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[GUIDE] How To Install and Use Android SDK

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*If you find this Guide Thread helpful, feel free to hit the "thanks" button below!​
What is Android SDK?
Everyone wants to program on Android; unfortunately, not everyone knows quite how to get started with their development environment. Google has put out both the Android SDK and the Android ADT in order to help developers integrate Android into their dev environment as well as facilitate more Android development. In this guide, we’ll take a look at how to set up a development environment for Android so you can start creating projects. Android SDK and Android ADT are essentials that you will need to include in your Android Developer Toolbox for use with many things, and can be a very powerful set of components from the simple, to the complicated. When it comes to Android modding, most novice users are confused or left wondering by reference over reference to a certain “adb”. This is specially true when you are looking up something on modding your device, or root it in particular. ADB is the wonder toy of Android and everyone seems to love it, so lets have a look at understanding what it is and why you need it, and how you can get it.​
What is ADT?
ADT (Android Developer Tools) is a plugin for Eclipse that provides a suite of tools that are integrated with the Eclipse IDE. It offers you access to many features that help you develop Android applications quickly. ADT provides GUI access to many of the command line SDK tools as well as a UI design tool for rapid prototyping, designing, and building of your application's user interface. Because ADT is a plugin for Eclipse, you get the functionality of a well-established IDE, along with Android-specific features that are bundled with ADT. The following describes important features of Eclipse and ADT:
Integrated Android project creation, building, packaging, installation, and debugging
ADT integrates many development workflow tasks into Eclipse, making it easy for you to rapidly develop and test your Android applications.
SDK Tools integration
Many of the SDK tools are integrated into Eclipse's menus, perspectives, or as a part of background processes ran by ADT.
Java programming language and XML editors
The Java programming language editor contains common IDE features such as compile time syntax checking, auto-completion, and integrated documentation for the Android framework APIs. ADT also provides custom XML editors that let you edit Android-specific XML files in a form-based UI. A graphical layout editor lets you design user interfaces with a drag and drop interface.
Integrated documentation for Android framework APIs
You can access documentation by hovering over classes, methods, or variables. ​
What is ADB?
ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge. It comes as a part of the standard Android SDK, which you can grab here in this guide. Basically, it provides a terminal-based interface for interacting with your phone’s file system. Since Android platform is based on Linux, command-line is sometimes the only way to obtain and manipulate root access often required to perform certain advanced operations on your device using root access. While these things can be done directly on the device itself using some terminal emulator, it will be rather difficult to execute complex commands on such a small screen. ADB provides the bridge between your machine and your computer.​
Preface: Dev Environment Notes:
Just a general rule to reduce headaches, if you're serious about Android development, your development machine should primarily be a development machine, as installation of other various programs may clutter it up and produce unexpected errors or other bizarre happenings. While this is rare, it’s not uncommon, and an exclusive development machine is recommended. If an extra machine is not available, a virtual machine used as a development machine works very well also. If this isn't an option either, you can always install Ubuntu 12.04 on your Windows PC and select whichever operating system you'd like at boot/reboot. The latter is my setup, since I run Windows 7 primarily, and Ubuntu for selected other functions -namely Android SDK. It's all your preference here, but keep in mind that if you start getting too deep in the rabbit hole with your Android development, you may want to consider a dedicated dev machine, or re-partition your Ubuntu setup to allow for more capabilities within it.​
Step 1: Install the JDK
Most of you probably have the Java JRE installed, but Android requires the JDK “Java Development Kit” to compile Java programs. The JDK is available on Oracle’s Java webpage. Install the version of the JDK appropriate for your OS; the Java EE 6 bundle is recommended, but you can install any bundle you like so long as it contains the JDK.
(Getting started on Ubuntu, see THIS PAGE)
Getting started on Windows:
Your download package is an executable file that starts an installer. The installer checks your machine for required tools, such as the proper Java SE Development Kit (JDK) and installs it if necessary. The installer then saves the Android SDK Tools into a default location (or you can specify the location). Make a note of the name and location of the SDK directory on your system—you will need to refer to the SDK directory later, when setting up the ADT plugin and when using the SDK tools from the command line. Once the tools are installed, the installer offers to start the Android SDK Manager. Start it and continue with the installation guide by clicking the Next link on the right. The Android SDK requires JDK version 5 or version 6. If you already have one of those installed, skip to the next step. In particular, Mac OS X comes with the JDK version 5 already installed, and many Linux distributions include a JDK. If the JDK is not installed, go to http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads and you'll see a list of Java products to download.
Linux users: Many Linux distributions come with an open source variant of the JDK, like OpenJDK or IcedTea. While you may be tempted to use these in support of open-source or for whatever reason, for maximum compatibility install the official Oracle JDK. You may choose to ignore this warning, but you may end up encountering obscure, strange errors because of it; if you do, most likely it’s some minor difference in the two JDKs.​
Step 2: Install Your IDE of Choice
You can by all means code straight up in Emacs or Vi; if you prefer doing that, this guide is not for you. For the rest of us, install a Java IDE; Eclipse is recommended as it is the IDE that the Android developers use and the IDE with official plugin support from Google. The rest of this guide will assume Eclipse is the IDE you’re using, but NetBeans has Android plugin support for it as well. When you download Eclipse, make sure to download Eclipse Classic or Eclipse for Java EE developers; there are quite a few flavors of Eclipse for download on their page, and you don’t want to end up with the C++ or PHP versions of Eclipse.
Obtain Eclipse
These alternatives may be available to obtain a copy of Eclipse for installation:
Download a current stable build of Eclipse from the Eclipse Web Site; note that the installation file is large (over 120 MB)
For the recommended package to download and install, click the link Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers on the Eclipse Packages page. For the reason why this is the recommendation, see the following bullets:
There are a number of downloadable packages available, each a different "flavor" of Eclipse, which can be compared and contrasted from the Compared Eclipse Packages page. The recommended Eclipse package is the Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers. This recommendation is made for those who develop in other languages / on other platforms as well, for the following reasons:
The "slimmer" Eclipse IDE for Java Developers lacks data tools, testing support, and parts of the Web Standard Tookit useful to all Java web application developers
The Eclipse Classic seems like it ought to be "slimmer" but in fact it is a larger download than the JEE package. Downloading and installing this package, then picking and choosing among additional packages described on the Eclipse Classic page is a viable alternative, but requires each developer to spend time researching the contents and utility of the multiple options.
Install Eclipse
There is no installer (executable program) used to install Eclipse. The process described below involves un-archiving (unzipping) a directory tree of files and placing it in an appropriate location on your hard disk. It is very strongly recommended that you locate the eclipse\ directory at the root of your computer's hard drive; or, minimally, on a directory path with no spaces in its name (e.g., C:\mystuff\eclipse\. It is worth noting that Eclipse does not write entries to the Windows registry; therefore, you can simply delete (or move) the installed files, shortcuts, and/or the workspace: there is no executable uninstaller either.
Unzip (or copy/unjar/check-out) the software into an appropriate location on your hard disk (e.g., C:\eclipse).
These instructions are written assuming that you are running eclipse from C:\eclipse; if you are using a different path, adjust accordingly.
Once the unzipped (copied/unjarred/checked-out) files are located on your filesystem, get started using Eclipse:
Run Eclipse by running C:\eclipse\eclipse.exe
The first time you run Eclipse, you will be prompted to identify a location for your Eclipse workspace. This is where local copies of your projects (files you check in and/or out of code repositories) will live on your file system. Do not create the workspace in a directory path that has spaces in it - i.e., not in the default C:\Documents and Settings\... directory presented by default on the first startup of Eclipse. Instead, it is recommended that your workspace be located at the root of your machine's hard disk, e.g., C:\workspace.
It is advisable to pass JVM arguments to Eclipse at startup to reserve a larger memory space for the IDE than the default. To, specify recommended JVM arguments, create a shortcut (probably on your desktop) with the following target (modified if you're using different directories):
Code:
C:\eclipse\eclipse.exe -jvmargs -Xms128m -Xmx512m -XX:MaxPermSize=128m
Step 3: Install the Android SDK
Now it’s time to install the Android SDK. You can grab it from the Android Developer website at:
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html​
Download the installer for your particular operating system, and open it up when you’re done:
Android SDK Manager
The Android SDK Manager is modular, meaning that you download the initial package and then download separate packages within the framework in order to provide more functionality. This lets the SDK be more flexible, as you don’t need to keep downloading entire packages every time a new version comes out; you can simply download the latest module and pop it into the SDK. You can pick and choose which modules to install, but if you’ve got the hard drive space I recommend installing all of the different flavors of Android; it will help later when debugging apps, especially on older Android OSes.​
Step 4: Install the Android ADT for Eclipse
NOTE: if you’re using NetBeans, you want the nbandroid plugin, found here:
http://kenai.com/projects/nbandroid/pages/install​
Now that the SDK is installed, you should install the Android ADT plugin. It’s not strictly necessary to do so, but the ADT offers powerful integration with many of the Android tools, including the SDK Manager, the AVD Manager, and DDMS, or dynamic debugging. All of these are extremely useful to have when creating an Android application, and if you want to skip them you should do so at your own peril!​
Eclipse ADT Plugin
To install the ADT, you’re going to have to add a custom software package to Eclipse. To do so, head over to the “Help” button on Eclipse’s menu and click the “Install New Software” button. Click “Available Software”, click “Add Remote Site”, and pop in this URL:
https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/​
Eclipse ADT Install
Occasionally, for whatever reason, some people have trouble downloading the ADT from that secure site. If you’re having issues downloading the ADT, simply remove the “s” off the end of the “https”, and the download should work as intended. Once that’s done, head back over to the Available Software tab and check the boxes for Developer Tools, Android DDMS, and Android Development Tools; again, none of these are mandatory, but they’re all going to be very useful later on. The packages will take a bit to download; once they’re done, restart Eclipse!​
Step 5: Create an Android Virtual Device (or AVD)
Like the previous step, this step isn’t entirely necessary; you could do all your debugging and development work on an actual Android handset. Creating AVDs is a great way to see how your application might work across different operating systems and handset types, as AVDs can mimic not only different Android OSes but also different hardware; you can change such settings as heap size, display type, and maximum memory, making it useful to try and figure out where bugs are happening when you don’t own a multitude of different handsets to test on! To create an AVD, you can open the Android AVD manager from Eclipse from the “Window” button on the top bar, and go to “Virtual Devices”. From there, you can add, configure and delete them:
Android Virtual Device (AVD) Manager
NOTE: This isn’t IDE specific. For those of you running a different IDE, the AVD Manager can be accessed in the same manner as the Android SDK is accessed outside of Eclipse; this is just a very easy shortcut for those with the Android ADT installed. Need More Help? Try this 30-minute video put together by Guy Cole, that walks you through the complete step-by-step setup.​

