Related
Clicking the wiki just now gave me a 404 error and the sticky is a bit long and just a bit outdated in terms of the links.
What programs, apps, vids, etc do I need in order to make themes?
I have been flashing themes left and right and each have their goods and bads. The biggest bad is there doesn't seem to be a well done red theme which I would like to do. I have tried enamored but the notification icons kill it for me.
So again, are there any up to date tutorials on making themes? Thanks in advance for any help.
+1 to that
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
A quic and dirty how to
lovethyEVO said:
Clicking the wiki just now gave me a 404 error and the sticky is a bit long and just a bit outdated in terms of the links.
What programs, apps, vids, etc do I need in order to make themes?
I have been flashing themes left and right and each have their goods and bads. The biggest bad is there doesn't seem to be a well done red theme which I would like to do. I have tried enamored but the notification icons kill it for me.
So again, are there any up to date tutorials on making themes? Thanks in advance for any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shanesol said:
+1 to that
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
heres the How to
An apk is really just a zip file... apk stands for android package (if i remember correctly). So treat it like a standard zip file.
Youll need a pint program to make changes I use gimp its free so get it here
TIP: Your first theme should really just be a mixing and matching of other themes to get use to the process.
TIP: d/l and look at other themes and see what the have done, using the same process below you can port and mash themes. To see what is themed go to the res/drawable-xxx folders and sorte the png's in there to newest at the top and you'll see what they have changed.
TIP: system/app/xxx.apk are where most apps that are themed are contained in these apks you'll find a res folder and in there you have a bunch of folders. you really on need to look in the drawable-xxx ones mdpi, no-dpi, land and so forth. these pngs make up the apps look and feel changing them will theme the app.
You'll need apk manager this will allow you to sign zips which makes them flashable. get that here
Now get your favorite Rom and make a folder. In that folder make 2 folders one called packed the other called packed. Take your rom and unzip it in the unpacked folder. and then take the original zip and move it to the packed folder.
Next go into the unpacked folder and nav to system/framework.framework-res.apk (this holds the bulk of the android png that make up all the stuff most people change to make a theme) take this apk and unzip it in this folder and then make a copy of the apk and move the copy to the packed folder.
Now when you want to make a change to the framework-res.apk use the unpacked as a reference. us the packed as the change dir, you do this by opening but not unzipping the apk you want to change and just dragging the files you are replacing into the apk, this will replace them. You might want to make a a 3rd folder sorta of a master copy if you ever mess up the packed roms. Remember that in all three of the dirs created you want to keep the dir structure the way you extracted it from the rom and theme.
Now that you have an altered framework-res.apk you can just push it to system/framework folder (i think) and reboot and your changes are in. I never do this since flashable is easier to manage I make a flashable.
A flashable is like a rom but allot smaller, so d/l one of my themes and take the zip file and place in in a folder next to the packed and unpacked folder call it something like staging. now unzip apk manager into the top dir next to 4 other folders you just made.
Now my theme zip can be renamed to whatever you want, your going to use it as a place holder for signing flashable zips. go into the theme zip and delete ever thing in the system folder except the framework folder then go into the frame work folder and delete everything, if you have apps your theming just make the system/app.
Your flashable zip folder should only have a a meta-inf folder and a system folder, the system folder should only have a framework and or app folders. Now drag your altered framework-res.apk into the flashable zip system/framework folder you just cleaned out.
Ok now you have to sign it, copy that flashable zip to the place-apk-here-for-signing folder, this should have shown up when you unzipped apk manager into the folder the also contains unpacked and packed folders.
Now click on the script.bat and you'll see a bunch of option you can do option 16 to sign your zip. it takes a second or two and the date should get updated on the flashable.zip file in the place-apk-here-for-signing folder.
Now you have your new them ready to install. if your changing something else find the apk and replace framework-res.apk in these instruction and it works the same. note that most app reside in system/app so you next to take that into account.
Keep the questions reasonable and I'll answer then.
Thanks simmons. For the most part I have been doing the open apk without extracting and replacing png files. The one thing that I cant seem to get is changing the battery icon...it never sticks. Anyways, do the themes always have to be signed? I know amon 1.8 can flash unsigned zips but do the themes have to be signed always? I will be taking my laptop to work tonight to practice what you outlined. Thanks again.
EDIT: I noticed some themes have com.htc.resources.apk alongside framework res and some have services.jar. What are these for?
No they don't have to be signed but people will complain cause most people don't have the eng spl, it all so protects you from flashing bad stuff. If your only changing the standard 5 battery icons thus method always works.
The services.jar usually room specific and changes things like lock screen behavior mixes These with other roms will cause boot loops be careful.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Simmons thanks for answering so far.
My last question is to theme the entire phone is it basically the resources, framework, and services.jar files that need to be edited? I understand the apps would be themed themselves and then just included as part of the zip file right?
lovethyEVO said:
Simmons thanks for answering so far.
