This is my attempt to get some more creativity, innovation, and roms here on xda. alot of people here have incredible skills but they cant be harnessed because they dont know what to do. if you are an artist we need you make icon packs. you have made 30 roms but you cant sign them. blah blah.
so no one abuse this but i attached a toolkit to do anything and everything with android on windows. im pushing this to be used for creating themes. hopefully it can help. but i thought it would be nice if everyone had this and the opensource community could start to grow even more.
i like this idea because it can help fellow Devs and even the watchers. everyone can get involved and give something to the community.
And now i present the Avabox
Any questions post them up.
OUTLINE------------------------------------------------------------
unyaffs-you have the ability to take system.img and data.img from you nandroids and get specific items from them.
Autosign- sign anything and everything. name your zip update.zip and follow the readme. roms themes, apps, anything.
Baksmali- put in apk in the folder. read readme. edit any icons wallpapers, anything. close it up and enjoy.
Perlscripts- this opens the boot.img for you.
Read the readme on all of these programs.
So this is going to be a quick tutorial Im gonna put up a video soon on how i got this to work on my computer
First things first download Avabox and unzip it in your C folder (same place you put androidsdk).
then get the java runtime from here not to be confused with the java development kit but since your there might as well grab it as well.
Install the java runtime then reboot
then open up avabox and click on autosign and place the zip you want signed in that folder and name it update.zip (dont add the .zip part it should already be a zip file).
then open up command prompt and type:cd\
cd Avabox/auto-sign
java -jar signapk.jar testkey.x509.pem testkey.pk8 update.zip update_signed.zip
After that last enter give it a second and look in your avabox/update file and you'll notice a new file called update_signed.zip
I know that this is almost word for word from the read me but a few differences can go along way expect a video shortly..... well around wednesday or whenever i can get someone to help with this
porting
im interested in learning how to port and combine different aspects of themes and other mods. will this do it or is there other software i need. I can do the work if shown the way. I read all the post everday with peopl;e asking for this and that and i do it myself. If shown I would help with requests as much as possible. HELP PLEASE
Thank you Avalaunch!!
so with this software, can i take a signed theme mod (like launcher or taskbar) and it will grab the images for me to edit, and then repack and sign to a flashable zip?
Everyone that knows how to use bak/smali, I have a question.
The modifications I made to the extracted pngs aren't getting transferred back to the original apk when I close it back up. Any Ideas? I'm getting really close to a breakthrough for 2.1. Any help would be appreciated
regaw_leinad said:
Everyone that knows how to use bak/smali, I have a question.
The modifications I made to the extracted pngs aren't getting transferred back to the original apk when I close it back up. Any Ideas? I'm getting really close to a breakthrough for 2.1. Any help would be appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hm ill have to check into it. it should be making a new classes.dex too. i never really used it on edits.
Avalaunchmods said:
hm ill have to check into it. it should be making a new classes.dex too. i never really used it on edits.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It changes the classes.dex and resigns it it looks like, but doesn't copy the mods of the pngs to the apk.
regaw_leinad said:
Everyone that knows how to use bak/smali, I have a question.
The modifications I made to the extracted pngs aren't getting transferred back to the original apk when I close it back up. Any Ideas? I'm getting really close to a breakthrough for 2.1. Any help would be appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean? Baksmali and Smali are for decompiling classes.dex and opening it up for the .smali files that are inside. Smali takes that output and recompiles it back into classes.dex for your .apk or .jar file.
You need to update the baksmali and smali .jar's. You have older versions and that will cause issues with certain .jar and .apk's when decompiling. baksmali-1.2.1.jar and smali-1.2.1.jar are the latest versions and will not require the BOOTCLASS PATH to be included...
Does the autosign work windows 7 (64 bit)? I've heard issues with other autosigns on 7. If it doesn't, no biggie I got xp in a VM... lol
obannvi said:
What do you mean? Baksmali and Smali are for decompiling classes.dex and opening it up for the .smali files that are inside. Smali takes that output and recompiles it back into classes.dex for your .apk or .jar file.