So, You've Installed Android SDK, Now What?
The Android platform provides support for both speech recognition and speech synthesis. In this tutorial, we will create a simple Android app which allows the user to speak, attempts to recognize what they say, and then repeats what was recognized back to them using the Text To Speech engine.
Step 1: Start an Android Project​
Create a new Android project in Eclipse. Alternatively, if you want to implement the speech recognition functionality in an existing app, open it instead. For this tutorial we have a minimum SDK version of 8, and you do not need to make any particular additions to your Manifest file, the default contents should suffice.
Step 2: Define the User Interface​
Let’s start by defining the user interface. When the app launches, the user will be presented with a button. On pressing the button, the app will prompt them to speak, listening for their voice input. When the speech recognition utility processes the speech input, the app will present a list of suggested words to the user. As you’ll know if you’ve tried speech recognition as a user, the recognizer is not always accurate, so this list is essential. When the user selects an item from the list, the app will speak it back to them using the TTS engine. The TTS part of the application is optional, so you can omit it if you prefer.
The app is going to use a few text Strings as part of the interface, so define them by opening the “res/values/strings.xml” file and entering the following content:
Code:
<resources>
<string name="intro">Press the button to speak!</string>
<string name="app_name">SpeechRepeat</string>
<string name="speech">Speak now!</string>
<string name="word_intro">Suggested words…</string>
</resources>
Of course, you can alter the String content in any way you like.
Open your “res/layout/main.xml” file to create the main app layout. Switch to the XML editor if the graphical editor is displayed by default. Enter a Linear Layout as the main layout for the app’s launch Activity:
Code:
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
androidrientation="vertical"
android:background="#ff330066"
androidaddingBottom="5dp" >
</LinearLayout>
The Linear Layout contains various style declarations including a background color. Inside the Linear Layout, first enter an informative Text View:
Code:
<TextView android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/intro"
androidadding="5dp"
android:textStyle="bold"
android:textSize="16dp"
android:gravity="center"
android:textColor="#ffffff33" />
Notice that the Text View refers to one of the Strings we defined. It also sets various display properties which you can alter if you wish. After the Text View, add a button:
Code:
<Button android:id="@+id/speech_btn"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="@string/speech" />
The user will press this button in order to speak. We give the button an ID so that we can identify it in the Java code and display one of the Strings we defined on it. After the button, add another informative Text View, which will precede the list of suggested words:
Code:
<TextView android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
androidadding="5dp"
android:text="@string/word_intro"
android:textStyle="italic" />
Again, this Text View uses a String resource and contains style properties. The last item in our main.xml Linear Layout is the list of suggested words:
Code:
<ListView android:id="@+id/word_list"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="0dip"
android:layout_weight="1"
androidaddingLeft="10dp"
androidaddingTop="3dp"
androidaddingRight="10dp"
androidaddingBottom="3dp"
android:layout_marginLeft="20dp"
android:layout_marginRight="20dp"
android:layout_marginTop="5dp"
android:layout_marginBottom="5dp"
android:background="@drawable/words_bg" />
The List View will be populated with data when the app runs, so we give it an ID for identification in Java. The element also refers to a drawable resource, which you should add to each of the drawables folders in your app’s “res” directory, saving it as “words_bg.xml” and entering the following content:
Code:
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:dither="true">
<gradient
android:startColor="#ff000000"
android:endColor="#ff000000"
android:centerColor="#00000000"
android:angle="180" />
<corners android:radius="10dp" />
<stroke
android:width="2dp"
android:color="#66ffffff" />
</shape>
This is a simple shape drawable to display behind the List View. You can of course alter this and the List View style properties if you wish. The only remaining user interface item we need to define now is the layout for a single item within the list, each of which will display a word suggestion. Create a new file in “res/layout” named “word.xml”and then enter the following code:
Code:
<TextView xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:gravity="center"
androidadding="5dp"
android:textColor="#ffffffff"
android:textSize="16dp" >
</TextView>
Each item in the list will be a simple Text View. That’s our interface design complete. This is how the app appears on initial launch:
Step 3: Setup Speech Recognition​
Now we can implement our Java code. Open your app’s main Activity and add the following import statements at the top:
Code:
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Locale;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
import android.content.pm.ResolveInfo;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.speech.RecognizerIntent;
import android.speech.tts.TextToSpeech.OnInitListener;
import android.speech.tts.TextToSpeech;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.View.OnClickListener;
import android.widget.AdapterView;
import android.widget.AdapterView.OnItemClickListener;
import android.widget.ArrayAdapter;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.ListView;
import android.widget.Toast;
import android.widget.TextView;
You may not need all of these if you do not implement the TTS functionality – Eclipse should highlight imports you have not used so check them when you finish coding. Extend your opening class declaration line as follows, altering the Activity name to suit your own:
Code:
public class SpeechRepeatActivity extends Activity implements OnClickListener, OnInitListener {
The “OnInitListener” is only required for the TTS function. Add the following instance variables inside your class declaration, before the “onCreate” method:
Code:
//voice recognition and general variables
//variable for checking Voice Recognition support on user device
private static final int VR_REQUEST = 999;
//ListView for displaying suggested words
private ListView wordList;
//Log tag for output information
private final String LOG_TAG = "SpeechRepeatActivity";//***enter your own tag here***
//TTS variables
//variable for checking TTS engine data on user device
private int MY_DATA_CHECK_CODE = 0;
//Text To Speech instance
private TextToSpeech repeatTTS;
Inside your “onCreate” method, your class should already be calling the superclass method and setting your main layout. If not, it should begin like this:
Code:
//call superclass
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
//set content view
setContentView(R.layout.main);
Next, still inside your “onCreate” method, retrieve a reference to the speech button and list we created, using their ID values:
Code:
//gain reference to speak button
Button speechBtn = (Button) findViewById(R.id.speech_btn);
//gain reference to word list
wordList = (ListView) findViewById(R.id.word_list);
The List View is an instance variable, accessible throughout the class. Now we need to find out whether the user device has speech recognition support:
Code:
//find out whether speech recognition is supported
PackageManager packManager = getPackageManager();
List<ResolveInfo> intActivities = packManager.queryIntentActivities(new Intent(RecognizerIntent.ACTION_RECOGNIZE_SPEECH), 0);
if (intActivities.size() != 0) {
//speech recognition is supported - detect user button clicks
speechBtn.setOnClickListener(this);
}
else
{
//speech recognition not supported, disable button and output message
speechBtn.setEnabled(false);
Toast.makeText(this, "Oops - Speech recognition not supported!", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
}
We query the environment to see if the Recognizer Intent is present. If it is, we instruct the app to listen for the user pressing the speech button. If speech recognition is not supported, we simply disable the button and output an informative message to the user.
Step 4: Listen for Speech Input​
Let’s setup the click listener for the speech button we’ve instructed the app to detect clicks for. Outside the “onCreate” method, but inside your Activity class declaration, add an “onClick” method as follows:
Code:
/**
* Called when the user presses the speak button
*/
public void onClick(View v) {
if (v.getId() == R.id.speech_btn) {
//listen for results
listenToSpeech();
}
}
Now implement the method we’ve called here after the “onClick” method:
Code:
/**
* Instruct the app to listen for user speech input
*/
private void listenToSpeech() {
//start the speech recognition intent passing required data
Intent listenIntent = new Intent(RecognizerIntent.ACTION_RECOGNIZE_SPEECH);
//indicate package
listenIntent.putExtra(RecognizerIntent.EXTRA_CALLI NG_PACKAGE, getClass().getPackage().getName());
//message to display while listening
listenIntent.putExtra(RecognizerIntent.EXTRA_PROMP T, "Say a word!");
//set speech model
listenIntent.putExtra(RecognizerIntent.EXTRA_LANGU AGE_MODEL, RecognizerIntent.LANGUAGE_MODEL_FREE_FORM);
//specify number of results to retrieve
listenIntent.putExtra(RecognizerIntent.EXTRA_MAX_R ESULTS, 10);
//start listening
startActivityForResult(listenIntent, VR_REQUEST);
}
Some of this code is standard for setting up the speech recognition listening functionality. Areas to pay particular attention to include the line in which we specify the “EXTRA_PROMPT” – you can alter this to include text you want to appear for prompting the user to speak. Also notice the “EXTRA_MAX_RESULTS” line, in which we specify how many suggestions we want the recognizer to return when the user speaks. Since we are calling the “startActivityForResult” method, we will handle the recognizer results in the “onActivityResult” method.
When the app is listening for user speech, it will appear as follows:
Step 5: Present Word Suggestions​
Implement the “onActivityResult” method inside your class declaration as follows:
Code:
/**
* onActivityResults handles:
* - retrieving results of speech recognition listening
* - retrieving result of TTS data check
*/
@Override
protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
//check speech recognition result
if (requestCode == VR_REQUEST && resultCode == RESULT_OK)
{
//store the returned word list as an ArrayList
ArrayList<String> suggestedWords = data.getStringArrayListExtra(RecognizerIntent.EXTR A_RESULTS);
//set the retrieved list to display in the ListView using an ArrayAdapter
wordList.setAdapter(new ArrayAdapter<String> (this, R.layout.word, suggestedWords));
}
//tss code here
//call superclass method
super.onActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data);
}
Here we retrieve the result of the speech recognition process. Notice that the “if” statement checks to see if the request code is the variable we passed when calling “startActivityForResult”, in which case we know this method is being called as a result of the listening Intent. The recognizer returns the list of 10 suggested words, which we store as an Array List. We then populate the List View with these words, by setting an Array Adapter object as Adapter for the View. Now each of the items in the List View will display one of the suggested words.
If the app successfully recognizes the user input speech and returns the list of words, it will appear as follows:
Alternatively, if the app does not recognize the user speech input, the following screen will appear:
Step 6: Detect User Word Choices​
We want to detect the user selecting words from the list, so let’s implement a click listener for the list items. Back in your “onCreate” method, after the existing code, set the listener for each item in the list as follows:
Code:
//detect user clicks of suggested words
wordList.setOnItemClickListener(new OnItemClickListener() {
//click listener for items within list
public void onItemClick(AdapterView<?> parent, View view, int position, long id)
{
//cast the view
TextView wordView = (TextView)view;
//retrieve the chosen word
String wordChosen = (String) wordView.getText();
//output for debugging
Log.v(LOG_TAG, "chosen: "+wordChosen);
//output Toast message
Toast.makeText(SpeechRepeatActivity.this, "You said: "+wordChosen, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();//**alter for your Activity name***
}
});
We use the “setOnItemClickListener” method to assign a listener to each item in the list. Inside the new “OnItemClickListener”, we implement the “onItemClick” method to respond to these clicks – this method will fire when the user selects a suggested word from the list. First, we cast the View that has been clicked to a Text View, then we retrieve the text from it. This text is the word the user has selected. We write the chosen word out to the Log for testing and output it back to the user as a Toast message. Depending on the needs of your own application, you may wish to carry out further processing on the chosen word – this code is purely for demonstration.
The user can press the touchscreen or use a trackball to select words in the list.
When the user selects a word, the Toast message appears confirming it.
Step 7: Setup TTS Functionality​
If you do not want to implement the Text To Speech functionality, you can stop now and test your app. We only require a little more processing to make our app repeat the user’s chosen word. First, to set up the TTS engine, add the following code to the section in your “onCreate” method where you queried the system for speech recognition support. Inside the “if” statement, after “speechBtn.setOnClickListener(this);”:
Code:
//prepare the TTS to repeat chosen words
Intent checkTTSIntent = new Intent();
//check TTS data
checkTTSIntent.setAction(TextToSpeech.Engine.ACTIO N_CHECK_TTS_DATA);
//start the checking Intent - will retrieve result in onActivityResult
startActivityForResult(checkTTSIntent, MY_DATA_CHECK_CODE);
Like the speech listening process, we will receive the result of this code checking for TTS data in the “onActivityResult” method. In that method, before the line in which we call the superclass “onActivityResult” method, add the following:
Code:
//returned from TTS data check
if (requestCode == MY_DATA_CHECK_CODE)
{
//we have the data - create a TTS instance
if (resultCode == TextToSpeech.Engine.CHECK_VOICE_DATA_PASS)
repeatTTS = new TextToSpeech(this, this);
//data not installed, prompt the user to install it
else
{
//intent will take user to TTS download page in Google Play
Intent installTTSIntent = new Intent();
installTTSIntent.setAction(TextToSpeech.Engine.ACT ION_INSTALL_TTS_DATA);
startActivity(installTTSIntent);
}
}
Here we initialize the TTS if the data is already installed, otherwise we prompt the user to install it. For additional guidance on using the TTS engine, see the Android SDK: Using the Text to Speech Engine tutorial.
To complete TTS setup, add the “onInit” method to your class declaration, handling initialization of the TTS as follows:
Code:
/**
* onInit fires when TTS initializes
*/
public void onInit(int initStatus) {
//if successful, set locale
if (initStatus == TextToSpeech.SUCCESS)
repeatTTS.setLanguage(Locale.UK);//***choose your own locale here***
}
Here we simply set the Locale for the TTS, but you can carry out other setup tasks if you like.
Step 8: Repeat the User Choice​
Finally, we can repeat the user’s chosen word. Back in your “onCreate” method, inside the “OnItemClickListener” “onItemClick” method, after the line in which we output a Toast message, add the following:
Code:
//speak the word using the TTS
repeatTTS.speak("You said: "+wordChosen, TextToSpeech.QUEUE_FLUSH, null);
This will cause the app to repeat the user’s chosen word as part of a simple phrase. This will occur at the same time the Toast message appears.
Conclusion
That’s our complete Speak and Repeat app. Test it on an Android device with speech recognition and TTS support – the emulator does not support speech recognition so you need to test this functionality on an actual device. The source code is attached, so you can check if you have everything in the right place. Of course, your own apps may implement speech recognition as part of other processing, but this tutorial should have equipped you with the essentials of supporting speech input.​

Android SDK Commands & Explanations
Adb has many built in commands. Some are interactive (meaning they keep running until you stop them) and some just perform a simple task. Below is a list of the commands in the 1.0 SDK version of adb.​
Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.20
Code:
-d - directs command to the only connected USB device
returns an error if more than one USB device is present.
-e - directs command to the only running emulator.
returns an error if more than one emulator is running.
-s <serial number> - directs command to the USB device or emulator with
the given serial number
-p <product name or path> - simple product name like 'sooner', or
a relative/absolute path to a product
out directory like 'out/target/product/sooner'.
If -p is not specified, the ANDROID_PRODUCT_OUT
environment variable is used, which must
be an absolute path.
devices - list all connected devices
device commands:
adb push <local> <remote> - copy file/dir to device
adb pull <remote> <local> - copy file/dir from device
adb sync [ <directory> ] - copy host->device only if changed
(see 'adb help all')
adb shell - run remote shell interactively
adb shell <command> - run remote shell command
adb emu <command> - run emulator console command
adb logcat [ <filter-spec> ] - View device log
adb forward <local> <remote> - forward socket connections
forward specs are one of:
tcp:<port>
localabstract:<unix domain socket name>
localreserved:<unix domain socket name>
localfilesystem:<unix domain socket name>
dev:<character device name>
jdwp:<process pid> (remote only)
adb jdwp - list PIDs of processes hosting a JDWP transport
adb install [-l] [-r] <file> - push this package file to the device and install it
('-l' means forward-lock the app)
('-r' means reinstall the app, keeping its data)
adb uninstall [-k] <package> - remove this app package from the device
('-k' means keep the data and cache directories)
adb bugreport - return all information from the device
that should be included in a bug report.
adb help - show this help message
adb version - show version num
DATAOPTS:
(no option) - don't touch the data partition
-w - wipe the data partition
-d - flash the data partition
scripting:
adb wait-for-device - block until device is online
adb start-server - ensure that there is a server running
adb kill-server - kill the server if it is running
adb get-state - prints: offline | bootloader | device
adb get-product - prints: <product-id>
adb get-serialno - prints: <serial-number>
adb status-window - continuously print device status for a specified device
adb remount - remounts the /system partition on the device read-write
networking:
adb ppp <tty> [parameters] - Run PPP over USB.
Note: you should not automatically start a PDP connection.
<tty> refers to the tty for PPP stream. Eg. dev:/dev/omap_csmi_tty1
[parameters] - Eg. defaultroute debug dump local notty usepeerdns
adb sync notes: adb sync [ <directory> ]
<localdir> can be interpreted in several ways:
- If <directory> is not specified, both /system and /data partitions will be updated.
- If it is "system" or "data", only the corresponding partition
is updated.
Common Use:​
Some of the more common commands in adb are push, pull, shell, install, remount, and logcat.
Push sends a file from your desktop computer to your Android device:
Code:
adb push test.txt /sdcard/test.txt
Pull pulls a file from your Android device to your desktop computer:
Code:
adb pull /sdcard/test.txt test.txt
Shell lets you run an interactive shell (command prompt) on the Android device:
Code:
adb shell
Install lets you install an android APK file to your Android device:
Code:
adb install myapp.apk
Remount remounts the /system partition as writable (or readonly if it is already writeable):
Code:
adb remount
Logcat lets you view the devices debug logs in real time (must press control+c to exit):
Code:
adb logcat

Further Notes On This Subject

It's great to see guides like these. I think every device forum should have these stickied in their general section. We all have/had to start somewhere. Having nice guides with accurate up-to-date information is only going to benefit everyone, and makes learning and understanding much easier. Fact is, we're all here for the same reason, to capitalize on the potential our devices have, and enjoy them. So, thanks for putting this together. It might seem trivial to a lot of the more experienced people, but those who aren't will definitely appreciate it.

Thanks. This is helpful.
Sent from my MB865

Hey Apex great job on the guide
I just wish this was here the first time I installed the the android sdk
I'm sure it will be useful to alot of members

41rw4lk said:
I think every device forum should have these stickied in their general section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Sticky?
Speak only when it improves on your silence.

Sorry for OT, this is not for Atrix 2 but I have question :
I want to extract included kernel in CM9 Rom, it is inside boot.img file. I've used Android Kitchen for extracting, it's ok now. I had zImage file.
So now how can I build flash-able zip file for CWM ? Tried UpdateZipCreator program but it showed error (7) when flashing.
I just wanna test many difference kernels and then come back to original but no flashable CM9 kernel here on xda.

vinamilk said:
Sorry for OT, this is not for Atrix 2 but I have question :
I want to extract included kernel in CM9 Rom, it is inside boot.img file. I've used Android Kitchen for extracting, it's ok now. I had zImage file.
So now how can I build flash-able zip file for CWM ? Tried UpdateZipCreator program but it showed error (7) when flashing.
I just wanna test many difference kernels and then come back to original but no flashable CM9 kernel here on xda.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, Jim will probably be the one to ask on this. I don't recall which device you have currently (viewing from my phone) but he's the one who wrote the kernel for CM9 on the SGS3. I'm assuming you want to run the CM9 rom with 'experimental' kernels, so I'd PM him and ask (Sorry Jim, lol) but I'm not the expert on kernels or Android Kitchen, least not as knowledgeable as I should be to give a suitable answer...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

oh! thanks a lot! I am very happy to find this!
long long ago! I start to find this resourse :cyclops:

EXCELLENT! I don't know i didn't see this before. Maybe because i didn't have this phone in August i think.
But great, tomorrow i will see if i can combine one of my designs with this, and try to make an alpha app.

Good guide
Hit thnx for every help

I just wanted to obtain logcat but where to type adb logcat...I get this in sdk

luvk1412 said:
I just wanted to obtain logcat but where to type adb logcat...I get this in sdk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the sdk.. go to android-sdk/tools/ folder and double-click monitor.bat - easiest/nicest way to watch the logs..
To set up adb to be used from the command prompt or terminal, make sure you set your environment variables (or your .bashrc in Linux) to the path of adb in the sdk (it's in platform-tools)..
For Windows (Win7 example): Go to Start> right-click Computer>Properties>Advanced System Settings>Environment Variables...
Look under System Variables to see if you somehow have the path to C:\android-sdk\platform-tools in there already (or your specific location - just don't use spaces in the folder names in your path). If not, click on PATH under System Variables and Edit it..
Add your path to adb.exe (C:\android-sdk\platform-tools, for exapmle) to the end of the string of paths there. You can also add the path to \android-sdk\tools for good measure..
Click OK.. "Revenge of the Fern" - inside joke...
For Linux (Ubuntu 12.04, for example): Go to your home folder, hit Ctrl+H, open the .bashrc, and add this (or your specific path) to the bottom:
Code:
# Android tools
export PATH=${PATH}:~/android-sdk/tools
export PATH=${PATH}:~/android-sdk/platform-tools
Then you should be able to open the command prompt or terminal and type: adb devices - and hopefully get your device id..
Then: adb logcat - for logcat (or just use the monitor.bat as mentioned above, it has a much nicer interface)
See my "Guide" on getting started in the Themes&Apps section for more adb stuff too..
Other alternatives for logcat directly on your phone are through Terminal Emulator (type su.. then logcat), or apps available on the Play Store (aLogcat, for example).

