Database Users

[Q] IMGDIFF2 patches

I've noticed that some update.zips include patch files. I've done quite a bit of reading up on what these patches are and how they work... I just can't find anywhere to explain how to create them. It would be extremely useful for myself and I'm sure others to make our own patch files (i.e. someapp.apk.p) to, lets say change a few graphics in several apk's in a single zip file. Anyone able to shed some light on this before i start trying to reverse engineer the applypatch code from Google?

Does anyone have any insight?
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Do you have an example update.zip file with a patch that I could look at?

Gene Poole said:
Do you have an example update.zip file with a patch that I could look at?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply, here is an update.zip. all of the patches I've looked at start with "IMGDIFF2" and most have some "BSDIFF4##" mixed in there as well.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AOFCEKLW
Here is a imgdiff.c file in which the commented section sheds a little light on it. Although i believe that after 2.1 IMGDIFF1 was replaced with IMGDIFF2.
http://www.netmite.com/android/mydroid/2.0/build/tools/applypatch/imgdiff.c

Well, thanks for providing me the info, but looking into it, it looks like this has little value beyond OEM updates and so forth where it can be guaranteed that the ROM is pristine as it seems that this does diffs directly on the flash image itself.

Thanks for taking the time to look into it for me. theoretically however, couldn't you use this for individual apk's? It appears that the directory structure in the zip would allow you to patch anything. The reason i am looking into this is to change an icon in a group of apk's and then just flash a small update.zip of patches. I know that there may be other ways of doing this but I'd like to try if for no other reason to prove to myself it can be done.
Sorry if I'm incorrect in this, just trying to learn.

My take on reading the referenced file is that this patches a raw disk image. This would only work if the image is pristine (not been added to or changed in anyway). The first paragraph reads:
/*
* This program constructs binary patches for images -- such as boot.img
* and recovery.img -- that consist primarily of large chunks of gzipped
* data interspersed with uncompressed data. [...]
I don't see anyway to patch individual files in this way, and especially in an image such as the data partition that will be completely different on users' devices.

I took that from it as well. However if that was the case the update.zip would only have one patch file for the entire image and not a separate patch file for each apk / script / img / file that is being patched, which it does. It runs the applypatch command for each file being patched.

Gene Poole said:
I don't see anyway to patch individual files in this way, and especially in an image such as the data partition that will be completely different on users' devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This method that they used in the update.zip could only update individual files because running this update only updated certain apps and no user data was lost. I realize that they could have just updated the image that /system is on. Could it be a possibility that they would break the image up on the phone patch only the files necessary then rebuild the image?

[GUIDE][ROOT]Change Your Lock Screen Wallpaper

Here are the steps I followed to change the wallpaper on my Kindle. Credit for this goes to Josepho1997 for the guide for the original Kindle Fire: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1765044&highlight=wallpaper
Disclaimer:
The risk of a bricked device or bootloop exists. To my knowlege there is no way to create a back up yet which makes recovery even harder. I am not liable for any damaged devices. Proceed at your own risk.
Things You'll Need:
Rooted Kindle
File Browser like ES File Explorer
7-Zip
Changing the Wallpaper:
1. Using ES File Explorer go to: /system/framework and copy (do not move!) framework-res.apk to your SD card.
2. Plug your Kindle into the computer and move the framework-res.apk (from SD card) to your computer and make a back up copy.
3. Use 7-Zip to open the one you intend to modify
4. Browse to \res\raw
5. Find the wallpapers named hi_xxx_p.jpg and hi_xxx_l.jpg. (These are the 1280x800 images, p are portrait images and l are landscape images. I am unsure what purpose the other images of different resolutions serve at this time).
6. Replace the .jpgs with the images you want, keeping the names exactly as they are. DO NOT delete any images. (I recommend replacing each image with the same resolution image for the best results).
7. Close 7-Zip and the new framework-res.apk will be saved, move this back to your SD card.
8. Open ES File Explorer. In the settings make sure you select "Up To Root", "Root Explorer" and "Mount File System".
9. Copy the framework-res.apk to /system.
10. Change the permissions to rw-r-r using ES File Explorer (this is critical, failure will cause a bootloop)
11. Move framework-res.apk to /system/framework. Let it replace the other file.
12. Reboot.
13. You will see your new wallpaper(s) when your Kindle reboots. To tidy up, go back into ES File Explorer and uncheck "Mount File System".
These are the steps I followed successfully but I caution anyone as it is risky. Follow them carefully and if you are uncomfortable or cannot afford to brick your device please wait until someone has developed a safer, easier method.