My last question is to theme the entire phone is it basically the resources, framework, and services.jar files that need to be edited? I understand the apps would be themed themselves and then just included as part of the zip file right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well the service.jar is compiled and therefore can't necessarily be themed you can't hack it or mod it by decompling it or you can change it by compiling changes you made from source but for the sake of normal themes its not needed.
as for the resources I assume your referring to the resources.arsc which is basically a set of compiled xml files. In here it where you can change stuff like how many pngs are associated with the battery status icons (think of circle batter mod which has one icon per percentage instead of the 0 10 20 40 60 80 100 ? icons in the normal aosp rom) changing this can be done with the apk manage by decompiling the framework-res.zpk, making the change and compiling back. but I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner.
The problem with the above is you take the chance of the theme not be cross-rom compatible. For you normal theme all you need to change are the pngs in the res folder of the framework-apk, however somethings like the launcher or the dialer still reside in the app folder and have there own apk.
Oh and I have no question limit.
ASimmons said:
well the service.jar is compiled and therefore can't necessarily be themed you can't hack it or mod it by decompling it or you can change it by compiling changes you made from source but for the sake of normal themes its not needed.
as for the resources I assume your referring to the resources.arsc which is basically a set of compiled xml files. In here it where you can change stuff like how many pngs are associated with the battery status icons (think of circle batter mod which has one icon per percentage instead of the 0 10 20 40 60 80 100 ? icons in the normal aosp rom) changing this can be done with the apk manage by decompiling the framework-res.zpk, making the change and compiling back. but I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner.
The problem with the above is you take the chance of the theme not be cross-rom compatible. For you normal theme all you need to change are the pngs in the res folder of the framework-apk, however somethings like the launcher or the dialer still reside in the app folder and have there own apk.
Oh and I have no question limit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simmons, thank you very much. Every answer you give is clearing things up more and more for me. I have decompiled a frameworkres before when I was trying to get the circle batt mod onto the odex stock rom so I am not too unawares there. What I want to do is theme the colors on anything and everything along with making the transparent windows such as when you confirm actions and the transparent notification pull down. Are these really accomplished with simply changing the pngs or do I have to edit the xml files? If I must edit the xml files, are there key files to edit or would editing one xml affect another?
lovethyEVO said:
Simmons, thank you very much. Every answer you give is clearing things up more and more for me. I have decompiled a frameworkres before when I was trying to get the circle batt mod onto the odex stock rom so I am not too unawares there. What I want to do is theme the colors on anything and everything along with making the transparent windows such as when you confirm actions and the transparent notification pull down. Are these really accomplished with simply changing the pngs or do I have to edit the xml files? If I must edit the xml files, are there key files to edit or would editing one xml affect another?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The xml files really just hold names for the pngs. So for example the pngs for the battery have there names store in the xml (cant remember off hand which one of the decompiled xml from the resource.arsc.. strings??) file and then as the value value next to that filename for what percent to show that specific png at.
But 95% of your theming only involves changing the png files. So to have a clear notification back ground look in the framework-res.apk/res/drawable-mdpi/status_bar_background.png or you want to change the button to unlock your phone framework-res.apk/res/ic_jog_dial_unlock.png or to change the status bar framework-res.apk/res/statusbar_background.9.png
TIP: if you see a png with 9 in the name like xxxx.9.png its basically a stretchable png where the side that you want stechable has a one pixel wide line running the length of the png as a border this tells android that the png should stretch that side until it fills the screen.
9 patch explanation
So aside from editing the xmls for the battery percent everything is just replacong pngs? Thats awesome.
When it comes to apps like the internet browser for example, where would I find the apk? I'm assuming theming the apps is just like themeing the phone in that I just replace the .pngs right? Again your answers are very much appreciated and definitely making things seem easier. Thanks.
Hiya all.
I'm a noob at this too and I want to change the icons of some of the apps installed on my phone and theme a couple of widgets that am using. I have two questions:
1) In the system/app folder of the phone almost all the apps have a xxx.apk and a xxx.odex file. In order to change the png files in the apk does something need to be done with the odex file too?
2) Can I change the png files in the apk files in data/app the way you described above?
Sorry if the questions are noobish
From my Galaxy S loonie-phone
lovethyEVO said:
So aside from editing the xmls for the battery percent everything is just replacong pngs? Thats awesome.
When it comes to apps like the internet browser for example, where would I find the apk? I'm assuming theming the apps is just like themeing the phone in that I just replace the .pngs right? Again your answers are very much appreciated and definitely making things seem easier. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To theme the browser you can alter the Browser.apk in the system/app and using the direction I posted it works the same way.
And if you make a theme pm me so I can check it out.
Fireloon said:
Hiya all.