Hey I am just getting started with android dev. Have done just a few tutorials from the developers.android.com, so basically a noob at this. But I saw that Google recently launched the android studio for app developement. I was just getting started with eclipse, but the android studio looks more intuitive because of its better GUI. I'm bad at xml editing too So I think the interface of Android Studio would suit better. Is there anyone here who has tried both and knows the cons of abandoning eclipse IDE and going for Android Studio?

help
Hay friend i have downloaded Java JDK 6.0.45 & 6.0.07 & Java JRE 6,7 to But when i open eclips it shows me this error can you help me to get it solve

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2276871

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2227376&page=14

Do you know what path i use to upack the adt bundle i have unpacked it in almost every location on my computer and still nothing eclipes wont work nothing works plz let me know if you can help i really dont want to smash my new laptop that will be no2 in amonth if i do plz help

[App][Code project][5.0+]Rom Control app for devs

Hello ya'all,
This is gonna be a long op, I dunno where to start...
Sooooo... a while ago a friend (@tdunham) asked if we could share a settings app we made for our rom(s) (future rom(s).... as we are lazy bums). Since we mostly aimlessly wander around xda and help other devs instead of releasing our stuff, we figured... what the hell, we might as well make it into a source code project in a java-unexpirienced-dev format. So here we go!
About the project:
This app has a main function of coordinating content resolver entries between user end (your rom control app) and mods end (when you use content resolver to reitrieve settings storage database entry keys in various modded system apps).
Basically, you create a preference item, such as switch preference f.e, and when the user switches it, an entry is being overwritten in Settings.System. From there, your modded apps, according to your mods, can read the value and do some stuff...
Needless to say that this app requires, among many other things, your ability to mod system apps to use content resolver. If this doesn't mean anything to you, you're in a wrong place.
If you wish to learn more about modding smali using content resolver, you need to first get introduced to 2 amazing threads:
1. Creating and Understanding smali mods by @Goldie - if you are not fluent in that thread, you will not need this app.
2. Galaxy s5 unified mods and guides thread by @tdunham - not all guides there are using content resolver, but lately more and more are. In any case it's a great place to ask questions, learn and contribute.
Nuff said about modding, now to the project
Project characteristics:
The project is a source code project. Meaning we are not providing an application and you will not be using it by decompiling it with apktool. There are so many reasons for that that I don't know where to start. Mainly - it's bad enough samsung has made hackers out of all of us and we need to decompile and backdoor their system apps to mod them. What we can provide in source code - we will. We strongly believe in the freedom of code and we share it unconditionally (almost).
Now what is that "almost? part? Simple... You do NOT need to credit us in any of your work, you do NOT need to thank us, you do NOT need to ask permission to use this project in your rom, you also do NOT need to donate to us (you also can't, we don't have a donate button). YOU DO NEED TO RESPECT THE FREEDOM OF CODE! That means that this code is given to you under the GNU GPL (General Public License). You can review it fully here.
The most relevant part to our discussion is as following:
...For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must pass on to the recipients the same freedoms that you received. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That being said, the only thing that is required of you is that you keep sharing the code. We are not going to run around xda and "police" people using the code and not providing source. We rely on your word, that by agreeing to use the open source, you will keep it public and provide your sources as well for others to use. This VOIDS xda rule number 12, stating that each dev owns their work. Becasue the rule also states that work that is provided by a lisence that negates exclusivity, is therefore not exclusive. Any work based on this code is not to be held exclusive. And if another developer wants to use an app you built based on this code, you have an obligation to provide your sources and to keep those updated to most recent version of the app you release in order to be compliant.
Thread rules and disclaimaers:
The code is 100% original and written by us (myself and @wuby986) for this specific project. All the classes imported from public open source repositories are annotated with original developer signature and our modifications are annotated and dated as well.
To answer most asked question so far - we don't know how it is different from a custom settings app by ficeto. We have never used it in our roms and we have nerver seen it's code (neither have you). Both apps share the same idea of integrating preferences into settings db using content resolver. You are free to use any app you like. We are not saying which app is better or worse. This is seriously not a competition.
This project requires extensive knowledge in android development. As mentioned above, if you don't know how to mod system, this app is of no use to you. We will not be answering questions about smali mods.
This project requires basic knowledge in operating android studio. You need to have it installed and operational in order to work with the code. You need to have android sdk and all the support libraries updated.
This project requires SOME coding expirience or AT LEAST an open mind to getting a crash course. You will not be required to do heavy java lifting to use this app, but it would help if you knew alittle bit.
We cannot teach you how to use android studio, debug problems related to it and so on. We will provide basic instructions as to how to add items to the navigation drawer list, how to add preference fragments with ease, we will explain the idea of out code and different preferences to you. Beyond that - it's on you. We cannot and will not teach you to be a programmer. If you want to know more - the web is wide and google is your friend.
We cannot debug your code problems. This thread is for development discussion related to the project itself. If you need some requests, questions regarding exsisting code, remarks, improvements, you're more than welcome to join a github project and commit your code for everyone's benefit.
Nuff said about rules, moving forward:
Project sources:
Github source for the Rom Control application is here
Github source for the template to add preference fragment for this specific app is here
Initial instructions:
Download and install Android Studio and android sdk for your platform. Make sure all are updated
Go to the preference fragment repository and download the master as zip. Extract the zip contents into /your android adt directory/android-studio/plugins/android/lib/templates/other/
Reopen android studio
File > New > Project from Version Control > Git
The git repository is https://github.com/daxgirl/CustomSettingsForDevs.git
Specify your parent directory and directory to contain the project (will be suggested by studio)
Clone from git
Done you have the project on your pc. Wait for it to sync and build gradle.
The next couple of posts will explain extensively how to operate the app and create customize it to your rom's needs.
XDA:DevDB Information
[App][Code project][5.0+]Rom Control app for devs, App for all devices (see above for details)
Contributors
daxgirl, wuby986
Version Information
Status: Testing
Current Stable Version: 1.0
Created 2015-06-30
Last Updated 2016-04-12

Basic info and app structure
Basic info and app structure:
This application is Navigation Drawer application material design style. It uses app cpmpat in order to use the pager adapter. This can make theming alittle bit tricky, but we provided 2 themes for now which you can modify in styles.
Navigation drawer opens from the left and it contains for now example of navigation items list. For now we have 4 preference fragments and the last items is to set theme. You can add or remove fragments as you wish. The process will be fully explained.
The fragments in the main view container are being replaced based on a position of clicked item in the navigation drawer list. Remember (we will get back to it again), positions in any array begin from 0. That means that for now we have 0,1,2,3,4 items in the arrays that construct the navigation items list. When we add one, we will need to add a title and an icon (both in corresponding positions) and also add our new fragment to a special method which makes the selected items to show specific fragment. We will discuss it at lenght.
For now application contains only preference fragments. If you feel confident and know what you're doing, you can add all kinda fragments and navigation items (even more activities). We concentrate here on preference fragments, because this is the essence.
Each navigation fragment has a java class which extends PreferenceFragment and an xml file inside res/xml folder, where the preferences exist for each fragment. Once launched for the first time, each fragment will create a shared preferences file inside our "home" directory. Our directory is in /data/data/com.wubydax.romcontrol/. There you will find several files and dirs. One of them is called shared_prefs. Inside it each fragment will host it's preference xml file. The name of this file will be identical (by our design) to the name of the xml file for that fragment in /res/xml folder. Once the fragment displayed for the first time, the shared preferences file for it is created and being populated by the default values you set. We will explain later which preferences must have defaultValue set and which preferences MUST NOT.
If you open the java class for any PreferenceFragment, f.e. UIPrefsFragment.java, you will see that the code is very small. That is because we wanted to make things easier for you and we created a class called HandlePreferenceFragment.java, which manages all the work of the fragments.
When you create a new Preference Fragment using a template for android studio we provided, The fragment and it's xml file are created for you automatically. All you will have to do is add it to the item selector in the navigation drawer, of course give it a name and an icon, and you can gop ahead and populate the xml file with preferences. You will not need to touch java anymore if you don't want to.
We have the usual preferences that you know of, like SwitchPreference, CheckboxPreference, ListPreference etc, and we have our own "special" preferences to make your life easier. Those are IntentDialogPreference (to choose an app and write it's intent to the database for you to use in your mods to open apps), FilePreference (to control some booleans by creating and deleting file), we have 2 special kinds of PreferenceScreens: one for running shell scripts and one for creating intent to open apps from the control app. Those preferences will have special kind of keys, which we will demonstrate. You will not need to flash your scripts when flashing your rom. All your scripts will be managed in the assets folder and copied on run time to our home directory and executed from there. You don't need to worry about permissions, all is taken care of. Just place your scripts inside the assets folder before you compile the sources. Sae thing with opening apps as intents, all you need to do is put a main activity full name as PreferenceScreen key. Everything else is taken care of, including displaying icon. The preference will not show at all if the user doen's have an app installed. So no crashes upon clicking on non existing intents. They will just vanish from the list.
The preference files inside the project on github contains BOGUS preferences to use as an example. We will go over all of them (most contained inside first fragment - UIPrefsFragment). They are all active. But they should not trigger any mod, as you should not have those keys in your database. You can see f.e. that preference fragment "Useful apps" has like 5 preferences for app intent. some of them have bogus intent. They will not display when you run your app. They are therer to demonstrate that if the app doesn't exist, you should not worry about FC of Rom Control. It takes care of itself.
The first time the app boots it asks for root permissions. If the device is not rooted or permissions not granted, the app will never run. You all run rooted and modded roms, this app is not for stock. If you wish to disable this function, we will provide that option.
Reboot menu - on the right upper corner of the action bar you will see a reboot icon. Clicking it will show a display of 5 reboot actions: reboot, hotboot, reboot recovery, reboot download, reboot systemui. Youc an access those easily no matter what fragment you're in. Clicking outside of them or clicking back button will make the menu disappear. clicking on one of them will result in immidiate reboot function. Those are root related finctions. We can make them no root dependant once you all use an app in your /system/priv-app. Which, btw, is where we recommend it goes.
How does it work?
For the first time an app is opened (or any time an ap is opened), there is a special method inside HandlePreferenceFragment that is called initAllKeys();. This method goes over all the preferences contained inside the shared preferences for that fragment. One by one it checks their key name, checks if they are of type boolean (true or false), of tipe integer (number) or of type string (words). Then it checks what preference they belong to. It checks if the key for that preference exists in your settings storage database, if it does not - it creates all keys. If the key exists in the database but is different from what the app has - it replaces the one in the app preferences with what you have in your system. That is why it's important for most preferences to set the defaultValue that you wish to be the default, beucase the first time the app launches, it will create all the keys in the system database. once the process is done(you will not see or feel it), your preferences are yours to control. Once a user clicks on Checkbox, if it's selected (isChecked), it writes 1 to the key for that preference inside the Settings.System. and vice versa. Any change in the preferences is being registered immidiately. So your mods can be updated (provided you have observers, of course, or else you might need to reboot apps, just like you always did). Inside the class HandlePreferenceFragment there is a method updateDatabase. it is being called from a method that "wacthes"/"listens" to any change in preference.
That is, basically, all. This is how it works. Everything else is cosmetics made for your convinience and mostly based on your requests. F.e. running shell scripts, FilePreference, App picker preferences was requested by other developers to be included so we had to find a way to build in. Now you can all enjoy. Any further requests are welcome.
Overall structure in studio:
One you have opened the project in studio, you have the following structure tree on your left. Make sure you have chosen the "project" tab (far left edge of the screen) to see it:
Inside the libs folder we have the roottools jar made by the amazing @Stericson and the next folder that is of interest is the src/main. This is where the app as you know it (from apktool) is hosted. You can see inside the res folder all our resources.
If you need to change the icon for the app you need to place it inside mipmap folders. It's called ic_launcher.png. For nice app icons generator visit here . Inside the values-21 folder there is the styles.xml file that you need to edit if you want to change theme colors. Nice site for coherent material palette is here and google documentation is here.
In the main drawables folder you will find those:
As you can see there are two images there that are relevant to you: header_image and header_image_light (for both themes). Thopse are the header images for the navigation drawer. You can replace them with your own. The reference to them is inside /layout/fragment_navigation_drawer.xml as you can see here:
.
Here it's used as an attribute. You can read more about using attrs in android docs. Just replace the images and keep the names.
Inside of the resolution dependant drawable folders you can find the images for the items in the navigation drawer:
Here you can replace, move and add your own. Good resources for icons are: here and here and you can find many more out there.
Inside the assets folder we have a folder named scripts. It's important the name remains "scripts".
It's used in java code to copy the assets on runtime to our home dir. Inside scripts you put your shell scripts that you wish to run using the script running method. scripts have to be called with .sh in the end. When you create a PreferenceScreen that needs to run scripts, you give it a key like this: android:key = "script#nameofourscript". You do not add the .sh in the key. Look at the example inside ui_prefs.xml in PreferenceScreen with key android:key = "script#test". This runs the script that is currently found in assets. which basically writes into a file on your sdcard. Here you can put scripts as complex a you like. The code checkes for the exit code of the script. as long as it is 0, it will print a toast "executed successfully" upon clicking your preference. To try it run the app on your phone and click on a preference screen with summary "Click see what happens". Make sure your scripts are well formed and test them before including. Remember that you're under sudo. Linux shell will execute anything under sudo without asking.
Inside the /res/xml folder are our preference xml files. This will be your main playground. In those files we will be adding the preference items to appear in each of your fragments.
And finally for the java classes:
Here is where all the work is being done in real time. If you don't have expirience, you won't have to go there besides when you need to add the more nav drawer items.
Adding a new fragment and navigation drawer list item:
1. Provided you read the OP instructions and cloned the Rom Control Preference Fragment template repository into /your android adt directory/android-studio/plugins/android/lib/templates/other/, you need to restart android studio and we are ready to go.
2. Right click on the main java package of out application and navigate to New > Fragment > Fragment (6thGear Preference Fragment) like you can see on the picture below:
Once you click on adding the fragment the foloowing window will open:
As you can see the initial names are: for fragment - BlankFragment and for xml blank_prefs. You can change it as you like. BUT! Leave the word Fragment. Once you change the FIRST part of the fragment name, the first part of the prefs file name will be changed automatically. See the img below:
So we have chosen to create a new fragment called PowerMenuFragent and below that we have the preference xml name. the name is automatically generated as you put in your class name for the fragment. The java naming convention states that a class must begin with capital letter and all meaningful words in class name must also begin with capital letter. The xml name generator will split the word Fragment from your class name and make the other words into xml legal name form separated by under score and will add _prefs in the end. So it becomes power_menu_prefs.xml.
Click "finish" and you have a new fragment class and a new xml file for it inside /xml folder. The fragment will look like this:
You don't need to edit it. It's done in template. It instantiates the class called HandlePreferenceFragment and refers to it's main methods. For more infor you can read my annotations in the HPF class.
Your new xml file is now empty and contains an empty preference screen like so:
We will populate it with preferences later.
Now we need to make this new fragment REACHABLE for user. So we need to add an item to the navigation drawer sections. Let's do that:
1. Open /values/strings.xml and find an array of strings. we will add our new item name in a place we want. In this case I will add it after the Framework section (in blue):
Code:
<string-array name="nav_drawer_items">
<item>SystemUI Mods</item>
<item>Phone Mods</item>
<item>Framework and General</item>
[COLOR="Blue"][B]<item>Power Menu</item>[/B][/COLOR]
<item>Useful Apps</item>
<item>Set Theme</item>
</string-array>
2. Now you will need a new icon to appear to the left of the section name in nav drawer. You can add your own icon at this point. It's a good practice to add images for all resolutions. But who are we kidding? You're making a rom for one device. So to remind you, s4, note3, s5 are xxhdpi and note4, s6 are xxxhdpi. I will use existing icon called ic_reboot.png for this section.
3. Now we need to get our hands dirty and go into java alittle. Open MainViewActivity and find the following method. This method is well annotated for your use. So you can refer to it every time you add an item for reference of how-to. Observe the new blue item:
Code:
//Creates a list of NavItem objects to retrieve elements for the Navigation Drawer list of choices
public List<NavItem> getMenu() {
List<com.wubydax.romcontrol.NavItem> items = new ArrayList<>();
/*String array of item names is located in strings.xml under name nav_drawer_items
* If you wish to add more items you need to:
* 1. Add item to nav_drawer_items array
* 2. Add a valid material design icon/image to dir drawable
* 3. Add that image ID to the integer array below (int[] mIcons
* 4. The POSITION of your new item in the string array MUST CORRESPOND to the position of your image in the integer array mIcons
* 5. Create new PreferenceFragment or your own fragment or a method that you would like to invoke when a user clicks on your new item
* 6. Continue down this file to a method onNavigationDrawerItemSelected(int position) - next method
* 7. Add an action based on position. Remember that positions in array are beginning at 0. So if your item is number 6 in array, it will have a position of 5... etc
* 8. You need to add same items to the int array in NavigationDrawerFragment, which has the same method*/
String[] mTitles = getResources().getStringArray(R.array.nav_drawer_items);
int[] mIcons =
{R.drawable.ic_ui_mods,
R.drawable.ic_phone_mods,
R.drawable.ic_general_framework,
[B][COLOR="Blue"]R.drawable.ic_reboot,[/COLOR][/B]
R.drawable.ic_apps,
R.drawable.ic_settings};
for (int i = 0; i < mTitles.length && i < mIcons.length; i++) {
com.wubydax.romcontrol.NavItem current = new com.wubydax.romcontrol.NavItem();
current.setText(mTitles[i]);
current.setDrawable(mIcons[i]);
items.add(current);
}
return items;
}
As you can see I added a line R.drawable.ic_reboot. What is it? This is an equivalent to public id in smali. It is in fact an integer. So it appears inside integer array called mIcons. Our respurces in android are referenced by capital R. then we have the resource type, in this case - drawable, and then the item name (without extension). Note the order of the id in the array, I added my string after the framework string. So I also add the id for the drawable after the id of the framework drawable. This is vital to understand, as the list is being populated on runtime based on items positions. Items in an array are separated by comma.
4. Now open NavigationDrawerFragment class and you will find the same method there. Please add the same id in the same way there. You MUST do so in both classes every time.
5. Now we go back to the MainViewActivity and we find the following method. it will be right after the getMenu() method we just edited. The method is called onNavigationDrawerItemSelected(int position). This method is responsible for performing action based on which navigation drawer item is clicked by a user. Positions are the positions of items in the List of our objects. So we have so far 6 items out arrays (strings and drawable id integers). That means their positions are 0,1,2,3,4,5 respectively. Look at the method as it appears in the original code:
Code:
@Override
public void onNavigationDrawerItemSelected(int position) {
/* update the main content by replacing fragments
* See more detailed instructions on the thread or in annotations to the previous method*/
setTitle(getMenu().get(position).getText());
switch (position) {
case 0:
getFragmentManager().beginTransaction().addToBackStack(null).replace(R.id.container, new UIPrefsFragment()).commitAllowingStateLoss();
break;
case 1:
getFragmentManager().beginTransaction().addToBackStack(null).replace(R.id.container, new PhonePrefsFragment()).commitAllowingStateLoss();
break;
case 2:
getFragmentManager().beginTransaction().addToBackStack(null).replace(R.id.container, new FrameworksGeneralFragment()).commitAllowingStateLoss();
break;
case 3:
getFragmentManager().beginTransaction().addToBackStack(null).replace(R.id.container, new AppLinksFragment()).commitAllowingStateLoss();
break;
case 4:
showThemeChooserDialog();
break;
}
}
Here we have switch case based on position of an item. This is the same as saying: if the position of an item is 0, perform this action, else, if the position is 1, perform that action and so on. Only in this case we say: compiler, switch cases based on integer - in case 0: do something, in case 1: do something else. So we need to add an item after the framework section. Framework section has position of 2 (it's item number 3). So now we add our new fragment like so:
Code:
@Override
public void onNavigationDrawerItemSelected(int position) {
/* update the main content by replacing fragments
* See more detailed instructions on the thread or in annotations to the previous method*/
setTitle(getMenu().get(position).getText());
switch (position) {
case 0:
getFragmentManager().beginTransaction().addToBackStack(null).replace(R.id.container, new UIPrefsFragment()).commitAllowingStateLoss();
break;
case 1:
getFragmentManager().beginTransaction().addToBackStack(null).replace(R.id.container, new PhonePrefsFragment()).commitAllowingStateLoss();
break;
case 2:
getFragmentManager().beginTransaction().addToBackStack(null).replace(R.id.container, new FrameworksGeneralFragment()).commitAllowingStateLoss();
break;
[COLOR="blue"][B]case 3:
getFragmentManager().beginTransaction().addToBackStack(null).replace(R.id.container, new PowerMenuFragment()).commitAllowingStateLoss();
break;[/B][/COLOR]
case [COLOR="blue"][B]4[/B][/COLOR]:
getFragmentManager().beginTransaction().addToBackStack(null).replace(R.id.container, new AppLinksFragment()).commitAllowingStateLoss();
break;
case [COLOR="blue"][B]5[/B][/COLOR]:
showThemeChooserDialog();
break;
}
}
Note how the new case is now number 3 and the positions of the following cases need to be increased.
Now we can run our app and and there is our new section item:
That's it for this post. Post #3 we will talk about different preference kinds we have and how to use them.
Till then...
To be continued.....​