You can delete all of images (it'd result in a black no-background), and you can also add new images. Differently prefixed images (which you may also notice are of diff resolution) are for other devices.

ignoramous said:
You can delete all of images (it'd result in a black no-background), and you can also add new images. Differently prefixed images (which you may also notice are of diff resolution) are for other devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you add new images, you need to renamed them correctly. I think in the id.xml(maybe string.xml), they have the wallpaper's name. If you put in a different name, it wont work. And you could edit the id.xml(maybe string.xml, I forget) so that the name of the wallpapers match yours, but then you would have to properly uncompile it and then recompile it.
Android>iOS... Android FTW!

jst07 said:
9. Copy the framework-res.apk to /system.
10. Change the permissions to rw-r-r using ES File Explorer (this is critical, failure will cause a bootloop)
11. Move framework-res.apk to /system/framework. Let it replace the other file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although I should have been warned by the red text above I finally resulted in a bootloop when changing those permissions. I don´t know what exactly went wrong, but it did.
As this may have happened to someone else (apparently it did, as the warning shows): Is there a way out? The only thing to do is to change back the framework-res.apk file from a backup on desktop or even to flash the whole KFHD from an update file (which does contain this file also). Unfortunately the device is unknown to cmd, although adb seems to be properly configured...
Any suggestions?

nakedtruthishere said:
Although I should have been warned by the red text above I finally resulted in a bootloop when changing those permissions. I don´t know what exactly went wrong, but it did.
As this may have happened to someone else (apparently it did, as the warning shows): Is there a way out? The only thing to do is to change back the framework-res.apk file from a backup on desktop or even to flash the whole KFHD from an update file (which does contain this file also). Unfortunately the device is unknown to cmd, although adb seems to be properly configured...
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing system.img in fastboot is about the only way to recover these devices right now-
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1951254

onemeila said:
Flashing system.img in fastboot is about the only way to recover these devices right now-
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1951254
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately this tool doesn´t work for me - "waiting for device" is the only result.
ADB is on, but I´m not sure about fastboot with the original USB cable - although QemuRoot worked fine with that. How do I surely know that fastboot is on? While trying to start fastboot via cmd, it prompted some syntax info, nothing else happens - that´s it (?)

nakedtruthishere said:
Unfortunately this tool doesn´t work for me - "waiting for device" is the only result.
ADB is on, but I´m not sure about fastboot with the original USB cable - although QemuRoot worked fine with that. How do I surely know that fastboot is on? While trying to start fastboot via cmd, it prompted some syntax info, nothing else happens - that´s it (?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The possible reason is your using the cable that came with the kindle and for you to flash the system.img file you will need the factory cable which is differnt from the one that came with your KFHD
Hope this helps

doriean said:
...to flash the system.img file you will need the factory cable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That´s, what I suspect, too. I ordered one already.
On the other side there must be a way with the OEM cable, as in my opinion rooting means access to the affected files as well. Qemuroot works well

With "nolock" and go locker its much easier to change the lock screen wall paper or not?
Gesendet von meinem KFTT mit Tapatalk

I got to change my wallpaper in my friend kindle fire, really nice, thank all.