I'm a noob at this too and I want to change the icons of some of the apps installed on my phone and theme a couple of widgets that am using. I have two questions:
1) In the system/app folder of the phone almost all the apps have a xxx.apk and a xxx.odex file. In order to change the png files in the apk does something need to be done with the odex file too?
2) Can I change the png files in the apk files in data/app the way you described above?
Sorry if the questions are noobish
From my Galaxy S loonie-phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. My theming expertise is more with AOSP roms but its my understanding that you should be able to theme a sense rom in the same way by de-odexing a rom. And yes any and all apps are themable if it has a png files in it you can unpack it alter the png's and put them back in the original apk, which overwrites the original png's and resign it and then flash or reinstall it.
2. Yes you can. any and all apks can be themed in the manner I described. for odexed roms search the forum for de-odexing techniques.
Thx for the answer. I'll search about deodexing
From my Galaxy S loonie-phone
Thanks for all the great tips I just got finished porting a theme thanks to all the help!
shanesol said:
Thanks for all the great tips I just got finished porting a theme thanks to all the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
awesome pm some screenies or the op here I'd like to check it out.
ASimmons said:
awesome pm some screenies or the op here I'd like to check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a simple black/white matte theme called Invertnito. It was made for Sapphire but I like CM too much to give it up lol
ASimmons said:
awesome pm some screenies or the op here I'd like to check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking to have some sort of base by this weekend. I have just been mix/matching pngs I like from other themes as well as trying to make my own pngs and figuring out the transparency/borders effect. Taking my time but still want to come out with something for critique.
shanesol said:
It's a simple black/white matte theme called Invertnito. It was made for Sapphire but I like CM too much to give it up lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice Job.
lovethyEVO said:
Looking to have some sort of base by this weekend. I have just been mix/matching pngs I like from other themes as well as trying to make my own pngs and figuring out the transparency/borders effect. Taking my time but still want to come out with something for critique.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I'm not much of a critiquer since most of the themeing stuff I've done doesn't go over so well around here (I dont like dark colors, black, dark blue blah blah) really its up to what you like, I made a couple of themes based on what I liked and left it at that. But I'll be glad to look at it and dont forget to make sure that if you use some elses stuff you give them there props in your ops and pm them a warning you going to use it, unless they specify different this is all you should need to do..
ASimmons said:
Nice Job.
Well I'm not much of a critiquer since most of the themeing stuff I've done doesn't go over so well around here (I dont like dark colors, black, dark blue blah blah) really its up to what you like, I made a couple of themes based on what I liked and left it at that. But I'll be glad to look at it and dont forget to make sure that if you use some elses stuff you give them there props in your ops and pm them a warning you going to use it, unless they specify different this is all you should need to do..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definately making note of whose work I use. Though it's kind of hard because my favorite notification icons I have seen in two diff themes and neither one of them mention who was the artist for them. But still keeping at it. And like you I dont care about dark colors unless its used to contrast the main theme color. I'm working on a red theme and there will be some parts that will have a darkish background to help the red border colors and/or text pop more. In time though. Your first post here was definitely a great shove in the right direction.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=737526
Heres a script that ports your themes from firmware to firmware, rom to rom.
How it works:
- Looks through app/framework folder for apks that exist in new/old rom
- Then extracts pngs from those apks
- Then deletes mismatching pngs
- Repacks old themes pngs into new rom
- Done
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Easy cheesy multi rom theme ports
Here we go! This is gonna be fun this weekend.
xtremekilla09 said:
Here we go! This is gonna be fun this weekend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol... +1
Now I can port my themes for the whole world to share. Thanks for the find...and thanks for sharing.
sent using a phone.
Now what would really be nice would be if someone designed an .apk that did this on the phone(while adding the originals to a "theme-revert.zip" and the new theme to "theme.zip"). Then you just make one theme and post the link to the .apk.
The closest i ever found was zipthemer but it didnt work every time and thats no good.
If only someone could port the open source t-mobile theme choser to samsuck.
So this is it until someone who knows how to code jumps on that idea lol. Still glad it exists and that i bumped into it. And even more so that two of main people i had hoped would make use of it appear to be willing to do just that.
whiteguypl said:
And even more so that two of main people i had hoped would make use of it appear to be willing to do just that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You bet. If this works, there are so many things that can be done, oh man. It will rain themes, well at least for FireFly to start with.
Again, thanks for pointing this out.
xtremekilla09 said:
You bet. If this works, there are so many things that can be done, oh man. It will rain themes, well at least for FireFly to start with.
Again, thanks for pointing this out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the limited testing ive done it seems to be working 100%. The only real potential problem im seeing (and the script might have a way to handel it) is porting a theme that uses drawable-hdpi to an apk that has both an hdpi AND hdpi-v4 folder in it. I would hope its defaulting hdpi to hdpi-v4. Lol... But i dont know.