Handling different kinds of preferences:
Now we roll with populating our preference fragments. Each preference fragment is unique for your needs, depends on your use, your modded apps and categories. All we do, as mentioned above, is provide you with preferences to communicate with your modded system apps using ContentResolver class.
For each preference I will explain:
Does it write preferences into shared preferences? and if it does...
What kind of object it writes to shared preferences of our app?
What kind of value we then write into SettingsSystem database?
What kind of key it uses and why?
SwitchPreference/CheckboxPreference:
Images:
You MUST provide defaultValue for ANY switch preference you create
It writes boolean (true or false) into the shared preferences
We copy it as integer (1 or 0) into the Settings.System database
It mush have a unique key, none of existent in databse. It must be the same key as you use in your mod for that function. F.e. statusbar_clock_visibility. Clock can be either visible or invisible. So switch preference will serve us good here. Also will checkbox preference. In your mod when you retrieve and integer using ContentResolver you specify the default value (if the key is not found). You have to specify the same default value here. If in smaly it was 0x1,. then in the app it must be android:defaultValue = "true". YOU MUST SPECIFY DEFAULT!
In preference xml inside your empty PreferenceScreen claws, you add this:
Code:
<SwitchPreference
android:defaultValue="true"
android:key="clock_visibility"
android:summaryOff="Clock is hidden"
android:summaryOn="Clock is visible"
android:title="Set Clock Visibility" />
Code:
<CheckBoxPreference
android:defaultValue="false"
android:key="brightness_visibility"
android:summaryOff="Brightness slider hidden"
android:summaryOn="Brightness slider is visible"
android:title="Notification Brightness Visibility" />
This is all you need. The key will work automatically. The first time the user runs your app it will look for that key in the database, if it finds it, it will copy the value into our app and the switch will be set accordingly, if it does not find it, it will copy the defaultvalue of your preference to the database.
Of course the proper way of using strings for title and summary is by using string resources. In android studio you can create strings resources after you have typed the string. F.e. click on one of the strings, like for title, and on your keyboard press alt+enter. You will be given an option to extract string resource. That is all up to you. If your app is only in english, you don't really need to do that.
ListPreference:
Usually you would create list preference by specifying <ListPreference..../>. We had added some functionality to native android preferences for List and EditText. So we have our own classes that extend those preferences. So when we create a list preference we use our own class, so the preference looks like this:
Code:
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.MyListPreference
android:defaultValue="2"
android:entries="@array/clock_position_entries"
android:entryValues="@array/clock_position_values"
android:key="any_clock_position"
android:title="Status Bar Clock Position" />
Once you open < in studio and start typing com..... it will give you the options of preferences existing in our app. Just choose the one you need and it will create the name for it. Don't worry if you mistype, it will not compile.
List preference in android persists string. That means that it writes object of string type into the shared preferences. You need to create 2 string arrays for each list preference. One for Entries - what is displayed in the dialog as single choice items for user. and One is for entryValues (what is being written into the preferences). You can from your mod read them as integers or strings using content resolver. f.e., if your values are 200, 300, 400, android will persist them as strings. But when you restrieve them from database in your systemui smali mod, f.e., you can call either getInt (to get them as integers) or getString to get them as strings. Of course strings array like bread, milk, cookies cannot be retrieved as integer. But a string 200 can be either.
When you retrieve a default value in your smali mod, you retrieve f.e. 200. so YOU NEED TO SET 200 as defaultValue. Or in the above case, it's 2. YOU MUST SPECIFY THE DEFAULT STRING!
You do not specify summary for this preference, we take care of it in code. like so:
EditTextPreference:
Code:
Code:
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.MyEditTextPreference
android:defaultValue="simpletext"
android:key="carrier_text"
android:title="Set Custom Carrier Text" />
This preference also persists string. It also writes string into the database. You retrieve it only as string. Because you can't control what user types. You don't want your modded systemui to crash because a user inputted "bread" and you are trying to read it as integer.
YOU MUST SPECIFY THE DEFAULT STRING for EditTextPreference.
ColorPickerPreference:
Writes and integer into the sharedpreferences and we retrieve integer into the database.
Color integers are special. I will not go into how and why. I have created a utility helper app for devs for this purpose. The app's main function is to convert hex string to integers or to reverse smali hex string. You can find an apk and explanations how to use it here.
Remember, YOU MUST-MUST-MUST SPECIFY defaultValue for ColorPicker in our app!!! and YOU MUST USE ACTUAL INTEGERS to do so properly. Just trust us on that. It's no biggie. You use our app for hex converter to both create your default smali hex value and to create an integer for this app.
The code for ColorPickerPreference:
Code:
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.ColorPickerPreference
alphaSlider="true"
android:defaultValue="-16777215"
android:key="clock_color"
android:title="Choose Clock Color" />
As you can see this android:defaultValue="-16777215" is an actual integer for color black. You get it by using our app. You put 000000 into the first text field and click the button. The integer that you get is -16777215. We also have color preview available. It's a very useful tool. Use it and you can never go wrong with neither integers nor smali inverse hex values for your default color.
Now note the special attribute called "alphaSlider" in the code. This is a boolean type. By default it's false. Meaning you can create color picker preference with or withour transparency option.
SeekBarPreference - the SLIDER:
Writes integer of the slideer progress into the database. The moment your finger has stopped tracking the bar, an integer is being registered into the sharedpreference and then being retrieved into the databasse.
Code:
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.SeekBarPreference
min="0"
unitsRight="Kb/s"
android:defaultValue="10"
android:key="network_traffic_autohide_threshold"
android:max="100"
android:title="Autohide Threshold" />
YOU MUST SET DEFAULT VALUE!!!! IN INTEGER!
You can specify special values such as unitsRight, like "%" or "Kb/s" and so on. You can specify the min and the max value. You probably better not specify the summary. But you can if you want.
IntentDialogPreference - App Chooser:
Code:
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.IntentDialogPreference
includeSearch="true"
setSeparatorString="\##"
android:key="choosen_app_gear"
android:title="Choose App" />
This is a very special preference kind. It was created by request from @rompnit. They use intents from database to open apps in certain mods. You will have to ask them on @tdunham thread how and when they use it. We created this preference from scratch specifically for them. This is a completely custom kind of android preference. It displays a dialog of all your LAUNCHABLE apps (apps that have default launch intent that can be retrieved by using PackageManager method getLaunchIntentForPackage. In other words - all apps that appear in your launcher will appear on the dialog.
What happens when you click on an app? What is being written into preferences is a special kind of string. The srting might look like this: com.android.settings/com.android.settings.Settings or it might look like this com.android.settings##com.android.settings.Settings... this is what you need to create basic intent. You need package name and activity name. What separates them is up to you. You will need to split them in your smali mod into package name and activity name to create intent. We have created 2 special attributes for this preference:
1. setSeparatorString =this is what will separate the package name from the class name. The default (if you don't specify) is "/". Remember that if you use chars that must be escaped in xml, f.e. like hash(#), you need to escfape them by backslash, like so setSeparatorString = "\##".
2. includeSearch - this is a boolean type of attribute. It is false by default. If you specify true, the search field will appear on the dialog above the apps list, allowing your users to search for an app by name inside the list adapter. We also included a list alphabetical indexer. So it's up to you if it's necessary.
Once the app is chosen, the summary for the preference is set to the app name and the icon on the right side will be the app icon.
Your database will contain now the basic component for the intent. What you do with it in your smali is up to you.
DO NOT SET DEFAULT VALUE FOR THIS PREFERENCE!!!
FilePreference:
This is very special kind of preference requested by @tdunham. What is does it creates and deletes file with a certain name in our home files dir. It is located at /data/data/com.wubydax.romcontrol/files
Code:
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.FilePreference
android:key=[COLOR="red"]"testfile"[/COLOR]
android:summaryOff="File doesn't exist"
android:summaryOn="File exists"
android:title="Test File Preference" />
The reason this is used by some devs, apparently, is when you need to mod smali file, which originates in a class that does not take context as parameter. Without context you cannot call the ContentResolver, so you cannot retrieve from the database. So what you can do instead is create a boolean condition based on existence or non existence of a certain file. File class does not require context. All it needs is to be instantiated as object and be given a string as path. For exampple:
Code:
[COLOR="Green"]File[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]file[/COLOR] = new [COLOR="green"]File[/COLOR]("[COLOR="Purple"]/data/data/com.wubydax.romcontrol/testfile[/COLOR]");
means that object file of class File is a file located at /data/data/com.wubydax.romcontrol/ and called "testfile". In java class File you have a method (boolean) which is called "exists". So a condition can be made like this:
Code:
if(file.exists){
int i = 1;
} else {
i = 0;
}
So you can create a boolean method that will return 0 or 1 based on existence of the file at certain location.
This is the idea behind this preference.
The key for this preference is THE NAME OF THE FILE.
YOU DO NOT SPECIFY THE DEFAULT!!!
The preference looks like switch preference. But it acts differently. Youc an specify summaryOn and Off as you need. It does not write into database. It just creates and deletes the file.
Script executing PreferenceScreen:
As entioned above you can create PreferenceScreen which will execute shell scripts upon click. Example:
Code:
<PreferenceScreen
android:key=[COLOR="Red"]"script#test"[/COLOR]
android:summary="Click see what happens"
android:title="New Preference Screen" />
Note the key format. It has to begin with script#! The part after the hash (#) is the name of the script you wish to execute, in this case the script is test.sh which you can find in the source you pulled inside assets folder..
Where are the scripts??? You put them inside assets folder (see post #2). You name your scripts f.e. test.sh script (has to end with .sh). But you do not add the .sh extension to the string (we do that in code).
Every time your app launches it checks for scripts in the assets folder. It wants to make sure all the scripts ar being copied to our home dir. Inside files folder there we create a folder called scripts. All your scripts will be automatically copied there from assets, given permission 0755 and ready to be executed.
Wgen a user clicks on a Script Executing PreferenceScreen, the app looks if a script with that name exists in our files dir. If it does, it attemts to execute it. I have explained in post #2. We also check just in case that the script is executable. There is native java method to do that. So if you or your user just add a script to the scripts folder in home directory and forgot to make it 0755, we do that for you in java with this method:
Code:
if (script.exists()) {
[COLOR="Blue"][B]boolean isChmoded = script.canExecute() ? true : false;
if (!isChmoded) {
script.setExecutable(true);
}[/B][/COLOR]
Command command = new Command(0, pathToScript) {
@Override
public void commandCompleted(int id, int exitcode) {
super.commandCompleted(id, exitcode);
if (exitcode != 0) {
Toast.makeText(c, String.valueOf(exitcode), Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
} else {
Toast.makeText(c, "Executed Successfully", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
}
}
};
try {
RootTools.getShell(true).add(command);
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
} catch (TimeoutException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
} catch (RootDeniedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
Make suer your scripts are of valid shell format, test them separately before you put them in the app. Be careful, all the scripts are being executed under sudo. Means anything you write shall be done. Do not make mistakes in your script. Adding su to your scripts is not necessary. We execute them as root anyway.
So...
Create a shell script and test it on your device
Place it inside the assets folder of your app
Call it f.e. killbill.sh
Create a PreferenceScreen entry and givie it a key android:key = "script#killbill"
Compile the app
Clicking on that preference should execute killbill.sh which will now be foind in /data/data/com.wibydax.romcontrol/files/scripts/killbill.sh and have permissions 0755.
DO NOT SET DEFAULT FOR PreferenceScreen EVER!!!
Intent opening Preference Screen:
Code:
<PreferenceScreen
android:key=[COLOR="Red"]"com.wubydax.gearreboot.RebootActivity"[/COLOR]
android:summary="Opens TWSwipe app to help you choose a different swipe activity"
android:title="Reset TWSwipe Action" />
This is a regular preference screen, so it would seem, but it has a special function. Usually, in order to open an intent with PreferenceScreen, you need to specify a whole lot of intent rules, like action, target class, target package and so on. We have made your life easy. If you want to link to an app from your rom control application, all you need to do is to specify the activity you wish to run as a key to this preference.
You are not allowed to use "." in any other preference key. If you use "." the app will read it as possible intent. If it cannot resolve it, it will make it disappear from the list.
This kind of preference is fully automated. Once the app reads the key, it does all the work for you, it sets the icon for the preference as the app icon, it creates a viable intent.
If the user doesn't have an app that you link to installed, the app will never appear in the preferences. So the user can never click on it. Because otherwise it would give FC to the app.
Nested PreferenceScreen:
If you include regular preference screen, you never need to set a key. Preference screen that envelops the items inside of it will always lead to a nested preference screen that has some included preferences. and so on. We have a loop running through your entire preference tree and detecting all your preference screen and differentiating them by their abilities (being script executing, being intents and so on).
Nested Preference Screen would look like this:
Code:
[COLOR="Red"]<PreferenceScreen
android:summary="New Preference screen"
android:title="New Preference Screen">[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]<-- Start of nested preference screen[/COLOR]
<PreferenceCategory android:title="new category" />
<CheckBoxPreference
android:key="text_checkbox"
android:title="Checkbox" />
<SwitchPreference
android:key="test_switch"
android:title="Switch" />
[COLOR="Red"]</PreferenceScreen>[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]<-- End of nested preference screen[/COLOR]
Inside of it you can have more preferences and more preference screens.
PreferenceCategory:
Preference category is an enveloping kinda preference. It is different in color and appearence then the rest. It makes sub-portions of preference screen look separate from each other and easier to identify. F.e.:
Code:
<PreferenceScreen xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
[COLOR="Red"] <PreferenceCategory android:title="Status Bar Mods">[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]<-- start of preference category[/COLOR]
<SwitchPreference
android:defaultValue="true"
android:key="clock_visibility"
android:summaryOff="Clock is hidden"
android:summaryOn="Clock is visible"
android:title="Set Clock Visibility" />
<CheckBoxPreference
android:defaultValue="false"
android:key="brightness_visibility"
android:summaryOff="Brightness slider hidden"
android:summaryOn="Brightness slider is visible"
android:title="Notification Brightness Visibility" />
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.MyListPreference
android:defaultValue="2"
android:entries="@array/clock_position_entries"
android:entryValues="@array/clock_position_values"
android:key="any_clock_position"
android:title="Status Bar Clock Position" />
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.MyEditTextPreference
android:defaultValue="simpletext"
android:key="carrier_text"
android:title="Set Custom Carrier Text"
/>
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.ColorPickerPreference
alphaSlider="true"
android:defaultValue="-16777215"
android:key="clock_color"
android:title="Choose Clock Color" />
<PreferenceScreen
android:key="script#test"
android:summary="Click see what happens"
android:title="New Preference Screen" />
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.SeekBarPreference
min="0"
unitsRight="Kb/s"
android:defaultValue="10"
android:icon="@null"
android:key="network_traffic_autohide_threshold"
android:max="100"
android:title="Autohide Threshold" />
<PreferenceScreen
android:summary="New Preference screen"
android:title="New Preference Screen">
<PreferenceCategory android:title="new category" />
<CheckBoxPreference
android:key="text_checkbox"
android:title="Checkbox" />
<SwitchPreference
android:key="test_switch"
android:title="Switch" />
</PreferenceScreen>
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.IntentDialogPreference
includeSearch="true"
setSeparatorString="\##"
android:key="choosen_app_gear"
android:title="Choose App" />
<com.wubydax.romcontrol.prefs.FilePreference
android:key="testfile"
android:summaryOff="File doesn't exist"
android:summaryOn="File exists"
android:title="Test File Preference" />
[COLOR="red"]</PreferenceCategory>[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]<-- end of PreferenceCategory[/COLOR]
</PreferenceScreen>
This is it for now, more per demand and need. Have fun!​