Help!
jst07 said:
Here are the steps I followed to change the wallpaper on my Kindle. Credit for this goes to Josepho1997 for the guide for the original Kindle Fire: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1765044&highlight=wallpaper
Disclaimer:
The risk of a bricked device or bootloop exists. To my knowlege there is no way to create a back up yet which makes recovery even harder. I am not liable for any damaged devices. Proceed at your own risk.
Things You'll Need:
Rooted Kindle
File Browser like ES File Explorer
7-Zip
Changing the Wallpaper:
1. Using ES File Explorer go to: /system/framework and copy (do not move!) framework-res.apk to your SD card.
2. Plug your Kindle into the computer and move the framework-res.apk (from SD card) to your computer and make a back up copy.
3. Use 7-Zip to open the one you intend to modify
4. Browse to \res\raw
5. Find the wallpapers named hi_xxx_p.jpg and hi_xxx_l.jpg. (These are the 1280x800 images, p are portrait images and l are landscape images. I am unsure what purpose the other images of different resolutions serve at this time).
6. Replace the .jpgs with the images you want, keeping the names exactly as they are. DO NOT delete any images. (I recommend replacing each image with the same resolution image for the best results).
7. Close 7-Zip and the new framework-res.apk will be saved, move this back to your SD card.
8. Open ES File Explorer. In the settings make sure you select "Up To Root", "Root Explorer" and "Mount File System".
9. Copy the framework-res.apk to /system.
10. Change the permissions to rw-r-r using ES File Explorer (this is critical, failure will cause a bootloop)
11. Move framework-res.apk to /system/framework. Let it replace the other file.
12. Reboot.
13. You will see your new wallpaper(s) when your Kindle reboots. To tidy up, go back into ES File Explorer and uncheck "Mount File System".
These are the steps I followed successfully but I caution anyone as it is risky. Follow them carefully and if you are uncomfortable or cannot afford to brick your device please wait until someone has developed a safer, easier method.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok I did all of this but i am still getting the regular images, which doesnt make sence because if i open up the framework in system/framework folder all the images i replaced are there none of the originals. Did I do something wrong? I gave rw-r-r access I have Kindle Fire HD 7

Go Launcher EX and HD
Just out of interest, isn't installing Go Launcher and Go Locker a safer approach?
Both these applications do not require any movement to /system/apps
I guess if you like the Amazon Launcher, this is not a solution? I just try to keep
people away from any steps that may involve Bricking the device. These are
only thoughts. By the way, great tutorial, very informative and detailed.
jst07, Never mind, your solution eliminates the annoying double lock
screen. Great work jst07!
Best Regards, Chris Bryant (prokennexusa)

joedirt2013 said:
Ok I did all of this but i am still getting the regular images, which doesnt make sence because if i open up the framework in system/framework folder all the images i replaced are there none of the originals. Did I do something wrong? I gave rw-r-r access I have Kindle Fire HD 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I also tried to 'reinstall' framework-res but it failed to reinstall.

Do not attempt this modification it is no longer valid
Slimepuppy said:
Same here. I also tried to 'reinstall' framework-res but it failed to reinstall.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Slimepuppy,
This post needs to be updated. This was written when the software version was 7.1.x, at that time
this worked great and he had a great idea - he still does. Unfortunately, it looks like the jst07 has
been too busy to keep up the post. It happens to the best of us! I would recommend to NOT make
these changes until one of us is able to post an updated version of this modification. In Software
version 7.2.1 and higher, which is a modified version of Ice Cream Sandwich, the names in the
folder \res\raw have changed to k2_xxx_p.jpg and k2_xxx_l.jpg - not hi_xxx_p.jpg and hi_xxx_l.jpg.
Having said this, you will not see any changes when you attempt to modify images that the Kindle
no longer uses. Our new Kindle Fire Toolkit will automate this dangerous modification. So be
warned DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS MODIFICATION IT IS NO LONGER VALID IN SOFTWARE 7.2.X
The following is a link to our new Backup and Recover software: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2096888
---------- Post added at 10:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:27 PM ----------
joedirt2013 said:
Ok I did all of this but i am still getting the regular images, which doesnt make sence because if i open up the framework in system/framework folder all the images i replaced are there none of the originals. Did I do something wrong? I gave rw-r-r access I have Kindle Fire HD 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
joedirt2013,
This post needs to be updated. This was written when the software version was 7.1.x, at that time
this worked great and he had a great idea - he still does. Unfortunately, it looks like the jst07 has
been too busy to keep up the post. It happens to the best of us! I would recommend to NOT make
these changes until one of us is able to post an updated version of this modification. In Software
version 7.2.1 and higher, which is a modified version of Ice Cream Sandwich, the names in the
folder \res\raw have changed to k2_xxx_p.jpg and k2_xxx_l.jpg - not hi_xxx_p.jpg and hi_xxx_l.jpg.
Having said this, you will not see any changes when you attempt to modify images that the Kindle
no longer uses. Our new Kindle Fire Toolkit will automate this dangerous modification. So be
warned DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS MODIFICATION IT IS NO LONGER VALID IN SOFTWARE 7.2.X
The following is a link to our new Backup and Recover software: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2096888

