App theming idea( icons ) - Android General

Ok, so I've been really getting into theming my Transformer Prime, and like most people I think, get frustrated when I have to redo things after flashing a new ROM. I find using Nova Launcher to be pretty spot on with backup then restoring settings which, most times, will get all your widgets working correctly with little configuration needed from there.
So the only thing I'm really left with is a good way to change, backup and restore app icons. Nova launcher is good at restoring the icons for the home screen, however I'd like something that would change the default app icon for installed apps.
I found this thread on StackOverflow that states that you can change the app icon by just replacing the image for it -without- unzipping the apk. This is great in theory, however when you update the app to a new version you'll loose that customization obviously.
I'm looking for an app, that when run, will present a list of all installed apps, let you choose it, then pick a custom icon. The app would then change the apps -default- icon, meaning that change would propogate everywhere in Android, so you wont have to mess with setting different icons for your launcher, and launcher X widgets, and drawer would also get changed.
When you update your apps and run the app icon themeing tool then it would, again, present you with a list of installed apps and you could just choose the newly updated apps and change the icon again( or better yet the app would do that for you! ).
Anyways, I have no idea if this is possible. I'm not sure if the icon in the apk for an app are all standard named, if it is, this seems possible. If it's not, then if it's in the apks manifest file then you could extract the name of the icon, and copy the new one in it's place under the same name.
If either the icon names are always the same( doubt it ) or if it's in the manifest file this seems pretty doable to me.
What do you all think? Have you seen anything like this app out there? What do you do to change / restore app icons( system wide preferably, not just in a particular launcher ).
Vote above and if it gets enough traction maybe we can convince a dev to look into it. Obviously you'd have to be rooted, but I think most everyone would be ok with that
EDIT: I did find this thread, with a windows tool to do kinda what I'm talking about. If it had / has backup, restore for when you update apps then it would be perfect. Would prefer an on device app, but I'll take what I can get.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=890876

Really, no input here? Am I the only one wishing we had this?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2

RubenRybnik said:
Really, no input here? Am I the only one wishing we had this?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your not alone, I've been looking for exactly that for a long long time. please pm me if you do find it.