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Yeah I get it now, after playing with it for a while.
Avalaunch, you should change the first post.
Baksmali- put in apk in the folder. read readme. edit any icons wallpapers, anything. close it up and enjoy.
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Click to collapse
that description is a little confusing to a person that NEVER used smali/baksmali before. It makes it seem like after you edit the unzipped files, you could just run smali and it will put al the changes in the new apk. I figured out that's not how it works lol I feel pretty stupid now looking back at my last question haha
regaw_leinad said:
Yeah I get it now, after playing with it for a while.
Avalaunch, you should change the first post.
that description is a little confusing to a person that NEVER used smali/baksmali before. It makes it seem like after you edit the unzipped files, you could just run smali and it will put al the changes in the new apk. I figured out that's not how it works lol I feel pretty stupid now looking back at my last question haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What im trying to figure out is why would you even need to use baksmali/smali to edit .png's inside an .apk. All that needs to be done is opening of the .apk with 7zip, modify whats in /res/drawable etc then close...No need to sign .apks or anything. If anything, the script needs to contain something to extract /res/ * from the .apk to edit.
obannvi said:
What im trying to figure out is why would you even need to use baksmali/smali to edit .png's inside an .apk. All that needs to be done is opening of the .apk with 7zip, modify whats in /res/drawable etc then close...No need to sign .apks or anything. If anything, the script needs to contain something to extract /res/ * from the .apk to edit.
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I'm actually doing more than that. I am changing the code to look for instead of <name of file>.jpg to <name of file>.png
While also putting the new png in the apk. Think that's possible? I changed all of the locations where that file comes up in the smali code.
regaw_leinad said:
I'm actually doing more than that. I am changing the code to look for instead of <name of file>.jpg to <name of file>.png
While also putting the new png in the apk. Think that's possible? I changed all of the locations where that file comes up in the smali code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gotcha. So you're looking in blah.smali for any reference to .jpgs and changing that reference to look for .png instead??
obannvi said:
I gotcha. So you're looking in blah.smali for any reference to .jpgs and changing that reference to look for .png instead??
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yeah, not working too well atm, but working on it.
I think this is what I've been looking for. Downloading now.
Just noticed that ActivePerl was for 64bit. I am downloading 32bit as I have only have 32bit Vista Pro installed and not the 64bit.
regaw_leinad said:
Yeah I get it now, after playing with it for a while.
Avalaunch, you should change the first post.
that description is a little confusing to a person that NEVER used smali/baksmali before. It makes it seem like after you edit the unzipped files, you could just run smali and it will put al the changes in the new apk. I figured out that's not how it works lol I feel pretty stupid now looking back at my last question haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i guess i need to explain more. i use baksmali to make apks easier to search through. for me at least. instead of changing the type and everything i just put it in the folder and baksmali then do changes and create a new archive. sign and change .apk. if you smali it back to apk then it wont save edits. sorry about that anyways has this helped people so far? i love showing that windows can be a dev platform
&RoidRage said:
I think this is what I've been looking for. Downloading now.
Just noticed that ActivePerl was for 64bit. I am downloading 32bit as I have only have 32bit Vista Pro installed and not the 64bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes just google active perl i use win 7 64bit and when this toolbox was made, it was only made for certain people who had 64bit.
Sorry for the n00b question, but I have searched and haven't had much luck. Hopefully, this is the best place for this question. I just started editing .png's and updating some apk's files to customize some things on my phone for looks. However, I am really interested in modifying the taskbar and notification screen, but I have no clue where to start. Is there a guide somewhere I could follow to learn how to change them? What programs, if any additional ones will I need etc..?
Thanks for your help!
