[Q] Help with theming - General Questions and Answers

I want to theme my AOSP Jelly Bean 4.2 contacts app to look like the attached image. I want to change the blue banner and blue text to the grey color (#222222).
I have tried creating my own tmobile engine theme but always run into APK compile errors. I have used APK Multitool to decompile Annex's CM10.1 Theme Template apk, then immediately tried to recompile (without editing anything yet) and get the included screenshot error.
I've also thought about replacing the images in Contacts.apk file with my modified ones but that still will not solve the font color issue. Plus not sure if it will even work?
Any help to my compile error?
Not expecting this by any means, but if anyone has alot of theming knowledge or is a themer, I wouldn't assume it would take long to make those slight changes if someone wouldn't mind. But I'm not hoping to be able to do it all myself if I can figure out why I can not compile apks.

Related

How can i get this theme to work on cyanogen?

I found this theme and really like the carbon look but it is made for a diffrent ROM than i use and there are not any images to copy and make a morph theme so i was wondering if there is anyway that i can change to get it working on cyanogen 5.0.4? Thanks
http://alldroid.org/threads/14516-Theme-CarbonNexus-beta-0.3-1-21-10
You can unzip the apks from this you want to theme. APKs are build same as zips do. So you can get your images.
Ask the dev before you're working and share it with us, please ;-)
Thanks, you wouldnt happen to know where the status bar and the pull down curtain images are located at would you?
Extract the framework-res.apk. Then look inside the res/drawable-hdpi folder.

Any Metamorph Themes Compatible with CM 5.08?

I'm currently running Cyanogen 5.08 on my N1 and decided to try the Metamorph application. I was having trouble finding any themes that said they were 5.08 compatible so I decided to try one that was listed as 5.06 compatible but after rebooting I kept getting force close messages so obviously something went wrong.
I'm new to Metamorph and just followed the intructions of unziping and then installing the theme.
I'm really interested in the Kspec theme but interested in any that might work on 5.08. Do I need to install them a different way because I am using CM? Thanks for any help on this.
For CM 5.0.8 or 5.0.7 just remove any xml's from the theme before you apply it. Since these 2 versions of CM have the abilities to change notification/status bar text colors you don't need those xml's. At least you could do this until the particular themer updates their theme.
Just remove all xml's and leave *only* the images.
If I delete all xml files how do I install the theme? Don't I need to select the main xml file to select within the Metamorph application when it asks me which theme to install?
Does this mean just delete the xml files embedded in the different folders?
Thanks
No, deleting the xml is definetely false.
Delete the services folder in the theme and the folder /framework-res/res/layout folder.
In Cyanogen 5.0.8 you can change the text colour in spare parts.
Or you will have a look in my themes. They all work with this rom, too.
Formel-LMS said:
No, deleting the xml is definetely false.
Delete the services folder in the theme and the folder /framework-res/res/layout folder.
In Cyanogen 5.0.8 you can change the text colour in spare parts.
Or you will have a look in my themes. They all work with this rom, too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply - your glass status bar theme looks really good so I'm gonna give that a shot now! Thanks
Formel-LMS said:
No, deleting the xml is definetely false.
Delete the services folder in the theme and the folder /framework-res/res/layout folder.
In Cyanogen 5.0.8 you can change the text colour in spare parts.
Or you will have a look in my themes. They all work with this rom, too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you know? I'm still on cm5.0.6 for GlassBar but now I can move to cm5.0.8
before I tried to change clock and date color but I have to use windows OS to
do that Bcuz I dont find xml editor on linux
thanks
Ok I tried using glass bar but I'm still having problems. Its begins to install but when it gets to "Applying framework-res.apk theme 7 of 7" it just stays there indefinitely. My phone doesn't freeze or anything or ask me to force close the app so I'm confused.
Could it be that I'm running a custom kernal along with CM 5.08?
miked270 said:
Ok I tried using glass bar but I'm still having problems. Its begins to install but when it gets to "Applying framework-res.apk theme 7 of 7" it just stays there indefinitely. My phone doesn't freeze or anything or ask me to force close the app so I'm confused.
Could it be that I'm running a custom kernal along with CM 5.08?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just wait tel restart the UI and will apply , if you not got full glass just re-apply
only the last one "framework-res.apk"
Yes, right. It should work.
Play a bit with the applying speed in metamorphs settings.
Or look at the first post. I've added some helping manual with problems at metamorphing in my theme threads.
Formel-LMS said:
Yes, right. It should work.
Play a bit with the applying speed in metamorphs settings.
Or look at the first post. I've added some helping manual with problems at metamorphing in my theme threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx! After following the step by step instructions in your post for the glass bar theme it installed perfectly.
Nice!
Have Fun!