Related

ADW Launcher EX v.1.1

ADWLauncher EX 1.1 released and ADWNotifier free for everyone
Hi everyone and happy new year!
I’ve released an small update for ADWLauncher EX with the following changes:
Added option to open the app drawer in full screen (hiding the dock/dockbar)
Added options to tweak the “fancy icon backgrounds” (now you can select a custom color and enable/disable glossy effect)
Fix the dock icons reverting sometimes on rotation
Fixed import/export ADW settings for Samsung devices running android 2.2.1 update
Lots of fixes for “ForceCloses” and other stability and code improvements.
And to celebrate the new year and the ADWLauncherEX success, I’ve published the ADWNotifier app free for everyone on the market!
Hope you enjoy!
http://jbthemes.com/anderweb/2011/01/adwlauncher-ex-1-1-released-and-adwnotifier-free-for-everyone/
amazing launcher
Thanks to you, my Launcherpro has been collecting some serious dust.........thank you x10 for the best launcher available!!!
Thanks for the update. This is by far my favorite launcher.one suggestion, is there any way to get the cube and book transition in next release. Keep up the good work.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Maybe I'll try out ADW Launcher EX now that ADWNotifier is free. I saw no reason paying for a "feature", which is standard with Launcher Pro.
adamfair said:
is there any way to get the cube and book transition in next release. Keep up the good work.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great request!
loving the launcher
but .... still getting lots of fcs even after the update
sticking with it tho as its very pretty and very quick. As a non-developer not sure what I can do to help with testing/debugging
Can EX import settings from the free launcher yet?
Hey, I installed ADWLauncherEX form market. Now, I'm running into some problems:
The Launcher won't save any settings, I set. In fact, every time I exit the settings dialog, the changelog pops up again. Anyone know, what to do about that?
paranoid2007 said:
Hey, I installed ADWLauncherEX form market. Now, I'm running into some problems:
The Launcher won't save any settings, I set. In fact, every time I exit the settings dialog, the changelog pops up again. Anyone know, what to do about that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same thing happens to me..
any ideas?
edit: found it, you have to use an app like root explorer and delete 2 directories located in dbdata/databases.I don't recall their exact name, but they both contained the string "adw" and were almost at the end of the list.
nikolasmar said:
same thing happens to me..
any ideas?
edit: found it, you have to use an app like root explorer and delete 2 directories located in dbdata/databases.I don't recall their exact name, but they both contained the string "adw" and were almost at the end of the list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that did the trick. Found only one folder cointaining the string "adw", but it worked nevertheless. If it weren't for these internet forums I'd have grey hairs by now.
paranoid2007 said:
Thanks, that did the trick. Found only one folder cointaining the string "adw", but it worked nevertheless. If it weren't for these internet forums I'd have grey hairs by now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no worries man..i found one aswell,but most of the people with the same problem wrote they found two..
Nevertheless it works like a charm so..
Launcher works great for me so gar on a Galaxy S. However, I noticed one annoying thing: Loading the shortcut list for applications takes an eternity (I have 300+ apps installed). The same thing goes for the dialog in ADWNotfier, where you can select the SMS oder Mail-App. This definitely needs some code improvement.
Hey, I downloaded the app yesterday and it still wont download to my phone I have the captivate and it just runs a bar saying authorizing i left it overnight and it still has that running so i canceled and redid it, still nothing it wont physically install whats wrong?
I love the speed of ADW EX.
Only significant complaint so far is that there's no direct access to System Preferences from the launcher menu. Shouldn't have to go into sub-menus to access the system prefs.
Question: Is there a way to get SMS/Gmail/Voicemail notifications in the dock?
Both LauncherPro+ and Go Launcher will attach such counts to the relevant icons, but I don't see this in ADWLauncher EX. In ADW Settings > General Preferences > System Preferences there's options for "Show notifications" and "Bubble font size", but I have no idea how these apply. I sent myself a SMS, and though my Notification bar was showing one message, there wasn't anything visible in the Launcher itself.
-edit-
OK. Got it working. Didn't realize I need to download ADW Notifier as well.
Would be nice if the notifiers were smart and only wiped the numbers after you actually read the email (for example) rather than as soon as you open Gmail though. That's how Go Launcher seems to work.
So far I'm liking this. I am having a problem, and I don't know if it's a feature or a bug. Every time I swipe down on any part of the screen the notification bar will come down. I switched back to Launcher Pro and it did not do this. Also when switching to the hidden dock it drags the icon form the normal dock. I would also like to see a way to change the dock backgrounds like on Launcher pro. And I'm with saltorio, It would be nice if there was a system prefs from the main menu. But I could get used to it where it is now. Keep up the good job.
darkreign2049 said:
So far I'm liking this. I am having a problem, and I don't know if it's a feature or a bug. Every time I swipe down on any part of the screen the notification bar will come down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look for the gestures in the settings...
You sir are a genius. Thank you so much. That was the problem. If I had more time I could have probably figured it out.
khaytsus said:
Look for the gestures in the settings...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been running it on my dx with tranq and no issues here.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
So is ADW ever going to get some widgets similar to LPP? Would live to give ADW a serious consideration but having to pay for other apps just to make up for ADWs shortcomings doesn't make sense.

[Q] How to create home screens, themes, etc?