Figured it out on my own. framework.apk and resources.apk
i'm trying to build a rom (credits will be giving) and i'm trying to strip out apks out of the rom so when you flash it you won't have all the go to the comandprompt and do it...
also how do i add apk's to the rom....
once i get this info i can release this unstable rom clueless me is trying to make.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=581976&highlight=apps+safe+remove
i know how to do that.
i mean from an alredy built rom. i have a rom that i would like to strip some stuff out of completely. and i can tell you know it's alot of steps. it's easy just time consuming.
i would also like to say that it is very very very fast. i don't mean fast as in "it's ok" i mean fast as in "oh **** it's fast" i would like to share it with everyone but i don't want them to go threw all the steps i had to go threw.
There, I cannot help you, sorry. I flashed the ROM I wanted and tore out what I didn't want after. I've never built my own.
The kitchen doenst allow you to adb pull apk's or adb push apk's?
4SidedDie said:
The kitchen doenst allow you to adb pull apk's or adb push apk's?
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Click to collapse
fresh kitchen lets you pull apks and delete afterwards if you choose.
i thought it doesn't work with 2.1???
Check your ROM thread -- I created an update.zip file for you that will take care of exactly what you want to do.
All anyone has to do is copy the file I created to the SD Card and flash. It will remove all the apps you've listed in your ROM thread. Enjoy.
ok so i've read several, several threads on making themes, metamorph files, and what not and just wanted to ask a couple of questions since i'm going to try to start my own theme for my fascinate.
i know i need to be in the framework-res.apk and twframework-res.apk files. Is the twframwork-res.apk only needed if i'm themeing for tw or can i just work in the framework-res.apk? also i've read somewhere not to mess with the .9.png files is this true here or is it ok to change these? also i'm not 100% on how to zip for a clockwork flash. do i just do a normal .zip file or is there something else thats has to be done to be flashable thru clockwork. o and is there anyhting else in the drawable folder i shouldnt touch? thanks for the help in advance
I am a little curious myself, but I haven't taken the time to look into it. You might check out this wonderful pdf:
http://tinyurl.com/2dnt4lv
I hope you get a more proper answer. Bump.
Swyped w/ XDA App. System: http://tinyurl.com/26tmcr9
Best way to learn how to build something is to take it apart. There are many valuable resources on line about android themeing. Knowledge of performing xml edits for font color and graphic placement. And using 7zip to be able to open an apk using the open archive feature and being able to extract and add image files from the drawable-hdpi folder. Make a back up of you phone and utilize some reverse engineering and experiment with some image replacement and give it a flash. Coming from windows mobile and no android knowledge I had things figured with about 3 hours of reading and experimenting.
good day.
You will need both framework files if you intend on getting it fully themed. It all depends on what you want to change. You can mess with the .9's, assuming you know how to do it properly. IE: modify your .9, edit your .9 in draw9patch, then compile in eclipse.
To sign a zip ---> java -jar signapk.jar testkey.x509.pem testkey.pk8 zip-name.zip new-zip-name.zip.zip
ty for the pdf that explains a lot in simple terms, and maybe I'll dive in on my eris first just in case lol, and thanks for the zip signing
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Also look up apk manager in search (don't have the link handy)
on the .9.png files do I just open them in gimp/photoshop and then open it again in draw9patch to resave it? lol lil confused on these particular files
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Hey Guys,
I am going to explain some of the files in a custom rom,the small and easy to mod files because the aim is to educate newbies and NOT advanced devs.
Ok,So,I have seen a lot of questions being asked nowadays about making custom roms.This guide is NOT about building a custom rom but about editing and modding it.I am doing this guide taking CM7 as base,not stock,so there might be differences between the roms you choose to mod.Also,I am prone to mistakes here and there.If i made any,please comment about it and i will remove it.Also,please feel free to give your suggestions about making this guide better
What you would need:
Notepad++
WinRar or any other zip/rar manager like 7zip or WinZip
If you want go advanced,you would also need these things
Cygwin
Smali/Baksmali
APK Multi tool or anything like that,i dont care
And most importantly,a brain and eyes(So,Dont ask me stupid questions like,how de fuk du i xtarct? and then in brackets,sorry for my english)
GUIDE:
So,first up,download a rom of your choice(Dont forget to get the permissions for modding from the developer) and extract it.When you extract it,you will see 2 folders and 1 file,it varies.It depends on the contents of the rom.