[Theme] Red GB for 2.3.340 OTA

I am working on combining Draya's Red GB theme and stock OTA. I have run into trouble trying to make the 10% battery increments actually display the images. I was wondering if someone could offer assistance.
I have tried decompiling framework-res.apk with apk manager and recompiling it with the changes in stat_sys_battery.xml. Although for some reason when I recompile and install via update.zip I bootloop.
This update.zip currently works perfectly, although it only displays battery in increments of 20%.
Here is a link to the themes current update.zip. http://db.tt/LV6Y9i9
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
Are u recompiling as a system apk? If you try to recompile with just an apktool command for instance as if it
were an app, it wont recompile correctly.
Sorry if you already knew this, not trying to sound condescending in any way. Just ran into this same issue myself a while ago.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
I actually didn't. I have just started trying to learn to do all if these modifications.
I have learned that I can do hex editing to change colors and change the .png's but I am still working on learning to compile my own .9.png's and trying to figure out how to decompile and recompile so that I can modify the xml in standard text vs. hex because I would have no idea how to add my own text to an xml while still in hex form and I believe I read somewhere that if you change the file to much you need to include a new resources file or something.
Do you have any directions in decompiling and recompiling system apk's so that they are editable?
The way I was trying was with apk manager 4.9 as a system apk I believe. I am thinking option 11 or option 9 if I remember right...
I had also switched the apktool version to 1.3.1 because of the issue in 1.3.2 that I read on the apktool page.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Flashable themes?

I have built alot of roms and need to make flashable themes for them!
I have tried everything with no avail!
Can i just swap png images from a theme zip already made?
Can i make them with Ubuntu!
I thought it would be easier than roms but it is not so easy!
Need serious help thanks!
And i want to make them without apks for now just images
eVoKINGS said:
I have built alot of roms and need to make flashable themes for them!
I have tried everything with no avail!
Can i just swap png images from a theme zip already made?
Can i make them with Ubuntu!
I thought it would be easier than roms but it is not so easy!
Need serious help thanks!
And i want to make them without apks for now just images
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was actually just looking into some of the flashable theme files that were posted for the mikfroyo rom. You could probably just open those and look at whats in there and replace the artwork? Just guessing..
sounds that easy but i did it and no go pissin me off!
Tired of theming whole roms!
Give this a try... this will port png's from one rom to another. you just need to pull the framwork-res.apk and resources.apk from framework from your rom and put it in the "new" folder. and put the same apk's from the theme you want to port in the "old" folder, both under the framework folder with in the "new" and "old" folders. and run the script.... there are also app folders for any themed apps that you want to port also.... same thing with those, yours in the new and the themed ones to port in the old.... Just remember, these are only png ports, you still need to do xml edits if there are any...
this is not my work, found it here on xda a very long time ago and don't remember from who but thanx to him or them......
View attachment Theme-Porter.zip
Okay now I think I know what you're trying to do..
I see your built ROM's with themes and you're basically tired of opening each .apk and putting your images in each one?
You wouldn't use metamorph itself but you would create your theme like you would a metamorph and then download ZipThemer from the market. Point it to that metamorph theme you created and it will create the flashable theme zip for you. It does all the work for you and puts the images in the .apks like you defined. Packages them all up and makes the flashable zip.
It may not sound like its not easy but once you build that initial theme.zip you're pretty much set except for adding or deleting a couple things here and there.
As you know for the most part everything will be in /system/ and have the same .apk name so the theme will continue to work. So if you're building an AOSP ROM after each build all you will have to do is load the rom on your phone and launch zipthemer and have it make the flashable zip you'll give to your users.
Know what I mean?

having issues trying to theme. NEED ADVICE!

im running beans rom and i know it uses the aroma installer. usually with my previous phones i could mod the systemUI or framework.res and create a flashable zip and flash through recovery. it seems with this particular rom you cannot do that or you will get system crashes and or a bootloop. the only way ive found to flash a theme i create is to use the vrtheme folder method where it mods the apk instead of replacing it in a whole. "hope that makes sense?"
what im trying to do is change the lockscreen text color to ics blue which ive done on several other phones. since the xml im editing for the colors is in the layout folder i think i need to flash the entire framework.res and i cannot do that. i tried to just flash the layout folder via the vrtheme method and i was sent into a bootloop.
can i get any advice from a themer on what im doing wrong? usually the mods i do work with no issues and im pulling my hair out about this.

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