Hello all,
New to the forums and I'm pretty much a complete newb to smart phones as well (I haven't had a cell phone in close to 5 years lol). Anyway, got a Galaxy S2 a couple weeks ago, started wondering about customization, etc and ran into this site.
Looking at some of the home screens you guys come up with, they are amazing.
But, I honestly have no idea where to start to make my own. Do I need to root my phone to do this stuff? Or, is it as simple as downloading some themes and icons and installing them?
I don't mind reading and/or teaching myself how to do it, but, if someone could just point me the right direction I would appreciate it.
Thanks in advance for any help. Cheers.
actually , you have no need to root your phone if you just want to change some icons or themes , but you may change your launcher so you can use those themes or dock icons that you have download in xda .
Try different launchers to replace your standard home, they're all good. Adw is what I normally use, launcher pro is good, go launcher also.
sinkster
I was actually curious about this too. I like PyroMod, but I think the Opacity of the windows should be closer to 80% and the notification fonts should be white instead of black. What specifically do I need to modify for this to work?
Thanks for the replies.
I downloaded and installed Launcher Pro, just to try...I have read about ADW and a couple others that I will try as well once I get the hang of this thing.
Are there any problems that may pop up with the phone using 2 launchers? I guess not or you guys wouldn't be using them.
im using launcher pro and zeam launcher and i had no problems so far
Without rooting, you can change icons on your homescreen (using a home replacement app and/or Desktop Visualizer), use modified widgets as long as they're not system apps, customize your lock screen with WidgetLocker, and of course change your wallpaper. You can also use something like Multipicture LWP to do a bit more creative stuff - like embedding icons on the wallpaper in PS and stuff.
With rooting you can do all of those things, plus modify your status bar & notification icons, change icons for apps officially (not just on the homescreen), modify system apps or remove them, etc etc. If you have no reason to root, don't. It's a common misconception that you have to root to make your phone look good. While it definitely helps, it's not necessary.
If you do plan on rooting and are interested in theming, see if MIUI is available for your device. You may like it, and the theming possibilities are endless. If you don't like it or it isn't available, other roms have theming built in as well - CM7 is one that comes to mind.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
plainjane said:
Without rooting, you can change icons on your homescreen (using a home replacement app and/or Desktop Visualizer), use modified widgets as long as they're not system apps, customize your lock screen with WidgetLocker, and of course change your wallpaper. You can also use something like Multipicture LWP to do a bit more creative stuff - like embedding icons on the wallpaper in PS and stuff.
With rooting you can do all of those things, plus modify your status bar & notification icons, change icons for apps officially (not just on the homescreen), modify system apps or remove them, etc etc. If you have no reason to root, don't. It's a common misconception that you have to root to make your phone look good. While it definitely helps, it's not necessary.
If you do plan on rooting and are interested in theming, see if MIUI is available for your device. You may like it, and the theming possibilities are endless. If you don't like it or it isn't available, other roms have theming built in as well - CM7 is one that comes to mind.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting might be something I would think about down the road, but, being so new to this I will probably hold off for now. I wouldn't mind unlocking it at some point though as I do travel to the States a couple times a year and would like the freedom that provides for my trips.
Thanks for the detailed reply, it is appreciated and I will look into some of those apps that you mentioned.

ADW not creating folders

Guys, I don't know if that also has happened with your kindles, but there's no way to create a folder on my ADW.
No way at all!
When I was using Go launcher EX I could create folders easily, but with ADW it just doesn't work.
Someone is having the same problem? any workarounds?
No, it doesn't work (and ADW Launcher hasn't been updated in a while so I'm not sure if there is a new version in development or not). It's the same with shortcuts and custom shortcuts too. It's a pain, as I quite like folders, but I'm just sitting patiently for CM7, and then at that point, I probably won't care!
lol I just posted a similar problem with apps that use folders. Did you have this problem before the update?
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
SikYou said:
lol I just posted a similar problem with apps that use folders. Did you have this problem before the update?
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, this has been a problem since day 1. Doesn't seem to be just ADW either, Go Launcher Ex has the same problem. Clearly something in the KF stock ROM that disables these things.
I also started a post about the creation of shortcuts ("Car Home") and the lack of the OS recognizing that when I click "Add shortcut" it should give me a list of applications.
I suppose this is related to the lack of being able to create folders. There has to be a way to fix this without resorting to going to CM7. I'd like to be able to keep the Amazon functionality with the vanilla OS feel.
MinionOfEckerd said:
I also started a post about the creation of shortcuts ("Car Home") and the lack of the OS recognizing that when I click "Add shortcut" it should give me a list of applications.
I suppose this is related to the lack of being able to create folders. There has to be a way to fix this without resorting to going to CM7. I'd like to be able to keep the Amazon functionality with the vanilla OS feel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm suspect it's buried deep in the kernel somewhere, and I'm not sure it would be any easy fix. I could be wrong, but bearing it mind it doesn't provide any errors, Amazon must have disabled it as part of providing their custom UI.
I'm with you though, I quite like the overall feel and coloring of the Amazon interface, and it's pretty damn functional with a Launcher enabled despite the minor issues such as this.
For some reason, when I was using Go launcher I was able to create the folders, but not shortcuts. Its really strange...
I side-loaded the ADW apk 1.3.6 but it doesn't seem to work on my Kindle. I know this is off-topic but I was hoping someone could tell me which version is best on the Kindle. Every time I go to install it and open it says the ADW.Launcher stopped unexpectedly :/
ADW 1.3.3.1 is the one I'm using
JvictorSS said:
ADW 1.3.3.1 is the one I'm using
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I d/l it and this version works great. Thank you!
_https://market.android.com/details?id=com.th.android.widget.SiMiFolder&hl=en
Simi Folder Widget has got you covered
true, and it works even though the market says its incompatible.
I was able to create folders in Go Launcher, but only by putting icons on top of each other. You have to be really precise though or the icons just move out of the way. Huge pain, took me a couple minutes for EACH folder I made. Haven't found a way to do this in ADW yet...
Hey Guys,
the new update for ADW solved the issue, besides ADW feels a little bit faster on my kindle.
BTW, folders can only be created by putting icons on top of each other, just like we do using Go Launcher.