The folders are:
1.META-INF
2.system
The file:
1.boot.img
So,
Open up system and the first folder you are going to see is 'apps'.
As you already see,this is the place where all the apps go,for the history.You might also see some .odex files below the apps.So,if you remove an app,you should delete the odex file too.If you want to add an app,just drag and drop Take care not to delete each and every app you find,because each of them has their own functions.Also,if you delete contact.apk and replace it with a better dialer like Exdialer,you wont be able to add or delete contacts.So,there are some files better left alone.
If you want to know how to merge them,then use google,there are a lot of tutorials on deodexing.If you want to edit an app,then use APK multi tool,again please use google,lots of tuts on this one too.
Also,you will find an app here and its a main one,systemui.apk By editing systemui.apk,you can get transparent status bars,transparent notification bars,centre the clock.Things like that.The idea with which you edit Systemui.apk and framework-res.apk,thats how your rom is going to look like.These files handle the visual things and they are awesome too.For some systemui mods,refer HERE
Now,some apk files are lib-dependent,meaning,they need certain lib files to work,a few examples are,Swype keyboard,now,swype wouldnt work if this lib file is not included in the rom,libswypecore.so,so if you remove swype,remove this lib file also,because its just a wastage of space and it doesnt do anything.Another example is DSP Manager in Froyo,in GB,it works native,no need to add any applications,but in Froyo,if you add DSP Manager,there are a few lib files that you should add to get them to work.
Next,the 'bin' folder,this guide is aimed at the noobs,so nothing about this,this is a bit advanced stuff,so sorry.
Next up,the 'etc' folder.There are a lot of things that go here.I wont be going to full details for the moment because i am having exams,so no time.However,i will be explaining the easy to explain files.
One thing you will notice is the 'init.d' folder.If you want to add any script like LagFree v2,just put the files of the init.d folder in the script's folder here,nothing else.You dont need to copy any other files like META-INF.
Another file,is CHANGELOG-CM,just as the name suggests its a file giving you changelogs
Another file is NOTICE.html..Its just a file showing copyrights and all that stuff.You wouldnt need to edit that,would you?
Will add more about the other files soon
Next,the 'fonts' folder..You guys need an explanation for that??
Next,'framework' folder.Here you will find framework-res.apk(Obviously,duh...).I wont tell about any other file because this is aimed at new users,not advanced guys.Framework-res is where all the icons in notification bar are.The battery icons,they are all in framework.Also,lockscreen icons
go here..Most of the icons.If i have to start on anything.It would take me weeks,theres so much to write about framework.Also take care not to mess up the framework.Because its like the skeleton(thats what i know ) of a rom.If a framework is incorrectly configured,the rom wont boot.So,keep that in your mind always when you edit framework.
Next,the 'libs' folder,This guide is aimed at newbies,so not touching this part.
And comes 'media'..Most probably you will find 2-3 folders here.Audio,bootanimation.zip and wallpapers.
If you want to change the default,its in build.prop,not here,i will explain that later.If you need to add some audio,its just drag and drop,nothing much,just put them in the right folders,like alarms,ringtones and notifications
If you need to add wallpapers,reszie the pictures to 640x480,thats the resolution that works for ace.Also resize it to 107x80 and save it as another pic with a _small at the end.For eg,the default file is defaultwallpaper.jpg,you make another pic with 107x80 called defaultwallper_small.jpg.
Then,theres the bootanimation.zip..However way you change this thing.Always name it bootanimation.If you want to know how to make a boot animation,then refer freeyourandroid.com
Next up is 'tts' folder..Sorry but i dont know much about this folder.I think this folder contains the languages for the tts app but i am not sure about it.Same goes for 'usr' and 'wifi' folders.But since this thread is aimed at newbies,i dont think there wouldnt a point in writing them up anyway
Next up is build.prop file.Open it with notepad++...build.prop file is pretty self explanatory.