Edit: and even that hope is based on the possible incorrect assumption that andriod will allways pull from the v4 folder given the choice? Anyone care to enlighten me?
whiteguypl said:
From the limited testing ive done it seems to be working 100%. The only real potential problem im seeing (and the script might have a way to handel it) is porting a theme that uses drawable-hdpi to an apk that has both an hdpi AND hdpi-v4 folder in it. I would hope its defaulting hdpi to hdpi-v4. Lol... But i dont know.
Edit: and even that hope is based on the possible incorrect assumption that andriod will allways pull from the v4 folder given the choice? Anyone care to enlighten me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it does. Isn't the non-v4 there for compatibility reasons with older os versions? I saw something like that a little while ago, in a theming guide
Herp derp Captivate XDA app.
Well after a lot of testing i can safely say that it does not know how to handle hdpi vs hdpi-v4. And since our rom maintainers have decided to mix and match at will without smoothing anything out this script will not work a large majority of the time, depending on what rom you are on.
Quickish fix is to go into the apk before using the script and renaming all the drawable folders to match both the "themed" and "to be themed" apks. Then after the processes you can go in and rename them back to there original names.
............. Im also assuming that if you kept the folder name changes the xml wouldnt know where to look for the images???? I know little to nothing about how android handels that, if someone would like to chime in please do.
Well I most definitely be playing with it this weekend. Thanks again for the info.
sent using a phone.
whiteguypl said:
Well after a lot of testing i can safely say that it does not know how to handle hdpi vs hdpi-v4. And since our rom maintainers have decided to mix and match at will without smoothing anything out this script will not work a large majority of the time, depending on what rom you are on.
Quickish fix is to go into the apk before using the script and renaming all the drawable folders to match both the "themed" and "to be themed" apks. Then after the processes you can go in and rename them back to there original names.
............. Im also assuming that if you kept the folder name changes the xml wouldnt know where to look for the images???? I know little to nothing about how android handels that, if someone would like to chime in please do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe it could be tweaked.
Like after line 55(like roms) (and line 130 pre to post)
Code:
if EXIST "%~dp0old\%dcrt%\%%~nF\res\drawable-hdpi-v4" (rename "%~dp0old\%dcrt%\%%~nF\res\drawable-hdpi-v4" drawable-mdpi)
if EXIST "%~dp0old\%dcrt%\%%~nF\res\drawable-en-hdpi-v4" (rename "%~dp0old\%dcrt%\%%~nF\res\drawable-en-hdpi-v4" drawable-en-mdpi)
Line 240 seems to be for eclair. Most roms here are froyo.
It is possible. Daneshm90 knows his stuff and keeps it fairly simple. If you come up with something he would probably add it.
I will see what I can come up with.
Edit: Extracted file to C:\Theme-Porter_beta_3.
I added the above lines to to the script at lline 57 and 58.
Added files per directions. No errors. Changed files are dated 3/17. Untouched files still old date.
I may reflash soon to test it. Will follow up.
IamSonoma said:
Maybe it could be tweaked.
Like after line 55(like roms) (and line 130 pre to post)
Code:
if EXIST "%~dp0old\%dcrt%\%%~nF\res\drawable-hdpi-v4" (rename "%~dp0old\%dcrt%\%%~nF\res\drawable-hdpi-v4" drawable-mdpi)
if EXIST "%~dp0old\%dcrt%\%%~nF\res\drawable-en-hdpi-v4" (rename "%~dp0old\%dcrt%\%%~nF\res\drawable-en-hdpi-v4" drawable-en-mdpi)
Line 240 seems to be for eclair. Most roms here are froyo.
It is possible. Daneshm90 knows his stuff and keeps it fairly simple. If you come up with something he would probably add it.
I will see what I can come up with.
Edit: Extracted file to C:\Theme-Porter_beta_3.
I added the above lines to to the script at lline 57 and 58.
Added files per directions. No errors. Changed files are dated 3/17. Untouched files still old date.
I may reflash soon to test it. Will follow up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like that would take it one step closer. The main problem would still exist with those changes. It wont take images from a drawable-hdpi folder and migrate them to a drawable-hdpi-v4 folder. I posted in the op and asked if there might be a way for him to add an option to force the images into the other directory. I would assume it would be similar to part of what the script does to handle hdpi to mdpi conversions.
This is just a test from my messing around with the theme files and trying to learn to theme. It is mostly miui v4 but with a black status bar and black fade launcher theme.The biggest change is a vertical battery from light coloured business version miui theme and I have made white coloured ICS icons from Galnet Miui theme and different desktop dots. It also uses a galaxy S style unlock screen and Ubuntu fonts.
Thanks for the help to bring theme format up to date.
http://www.mediafire.com/?tmi2zzv7ckyssxq
If any of it looks good, feel free to use it. I will try to find links to the original threads for the themes I have poached from so authors get their due.