[Q] Removing the TouchWiz Mini Apps Tray

Hi everyone. First of all, many thanks to Gary for Root. It was quick and painless.
Now that we have root, I was wondering if anyone knows what needs to be deleted in order to get rid of that pesky pop up menu you get by pressing on the Chevron/Arrow in the middle of the bar.
I have the Wizz Bar (what an unfortunate name) installed and it does the job so much better. If you're wondering what Wizz Bar is, it basically allows you to pick your own applications or commands and bind them to the little Chevron or Arrow in the middle of the Honeycomb Bar (also called the "Mini Apps Tray")
However the built in action that pops up the Task Manager/World Clock/Calculator etc also initiates. Is there some way to remove the TouchWiz Apps Tray?
Or does this require more tinkering than a simple apk deletion from system/apps
somebody9 said:
Or does this require more tinkering than a simple apk deletion from system/apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's much more involved. That aspect of touchwiz is buried somewhere in the frameworks. The last time I checked (a month ago), several people on both the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9 forums were looking for the same thing, but I haven't seen any good solutions.
If you find something over in one of those forums, try to get information on HOW they did it, and I'll try to reproduce it with ours.
I know with HTC phones modding such things requires the knowledge of decompiling, compling and signing apk's using apkTool or apkManager and editing smalis in notepad ++. You would have to track down which particular file contains the code and then know how to edit it to hide the taskbar. As an example just the simple task of hiding the clock in the notification bar of my HTC Incredible phone required the addition of 2 lines of code in the clock.smali file inside SystemUI.apk and the only way to get it to work was to push the file back to the phone and set permissions with adb. You couldn't just copy and paste it back in.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I actually did go look at a bunch of 10.1 and 8.9 ROMs and it looks like there may be a solution out there. I've contacted one of the ROM developers for an answer.
If someone tells you what file to edit and what lines of code to use please post it as it will be useful to the community.
You may install honeybar form market to hide/unhide the bottom bar(notification and clock as well)
Sent from my GT-P7500 using xda premium
i just tried honeybar and it doesn't work for me. I also have go launcher ex installed so not sure if it's conflicting. I see the white box for honeybar, but pressing on it multiple times does nothing (it even goes away eventually as described in the install notes).
Honeybar isn't the solution that most of us are looking for. I myself love the Honeycomb default bar. It's the Mini-Apps Tray that is entirely useless. The least that Samsung could have done was to make the shortcuts changeable by the user.
The whole point of quick access to shortcuts is to have a quick access to the applications you use the most without flipping through homescreens or going to the Apps Tray. Thanks Samsung, I really need the World Time and Calculator more than I need the Browser and Settings Panel.
somebody9 said:
Hi everyone. First of all, many thanks to Gary for Root. It was quick and painless.
Now that we have root, I was wondering if anyone knows what needs to be deleted in order to get rid of that pesky pop up menu you get by pressing on the Chevron/Arrow in the middle of the bar.
I have the Wizz Bar (what an unfortunate name) installed and it does the job so much better. If you're wondering what Wizz Bar is, it basically allows you to pick your own applications or commands and bind them to the little Chevron or Arrow in the middle of the Honeycomb Bar (also called the "Mini Apps Tray")
However the built in action that pops up the Task Manager/World Clock/Calculator etc also initiates. Is there some way to remove the TouchWiz Apps Tray?
Or does this require more tinkering than a simple apk deletion from system/apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've wondered whether there was a way to intercept the trigger that touching the chevron activates and just redirecting it to another command (such as what happens when you hit the "home" button after you've installed a home replacement). That way we wouldn't have to worry about hacking the touchwiz dock for customizing, we just replace it altogether so something else is invoked by touching the shortcut.
rEVOLVE said:
I've wondered whether there was a way to intercept the trigger that touching the chevron activates and just redirecting it to another command (such as what happens when you hit the "home" button after you've installed a home replacement). That way we wouldn't have to worry about hacking the touchwiz dock for customizing, we just replace it altogether so something else is invoked by touching the shortcut.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Re-mapping the function would be more involved than just turning it off but it is possible if you know what you're doing. For HTC phones there's a mod called rosie remap which does just about the same thing but its a complicated hack. It remaps a + button on the phone that ads apps to the homescreen, the mod allows you to reassign the button so it opens any app you want. I believe this is a framework-res.apk mod. Eventually someone who is familar with touchwiz will do these mods, if they haven't already for the 8.9 or 10.1, which should all be pretty much the same.
Edit: I think the chevron function would be in the touchwiz apk located in system/app but I don't know what Samsung calls it. HTC calls their Sense UI Rosie and you mod Rosie.apk to do the remapping of their UI specific buttons. If the chevron is part of honeycomb itself then it would be in the framework-res.apk file I bbelieve.
This is good info flowing in. I'm gonna see if I can figure out some more.
On a positive note - guess what Samsung changed? Exactly what I was *****ing about :
Mini Apps : Upgraded so you can choose and edit your own Mini Apps tray. You can easily access favorite features such as Calendar, Email, or PenMemo as a pop up over full screen applications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
somebody9 said:
On a positive note - guess what Samsung changed? Exactly what I was *****ing about :
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was there an update that I don't know about that allows this??? I really like the idea of the mini app tray, but like was said before, not having the ability to put your most used apps there makes it pretty useless.
Please explain how apps can now (or in the near future) be changed in the tray.
Thanks!!!
I guess until they release 7.7 we won't know. Unless there's an update out on KIES. But I really doubt it.
Confirmed:7.7 has fully customisable mini apps tray...i'm disappointed in Samsung for releasing 'premium' products in such close succession that are so different in functionality. Why did they not include this basic and important feature on all new of their new tablet products? I actually feel somewhat conned now
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
rEVOLVE said:
i just tried honeybar and it doesn't work for me. I also have go launcher ex installed so not sure if it's conflicting. I see the white box for honeybar, but pressing on it multiple times does nothing (it even goes away eventually as described in the install notes).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
doesn't go launcher ex look like **** on the tab+? i installed it yesterday and when i found out that i can't remove the dock, i uninstalled it.
diospada11 said:
doesn't go launcher ex look like **** on the tab+? i installed it yesterday and when i found out that i can't remove the dock, i uninstalled it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pare, actually like it better because i don't like stock honeycomb desktop and app drawer. I set swipe up gesture to hide/unide the dock and also changed the stock dock icons.
Once we're able to customize the Touchwiz shortcuts, or hijack the launch command so we can tell it to launch something else, I'll be much happier.
For those who've not seen this function in action yet, check it out in this video at 2.05: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=tBpzweqvKJA
Surely Samsung can put this function in tab plus on an update ... and they need to. The app tray is almost functionless otherwise. The presence of this thread is sufficient evidence that there is a high demand and several unsatisfied customers. Many customers have spent over £400 on this tablet. Why did they put it onto the 7.7 which was going on sale only a few days/weeks after the tab plus?
Sent from my GT-P6210 using xda premium
Just for my two cents, I would also like to see the app tray made editable. I've only had my unit for a couple of days, and I already feel its wasted on me for what it holds. Hoping for that to change in a coming update.
somebody9 said:
On a positive note - guess what Samsung changed? Exactly what I was *****ing about :
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is this "mini apps?" Did I miss something?