Here you can change the most basic things like the android version that setting shows..Wondered how people are making 2.3.4 look like 4.0.3 in settings??Its build.prop.Also,you can change what 'About phone' shows here.
Other things,you can change things like,how long your wifi scans,how much battery your phone saves while in sleep,Dalvik VM heapsize and default ringtones.If you are wondering what # stands for,it signifies that,that particular tweak is not running,so you can take out the # if its a tweak you like.You could also use it say things like,Additional build properties.You could make it #AdditionalBuildProperties and go to the next line and give your tweaks there.Some build.prop tweaks can be found in slaid480's thread in Galaxy Ace S5830 titled "[MOD]Build.prop tweaks for SGA" or you can go to freeyourandroid.com and find some tweaks there,however the tweaks listed there are universal,so practise caution when playing with build.prop
Now to boot.img..Theres an awesome guide about this in freeyourandroid.com Please have a look at it,because there are lots to write about this one.This is where Cygwin comes in,for instructions on unpacking and repacking and commands and info about boot.img,referHERE and HERE.My summarized version,boot.img is where you can replace kernels.This is where you can make those low-level changes
Then,to META-INF folder.You would find lots of folders here but the file that you would edit consistently is update script.Find it and open it with Notepad++..Unless you edited xbin and bin files,this is not hard to do..Just change around ui_print to what you like.Dont touch anything else if you dont know what you are doing.If you DID edit xbin or bin files,you would need to touch advanced things like symlink tagged ones(I had to give them some sort of a tag)
Updater-Script References and notes:
Now,the updater-script is not something that you should mess around with,a single line of error in the script could get you in trouble.You might also have heard these words,Amend and Edify and wondered what they are,well Edify is the language with which Updater-script is written,while Amend is the language with which Update-Script is written.Now,As far as i know,Ace does NOT support Update script,it just supports Updater-script,so if you are working with kitchen,dont forget to swap the files in META-INF with the the updater-script provided by ketut.kumajaya in Blackhawk thread.So,you should learn to study updater-script of roms and patches before you mess around with them,especially patches here...Now,for example,I made a GPS patch that replaces hw folder in CyanogenMod with my patch.Now,i tell the updater script to delete the hw folder in lib and make another one and put my files in there,you,a normal user will flash it and it would work,but a rom maker without seeing that i have told the updater script to delete hw folder,adds my lib files to the existing lib files,which causes the rom not to boot.So,study the updater-script of patches and see what they do before you jump in and start doing things your own way and mess things up.I will write down a few updater-script commands here and what they do for your convenience now.Here you guys go with it:
mount-mounts a filesystem
is_mounted-checks if a filesystem is mounted
unmount-Unmounts a filesystem
format-format a filesystem (duh..)
delete-Deletes a single file
delete_recursive-Deletes a folder and all of its contents
show_progress-Display flash progress
package_extract_dir-Extract all the files present in a directory to a specified directory
package_extract_file-Extract single file from directory to specified target
file_getprop-dont know much about this one
symlink-Unlinks any existing symbolic links before creating the new symbolic links.
set_perm-Sets permissions for a file,note you dont write rw-r-r here.Its the numbers,for example,for root access,you write 777(right?),not anything else
set_perm_recursive-Sets permissions for a full directory,for example,if you specified a folder,permissions for the folder and all files in it will be set.
getprop-This function returns the value of the property specified. This is used to query platform information from the build.props file.
write_raw_image-Writes a raw image into a partition
apply_patch-Applies patches to a directory -_- (dont you guys understand it just by reading that? )
apply_patch_check-Checks if a file can be patched or if they have been patched
apply_patch_space-Checks if there is enough space to apply a patch
read_file-Reads contents of a file
sha1check-If only data is specified, then the function returns the sha1_hex string of the data. The optional parameters are used if you want to verify that the file you are checking for is one of a list of hashes. It reutrns the hash it matches, or returns nothing if it doesn't match any of the mentioned hashses.