prokennexusa said:
Slimepuppy,
This post needs to be updated. This was written when the software version was 7.1.x, at that time
this worked great and he had a great idea - he still does. Unfortunately, it looks like the jst07 has
been too busy to keep up the post. It happens to the best of us! I would recommend to NOT make
these changes until one of us is able to post an updated version of this modification. In Software
version 7.2.1 and higher, which is a modified version of Ice Cream Sandwich, the names in the
folder \res\raw have changed to k2_xxx_p.jpg and k2_xxx_l.jpg - not hi_xxx_p.jpg and hi_xxx_l.jpg.
Having said this, you will not see any changes when you attempt to modify images that the Kindle
no longer uses. Our new Kindle Fire Toolkit will automate this dangerous modification. So be
warned DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS MODIFICATION IT IS NO LONGER VALID IN SOFTWARE 7.2.X
The following is a link to our new Backup and Recover software: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2096888
---------- Post added at 10:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:27 PM ----------
joedirt2013,
This post needs to be updated. This was written when the software version was 7.1.x, at that time
this worked great and he had a great idea - he still does. Unfortunately, it looks like the jst07 has
been too busy to keep up the post. It happens to the best of us! I would recommend to NOT make
these changes until one of us is able to post an updated version of this modification. In Software
version 7.2.1 and higher, which is a modified version of Ice Cream Sandwich, the names in the
folder \res\raw have changed to k2_xxx_p.jpg and k2_xxx_l.jpg - not hi_xxx_p.jpg and hi_xxx_l.jpg.
Having said this, you will not see any changes when you attempt to modify images that the Kindle
no longer uses. Our new Kindle Fire Toolkit will automate this dangerous modification. So be
warned DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS MODIFICATION IT IS NO LONGER VALID IN SOFTWARE 7.2.X
The following is a link to our new Backup and Recover software: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2096888
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the new images are named k2_xxx......, then you will just have to properly rename them to the appropriate name.
a.k.a. Urahara
The truth! I'm really a girl!

Change the Wallpaper
Jessica said:
If the new images are named k2_xxx......, then you will just have to properly rename them to the appropriate name.
a.k.a. Urahara
The truth! I'm really a girl!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jessica,
Thank you Jessica, if it was that easy I would have said just that but it looks like Amazon has make changes to
the cabinet. I spent about 40 minutes to put it all together and I just did not have time to test it all. I saw one
person Brick there Kindle and another frustrated since it "was not working". I have been a Software developer
for over 25 years (Linux Unix AS400 & Windows) and a phone app developer since the first smart phone was
released. I am just VERY conservative when I make recommendations - I always test, test, and test. When I
know it works and safe, then I post the results. I have not had time tonight and did not want to see anyone
waste there time, so I posted the warning. Tomorrow when I am at the office, I will post the modification
after I have thoroughly tested the solution.

Jessica said:
If the new images are named k2_xxx......, then you will just have to properly rename them to the appropriate name.
a.k.a. Urahara
The truth! I'm really a girl!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. There is a set of images in the location specified for this method (framework-res.apk/res/raw) and they have the k2_xxx_l.jpg or K2_xxx_p.jpg name. I created a replacement pair of images, renamed them, and pushed them into the apk with 7zip on a PC.
The replacement images are in the framework-res.apk but after two reboots the Fire HD is still displaying the old image. (I only replaced one image in both portrait and landscape mode. One can quickly cycle through the lockscreen images by closing/opening the cover. I wonder if it's the magnetic catch or the light sensor that's triggering that?)
Maybe there's another set of images. This is just enough like Linux to be trouble - time to buy another book!
prokennexusa said:
<snip> I have not had time tonight and did not want to see anyone
waste there time, so I posted the warning. Tomorrow when I am at the office, I will post the modification
after I have thoroughly tested the solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds great, Chris - thanks for being conscientious and methodical.
Andy

Slimepuppy said:
Exactly. There is a set of images in the location specified for this method (framework-res.apk/res/raw) and they have the k2_xxx_l.jpg or K2_xxx_p.jpg name. I created a replacement pair of images, renamed them, and pushed them into the apk with 7zip on a PC.
The replacement images are in the framework-res.apk but after two reboots the Fire HD is still displaying the old image. (I only replaced one image in both portrait and landscape mode. One can quickly cycle through the lockscreen images by closing/opening the cover. I wonder if it's the magnetic catch or the light sensor that's triggering that?)
Maybe there's another set of images. This is just enough like Linux to be trouble - time to buy another book!
Sounds great, Chris - thanks for being conscientious and methodical.
Andy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that doesn't make any sense. I have done this with my 1st gen kindle(I made the original guide). The way it works(simplified) is it rotates throughout all of these pictures. If you replace the pictures, it shouldn't show them, as they're not there.
a.k.a. Urahara
The truth! I'm really a girl!