General tips and tricks
Some tips and tricks
Running app and debugging:
Android studio provides you with built in logcat. Not only that you can debug the app you're working on, you can debug any app you're modding too. Just need to specify the filter for the logcat and the package name. Dig in and you will find some cool features.
You need to have unknown souces enabled and usb debugging enabled to run your compiled app directly on your device.
1. You can install and run this app as user app. It does not need to be system app. For now no features require it. You can of course include it as system app in your rom. We recommend pulling the base.apk from data folder and pushing to /system/priv-app
2. You do not need USB cable to debug and run your app from studio. There is anifty app I am using. You can download it here https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ttxapps.wifiadb&hl=en. All you need to do is open the command line on your pc and type adb connect <ip number of your phone in the network>:5555. The app will provide you with an IP number.
Now studio will recognize your device as USB debugging device even though it's not connected with usb cable. I just hate cables.......
Including key specific functions:
For now all our work is done automatically for us. You click a preference and the work is done. But what if you have a key that you want to do alittle more with than just write into database? I will give you an example.
We have a SwitchPreference in our app that enables/disables call recording. That mod requires restart of InCallUI.apk. Now you can of course restart it by creating a Script Running PreferenceScreen item called Reboot InCallUI and it will be fine. That's what you have been doing so far. But let me show you what you can do now that you own your source code.
We have two ways to kill that app. Silently (without user knowing - very cool) or informing the user. Let me show you how it would be done.
Let's say you create a preference for call recording:
Code:
<[COLOR="red"]SwitchPreference[/COLOR]
android:defaultValue="true"
android:key="[COLOR="Red"]toggle_call_recording[/COLOR]"
android:summaryOff="Call recording is disabled"
android:summaryOn="Call recording is enabled"
android:title="Enable/Disable Call Recording" />
The two things we need to know is the key and the class instance of preference - which is SwitchPreference.
Let us go to the java class HandlePreferenceFragments and find a method called public void onSharedPreferenceChanged(SharedPreferences sharedPreferences, String key){}}. In android studio you can search through class by pressing ctrl+f.
In that method we have switch by the preference class name (INSTANCE). So we have this case:
Code:
case "SwitchPreference":
SwitchPreference s = (SwitchPreference) pf.findPreference(key);
s.setChecked(sharedPreferences.getBoolean(key, true));
break;
What this means is: if the preference is of kind SwitchPreference, when the preference is changes, do something..... So.... let us do something with our SPECIFIC switch preference for our SPPECIFIC key!!!
Let us try this:
The silent way:
Code:
case "SwitchPreference":
SwitchPreference s = (SwitchPreference) pf.findPreference(key);
s.setChecked(sharedPreferences.getBoolean(key, true));
[COLOR="Blue"][B]if (key.equals("toggle_call_recording")) {
Command c = new Command(0, "pkill com.android.incallui");
try {
RootTools.getShell(true).add(c);
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
} catch (TimeoutException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
} catch (RootDeniedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}[/B][/COLOR]
break;
This will kill the InCallUI every time the user switches that switch. So what happened here? The user switched the switch, the boolean got written to the database (in a different method), then the app relevant to this key was restarted. Next time a user makes a call - the call recording will be updated!!!
Now let us do it in a no silent way:
Let us inform the user. We have a little method in that class called public void appRebootRequired(final String pckgName) { ...}. Let us try to use it...
So let us go back to our onSharedPreferencesChanged method and instaed of the condition we used silently, we do something like this:
Code:
case "SwitchPreference":
SwitchPreference s = (SwitchPreference) pf.findPreference(key);
s.setChecked(sharedPreferences.getBoolean(key, true));
[COLOR="blue"][B]if (key.equals("toggle_call_recording")) {
appRebootRequired("com.android.incallui");
}[/B][/COLOR]
break;
The user clicks on the preference and see what happens:
Now for InCallUI it might be better to restart the app silently. Since the change is not visible to user anyway. But if you need to restart systemui, then it might be better to inform the user. So all you need to do is instead of passing a string "com.android.incallui" pass a string "com.android systemui". The method will do everything automatically. See how the dialog changes:
Adding more than one special key
If you need to add more than one special key (see popst #3 for instructions and explanations), you have 2 options:
1. We can go on with the if/else conditions, like so:
Code:
case "SwitchPreference":
SwitchPreference s = (SwitchPreference) pf.findPreference(key);
s.setChecked(sharedPreferences.getBoolean(key, true));
[COLOR="blue"][B] if (key.equals("toggle_call_recording")) {
appRebootRequired("com.android.incallui");
} else if (key.equals("some_other_key")) {
//do something you want
} else if (key.equals("again_some_key")) {
//do something different
}[/B][/COLOR]
break;
2. Or we make a switch for that based on key. Like so:
Code:
case "SwitchPreference":
SwitchPreference s = (SwitchPreference) pf.findPreference(key);
s.setChecked(sharedPreferences.getBoolean(key, true));
[COLOR="Blue"][B]switch (key){
case("toggle_call_recording"):
appRebootRequired("com.android.incallui");
break;
case("toggle_clock_visibility"):
appRebootRequired("com.android.systemui");
break;
case("some_other_key"):
//do something
break;
case("some_other_different_key"):
//do something different
break;
}[/B][/COLOR]
break;
Please note:
You can add the specific conditions to any preferences
You need to add them to the same preference instance as the preference that the key belongs to. Right now I showed how to do it for switch preference. You can do the same for any preference. If the key belongs to checkbox preference, you need to put the conditions inside the case of the "CheckBoxPreference" and so on
You need to make sure your condition comes AFTER our built in lines. Like in this case I added it after the initiation of the object and setChecked
You need to finish your conditions BEFORE the main break; of the case.
More to come at later time and per demand...

Huge THANK YOU @daxgirl & @Wuby986 for this!! Folks will love this app!!

Awesome!! Glad to see you have finally released it. I'm sure it'll be fantastic!!

HIZZAH!!! Kudos to wuby and daxgirl!!!

And just when I thought I could take a break from Android.....

The Sickness said:
And just when I thought I could take a break from Android.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You??? Duh.......
Sent from my awesome g920f powered by 6thGear

Thebear j koss said:
View attachment 3384150
HIZZAH!!! Kudos to wuby and daxgirl!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mostly to daxgirl
She will say no, but is true
The Sickness said:
And just when I thought I could take a break from Android.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eheehhehe there is always a good reason to start again

Delivered as promised, great work you 2, thanks a million bunch to you both & to your great testers.
PS : @daxgirl @Wuby986 any chance this app will have the phone make us coffee in the morning ! ( kidding, Sorry )

@daxgirl and @Wuby986 you guys really rock? thanks, thanks and thanks! ?

claude96 said:
Delivered as promised, great work you 2, thanks a million bunch to you both & to your great testers.
PS : @daxgirl @Wuby986 any chance this app will have the phone make us coffee in the morning ! ( kidding, Sorry )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Over the past couple weeks @tdunham and @ rompnit definitely tried to make us do that. .. the answer is... of you can make your coffee machine get context and use content resolver, we will deliver the toggle to trigger your morning pleasure
Sent from my awesome g920f powered by 6thGear

daxgirl said:
Over the past couple weeks @tdunham and @ rompnit definitely tried to make us do that. .. the answer is... of you can make your coffee machine get context and use content resolver, we will deliver the toggle to trigger your morning pleasure
Sent from my awesome g920f powered by 6thGear
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@daxgirl I'm sure if anyone can !, you can, but unfortunately my coffee machine doesn't speak android at all:crying:, anyway thanks a million bunch for all your great work & help & all ( best of luck with the new upcoming rom btw:good: )

claude96 said:
@daxgirl I'm sure if anyone can !, you can, but unfortunately my coffee machine doesn't speak android at all:crying:, anyway thanks a million bunch for all your great work & help & all ( best of luck with the new upcoming rom btw:good: )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! We really appreciate!
As for the rom. .. it will be awhile I guess...
In a mean while I will get back to writing instructions.
Some screenies added to the op...
Sent from my awesome g920f powered by 6thGear

daxgirl said:
Thanks! We really appreciate!
As for the rom. .. it will be awhile I guess...
In a mean while I will get back to writing instructions.
Some screenies added to the op...
Sent from my awesome g920f powered by 6thGear
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're most welcome, and thank you of course ( pics ( app ) looks great btw )
PS : about your rom, a word to the wise ( if I may ! ), just make it bug free as much as possible ( witch is no problem for you I'm sure ), don't throw everything in it at 1st ( users will always want more and new stuff of course, normal ! ), again thanks a million and best of luck, keep up the great work.

Amazing! Now I need to fold up my sleeves and start learning something.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

claude96 said:
You're most welcome, and thank you of course ( pics ( app ) looks great btw )
PS : about your rom, a word to the wise ( if I may ! ), just make it bug free as much as possible ( witch is no problem for you I'm sure ), don't throw everything in it at 1st ( users will always want more and new stuff of course, normal ! ), again thanks a million and best of luck, keep up the great work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a wonderful idea and this is exactly our intention always. We are not for being the best or the fastest or the most unique. We are all that in our hearts It's just we are too jumpy from thing to thing... and we never manage to finish a rom between all our ideas... I am starting to think we might not have been meant to
kmokhtar79 said:
Amazing! Now I need to fold up my sleeves and start learning something.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My dear friend, if anyone can, YOU CAN!!! I have every faith in you!!!

Second post with instructions now contains an explanation of basic idea and how the app works... The rest after I wake up. It's almost 5am here and I am semi conscious... See ya guys tomorrow!

great, good job as always, i was thinking about one thing: when we add a new mod we learned to put our "key" in settings system database, so my idea is:there is a way to make a general observer that read all the "key" in system database so as to update our choices in real time?

MiXplorer: Q&A and FAQ (User Manual)

MiXplorer: Q&A and FAQ (User Manual)
Table Of Contents:
i. INTRODUCTION, GETTING MIXPLORER, & INSTALLATION (This post)
ii. UI, NAVIGATION, VIEW CONFIGURATION, BOOKMARKS, TABS
iii. WORKING WITH FILES & FOLDERS (Copy Move methods, Trash option)
iv. FTP, HTTP, TCP SERVERS
v. MiX NUGGETS (Freestanding Topical Posts)
vi. THEMES and SKINS
vii. BUG REPORTING, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND FAQ WIP
MiX Nugget - Settings Overview: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-82834917
Notes:
If you are just starting with MiXplorer then a general review of this FAQ might be helpful but if you seek information about a particular feature or workaround you can see if there is a "MiX Nugget" for it. MiX Nuggets are individual freestanding FAQ posts which describe a MiXplorer feature in enough detail for basic use without having to sift through whole FAQ. v. MiX NUGGETS (Freestanding Topical Posts).
Issues and workarounds of the moment:
As the android OS and individual apps evolve there are often clusters of issues for which there are common sets of symptoms and common workarounds. This section is to share a link to whatever is the latest such batch of such issues/workarounds.
MiX Nugget - Document provider Mash-Up: (accessing SD card and or /android/data and other directories on newer Android versions. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-87626419.
--------------------------------------
i) INTRODUCTION
As mentioned in an introduction from the main thread: "MiXplorer (Mix of Explorers) is a fast, smooth, beautiful, reliable and fully-featured file manager with a simple and intuitive user interface." created by XDA member and Recognized Developer @HootanParsa
I (IronTechmonkey) am a MiXplorer user and who volunteered (was volunteered) to create the FAQ but I am not the/a developer. This FAQ attempts to describe configuration options, file & folder operations, UI options, and MiX utilities, as well as to share workarounds for known issues or usage cases. Please feel free to provide, suggestions, corrections, or additions which could be linked to or added to the OPs. Thanks to all for your input already as much of this comes from your questions and answers in the main MiXplorer thread. Thanks to @HootanParsa for such a good file management utility.
Please continue to direct bug reporting and tech discussion to the primary MiXplorer thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1523691.
Note: the developer is sometimes away for periods of time, days or weeks or even months, but is good about following up upon return.
SOME MIXPLORER HISTORY (MiXtory?)
This post by HootanParsa describes a how MiXplorer got started and some key events during its relationship with Google Play Store. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...y-featured-file-manager.1523691/post-77894840
Here is another note from HootanParsa regarding the history of MiXplorer on Playstore https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1523691&p=73870110.
MiXplorer is closed source, and because the developer rarely if ever engages in discussions about closed vs. open source this is not discussed at length in the main MiX thread. This is not by any rule but rather by respect for the developer's decision. That being said, past discussions about closed vs. open source have been well informed and informative. Such discussions really do relate to software development, if not to the bugs to be fixed at any given moment, so please feel free to have such discussions here if/when they become too much for the main thread.
--------------------------------------
GETTING MIXPLORER
There are several ways to get MiXplorer and keep it updated and there are some methods which should not be used. In particular do not install MiXplorer via Magisk module or other system modification. This is known to cause significant problems and is not supported. Here are the ways to get MiXplorer:
1) XDA Version in Main Thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1523691:
This is the place for p the latest stable version, which is usually available in post 2. This is also where you can get the latest beta version. Note: it is always a good idea to check the main thread's OPs to see what version # is flagged as stable, as well as check the change-log. Add-ons can be obtained through the app which links to website.
2) Playstore (MiXplorer Silver). As announced by HootanParsa here https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=78465999&postcount=27232; "MiX Silver a bundle of MiX with Archive and SMB2 addons and the latest language resources is uploaded in Play store as a paid app to support the development of MiXplorer. If you liked it and installed it and found a problem, please let me know. Thank you very much. "
Note: The Playstore-Silver and XDA-Stable versions of MiXplorer are essentially the same (sometimes with small variation) but the Playstore-Silver version includes some add-ons (describe below and at Playstore page) which would have to be installed separately and manually in the XDA version; otherwise the 2 version are functionally the same.
3) APK Mirror: This is an unsupported repository of more versions of MiX than most people would need, but some of these builds may be helpful in some situations and it provides access outside of Playstore.
MiX at APK Mirror: https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/hootan-parsa/mixplorer-hootanparsa/
Old link (just in case) https://www.apkmirror.com/uploads/?q=pishrodevs.
If this link does not work then search Google for [MiXplorer APK Mirror]
As to upgrade paths: The Play Store gives a one-shot installation and upgrade path for the app and its included add-ons. The XDA stable version allows users to decide specifically which add-ons are installed but offers a similarly simple upgrade path from with the app.
4) [POSSIBLE INACTIVE] APKMirror RSS Feeds: https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/pishrodevs/mixplorer-hootanparsa/feed/
[inactive?]http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/hootanparsa/feed/ The ApkMirror RSS feeds are considered by many to be a similarly "stable" and up to date as the main MiXplorer thread and XDA Labs but it offers less information about the development progression of recent updates.
Add-ons: MiXplorer Add-ons can be installed from within the app like this:
Settings > Addons > and click add button > follow links to browse and download appropriate add-ons.
--------------------------------------
INSTALLATION:
After installing MiXplorer there are some things that must be done in order to give MiXplorer proper access to storage locations and root or SU access. It is a good idea to get these things out of the way as part of the installation (or update) of MiXplorer rather than on-the-fly as you need to perform file management tasks. Here is a brief walk-through of how to give MiXplorer it's requisite permissions. This is written for Android Nougat which has more of these prerequisites than earlier Android versions so please note that things may differ across different ROMs and SU/root methods:
Do this stuff first, immediately after installing MiXplorer but before configuring it and importing skins and or settings
- At first run of MiXplorer at prompt "Allow MiXplorer to access photos, media, and files on your device?" Select to Allow.
- Make sure root is enabled in MiX setting > Navigate to Root "/" to force first time SU permissions request > Select " allow" and "remember".
- Navigate to external SD and create a new folder. There should a prompt "Attention Please select Ext SD... to gain permissions". Note: In some situations you may not have to create a folder to invoke this prompt.
BUG REPORTING
- Please report bugs in the primary MiXplorer thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1523691. Bug reports should include. details about your device (Android version, ROM version, Root status, SU method, MiXplorer version) as well as a step by step description of how to reproduce the issue and a log taken while the issue was reproduced. There are more suggestions for testing, logging and reporting bugs in this post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=65157367&postcount=7