I will likely keep playing with this so will try to keep this updated.
Mostly based off this thread so far:
http://forums.miui.us/showthread.ph...the-easy-way!-9-guide-now-up!!!-Questions-Ask!
Old format means you didn't take the .zip extension off the directory folders and you didn't change the whole themes extension to .mtz
Cheers, changed format to MTZ, but didnt realise folders inside needed to be zipped too.
*edit*ok, some previews work, naming is obviously important*, zipped internal folders and it all seems to have not applied, hmmmmm, try again.
OK, helps if you zip all the right files properly. All working now.
Make sure you zip the contents of the folders in your directory. Because when you zip the folder the compression app places it in it's own folder. Hence causing an extra folder.
Don't zip the preview folder though ok.
Don't you have any other miui themes you can dissect to see how it's formatef.
I've downloaded your theme but i haven't looked through it yet.
Thats what I ended up doing. Having a 3 week old baby is impacting my ability to think clearly! figured out the second time I had zipped them wrong and not zipped framework-res and one other folder by comparing to another theme. Latest link all works well now.
that looks great!!
Updated a couple of signal status icons that had the wrong shade of grey in the background.
Hello XDA,
I've gotten a request to make a guide about theming. I am not going to make this an expert guide because there are many other guides out there that might suit others better. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=916814 <- That is a good resource for theming.
Anyways, I want to share how I themed my theme. I made a theme that was to be used with the Theme Chooser found in many roms.
Since I was new to theming, I decided that I was going to use another theme that worked with my xoom as a base for my theme. So for me, I downloaded jasonevil's Xperia S theme. It came in the form of an apk, as most theme chooser themes do.
So if you plan to do what I did and base your theme off of someone else's theme, here's what you do: Please read through the entire post first.
Before you begin, familiarize yourself with .png files and .9 files too. Also, prepare yourself for fustration. You may also want to print this out, unless you are using a multi-monitor setup.
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NOTE: Throughout this guide, you should take regular backups. You can find "backups" under the "Extas" tab in VTS. Don't do that now, because you probably don't have VTS yet.
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1. Download a theme that you would like to use as your base. It should be made for the Theme Engine and should come in an apk. And it might be nice to work with a theme that works with your device.The theme should also theme everything (or more) of what you want to theme.
2. If you find the theme on a forum, remember to thank the author of the theme.
3. Ask the themer, preferably through a PM, for permission to use ANY part of their work in your theme, if you plan to distribute your theme to the public.
4. Make sure you have the Android SDK setup and ready to go. It should be in your path and ready for use.
5. Download a software called "Virtuous Ten Studio". We'll call it VTS. VTS is an amazing piece of software that makes theming and modifications very easy, and it comes with many tools that make it a must have. It's not required, but you might want to familiarize yourself with the software on the website.
6. Take a breath, you are in for a ride!
7. Open up VTS
8. Hit File>New Project
9. Give your new project a name. Make the project name something like template or the name of the theme you are theming. Don't worry, the name you give here will not be the name of your theme, infact, this isn't your theme at all. We are just going to keep this as a reference, you may not even use it at all.
10. Give your new solution name . Make the name of the solution something that you can understand, the name of your solution will not affect the theme directly. Think of the solution as your desk. It holds everything that is related to your final goal: the finished theme. This should probably be reflective of the theme you are going to make.
11. DON'T hit OK yet. OK? Before you do that, In the Create new project window, go to the second tab that says "Apk-Tool".
12. Make sure that "Generate Java Sources" is checked on. I don't really know why I have it checked off, but things worked when it was on.
13. Where it says "File:", navigate to where you have downloaded your template apk.
14. You have been patient enough, you can finally click the ok button!
15. On the left of the screen in VTS, you should see a structured layout of your solution and theme. On the top of that structure, you should see your solution name. Right click on that solution name and click add project.
16. Oh no! Not another screen like before! Not to worry, unless you are combining themes, this should be the last time you see this screen. In the dialog, where it asks for a project name, put a name that resembles your final theme, perhaps the name of your theme.
17. Repeat steps 11-14
18. Take a second to breathe, you'll need it!
19. Now take a look at the final theme project at the left. That project is exactly the same as the other one (template theme) in your solution. Right-Click on the final theme project's name and hit "Properties".
20. You'll see a window with a bunch of stuff, but the only thing you should change is the "APK-Name". In that field, delete everything that is already there and type the name of the final product. This is the name of the file that people will download from wherever. It doesn't have to be the name of the theme itself, but make it fairly short and descriptive. At the end of the name, put ".apk" at the end. It's better to not put any punctuation and spaces in that field. If you want to put spaces in between words, try a "-" or an underscore "_" instead. Click OK when done.