[Q] I need a better clipboard functionality

One of the things that I loved about my ASUS Padfone 2 was the near stock UI.
The things that got changed by ASUS were mostly very useful, like the clipboard.
If I long pressed a textbox on my Padfone 2, the usual "paste" icon showed up accompanied by a second icon "clipboard".
When I clicked that icon, a panel slid up from where the keyboard normally is, which had the last copied elements as a small preview, with an additional button to edit the contents. In edit mode, I could delete elements or mark them as permanent (I guess the system would overwrite them when the cashe would be full at some point otherwise).
I miss that useful function on my Nexus 5.
Does anyone know a mod or custom ROM that does that?
I have looked into this on the play store, but the apps there require to run in the background or to switch to a third app to access the copied content.
You will have to look at the ROM feature list, but this is the first time that I have heard of this feature. If my memory is correct there aren't any ROMs with the feature but don't quote me. Third party app is your best alternative. This phone has 2GB of RAM it'll be ok in the background.
edit: You could also check xposed or make a request in the xposed thread.
I use clipper which is still a 3rd app but it works well for me. I use switchr to swipe in from the screen edge to access it.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Thanks for the replies.
I am not worried about the RAM running full, but I don't like to have any more notification icons than necessary.
Looks like I'll have to compromise clean look for functionality.
I wish google implemented the way ASUS did it into AOSP. It was really perfect.
Maybe Cyanogenmod will do this.
Thanks again for your comments.

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