ii. UI, NAVIGATION, VIEW CONFIGURATION, BOOKMARKS, TABS
1) Primary UI Components
2) Navigation
3) Drawer (Bookmarks/History)
4) Tabs
5) Views (file folder list)
6) "Home" page - described in MiX Nugget - Home Page - https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=82781209&postcount=1168
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1) Primary UI Components
The names of various UI objects may be referenced throughout documentation (and are helpful to know when configuring theme). Here are the names of a few primary UI components along with the specific name for their background colors in the theme configuration. This is just as a reference point for the documentation. For more about skins and themes see that post.
Status Bar: TINT_STATUS_BAR
Main Bar: BG_BAR_MAIN
Tab Bar: BG_BAR_TAB
Tab Indicator: TINT_TAB_INDICATOR
Selected Tab: TINT_TAB_INDICATOR_SELECTED
Page: BG_PAGE
Tools bar: BG_BAR_TOOLS
Navigation Bar: TINT_NAVIGATION_BAR
I) Action Bar: BG_BAR_ACTION The Action Bar appears in place of the Main Bar when one or more items is selected.
J) Drawer: The Drawer can be opened by tapping Hamburger in Main Bar or swiping the Page from left edge toward right and takes it’s background color from BG_BAR_MAIN.
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2) Navigation
To navigate through folders; Tap the name of he folder you want to enter, or select a bookmark or history item. Note: Tapping the icon to the left will select and highlight the folder.
To go to the previously accessed folder:; Press back button.
To go anywhere in the path you are browsing: Tap the Location button in Main bar then tapping the part of the folder tree you want to go to.
To go to a manually entered location: Long press the Address in the Main bar then tap “Enter the path”. Note the other things that can be done from this menu: Copy path, Copy name, Enter the path, Create shortcut, Clear thumbnails cache, Properties. Note: The items in lists like this may change as MiXplorer evolves.
To search for items: Tap the search icon, then you can start typing what you want to find in current folder.
To filter the search: tap the leaning-hamburger, then select an option.
To search recursively (into sub-folders): Tap the right-angle arrow icon, then choose options and search criteria. See this FAQ Nugget for recursive and advanced search options: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-82781351
Regex: Regex is a fairly powerful method of using expressions (wild-cards and variables) to do searches, and can also be used for renaming files.
Harvesting information in this post https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=71218953&postcount=118
To change the View level of details: Tap the View button, then select an option.
To Add a file or folder: Tap the Add button
To refresh the View: Tap the Refresh button (or tap the Tab title, or tap the Location button in Main bar then tap the location).
To sort the view: Tap the Sort button (A-Z icon)
To show or hide an item flagged as hidden: With no items selected, tap overflow menu then tap "Show Hidden" or "Don't show hidden".
To exit MiXplorer: Long-press Back button.
------------------------------------
3) Bookmarks/History (Drawer)
To open the Drawer for Bookmarks and History: Tap hamburger in Main Bar, or swipe from the left edge toward right.
To create a Bookmark to a location on the device: Navigate to the location, then long press the Location in the Main (top) Bar, then tap "Add to...", then tap "Bookmarks"; or Navigate to one level above the folder, then long press the folder in the file/folder list, then tap overflow menu, then tap "Add to...", then tap "Bookmarks". :
To create a Bookmark to a network share, server or cloud: Open Drawer, then tap hamburger, then tap Add storage, then select and configure the type of storage. There is a "Custom" option at the bottom of the list. Here are examples of 2 common types of network bookmarks:
1) To access shared folder (SMB share) on PC or other computer on same local network.:
- Have a shared folder on a computer with file sharing and network discovery enabled.
- Open MiXplorer on device connected to same network.
- Bookmarks Drawer
- Hamburger button
- Add Storage
- Custom
- Search local
- Enter credentials
- If the search finds no shares there may be an issue with the sharing on the host or network between devices but you could try manual configuration.
2) To access an FTP Server on another device:.
- Have an FTP server to connect to.
- Bookmarks Drawer
- Hamburger button
- Add Storage
- Custom
- Enter server details (ftp://<ipaddress>:<port>, user-name password)
Notes about network and cloud bookmarks:
- When you create a connection to local network share or cloud via <Bookmark Drawer - hamburger - Add storage>, a Bookmark will automatically be created.
- Depending on the type of network location, when you browse the network location you may or may not be able to create bookmarks to locations within that tree as described above. This should work for SMB shares on a computer or folders on another Android device accessed via MiXplorer FTP and might work for others.
- When you save an off-device bookmark, some context sensitive additional configuration variables may or may not be added to the "Advance settings" field, which in some cases can be edited manually later.
To Delete or modify a bookmark: Open the Drawer, then swipe the bookmark name to the right, then select appropriate action.
To rearrange bookmarks: Open the Drawer, then tap and drag a bookmark by it’s icon up or down.
Sections are labels which can be added to the bookmark list to organize bookmarks into groups. Tapping a bookmark section will expand or collapse the bookmarks between that section and the next section below it. Sections can be edited and moved in the same manner as bookmarks. Note: Moving a section will not bring the bookmarks under it to the new location - just the section itself. Arrangements of the groups must be done manually.
To create a custom category (similar to custom bookmark for a search) in the bookmark list: Open 'All files' - Tap on the search button - Recursively - Enter file-name extensions eg; *.zip|*.rar|*.txt - Press GO - Long press the address bar - Add to bookmarks.
To reset the search-all-by=type folders (archive, apk,image, video, etc) if they are gray and don't work: If you are updating from an older version of MiXplorer you may have to click on bookmark menu and choose "reset default" (which should preserve your own bookmarks) to recreate the new versions of the search bookmarks, then you can delete the gray ones.
Bookmark functions via the Bookmarks Menu: Add storage Reset defaults; Remove all, Export. Note: To import bookmarks, open the exported .micfg file with MiXplorer and select import.
To switch between Bookmarks and History : Open Drawer then tap the Bookmarks or History label in top Bar.
To clear history: Open Drawer to History, then tap mini-hamburger.
--------------------------------------
4) Tabs
1st Tab is left-most. Last Tab is right-most. New tabs will open to the right of the active tab.
General Tab functions can be accessed via the tab menu and are context sensitive, based on Tab bar visibility and tab arrangement.
Some functions can can be accessed by long pressing on a Tab when the Tab Bar is visible.
To refresh a Tab’s view: Swipe down, or tap on the name in the Tab Bar, or tap the location name in main bar then tap it again in the drop down.
To open a new tab:
- Open Bookmarks/History
- Long press on the item that you want to open in a new tab
or
- Select a folder in the main page
- Tap the overflow menu in the action bar
- Tap "Open in new tab",
or;
- Tap the Tab menu then tap "Add new tab"
or;
- When on last (right-most) tab, Swipe from right edge to left (depends on "Settings" - ""More Settings" - "Swiping in first and last...")
Save single tab as default tab or to save a group of tabs (Note: "Save" may occasionally be referred to as "Pin")
To save an individual Tab be opened to a specific location at each app start (default tab)
- Have only one tab opened.
- Navigate to desired location.
- Long press on Tab Title then tap "Set as default".
- Open the Tab drop-down menu, select, "Save tabs", Tap "Now" (leave "On Exit" un-selected).
To save a group of tabs (tab-set) to be opened at each app start:
- Create the tabs, and open each to the location of your choice.
- To set the default tab (to be active at app start) long press on Tab Title then tap "Set as default".
- Open the Tab drop-down menu, select, "Save tabs", Tap "Now" (leave "On Exit" un-selected).
Note: View detail level and sort order should be remembered per tab.
To have MiXplorer save the tab-set that is in place at each app close (to be opened at next app app start):
- Open the Tab menu.
- Select check box: "On Exit".
To reset tabs to whatever was last saved by 'Save tabs - Now" or by "Save tabs - On exit":
- Open the Tab menu then tap Reset tabs. Each Tab's view level and sort order should be remembered and not be reset by this action.
5) Views (file folder list)
There are many ways to configure the file/folder list views using the "View" and "Sort" buttons which appear in the Tools bar at the bottom (in the default skin and configuration). Here are a few of the more notable functions:
- "View" button - "Recursive data": When "Recursive data" is enabled (and after a refresh of the view) MiXplorer will calculate and show the quantity of items and storage space uses in sub-folders.
- "View" button - "Reset defaults": When "Reset defaults" is enabled then pinch zoom settings can be reset to default for each drive independently by going to root of drive, then selecting a view mode (eg "Detailed"). To maintain the different zoom levels disable "Reset defaults".
- "Pin" an item to top of list: A folder or file can be "Pinned" so it stays at the top of the list view regardless of sort options. To pin/unpin an item: Select it then open menu then select pin/unpin. Similarly, apps in the "Open with" list can be pinned to the top of that list by long pressing the app then tapping "Pin"
- Create a custom thumbnail: To create a custom thumbnail for a folder (which would be used when "Auto folder preview" is enabled in main settings) put the image you want to use for the thumbnail in the folder and rename it to .preview.
- Gallery style view for search folders: For the search folders which show all of a certain file type (eg Audio, Document, Image, Video), there is a gallery style view which shows all images of the designated type on the device but grouped in folders by location similar to the way most default gallery apps work. To enable this mode: Tap the "Sort" button then enable "By parent". To show all items in one list without the folders, disable "By parent"
- App, User App, System App: When viewing contents of the "App" search bookmark, tapping on Location allows choice of App (all), User App, System App. To create a custom bookmark to any of those: Tap the Location in Main Bar, then select desired view (App, User App, or System App) then long press location and "Add to" bookmarks.
6) "Home" page
A full page panel containing locations with details, described in more detail here: MiX Nugget - Home Page - https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=82781209&postcount=1168
View Customization (more in Skins/Themes)
Disable Thumbnails (folder specific}: Place image in folder > rename to .nothumbnail
Custom Folder Icon (folder specific): Place image in folder > rename to .foldericon
Custom Folder Icon Preview (folder specific): Place image in folder > rename to. preview
Notes:
- Some image properties may not function properly. Icons can be optimized here: https://tinypng.com/
- Some of these may depend on a related setting within the app (eg .preview file and setting "Auto folder preview")
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
LINKS TO FAQ SECTIONS
i. INTRODUCTION, GETTING MIXPLORER, & INSTALLATION (This post)
ii. UI, NAVIGATION, VIEW CONFIGURATION, BOOKMARKS, TABS
iii. WORKING WITH FILES & FOLDERS (Copy Move methods, Trash option)
iv. FTP, HTTP, TCP SERVERS
v. MiX NUGGETS (Freestanding Topical Posts)
vi. THEMES and SKINS
vii. BUG REPORTING, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND FAQ WIP
MiX Nugget - Settings Overview: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-82834917

iii. WORKING WITH FILES & FOLDERS
Search, searching for items: Expanded description of search methods in this post. MiX Nugget - Searching for Files and Folders: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=82781351&postcount=1170
Select a file or folder: Long press anywhere on the file, or tap on the icon at the left side.
Select multiple files and or folders: Select one file or folder as described above and then select additional items by tapping on the name of each item.
Select all files and folders in the current view: Tap the "Select all" button in the tools bar, or open overflow menu and tap Select all. Note: the Select all button and the Servers button can be swapped in the Tools Bar via Settings - More Settings.
Once you have selected any item(s) the Action Bar will appear (temporally replacing the Main Bar) and will show a counter of selected items with their size, and icons for some standard actions with an overflow menu for more actions. The downward pointing arrow now offers options to expand shift or invert the selection.
There are several ways to to Copy or Move items:
Task queue Select items, then choose an action (repeat process for multiple jobs), then navigate to destination, then tap Job Queue, then select queued task.
- Individual pending tasks or all pending tasks can be cleared from the queue.
- Pending Copy tasks in the queue can be repeated to different destinations.
Drag & drop: Select some items then long press on that selection and drag. A hovering pop-up will appear indicating how many selected items are being dragged.When the the destination folder becomes highlighted, release the selection and respond to the then a “Drop files” prompt which offers a choice to copy or move the selected items.
Copy To and Move To: To copy/move files to a folder to be selected during the process; select items, open menu, tap ]Copy To or Move To, navigate to location, tap OK.
Some long file operations can be paused using the play/pause button in the task status window. Also, from there the task can be canceled or sent to background.
Delete options. There are several delete methods, the visibility of which may be context sensitive, and MiXplorer has a native "recycle/trash" feature which can be enabled in Settings - More Settings - Undo.
Normal: Deletes file “normally”. As is the case with file deletions (not Recycle or Trash) in other OS, the deletion is non-reversible but the raw data may persist until incidentally written over by other system activity.
Trash: Similar to Recycle or Trash bins on desktops. The locations (drives/root paths) where “Trash” functions may very across ROMs and devices. When "Undo" is enabled as described above the following should occur:
- Deleted items are placed in hidden folders named .recycle at the root of each drive. Don't delete those manually unless you are not using the "Undo" feature.
- In the main menu there is an item called "Undo" which shows a list of available undo items. Long press on an item in that list to see the specific files that can be restored. Short press to restore that item/group of items.
- Menu > Undo > "Remove all"; will delete all the .recycle folders and their contents from all drives (if they exist). Also nota bene: only do this if you are sure you wont need to restore anything). Any time you "Trash" something when "Undo" is enabled the .recycle folder for that drive will be recreated. If you've already disabled "Undo" in settings and still have leftover material in the .recycle folders, those folders can be deleted manually (requires "Show hidden")
- In some cases you may be able to recover items manually from the .recycle folders.
- If the trash cannot be emptied, try the following: Main Menu > Undo > Remove all, or Settings > More Settings > deselect Undo. As with manually deleting the contents of the trash/recycle folder, make sure you dont need anything from there before doing this.
Shredder: Destroys files before deleting them. Only available for certain locations. May take longer for larger selections. Deletion by this method is non-reversible and leaves minimal if any recoverable data on the drive.
Batch Delete: When you try to delete a folder as "Normal", it also takes time to clean up database, removing thumbnails, etc... . You can use "Batch Delete" to remove that folder as fast as possible.
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
[LINKS TO FAQ SECTIONS
i. INTRODUCTION, GETTING MIXPLORER, & INSTALLATION (This post)
ii. UI, NAVIGATION, VIEW CONFIGURATION, BOOKMARKS, TABS
iii. WORKING WITH FILES & FOLDERS (Copy Move methods, Trash option)
iv. FTP, HTTP, TCP SERVERS
v. MiX NUGGETS (Freestanding Topical Posts)
vi. THEMES and SKINS
vii. BUG REPORTING, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND FAQ WIP
MiX Nugget - Settings Overview: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-82834917