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From now on, "your project" referrs to the final project. The other project that you named after the template theme is there in case you want some inspiration. And "your theme" referrs to essentially the same thing. The "original theme" referrs to the theme you are basing your theme off of.
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Now lets understand what makes up our theme chooser theme:
Under your final project, you should see a file called "AndroidManifest.xml". This is an important file because this is how the Android system sees your final apk, sees it as a theme, and knows what to do with the theme. RIght now, the AndroidManifest tells the Android system that your theme is exactly the same theme as the one you are using as a base. You need to change that. BE REALLY CAREFUL when changing things in the AndroidManifest, as it can render the entire project useless if something is done improperly.
"res" is a folder where all of your theme's resources are stored. When I say resources, I mean all the images that you are using that make up your theme. The folder also has other .xml files that make up your theme. The xml files stored in the "values" folder are core components to your theme. The xml files in the "xml" folder are bits that are specific to certain apps.
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21. If you are using someone else's theme as the base of your theme, it is imperitive you give them credit. I did that in my AndroidManifest. In the AndroidManifest.xml file, after "</manifest>" at the vert end, hit enter a couple times and then start the line with "<!--" This is important as "<!--" to the Android system means that the text that follows is not code, and is human language. Therefore it will skip it. With that, you should give credit to the work of the themer whose work you base yours off of. At the end of your note, put "-->". That closes off the comment.
22. In the AndroidManifest.xml you should see the word "package" in red. Next to that, you will see an "=" and a pair of quotation marks. Inside those quotation marks, change what ever is there to "com.[whatever]", What you put in there must be unique, as you want to make sure no other project, theme, or application in the world has that name. For me, I had package="com.yosterwp.theme.honeycombICS". I decided to put my username and the name of my theme in the name of the package. You may wish to put your username and theme name in, but anything else can work too. Don't put the theme in someone else's name.
23. In the rest of the AndroidManifest, you will see the name of theme you are basing your theme off of in multiple places. Replace those names with the name of the theme you are making. This is important because this is the name of your theme.
24. If the original theme has a wallaper, but you do not want a wallpaper to be bundled with your theme, delete "pluto:wallpaperImage=[whatever is here]". Do not delete anything else or anything else that begins with "pluto".
25. Press CTRL+S to save the file.
26. Now, in your project, expand the "res" folder. Then expand the "values" folder under it. If you see a file called "public.xml". Here's the scoop: public.xml is a file that tells theme chooser what your theme will theme, and where it is. This is a file generated by VTS (for the tech-savvy, apktool does that). The file gets generated by the smali code that comes out of the decompiled apk. But that is not important. What is important is removing that file. To get rid of it, you should right-click on the folder and click "open in explorer". This will open up an oh-so-familiar explorer window, Here you can just select "public.xml" and simply delete it like you would any other file. When you are done, close the explorer window.
27. Now you want to refresh VTS. To do that simply press File and then click on the name of your solution.
28. Yay! Everything has loaded! You have just scratched the surface of the surface in theming. I advise you take a break for 5 minutes. Drink some beverage. Look outside, smell the fresh air. Look away from your computer screen to give your eyes a break. Trust me, things go wrong when you are not relaxed.
29. Now that you changed some of the AndroidManifest, you need to change some other things too. Go to your project, look for res>values>strings.xml. Once you find strings.xml, change every occurence of the original theme's name to the name of your theme.
30. In the same strings.xml, replace the name of the author who made the original theme with your name. And also change the copyright to what you want too.
31. Press CTRL+S to save the file.
32. Now, look for res>values>styles.xml. At around the 3rd line, you should see something like "<style name="blahblah". Change "blahblah" to the name of your theme.
33. From there, you can replace files and change values in some of the various xml files. Except for the files in the smali and values folders, you can remove, modify and/or replace files in any folder. Don't touch the AndroidManifest. Only modify it if you want to change the version of your theme. If you are replacing files, make sure that the new file has the same name as the old file. And make sure it is of the same type too. You can change as many files as you want at a time when you are theming, but as soon as you return to VTS, reload your project. You can do that by clicking File and then your solution.
34. Once you have done all the modifications that you have wanted to do, it's time to get all that stuff in VTS into one apk again. Reload your project in VTS and then click "Build All". If you do not want the original theme to build, by now you can either delete it, or right-click on your theme and click "Build Project".
TIP: Before building a project, it is a good idea to clear the logs, so you can read it later to see any errors. Go to View>Clear Logs.
35. If you encounter errors while building, you can assume something went wrong. If you want to know what went wrong, go to Extras>Logs. There you can see everything that VTS throws at you. It may seem like a foreign language, but if you read it, it will start making sense, and you will know what to do pretty soon.