Follow Up - Feedback
Slimepuppy said:
Exactly. There is a set of images in the location specified for this method (framework-res.apk/res/raw) and they have the k2_xxx_l.jpg or K2_xxx_p.jpg name. I created a replacement pair of images, renamed them, and pushed them into the apk with 7zip on a PC.
The replacement images are in the framework-res.apk but after two reboots the Fire HD is still displaying the old image. (I only replaced one image in both portrait and landscape mode. One can quickly cycle through the lockscreen images by closing/opening the cover. I wonder if it's the magnetic catch or the light sensor that's triggering that?)
Maybe there's another set of images. This is just enough like Linux to be trouble - time to buy another book!
Sounds great, Chris - thanks for being conscientious and methodical.
Andy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Slimepuppy,
No worries Slimepuppy, I just did not want to see anyone damage there Kindle, so I felt - I had better post a quick
warning before another person waists 1 to 2 hours and finds there hard work has gone down the drain. We actuality
have an option to change the Wallpaper in our next software release:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2096888
The solution is in our software manifest and will be added in version 4.2.4 - the feature will be allow you to make
a change on the fly, so to speak. Either way, I will post the changes tomorrow for the people who like to edit apk's

Jessica said:
Well, that doesn't make any sense. I have done this with my 1st gen kindle(I made the original guide). The way it works(simplified) is it rotates throughout all of these pictures. If you replace the pictures, it shouldn't show them, as they're not there.
a.k.a. Urahara
The truth! I'm really a girl!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes ma'am - had me scratching my head a bit as well. It was interesting that when I copied the updated framework-res.apk into the file system the the Kindle froze and then rebooted - didn't expect that.
Hmmm...seems there are a couple of different sets of images after all. The set in /res/raw are 1024x600 JPGs at 96 dpi. There's another set of images in /res/raw-hdpi and in /res/raw-land-hdpi. These little puppies are 1280x800 at 96 dpi. The high-res images use the name format xi_arhm.jpg (in both the portrait and landscape directories).
In the Fire HD 8.9, there's only four images in /res/raw and the lockscreen images are in /res/raw/raw-xlarge-land-hdpi/ and /res/raw/raw-xlarge-hdpi/ Filenames are the same in both - xi_arhm.jpg and the rest in xi_xxxx.jpg format. These images are 1920x1200 still at 96 dpi.
Tomorrow I'll change a couple and see what happens - it's been too many hours between now and coffee, and I try not to delete anything after midnight.
Andy
edit...
Ok, since I really didn't have to technically 'delete' anything... Placing the new pictures in the /res/raw-hdpi folders worked perfectly on the 7".
The odd sorta-lockup happened this time as well. Here's the rundown: the Fire's running 7.2.3 and is rooted, Google-app'd, and the OTA updates are defeated. ES File Explorer in root mode. Followed the direction precisely. On the last move - when framework-res.apk is put into the /system/framework/ directory, ES FileEx freezes. I can still highlight the back and home buttons - the machine's responding to the touch screen but there's no response beyond that. Tapping the power button results in an immediate boot screen - exactly as if the machine had powered down but forgot to tell the screen what happened. Once the machine's up, the new lockscreen wallpaper is visible. Any chance that the Fire's processing the framework-res.apk automatically?
Life is good!

[Q] TiBu not writeable, editing Profile.xml breaks things

I am really pissed about this one.. tried to make a Titanium Backup of my stuff before I unrooted and wiped the phone to ODIN the ANE update (it refused to update after being towelrooted).. So that was my first introduction to the bug that prevents TiBu from writing to the extSD.. I found several threads pointing to adding a line to the profiles.xml file in system/etc/permissions. Well I added the line using ES3 note editor (copied the original file to .bak first), saved and rebooted, and as soon as I unlocked the phone, the toasts started popping up that nearly everything was crashing - repeatedly. I went and deleted the modified file and changed the .bak back to normal, but it did not fix it. No apps would open, and I had no data connection (neither Wifi or 3G). The only thing that fixed it was booting into recovery and wiping it.
And then it happened AGAIN when I tried it again (after the ANE update was flashed via ODIN, so I know it was clean). So WTF is happening, and why does restoring the original file not fix it??
At this point I can't even get TiBu to back up to the internal storage.