iv. FTP and HTTP SERVERS and Send-to
NOTE: As of MiX 6.57 there were substantial changes to servers; ; TCP was removed, Send-to was merged into FTP server, TLS/SSL toggle and explicit/implicit and other switches were added, and multiple accounts can be configured. After updating to 6.57 a username and password will have to be reconfigured as will a few other things as described below. This post outlines the updated server configurations. The description of server configuration for older version of MiX (6.56 and previous) are in this post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-85896901
--------------------------------------------
There are multiple ways MiXplorer can make folders available to other devices including: FTP/Share server, HTTP/WebDav server, SFTP server, and SMB1 Server Each server types offers different functionality and may be applicable in different situations, but the FTP(S,ES)/Share server is most robust and can be accessed by FTP clients and by some native OS file managers so FTP Server was used to create this documentation. HTTP/WebDav server offers less functionality but can be accessed by web browsers and native file explorers on most other systems without any client software, just a full-featured web browser and the requisite credentials. The HTTP server is configured similarly to the FTP server. There are also SFTP and SMB1 servers which are newer and or experimental and which may (or may not) be documented elsewhere.
The MiX server will deliver a different “home” location (folder seen as working folder of directory tree by client) and will offer different levels of access to files on the server device according to: account settings, and method used to run the server, and which folder is in the active tab in MiX on the server device at the time the server is invoked. There is a more detailed description of the different home locations used in different situations below (see Home Path"
Starting Servers
The servers can be started or stopped by a variety of methods: Bottom bar button, main menu, server configuration panel, home screen widget, system tile.
The servers can also be toggled by using Tasker or some other app which can handle intents:
MiX Nugget - Turning Servers ON/OFF with Tasker and...
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-75400602
Some file operations can be performed via intents.:
MiX Nugget - COPY with Tasker and...:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-75389465
Deep Links:
Additionally, servers can be toggled on/off by using deep-links which are essentially web hyperlinks that can be used to create home-screen shortcuts or which can be run programmatically without requiring the management of other parameters. When invoked by a home screen shortcut or programatically the server will be toggled on or off. Home screen shortcuts can be created by any of many methods including:from within Launchers (eg Nova), or from within some web browsers, or by Tasker, Edge Gestures, Automate, or any app that can create a hyperlink shortcuts on the home screen.
For example here is a hack-ish but effective method that was used to create one of the shortcuts. Paste the link into a browser > attempted to connect > attempt fails because network is off or there is no website > use feature to create a home screen shortcut > the shortcut takes the name of the error page but effectively toggles the server > rename shortcut.
These are the deep-links links for toggling each server. Note: these links may be highlighted as hyperlinks in web browsers viewing this page but they are actually links to the MiX installation on the Android device.
https://mixplorer.com/app/ftp/trigger
https://mixplorer.com/app/sftp/trigger
https://mixplorer.com/app/http/trigger
https://mixplorer.com/app/smb/trigger
You can add the working directory at the end of the deeplinks for the servers. Example without and with specification of a working directory:
https://mixplorer.com/app/ftp/trigger
https://mixplorer.com/app/ftp/trigger/storage/emulated/0/pictures
--------------------------------------------
General Server Settings: The settings on the main edit server panel apply to the server in general and to all accounts which run on it.
To edit server: Open servers list by any method > edit (pencil icon).
Port: This is the port # which is appended to the IP address.
Time out (seconds): The duration of time after which the server turns off automatically.
IP address (optional): Experimental.
Toggle Start on boot: Sets the server to start on device boot.
Toggle TLS/SSL: Enable/disable encryption.
Explicit/Implicit: (FTP/Share only) Set Explicit or Implicit mode.
None/Basic/Digest: (HTTPWebDav only) [description needed]
Keystore: [description needed]
Certificate: [description needed]
More about TLS and Explicit/Implicit here: MiX Nugget: Server Security Settings https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-85932885
--------------------------------------------
Account settings.
There must be one account (which is equivalent to a username and password configured for the server in the previous MiXplorer versions). Multiple accounts can be created for the same server with each account having different credentials and offering different type of access.
To use just one account: (similar to the username/password from the previous version) rename and configure the “admin” placeholder account or create a new account and delete the placeholder.
To create a new account: In the server edit box Tap Add > enter desired parameters > save.
To edit an existing account: Tap the account drop down (the displayed account name) > tap the name of the account you want to edit.
To delete an account: Tap the account drop down (the displayed account name) > tap the name of the account you want to delete > tap delete. Note: the delete button will not appear if there is only one account.
In the Account edit box the following can be set::
Username
Password
Home Path
Read only
Show hidden globally
--------------------------------------------
Home Path = The location that clients will see as working directory or root of directory tree
The root folder for clients is contextual, based on how the server was started: The servers can be started or stopped by a variety of methods: Bottom bar button, main menu, server configuration panel, home screen widget, system tile. If the server is invoked directly from bottom bar, then root to clients should be the same as the currently active folder in the MiXplorer UI on the server device. If the server is invoked from within the server configuration panel then root to clients should be the designated folder from the configuration panel.
Factors:
- If left blank then the the home directory will be auto populated by the root of internal storage (as you may have witnessed).
- Different clients may yield somewhat different behavior. Full client such as Filezilla on desktop recommended for testing and set up before using native Windows, iOS, or Linux file explorers.
Example Usage Case for multiple accounts: in one FTP server an account could be created with a specific home path so that connections to the server under that account will only see that directory, and another account could be created with no home path designated which allows access to the root of the FTP server device.
--------------------------------------------
Send To: To Use the FTP Server to receive files from another device running MiX via Send-to
- Configure FTP servers on both devices with the same port number. Note: The same port # is no longer required; the port can be set in the settings of the connecting device
- Run the server.
- On the client device: select a file > menu > send to > > tap settings to set port to match server port > select server device > in the authentication box enter a password for the displayed account or select a different account and use that account password > Tap OK.
- The regular MiXplorer file operation containing the typical options to abort the process or put it in the background will appear but for small files may not be on the screen for long enough to interact with; nice to have this if you want to gracefully abort a file transfer.
- The file will be copied to the location determined by the home path set for that account based on how server was started.
Note: subsequent file transfers during the same MiXplorer FTP server session may not require credentials and may proceed automatically. In that case in order to switch users the ftp server must be briefly stopped and restarted.
-----------------------
Link back to MiX FAQ Nugget Index: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-65157352
----------------------------------------------
LINKS TO FAQ SECTIONS
i. INTRODUCTION, GETTING MIXPLORER, & INSTALLATION (This post)
ii. UI, NAVIGATION, VIEW CONFIGURATION, BOOKMARKS, TABS
iii. WORKING WITH FILES & FOLDERS (Copy Move methods, Trash option)
iv. FTP, HTTP, TCP SERVERS
v. MiX NUGGETS (Freestanding Topical Posts)
vi. THEMES and SKINS
vii. BUG REPORTING, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND FAQ WIP
MiX Nugget - Settings Overview: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-82834917

MiX NUGGET INDEX
Nuggets are freestanding FAQ posts which describe a MiXplorer feature or workaround in enough detail for basic use without having to sift through the sprawling FAQ.
--------------
Add-ons (simple list):
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=82834971&postcount=1182
--------------
Automated Intents (Tasker etc):
- COPY with Tasker, Automagic and...:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75389465&postcount=422
- Turning Servers ON/OFF with Tasker and ... :
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75400602&postcount=424
--------------
Autotag:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75366938&postcount=420
Auto Tasks:
Run specific user configured file operations (Copy, Move, Delete, Archive, Execute) according to schedule, or run manually from within MiX or via an OS home screen shortcut.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-88674363
--------------
Batch Renaming and Regex:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-71218953
--------------
Bookmark Advanced Settings:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=80301547&postcount=932
- SMB shares on other LAN device.
- FTP servers on other LAN device.
- Bluetooth folder on other BT connected device running MiX
- Cloud
--------------
Date and Time formats:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76749686&postcount=561
and
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76750741&postcount=562
--------------
Language package (for translators):
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75741128&postcount=469
--------------
Document Provider: For accessing OTG and or accessing /android/data, /android/media, android/obb, and or accessing locations in Android 13, and in other scenarios.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-85878051
--------------
Home Page: A full page panel of locations including details about the locations:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=82781209&postcount=1168
--------------
Merging Text (txt) files:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75786123&postcount=480
--------------
Network: Optimizing Network Connections: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-84515405
--------------
Recycle Bin and Undo: Track and restore or undo deleted files and some file operations.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-88077515
--------------
Searching for Files and Folders:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=82781351&postcount=1170
Regex can be used in searches as well as renaming:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308
582/post-71218953
--------------------------------------
SERVERS:
FTP and HTTP SERVERS and Send-to:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-65157350
Server Security Settings:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-85932885
FTP, HTTP, TCP SERVERS; Servers configuration ONLY for older version of MiX:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-85896901
Turning Servers ON/OFF with Tasker: and...:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75400602&postcount=424
Old Server configuration: [URL]http...ers.com/showpost.php?p=75366970&postcount=421
--------------
Settings:
- Settings Overview:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=82834917&postcount=1181
- Settings (reset):
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=83626647&postcount=1263
--------------
Storage Analyzer:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-85942125
--------------
Tabs: Save (aka; pin), rearrange, close, clone Tabs:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75580704&postcount=440
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-75580704
--------------------------------------
Tools: Find Duplicates, Find App Remnants
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-88077467
--------------
Troubleshooting:
Troubleshooting SD card & USB OTG access, and creating Document Providers.: A troubleshooting walk-through document providers and other issues regarding drive and directory access. This post contains many of the other workaround suggested here. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-87626419
Set document provider for Android 13 (with some resets):
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-a d-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-87492173
Reset Root:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-87492173
Cannot uninstall MiX from within Android OS, try doing do so via ADB:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-87652917
Version Compatibility (possibly helpful for some older devices): URL unfurl="false"]https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-84468783[/URL]
Android-version specific workarounds:. including accessing /android/data on internal and external drives, and /data/data. Applicable primarily to A11 and up but might also be applicable elsewhere.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-85904825
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Possible additions.
- App backups.
- Archive management.
- Description of available add-ins.
- MiXplorer Media Viewer usage description
- MiXplorer text Editor usage description
- MiXplorer code Editor usage description
Many things can be learned by exploring the app, most UI elements have a function, long press is your friend.
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
LINKS TO FAQ SECTIONS
i. INTRODUCTION, GETTING MIXPLORER, & INSTALLATION (This post)
ii. UI, NAVIGATION, VIEW CONFIGURATION, BOOKMARKS, TABS
iii. WORKING WITH FILES & FOLDERS (Copy Move methods, Trash option)
iv. FTP, HTTP, TCP SERVERS
v. MiX NUGGETS (Freestanding Topical Posts)
vi. THEMES and SKINS
vii. BUG REPORTING, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND FAQ WIP
MiX Nugget - Settings Overview: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-82834917

Themes and Skins
vi. SKINS and THEMES
Before getting to detailed skinning and theming, here are a few customizations which can be made outside app, skin, and theme settings,
View Customization (more in Skins/Themes)
Disable Thumbnails (folder specific}: Place image in folder > rename to .nothumbnail
Custom Folder Icon (folder specific): Place image in folder > rename to .foldericon
Custom Folder Icon Preview (folder specific): Place image in folder > rename to. preview
Notes:
- Some image properties may not function properly. Icons can be optimized here: https://tinypng.com/
- Some of these may depend on a related setting within the app (eg .preview file and setting "Auto folder preview")
Onward to Skins and Themes
Note: Thanks @FatalBulletHit for the excellent materiel and re-write of this post.
There are 2 ways to change the look of the MiXplorer UI: Skins, and Themes.
Skins:
- Skins primarily involve the colours of various elements, font parameters (eg bold/normal), icon parameters (eg round/square). There are many elements to keep track of but this is all accessible through the MiXplorer UI. Modifying skins can be done within the MiXplorer app by going to: 3 Dot menu > Settings > Skin. Until you learn the various elements, testing small changes incrementally may be advisable and is a good way to explore. eg Make one element bright red then check the UI to see what changed. Lather, rinse, repeat with different elements.
Here are some sources of custom skins and or discussion about them:
• Themes by @djdarkknight96
• Themes by @TerrorFlatRider
• Themes by Vladimir
• Windows Fluent Design theme by @marciozomb13
• Material Design theme by @marciozomb13
• Theme Corporate
• Guillaume Skins Gallery
• YandLiu Skins Gallery
• Skins by @scohut
There are also some skins at the MiXplorer website: https://mixplorer.com/skins/
To select a skin: Settings - Skin - <select skin>
To create new skin (based on default skin): Settings - Skins - Add - New
To modify an existing skin: Settings - Skins - <pencil> - Edit
Skin documentation: You can find a somewhat in depth documentation by @FatalBulletHit in this FAQ post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=78541319&postcount=733.
Preview:
{
"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"
}
To save a new or modified skin:
- To save a skin for the first time: Tap "save" then enter the name of the skin and the author.
- To save after modifying an existing skin, tap save (name/author will not be requested again.)
To export skin (2 ways):
- Settings - Skins - <pencil> - Export - clipboard.
This exports the skin to clipboard. The clipboard contents can be pasted into a text file and saved, or pasted into a new MiXplorer installation.
or
- Settings - Skins - <pencil> - Export -
This saves the skin as an importable .mic file.
To install skin (2 ways):
- Copy skin values from a text file into buffer, or have them in buffer from previous export to clipboard.
- Settings - Skins - Add - Clipboard
or
- Navigate to and select a <skinname>.mic file than select "Import"
----------------------------------------------
Themes
- Themes yield an even wider range of potential UI changes which are made by modifying the actual resources (files and other graphic aspects) with which the UI is constructed and displayed during use. Creating themes requires some understanding about the resources themselves and how to perform some intermediate file management tasks but it is not very hard to do.
- Custom can be found and discussed a few places (and as with any other MiX discussion is welcome here as well). Note, some of these links may beduplicates of the ones listed above.
@djdarkknight96's thread:
Announced here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76812709&postcount=25259
Direct link here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76812645&postcount=1
@TerrorFlatRider's thread:
Announced here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76816946&postcount=25262
Direct link here: [Themes] MiXplorer Themes by TerrorFlatRider; https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76816946&postcount=25262
Themes from Vladimir:
Announced here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=78240950&postcount=26780
Direct link here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rPYLPtJGeu9iwPCTasT_f2K86uVho7pU
Theme by @mhz
https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...-theme-mhz-t4147783/post83616953#post83616953
Themes from @scohut:
Announced here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...y-featured-file-manager.1523691/post-87994659
Direct link here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1T-WGNypfd1wi-TXx8ekPRq_p7HDanCHs
New (as of December 2020) MiX Theme-ing thread by @TheMystic: [Tutorial] MiXplorer – Themes & Skins – How to make them? https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/tutorial-mixplorer-themes-skins-how-to-make-them.4202319/
Sample theme which could be used as a template. https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76629263&postcount=25049
To install a Theme: Open MiXplorer (must be MiX, not other file manager) > tap theme mit file > tap import.
To remove/revert theme to default: Settings > More Settings > Reset > Theme.
Note: When installing or installing themes it is best to first revert to the default skin as well.
For historic purposes and just in case it is recreated here are details about the earstwhile original skins gallery:
"Skins may be uploaded or downloaded from the Skins gallery (where there are instructions about how to upload your own skin and apply skins). http://gallery.asymmetrics.nl/index...io5NTZmNzliOTMzOWY4ZDRlYmM3ZjQxNWZjYzE2ZjI3Yg." There are many nice user contributed skins in this gallery. There may be others shared in various posts in the MiXplorer threads.
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
LINKS TO FAQ SECTIONS
i. INTRODUCTION, GETTING MIXPLORER, & INSTALLATION (This post)
ii. UI, NAVIGATION, VIEW CONFIGURATION, BOOKMARKS, TABS
iii. WORKING WITH FILES & FOLDERS (Copy Move methods, Trash option)
iv. FTP, HTTP, TCP SERVERS
v. MiX NUGGETS (Freestanding Topical Posts)
vi. THEMES and SKINS
vii. BUG REPORTING, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND FAQ WIP
MiX Nugget - Settings Overview: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mixplorer-q-a-and-faq-user-manual.3308582/post-82834917[/B][/SIZE]

- vii. BUG REPORTING, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND FAQ WIP
----------------------------------------------
Bug Reporting:
Please report bugs in the primary MiXplorer thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1523691.
Bug reports should come from the newest beta version of the app. If you notice a bug in the newest release version then check the newest beta. If it also occurs in the beta then log it from there.
Bug reports should include. details about your device (Android version, ROM version, Root status, SU method, MiXplorer version) as well as a step by step description of how to reproduce the issue and a log taken while the issue was reproduced.
----------------------------------------------
MiXplorer's Built-in Logging:
Enable MiXplorer logging: Settings . More settings . Logging (enable)
MiXplorer has a native logging feature. If logging is enabled (as it is by default) then the most efficient and the recommended way to do it is the following:
- After crash or after experiencing issue,
- Open MiXplorer
- 3-dots menu
- Send log.
If you have disabled logging in the past, or you if are diagnosing more complicated issues or if you will be reviewing the logs yourself before sending. Here is a manual method that some people use:
- Enable MiXplorer logging.
- Close MiXplorer.
- Open MiXplorer.
- Reproduce the issue.
- Close MiXplorer.
- The logs should be in /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.mixplorer/cache/log/ (The path may vary slightly depending on ROM).
- Use alternative file manager (just for this ) to get most recent log in folder.
- If using MiXplorer to get the log manually, then make sure to get the log for the previous MiXplorer session rather than the one for the current session.
Testing and Logging Notes:
- Reproduce and log issues in a new session of MiXplorer that was started after logging has been enabled. In other words: Enable logging, then close MiXplorer, then start MiXplorer to reproduce the issue and send the log. A new log is created each time you open MiXplorer. Note: - In some cases it is recommended to test the issue in a clean installation of MiXplorer (after uninstalling MiX then reinstalling it).
- The MiXplorer log directory will not appear until MiXplorer logging has been enabled at least once since last new installation of MiXplorer. Also, if MiXplorer is uninstalled the log folder will be deleted, so if you are getting logs manually during repeated tests remember to do so before next uninstall.
- Before sharing logs it is a good practice to review them for information that you don’t want to share, and to delete that information or replace it with an obvious label, eg <thing x deleted>. To each their own about what to delete, but reviewing logs with privacy in mind before sending is prudent.
- For logging more complex issues, or certain types of FCs where native app logging does not catch the error, a full system log (logcat) may be needed. The app "MatLog" (formerly "CatLog") from Play Store https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pluscubed.matlog&hl=en can be used to capture logcats on the device. If an issue is causing reboots then the log might have to be taken from a USB connection on a computer via ADB.
- When you share the log, also share the following:
1) Full details of the device including: Android version, ROM version and variant, Root status, SU status, busybox status.
2) A detailed description about how to reproduce the error when logging so others may try to reproduce it.
----------------------------------------------
LINKS TO FAQ SECTIONS
i. INTRODUCTION, GETTING MIXPLORER, & INSTALLATION (This post)
ii. UI, NAVIGATION, VIEW CONFIGURATION, BOOKMARKS, TABS
iii. WORKING WITH FILES & FOLDERS (Copy Move methods, Trash option)
iv. FTP, HTTP, TCP SERVERS
v. MiX NUGGETS (Freestanding Topical Posts)
vi. THEMES and SKINS
vii. BUG REPORTING, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND FAQ WIP

[Q] How to create a .zip file and sign it in MiXplorer? I've downloaded the zip viewer plugin but cannot create .zip file

Preet_ said:
[Q] How to create a .zip file and sign it in MiXplorer? I've downloaded the zip viewer plugin but cannot create .zip file
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Select files you want to zip
2. Press 3 dots (menu)
3. Press Archiv
4. Paste icon will show
5. Select again Archive in paste menu
I don't remember correctly but it's like this something.
Good Luck!
Sent from my XPERIA M2 using Tapatalk

Preet_ said:
[Q] How to create a .zip file and sign it in MiXplorer? I've downloaded the zip viewer plugin but cannot create .zip file
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can create a zip file even without the archive add-in by following a workflow similar to file copy/move operations (and this should also work with the add-in).
- Select some items that you want to put in a zip file.
- Open the overflow menu (3 dots).
- Select "Archive" (the task will be added to the task list just as file copy/move tasks would be)
- Navigate to the location to where you want to save the zip file.
- Open the task menu then select the pending ARCHIVE task.
- Choose the archive options: File type (zip, 7z or tar), level of compression, key (optional), and the split length (optional) then select OK.
I'm not sure exactly what is the the purpose of the archive add-in but have read in the main MiXplorer thread that it handles .RAR files. Maybe some of the MiXplorer regulars can provide a more detailed description if it, which could then be added to the FAQ.