36. If all goes well and you get "Build Successful!" CONGRATULATIONS! You have made your first theme! If you have adb set up and you have your phone/tablet connected to your computer, then you can use the built in "Push to device" option in VTS, that automatically installs your theme on your device.
37. Finally, if you have permission to distribute your theme from the developer of the original theme, make a thread on XDA (put it in an appropriate place), and upload your theme! Put some screenshots in there too.
38. GIVE CREDIT TO THE DEVELOPER OF THE ORIGINAL THEME ON YOUR THREAD.
It isn't the most professional guide out there, but I hope this guide helps people get into the world of theming. If this guide helped you, say thanks through the button!
Please don't quote the entire OP.
Virtuous Ten Studio Link: http://www.virtuousrom.com/p/ten-studio.html
A list of themes to go to try: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1673456
Tips
I guess I'll dedicate this post to tips.
Amazing! Thnx a ton!
Thanks a lot for this guide. It is very easy to follow and a great place to start if you have never themed before. VTS is awesome too.
I ran into one issue though. I followed the outlined steps thoroughly, and made just minor changes as a test to make sure everything worked. The apk installed fine, and I see the theme in theme chooser. When I apply it, I get the infamous "this theme was improperly compiled. please contact the themes author" error message. Looked all over for a fix before posting here, but have had no luck. I tried applying stock theme and rebooting but it did not help. I installed the original/base theme and it worked fine... Anybody have any ideas?
alexcolodner said:
Thanks a lot for this guide. It is very easy to follow and a great place to start if you have never themed before. VTS is awesome too.
I ran into one issue though. I followed the outlined steps thoroughly, and made just minor changes as a test to make sure everything worked. The apk installed fine, and I see the theme in theme chooser. When I apply it, I get the infamous "this theme was improperly compiled. please contact the themes author" error message. Looked all over for a fix before posting here, but have had no luck. I tried applying stock theme and rebooting but it did not help. I installed the original/base theme and it worked fine... Anybody have any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
apply the stock theme reboot then apply your theme
daman215 said:
apply the stock theme reboot then apply your theme
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but as I said I tried that and it did not work in this case.
alexcolodner said:
Thanks, but as I said I tried that and it did not work in this case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have noticed that the folder where some pngs are stored makes a big difference. For example, if you want images that are made for mdpi tablets only, then you would place those images in res/drawable-sw600dp-mdpi.
But I noticed that if you keep the theme icon in that folder, theme chooser will throw a "theme not compiled correctly" error.
Perhaps you have an image where an image shouldn't be...
Hope that helps
DId this guide work for anyone? Please let me know if there is any issue.
Thanks!
hi yosterwp, thanks for the tutorial.
Just to notice you that there is a CM theme template already by Ricardo Cerqueira here
https://plus.google.com/115049428938715274412/posts/Epq3Xt83Bpd
pier10 said:
hi yosterwp, thanks for the tutorial.
Just to notice you that there is a CM theme template already by Ricardo Cerqueira here
https://plus.google.com/115049428938715274412/posts/Epq3Xt83Bpd
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the heads up! I made this tutorial to help people who are interested in theming for the first time, dip their toes into the sea of theming.
Once a person is comfortable with theming, I'd definitely recommend using Ricardo Cerqueira's template to make even better themes, without using another user's theme.
pier10 said:
hi yosterwp, thanks for the tutorial.
Just to notice you that there is a CM theme template already by Ricardo Cerqueira here
https://plus.google.com/115049428938715274412/posts/Epq3Xt83Bpd
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yosterwp said:
Thanks for the heads up! I made this tutorial to help people who are interested in theming for the first time, dip their toes into the sea of theming.
Once a person is comfortable with theming, I'd definitely recommend using Ricardo Cerqueira's template to make even better themes, without using another user's theme.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The template provided by Ricardo requires linux. Can someone please guide me on how to use that template and build it? I'm still learning.
muzicfreako said:
The template provided by Ricardo requires linux. Can someone please guide me on how to use that template and build it? I'm still learning.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, for starters, you'll need linux on your computer. I personally use Ubuntu Linux on a separate partition on my computer. But I know many people who prefer to use Linux in a virtual machine. It is just a difference of whether you want to boot Linux without booting Windows first or not. Anyways, I'd recommend Ubuntu because of its easy installer for this purpose. But . you can chooser any distribution of Linux you like, because they will all compile the theme in the same manner.
Once you have Linux ready, you'll need to grab the android sdk, and ant. There are guides out there that can explain waaay better than I can.
From there, you'd extract the theme, change some files, then you would use ant and build the file using it. Some amount of instructions are in the readme and in some of the xmls. Or, you could build the template immediately, and use my guide on modifying it in VTS. The effect should be the same.
These aren't great instructions for R.C.'s theme, I know. But I hope it points you somewhat in the right direction.