Taz420nj said:
I am really pissed about this one..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no obvious reason why it shouldn't work of you reverted the changes. But of course that is the ultimate value of a tested backup method.. that ability to roll the clock back and revert accidental or inexplicable changes.
If you are certain that you reverted the edits.. no typos or line feed errors e.g.you used a linux aware file editor.. not notepad on a PC or something similar - then it's likely a permissions error.
What permissions does the file currently have? And what app did you edit the .xml with?
.

fffft said:
There is no obvious reason why it shouldn't work of you reverted the changes. But of course that is the ultimate value of a tested backup method.. that ability to roll the clock back and revert accidental or inexplicable changes.
If you are certain that you reverted the edits.. no typos or line feed errors e.g.you used a linux aware file editor.. not notepad on a PC or something similar - then it's likely a permissions error.
What permissions does the file currently have? And what app did you edit the .xml with?
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said, I made a copy of the file and edited it with ES3 Note Editor right on the phone. Then I renamed the original file to platform.xml.bak, and copy/pasted the new platform.xml file into system/etc/permissions. When everything went haywire, I didn't try editing the file back (I couldn't - the toasts were popping up almost faster than I could clear them and Note Editor kept crashing), I just deleted the modified file and renamed platform.xml.bak back to platform.xml. I never edited the original file at all, so that's how I am 100% positive there are no errors in it - and that's why I can't figure out why renaming it back doesn't fix the mayhem.
Now I am a total weenie when it comes to Linux - I know OF the -rw-r--r-- permissions and what they mean, but I don't know how to make the phone tell me.. But in ES3 Explorer under file properties it simply says Readable: Yes Writable: Yes Hidden: No.
What sucks is I've had to go through and set the phone back up twice now, and lost all my settings/data in the meantime over this.. And I STILL don't have a working backup method, so if it borks again I'll be doing it all over again.. I am unwilling to blow the Knox fuse, hence not having a custom ROM at this point.. But I'm fine using Towelroot just so I can unbloat and install some things.

No one wishes for things to go awry. But of course they do sometimes and it would be imprudent not to plan for that eventuality. You didn't, nor do you seem to realize just how risky the changes you have been making are to your basic system stability. You are modifying critical, system level files and properties. The expected result if there is a typo or permissions error is chaos and corruption. If I was unable to have a working backup method (from refusing to increment Knox), I wouldn't risk the changes you are making.
It's all well and nice to customize features when things turn out smoothly. But all along you have been working without a safety net, so it's not reasonable to complain about the onerous amount of work it is to reinstall the firmware when fate bites you. You can't have it two ways at once. Either you incremement Knox, allowing inclusive backups and a way to recover. Or you accept that that you are taking crazy risks and having to start over the price for doing so.
You'd be in a better position if you had some basic tools to delineate what is going on. But you haven't taken the time to learn how to read file permissions. You are working deep within a linux filesystem, so this is a very basic and useful skill.
You don't use the same file manager as me, with mine (fx), you would long press and view details. Or even easier, use the ls command e.g. ls -la. There are a dozen ways you could check permissions and a simple forum search would elaborate on many of them. It sounds like you have permissions errors, i.e the system can't access the restored .xml sheet thereby causing numerous apps to crash.
.

Uhhh, except in order to implement the safety net I have to make this simple change to this one critical system file. It's no different than not having a means to backup before rooting/flashing (since TiBu requires root and you can't do a nandroid from stock recovery) and something goes wrong.
Adding the <group gid="media_rw" /> line to the profile.xml is posted in MANY locations as a "this is all you have to do" solution to this rather stupid quirk in 4.4, with no mention whatsoever of checking/verifying permissions or any other cautions, and other people are not having this issue.

I installed FX, and it lists the permissions of all the files (including the copies of platform.xml and platform.xml.bak that I had saved on the SD card, and the virgin file currently in use) as 0644.

Taz420nj said:
Uhhh, except in order to implement the safety net I have to make this simple change to this one critical system file
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's your phone so you can do as you like. But risks don't go away because you ignore them. There is nothing wrong with accepting a risk that you may have to start over if things go sideways. But plunging ahead recklessly then complaining about the work to recover is patently unreasonable
I had no problem effecting the changes you are attempting. Nor have many others. Perhaps you made a typo or followed a thread with erroneous advice. You may well have a permissions error because you didn't explicitly set it or check to see if it was correct.
It's all about attention to detail e.g. checking permissions and being prepared to deal with fallout when things go astray.
.