Dzepar said:
1. Select files you want to zip
2. Press 3 dots (menu)
3. Press Archiv
4. Paste icon will show
5. Select again Archive in paste menu
I don't remember correctly but it's like this something.
Good Luck!
Sent from my XPERIA M2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL I type too slow (and got distracted by a phone call while posting an answer) Thanks.

Thanks @Dzepar and @IronTechmonkey !

Thanks for the manual, MiXplorer is great:good:

FTP and paths on SD cards.
Every now and then I test all the possible paths to Internal and External SDs via FTP. With some lingering SD card access issues recently resolved, now seems like a good time to repeat the routine.
In L5.1.1/CM12.1, SuperSU 2.65 (recent Playstore update of flashed SuperSU 2.46), Selinux = permissive, MiXplorer v6.1.4.BETA_B1602294, Filezilla 3.11.0.2 FTP client connecting to MiXplorer FTP using active tab at / as top level, copying a 15MB PDF through a variety of paths:
/storage/sdcard0, and /storage/emulated/legacy, and /sdcard: File copy is successful to root of internal SD but no contents shown at these paths in FTP client. Viewing same location via /storage/emulated/0 shows the copied file and all other expected content. A bad thing about this is that copying the file again by the same method overwrites the existing one without a prompt. I verified this by copying a different file of different type and size but with same filename.
/storage/emulated/0: File copy is successful to root of internal SD..
/external_sd: File copy is successful to root of external SD.
/storage/sdcard1: File copy is successful to root of external SD.
/mnt/media_rw/sdcard1: File copy is successful to root of external SD.
/mnt/shell/emulated/0: File copy is successful to root of internal SD.
/mnt/shell/emulated/legacy: This is a weird one. File copy is successful but this path is not linked to any other location and the copied file is there alone when viewed via FTP or in MiX on device. Not a problem, just interesting, maybe a quirk of the ROM.

[Q]How to export album cover? I was only find add it.

YexuanXiao said:
[Q]How to export album cover? I was only find add it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is hard to answer with so few details about the situation. Export from what? Are you using the latest version of MiXplorer. Can you provide a screenshot?

YexuanXiao said:
[Q]How to export album cover? I was only find add it.
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Click to collapse
I don't think it's possible to export it. You can change/replace it but not exported. Unless I don't know how
@IronTechmonkey
I think he meant of this:
Sent from my XPERIA M2 using Tapatalk

Dzepar said:
I don't think it's possible to export it. You can change/replace it but not exported. Unless I don't know how
@IronTechmonkey
I think he meant of this:
Sent from my XPERIA M2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another as yet unexplored area of MiXplorer for me. Thanks! Just for kicks I played with this for a bit. I was able to replace album art for an MP3 and restore it to the original. The "Remove" button had me thinking I could remove the original album art but it only works to remove a custom image and restore the original. Although the "Remove" button might be more descriptive if it was named "Restore" the behavior of protecting the original material seems normal, although I can remove album art from same file on PC with dBpowerapm's tag editor. Maybe there is a feature request in there somewhere but there are more important things being requested now.
As to @YexuanXiao's question, I did some searching and could only find a references to linux command line functions and some PC utilities that might be able to do this but nothing ready-made for Android.

I'm bad with numbers but I think it was added after media player was added it's very handy tho I do all my edits on pc this is great for quick edit.
Sent from my XPERIA M2 using Tapatalk

Thank you for the great work!

## PRO-TIPS for your (non-pro) Windows RT ##

Well I guess this is more of a 'list of utilities, commands, and features' that might be buried so deeply into windows rt that you didn't know it was there. I don't know about other surface/winrt users but I have gotten more advanced configuring my surface rt than I ever did on an x86. Now I usually end up needing to configure my x86 devices to provide the same functionality I expect on my tablets.
So I don't think we have a list like this and I'm sure a lot of you have your own 'pro-tips', so maybe we can compile a list of hidden gems we can use with windows rt into this thread so that we collectively can reference or individually don't forget
So here is a short list to start off :
Utilities -- Many more utilities can be found by browsing c:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
WF.msc (type at command prompt or Win-R key run window) : (Windows Firewall with Advanced Security) although they removed the control panel applet it seems they left in this mmc plugin.
gpedit.msc : group policy editor... somewhat hidden but they left this in
resmon (Resource Monitor)
msconfig (System Configuration)
msinfo32 (System Information)
steps (Steps Recorder) : this is a utility that will capture your activity as screenshots to play back or upload for others to see.
Modify whether links or html files open in Desktop or Metro versions of Internet Explorer :
Open desktop Internet Explorer, click on gear icon and choose Internet options. Now click on 'Programs' tab and select your preference from the 'Opening Internet Explorer' section dropdown.
Keyboard Shortcuts :
Metro snap via keyboard : Hold Windows and tap . (period) Keep holding down windows key and tap left, right, up, or down
Win-Tab : While alt-tab lets you cycle 'desktop' programs, Windows key + Tab cycles through 'metro' app list
Win-X : Show advanced start menu (same as right clicking start menu)
Win-D : Show/Hide desktop
Win-P : Pick from various multi-monitor configurations (duplicate/extend/pc only/external monitor only)
Console Commands
'HELP' : Show a list of all commands you can get more help on.
'WHERE' : Type where wf.msc (for example) and it will tell you where that program/file exists if it is in any of your PATH'ed folders.
'WMIC' : a very deep well of information, type WMIC /? to see list of all modules
wmic volume list brief (shows all mounted drives/volumes)
wmic qfe list brief (shows all installed windows updates)
'SYSTEMINFO' : another system info command, sort of a command line version of msinfo32
'TREE' : show an 'ascii-art' tree of sub-folders for the folder you are in.
'ASSOC' : command line ability to set file associations
'CERTUTIL' : can be used (among other things) for computing file hashes
certutil -hashfile [filename] [MD5|SHA1|SHA256] so for example :
certutil -hashfile myfile.zip sha1
Associations / Context menu / 'Send To' programs :
Create a shortcut to control.exe /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms to quickly go to this control panel applet.
Use command line ASSOC to set file associations
Manage 'Send To' folder by opening 'windows' explorer, typing shell:sendto into the location bar to be taken to a folder showing all your 'send to' programs'. You can drop shortcuts to other programs (provided those programs accept command line arguments). Now you can right click a file in windows explorer and 'send to' programs like 7-Zip, Paint.NET, notepad++, etc.
Add an "Open with Notepad++" or other top level context menu for all files :
Open registry editor and browse to : HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell.
Right-click on “shell” and choose to create a new key, calling it “Open with Notepad++”
Create a new key below that one called “command”
Double-click on the (Default) value in the right-hand pane and enter "c:\path_to_npp\notepad++.exe" $1
To have the menu item show the notepad++ icon do these extra steps :
Right click the "Open with Notepad++" key (which you created) and add a new string value called "icon"
Double click new "icon" value and set its string value to "c:\path_to_npp\notepad++.exe"
In all steps above make sure you enter the path to notepad++ on your machine instead of the path entered.
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...th-notepad-to-the-context-menu-for-all-files/
Make 'command prompt here' context menu when right clicking folder in windows explorer : http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...-always-display-for-folders-in-windows-vista/
Enable 7-Zip Context Menu :
Run regedit (Registry Editor), and drill into / expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers.
Now right click on 'ContextMenuHandlers' and choose 'permissions'.
Click 'Advanced' button.
On advanced Security Settings screen (at the top) choose Change (owner) link.
When selecting a user or group screen comes up click 'Advanced', then 'Find Now', and in search results choose 'Administrators' (may need to widen column to distinguish from singular 'Administrator').
After highlighting Administrators, click OK button to go back to Advanced Security Settings screen.
Now you are able to click on 'Administrators' and click 'Edit' and select 'Full Control' and click ok to apply permission.
Keep clicking ok on dialogs till you are back at registry editor.
Now run 7-Zip as administrator, go into tools menu and select options.
Then on 7-Zip tab choose 'Integrate 7-Zip to shell context menu' and click ok to close dialog.
Context menu should now appear when right clicking on files in windows explorer.
Disabling Connected Standby :
This is only a good idea if your tablet will always be left on a charger or 'shut down' when not in use. If you turn off connected standby and set your display to turn off after... say 5 minutes, then after 5 minutes your display will really power off (backlight as well) but any desktop programs will continue to run. You might want to do this if you are running a web server or some other process in background. When you disable connected standby, many other options appear in your power options 'advanced power settings' page. If you do this I recommend you 'Create a power plan' on the 'Choose or customize a power plan screen first'.
To toggle connected standby feature on or off, modify the :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\CsEnabled key, setting to 0 for 'off' or 1 for 'on' and reboot to take effect.
Node Chakracore :
This is really an undocumented bonus 'add-on', made by Microsoft which you can run even on windows rt devices which are not in test-signing mode. For those who are not familiar, NodeJS is a console-based javascript scripting environment. Standard Node.js uses v8 javascript engine (same as google chrome), however this 'node-chakracore' version uses the chakra javascript engine (which is the latest version used in edge browsers). Microsoft is providing this for raspberry pi users running Windows 10 on ARM but they also work on Windows RT.
I made a utility here if you prefer to try an automated means of installing
Install Node.JS (node-chakracore) :
Download the latest ARM release from : https://github.com/nodejs/node-chakracore/releases
Extract that archive to (for example) c:\nodejs
Add that directory (which you extracted to) to your path environment variable.
(Optional) Install/Setup NPM (lets you install packages from npm repository) :
Download https://github.com/npm/npm/archive/master.zip, save somewhere.
Extract it to (for example) c:\npm.
Open windows explorer and type %AppData% into the address bar and hit enter.
Within your AppData directory, create an "npm" directory.
Double click on npm folder you just created from windows explorer
Click into the address bar to see the full path and remember (or copy) this path for next step and later.
Save the following to file named "npm.bat" and save into the directory you just created/copied
Code:
@node c:\npm\npm-master\cli.js %*
(If you extracted npm elsewhere, update the batch file to reflect actual location)
Create an etc directory under this appdata npm folder
Create an separate etc directory under your node folder (c:\nodejs if you used suggested default)
Copy .npmrc file from c:\npm\npm-master to c:\node
Rename and get rid of the '.' from the filename so the filename is just npmrc
edit that npmrc file In notepad and add the following lines :
Code:
globalconfig=c:\users\username\appdata\roaming\npm\etc\npmrc
prefix=c:\users\username\appdata\roaming\npm
(make sure to substitute your username in the above this base folder is the folder I told you to remember/copy in previous steps)
Having saved those changes to npmrc under c:\node\etc, copy that file to your appdata\npm\etc directory as well.
Add the path of your appdata\npm directory your path environment variable. If you install global packages they will install commands/batch files into this folder. If it is pathed you can exec them as native commands. This path is also where we put the npm.bat so it can be run from anywhere.
A useful demonstration if you have configured the both npm and node correctly is to install cash (an implementation of unix shell commands) by typing from a command prompt :
Code:
npm install -g cash
That should take a several minutes to complete (hopefully successfully). When done you can run 'cash' or just '$' at a command prompt to bring up simulated Linux prompt from which you can type 'help' to see supported commands. These commands interop with windows commands as well so you can mix (see cash link above).​
(Thanks to @black_blob for discovering this node/npm)
I will add more info or cleanup as needed, feel free to post your own, if needed I can compile it into first post to work towards a guide if anyone wanted to make one.

I modded the Windows 10 Chakra(non-core) to run on 8.1 as a part of my earlier NodeJS port. By the way, I also had Microsoft Edge running with it at a time.(EdgeHTML)
I wonder if I should continue my backports from Win10

You mean other programs/frameworks? You have brought over some great stuff, so yes absolutely! Anything you have in mind?

nazoraios said:
You mean other programs/frameworks? You have brought over some great stuff, so yes absolutely! Anything you have in mind?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have in mind to backport the UWP framework, or maybe even a FrankenKernel(10 kernel, 8.1 userspace). Microsoft Edge works without needing UWP, as you can use edgehtml like mshtml for embedding

You would definitely be my hero if you could bring over Edge, preferably with somewhat recent (EdgeHTML? rendering) and Chakra javascript engine.
Not sure how FrankenKernel and UWP support could work out but both could potentially be awesome... guess its the details which I'm sure you have a better idea than me. So do you think we would be able to run (open source?) Windows 10 apps and would the 'developer mode' be brought over with the kernel or is that 8.1 userspace which would require 8.1 developer license signing (and renewing every 6 months)? Or would the UWP part just be for console or node-chakracore like it is on IOT?

nazoraios said:
You would definitely be my hero if you could bring over Edge, preferably with somewhat recent (EdgeHTML? rendering) and Chakra javascript engine.
Not sure how FrankenKernel and UWP support could work out but both could potentially be awesome... guess its the details which I'm sure you have a better idea than me. So do you think we would be able to run (open source?) Windows 10 apps and would the 'developer mode' be brought over with the kernel or is that 8.1 userspace which would require 8.1 developer license signing (and renewing every 6 months)? Or would the UWP part just be for console or node-chakracore like it is on IOT?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windows 10 kernel & system, Windows 8.1 explorer.exe, dwm and other tiny GUI bits
I have a Windows Server ARM64 build, but that's not 32-bit

Yea that sounds daring... Don't brick your device please Too bad no 32bit gui bits to borrow. I doubt they would bring the Ubuntu for Windows 10 subsystem to arm, but technically i'm sure they could since Ubuntu has arm and pi2 image.... still would be neat. Also I think they added ssh server to pi2 but not sure if it would be easy to 'extract' and borrow.
We will be watching you commander...

nazoraios said:
Yea that sounds daring... Don't brick your device please Too bad no 32bit gui bits to borrow. I doubt they would bring the Ubuntu for Windows 10 subsystem to arm, but technically i'm sure they could since Ubuntu has arm and pi2 image.... still would be neat. Also I think they added ssh server to pi2 but not sure if it would be easy to 'extract' and borrow.
We will be watching you commander...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Ubuntu support uses the Linux binary compatibility SubSystem, also known as Astoria

black_blob said:
I have in mind to backport the UWP framework, or maybe even a FrankenKernel(10 kernel, 8.1 userspace). Microsoft Edge works without needing UWP, as you can use edgehtml like mshtml for embedding
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be even more amazing than a running build of Windows 10 Mobile. So you'd have a "full" OS with the befinits of running UWP. That would def. insure the future of Windows RT.
It would be even better if astoria would work on it too. So you'd even able to run android apps.

I need help for the nodejs and the npm instructions. Can you explain it out in details for morons?

Sorry late reply... which steps are you getting confused at (for node/npm install) ? So for starters :
- if you open a command prompt and type "node -v" does it tell you the version of node your running? If so, what version does it say?
- if you type "npm -v" does it tell you the version of npm you are running or give an error? Tell version or error.
So i'll start with that to make sure your paths are set up.

I created an installer utility to install node-chakracore along with NPM. Hopefully this will make it easier for other or myself to install or upgrade as new versions of node-chakracore and npm come out.
The final step in the process (updating the system PATH environment variable) requires admin permissions so right click executable and run 'As Administrator'. If you prefer to set the environment variables yourself, this step will tell you the paths it would add.
9/13/16 : Updated default node chakracore download link to new 7.0.0-pre9 release, added a 'Complete' tab with links to further resources and made UI fix

Cannot Import Google Platform (AOSP) App's Java File to Android SystemUI Java File.

Hi all,
Excited to be a new member to this forum, seems like there is lots of powerful information here.
So, not the most clear title ever, but a specific example of my problem goes like this. If I want to take advantage of googles launcher3 src code such as CellLayout.java (packages/apps/Launcher3/src/com/android/launcher3/CellLayout.java) so I can play with the ability to reorganize the home screens app layout using the methods existing in that file. I would wish to import this CellLayout.java file so I can use it from a quick setting tile button's file, such as in the airplane mode tile.
In file frameworks/base/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/qs/tiles/AirplaneModeTile.java
So if I add the line "import com.android.launcher3.CellLayout;" in AirplaneModeTile.java, when I do a full AOSP build with the changes to the two files I get a compile time Error on the import code that "launcher3 cannot be resolved".
If I had to guess these two files are in different domains of sorts, and I think when I build using GNU make from the top directory, the Google App's code (h t tps:// android.googlesource. c o m /platform/packages/apps/) such as the AlarmClock, Contacts, Camera, and Launcher3 for example are built and then removed from scope at a different time than the Android systemui code.
Any thoughts on how to fix this?