NOTE: Samsung has blocked the way i used to download the theme editor so i will now have to search for another method. till then no update
Hey guys,
Below are the links to download the Samsung Theme Editor. All credits goes to @adfree for finding the secret method
Unleash your creativity.
PS: it does not need anything like samsung account etc. for making the themes
Windows edition (Updated):
Changelog v3.00.21
Minor Bugs Fixed
Code:
http://www47.zippyshare.com/v/tyi376MU/file.html
Mac Edition:
Code:
http://www47.zippyshare.com/v/UsBdgScE/file.html
@wajiman
thank you. installed on windows without any problem..
just an info.. is possible to use a theme taken from samsung store as base?
if yes, how? XD
thanks ^^
erghetto said:
@wajiman
thank you. installed on windows without any problem..
just an info.. is possible to use a theme taken from samsung store as base?
if yes, how? XD
thanks ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately no, but there is a long method by which you can use some stuff from the theme you want to use as base. The steps are:
1) Extract every qmg file from each apk within a theme and rename the extracted apks to zip.
2) using command prompt run the following command:
Code:
ren *.qmg *.png
it will auto change the extension from qmg to png.
3) Transfer the pngs to mobile phone and look at the images you want to use
4) create your theme and individually replace the qmg which you identified from pngs with the base themes qmg. That's it.
I know its a tiresome task
nice:good: i made my first theme
Thanks, this is something..
wajiman said:
Unfortunately no, but there is a long method by which you can use some stuff from the theme you want to use as base. The steps are:
1) Extract every qmg file from each apk within a theme and rename the extracted apks to zip.
2) using command prompt run the following command:
Code:
ren *.qmg *.png
it will auto change the extension from qmg to png.
3) Transfer the pngs to mobile phone and look at the images you want to use
4) create your theme and individually replace the qmg which you identified from pngs with the base themes qmg. That's it.
I know its a tiresome task
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, thank you for posting this tool.
I'm still old skool in terms of theming, hard coding the system and adding/changing images to my preference.
It seems the the overlay themes are the direction it been headed for sometime so if the tool is easy enough and less time consuming, I suppose I could switch, plus the compatibility for many more devices and users is quite nice!
As far as converting/viewing qmg images install this to your phone and within the app select the apk of which you wish to view the qmg images and bam! It's all done, converted to png's viewable on pc and everything!
Anyways, thanks again!
stangdriver44 said:
First, thank you for posting this tool.
I'm still old skool in terms of theming, hard coding the system and adding/changing images to my preference.
It seems the the overlay themes are the direction it been headed for sometime so if the tool is easy enough and less time consuming, I suppose I could switch, plus the compatibility for many more devices and users is quite nice!
As far as converting/viewing qmg images install this to your phone and within the app select the apk of which you wish to view the qmg images and bam! It's all done, converted to png's viewable on pc and everything!
Anyways, thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also found out one more way as this alp was not working for me on s7. Further, the above mentioned method is not working as the tool requires you to sign the apk with a certificate which you create with this tool itself and changing the files i think damages the signature. Nevertheless the 2nd way is to rename the qmg files to png. Transfer them to phone and then through the phone edit them. Add a small difference so that you can save it. Once you do, it will save it in png format.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
I am making a theme, but the APK it creates si a paid theme, and when i choose my theme, i can only choose the trial option. Is there a way to make the APK free? I cant found it.
Greetings
carasd said:
I am making a theme, but the APK it creates si a paid theme, and when i choose my theme, i can only choose the trial option. Is there a way to make the APK free? I cant found it.
Greetings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No install a package disabler and then disable theme service and center and then clear its data
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
but this has no sense xD there has to be a way to make free themes.
erghetto said:
but this has no sense xD there has to be a way to make free themes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes there is that is by uploading it to samsung thene store and then downloading it frm theme store
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
there is a new version out please upload the version 4.0.11. ;P
Can't do anything bc I keep getting prompted upon opening the app to update to v4, but can't -_- Please upload v4 asap, thanks!
JoeFCaputo113 said:
Can't do anything bc I keep getting prompted upon opening the app to update to v4, but can't -_- Please upload v4 asap, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same for me here!
acristescu said:
Same for me here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can still use it . disable network connection before opnening the editor, and after that you can enable it back
can I apply for partnership request by uploading a theme created using this software in the partnership request form ?If not can you please suggest me what should I do to apply for the partnership? I don't have any previous designs.
Hi... Guys Theme editor 5.0.20 is released, somebody please provide download link for it... Thank You..
sadanandk said:
Hi... Guys Theme editor 5.0.20 is released, somebody please provide download link for it... Thank You..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you find it let me know lol . Thx
hi))I made a theme, and it's in the status of "only for developers", what should I do?sorry of bad english,im russian))
sadanandk said:
Hi... Guys Theme editor 5.0.20 is released, somebody please provide download link for it... Thank You..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi have you found it ?
regards