[SUPER EASY] [ROOT] Change lock screen wallpaper without ANY apps or mods

Ok so I figured out how to change the lock screen wallpapers WITHOUT the use of an app, wallpaper picker or modifying the framework or systemui. It's nothing short of amazing.
PROS:
-NO image quality is lost because of a crappy cropper.
-NO application or modifications to the framework are needed for this to work so you can officially get rid of Amazon Photos
CONS:
-Only one wallpaper at a time
-Requires root. However this is done through /data where it is mounted as R/W. This would't be a problem if you could symlink the /data folder to internal storage or /mnt. I have tried a few ways on the HD 8 with no success.
Instructions:
1. Download your favorite HD wallpaper (as close to 1920x1200 as possible). I have a collection of dozens of stock Android wallpapers from various versions and devices at your disposal.
2. When you have chosen your wallpaper and downloaded it, the file extension should be a .jpg. Please go here and convert it to a .png https://jpg2png.com This should be done for all wallpapers. Changing the file extension is not the same. This web based tool also compresses the file to reduce the loss of image quality.
3. Using a file explorer like Total Commander copy the wallpaper.JPG from your download folder on internal storage to this /data directory:
Code:
/data/securedStorageLocation/com.android.systemui/ls_wallpaper/0
4. Activate your lock screen to see your custom wallpaper. A reboot shouldn't be required.

DragonFire1024 said:
Ok so I figured out how to change the lock screen wallpapers WITHOUT the use of an app, wallpaper picker or modifying the framework or systemui. And it's glorious.
This is done on my rooted HD 10, but there is a huge possibility this does NOT require a rooted tablet. Why? Because it's done through /data where it's writable without root this is so easy I kick myself for not discovering this earlier. So if you have an HD 8, any model or year (NOT on Nougat) I need you test this.
1. Download your favorite HD wallpaper (as close to 1920x1200 as possible). I have a collection of dozens of stock Android wallpapers from various versions and devices at your disposal.
2. Using a file explorer like Total Commander copy the wallpaper.JPG from your download folder on internal storage to this /data directory:
Code:
/data/securedStorageLocation/com.android.systemui/ls_wallpaper/0
3. Activate your lock screen to see your custom wallpaper. A reboot shouldn't be required.
I've only tried this with one wallpaper so you might be able to have several in that directory so it's different every time the lock screen is activated. I look forward to your reports!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trying right now... brb...!

DragonFire1024 said:
Ok so I figured out how to change the lock screen wallpapers WITHOUT the use of an app, wallpaper picker or modifying the framework or systemui. And it's glorious.
This is done on my rooted HD 10, but there is a huge possibility this does NOT require a rooted tablet. Why? Because it's done through /data where it's writable without root this is so easy I kick myself for not discovering this earlier. So if you have an HD 8, any model or year (NOT on Nougat) I need you test this.
1. Download your favorite HD wallpaper (as close to 1920x1200 as possible). I have a collection of dozens of stock Android wallpapers from various versions and devices at your disposal.
2. Using a file explorer like Total Commander copy the wallpaper.JPG from your download folder on internal storage to this /data directory:
Code:
/data/securedStorageLocation/com.android.systemui/ls_wallpaper/0
3. Activate your lock screen to see your custom wallpaper. A reboot shouldn't be required.
I've only tried this with one wallpaper so you might be able to have several in that directory so it's different every time the lock screen is activated. I look forward to your reports!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I was pulled into something for a bit. And then I became distracted making this lovely new lock screen wallpaper, lol...
Unfortunately, it does not seem we are able to access that folder without root. I tried four different file managers. When I finally typed the direct address verbatim as you provided, the device didn't say the folder did not exist, but said I did not have access. I did however notice a different com.android.systemui folder, which was located at /data/data/ , but also did not have access to this folder.
Screenshots of my attempts to locate/access the folder you described are here if you want to see for yourself.
I just bought a new soldering iron today. I'm about to hardmod root this sucker ✔ ??*???

