detects a modified file present in data/system/theme it reverts back to the default plain theme by deleting all files from data/system/theme. My guess is it keeps checking out verifying in regular intervals the checksums that it must have generated earlier. The same thing happens if I just replace a bit in the mentioned directory with a bit from another theme. So my questions are:
1. Is there a way to preserve the mtz file downloaded from within the default Themes app as a whole mtz file?
2. Can I make changes to just the Themes app so that it would apply any mtz file?
3. Is there a way to prevent miui from continuously checking or verifying the checksums that it has generated? (just a guess but I reckon thats what it actually does) because for an hour or so after replacing or modifying the 'bits' everything works fine but the reverting process takes place in an hour or so.
Thats all folks! jk. Any help or suggestion would be really appreciated because I think a thread like this was long since needed here. And dont talk about visiting MIUI's official forums. Most of the guys there don't know half the things that is really worth discussing. Thank you guys.
note- dont want to use WSM tools nor can I find one for miui7.
note2- if I change the permissions of the folder (data/system/theme) to 444 allowing READ permissions only, the phone would just reboot without warning and continue to reboot until the permissions are changed back to normal (755).
No one?
Hello and thank you for using XDA Assist,
your device don't have a device specific forum here on XDA. Please create a thread here:
Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting
The experts there should be able to help you. Good luck!
Kind regards
Trafalgar Square
XDA Assist
I am starting to feel MIUI is really not so popular here on XDA. Blimey after about a hundred views not a single reply, let alone helpful ones. Anyway I will leave the thread as it is just in case somebody who had the same problem and found a workaround, sees the post.
XDA Assist is for newbies, who need help finding their way oround on XDA. XDA Assist is only for pointing users into the correct section. Not a discussion forum.
Thread closed. Please post in the Q&A section I linked. Normal users are not even able to post in your thread.
Kind regards
Trafalgar Square
XDA Assist