ui_print-It outputs a message to the users while flashing.So,if you see something like 'This is so awesome',know that its not such a big deal and that its just a line of editing here
run_program-Runs a program
ifelse-This is the if-then construct of the Edify scripting language. The truecondition or falsecondition arguments can be a single edify command or a script block. Script blocks can be formed by enclosing the parameter with parenthesis, and seperating the commands with semicolons
abort-duh..it aborts script execution
assert-If condition evaluates to false, stops script execution, otherwise continues processing.
Thats it,dont worry after seeing all these commands.You wont see them all in most of the roms.Here is a list of commands that you usually see in a updater-script.
ui_print
mount
unmount
delete
delete_recursive
package_extract_directory
symlink
show_progress
set_perm
set_progress
set_perm_recursive
getprop
run_program
assert
Now on making it a flashable zip,archive them to a zip file.Get a signer here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6050996&postcount=2
NOTE:Signing is not necessary
The instructions on using that are given with it.Just rename it back to the name you like after signing it.
Thanks to everyone.Especially,freeyourandroid,XDA and TeamCooper and all members of XDA developers and to me (well,you are the one who does that,remember that button Jk )
Hope this helped you guys..Again,this is a thread aimed at educating the new members,not advanced guys.Sorry if i missed anything or made a mistake..Please give me suggestions on this too.Will add more info to this thread when i have the time[/SIZE]
good guide
Looks good
Very helpful.
Fix those grammatical errors !
*grammar nazi alert*
Herpderp Adreno + Tegra.
gOOD guide overall but you shiould make it more advanced
EmoBoiix3 said:
Fix those grammatical errors !
*grammar nazi alert*
Herpderp Adreno + Tegra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aah....grammar hitler
slaid480 said:
gOOD guide overall but you shiould make it more advanced
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep..I know that..I will work on it but i dont have much time now
This is a great guide , it'll help me a lot ^_^ thanks.
Great tut dude
Is an update needed??I dont think so because it didnt even stay on the front page for a day
Awesome guid please add some more advanced features and custom rom building guide also if u can. :thumbup:
Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk
The bad effect will be more and more new custom firmware which is actually just a re-branding
ketut.kumajaya said:
The bad effect will be more and more new custom firmware which is actually just a re-branding
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What???I dont get you
mor_1228 said:
Awesome guid please add some more advanced features and custom rom building guide also if u can. :thumbup:
Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will add them by tonight or something like that when i have time..Not much time now,stupid exams Oh,i hate them
Originally Posted by ketut.kumajaya
The bad effect will be more and more new custom firmware which is actually just a re-branding
Prawesome said:
What???I dont get you
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Click to collapse
i got what he is trying to say.
he is saying that due to rom building guides noobs will also learn how to build custom rom but they may not have that knowledge skills to make a distinguished ROMS they will be building common roms with little or no difference, difference will be only that different people will release rest things will be kind of same only no drastic changes.
hope i am right
mor_1228 said:
i got what he is trying to say.
he is saying that due to rom building guides noobs will also learn how to build custom rom but they may not have that knowledge skills to make a distinguished ROMS they will be building common roms with little or no difference, difference will be only that different people will release rest things will be kind of same only no drastic changes.
hope i am right
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe..But i am tired of questions on building custom roms..Recently,there were a lot of questions on building custom roms
Yeah.. i'm a newby become smarter... thx for share...
Sent from my GT-S5830 using xda premium
I will add more info about the boot.img and framework-res.apk tonight
Nice work, thank you
If you have time, can you please post a guide on how to sign APK files?
For example, if i want to edit an icon of an app, i change the icon in the .apk but then i have to sign it, how can i do it?
On the net i found lots of guides and programs but none of them worked for me...
Anyway good work