richaardvark said:
Sorry, I was pulled into something for a bit. And then I became distracted making this lovely new lock screen wallpaper, lol...
Unfortunately, it does not seem we are able to access that folder without root. I tried four different file managers. When I finally typed the direct address verbatim as you provided, the device didn't say the folder did not exist, but said I did not have access. I did however notice a different com.android.systemui folder, which was located at /data/data/ , but also did not have access to this folder.
Screenshots of my attempts to locate/access the folder you described are here if you want to see for yourself.
I just bought a new soldering iron today. I'm about to hardmod root this sucker ?*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My beautiful wallpaper will have to wait for now... :crying:

richaardvark said:
Sorry, I was pulled into something for a bit. And then I became distracted making this lovely new lock screen wallpaper, lol...
Unfortunately, it does not seem we are able to access that folder without root. I tried four different file managers. When I finally typed the direct address verbatim as you provided, the device didn't say the folder did not exist, but said I did not have access. I did however notice a different com.android.systemui folder, which was located at /data/data/ , but also did not have access to this folder.
Screenshots of my attempts to locate/access the folder you described are here if you want to see for yourself.
I just bought a new soldering iron today. I'm about to hardmod root this sucker ?*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update: Ultimately however, I was able to set the lock screen wallpaper, using the "Prime Photos" app. This however changed my launcher/home screen wallpaper as well. I then downloaded the standard Google "Wallpapers" app from the Play store and was able to set my wallpaper back to what it had been, and was also able to keep weird cat sweater lady as the lock screen image. So, ultimately same end result, just a tiny bit more effort to make it happen, but not really a big deal.
Updated screenshots in my shared folder.

richaardvark said:
Update: Ultimately however, I was able to set the lock screen wallpaper, using the "Prime Photos" app. This however changed my launcher/home screen wallpaper as well. I then downloaded the standard Google "Wallpapers" app from the Play store and was able to set my wallpaper back to what it had been, and was also able to keep weird cat sweater lady as the lock screen image. So, ultimately same end result, just a tiny bit more effort to make it happen, but not really a big deal.
Updated screenshots in my shared folder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a shame. Well at least this is a lot easier now rather than taking the time and effort to mod the systemui.

Ok so this is disappointing. I'll have to post a rewritten guide. This one is tough to explain. But I am pretty sure I did this through the Amazon Device Settings application.

I plugged my HD 8 into my PC and opened ADB in an attempt to access the directory. I was able to cd into /data/securedStorageLocation just fine. However I tried to make the directory com.android.systemui and got an error of 'permission denied', but not because of no root, 'the directory already exists'. So it's there, just not totally accessable.

So this has to be exclusive to Amazon, or a result of or a combination of things. I have literally found only two forum posts that mention the directory perfectly. However the website is in Japanese. Thankfully Google translate helped. The good news is, it looks like you can gain entry by symlinking. When I saw this entry, and sdcard was mentioned, I did realize one thing I did yesterday that I've never done before. Optimized the databases. Specifically I used SDmaid (bought full version but I don't think that mattered). So it occurred to me, it likely 'fixed' whatever Amazon took out of the databases. This is a wild guess though.
Reporting on the rom copied Stock ROM reporting that it was possible to download amazon instant video,
and copied /data/secureStorageLocation/com.amazon.avod to each directory / sdcard
· Then the following So evacuate the original and
　create a symbolic link (su with adb shell and executed). Once done, restart
　cd / data / secureStorageLocation /
　mv com.amazon.avod com.amazon.avod.org
　ln -s /sdcard/com.amazon.avod com.amazon.avod
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I went ahead and did a little bit of a rewrite to change the title. Just set up flash to stock and just saw the folder had already been there. I honestly cannot believe it's been there this entire time and I honestly can't believe I've missed it this entire time. Unfortunately this requires root access unless somebody can figure out how to symlink the folder to internal or external storage. though it is located in part of the data that is read and write, the folder is not.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using XDA Labs

Update:
I just want to add, wallpapers can be in .jpg format, but for best compression, least amount of quality loss and if you have the same wallpaper for both lock screen and desktop, convert your .jpg to a .png for both (this should be done regardless of the wallpapers are the same or not). This handy, web based tool does exactly that, and compresses the file at the same time. This has resulted in my wallpapers being 100% in sync. https://jpg2png.com

I have copied my wall paper in png format to the location (with root access). However, it's not used as the wall paper or lock screen background, even after reboot. What am I missing?
In the meantime, I can use an image browser (Quick Pic) to set it as wall paper. However, it does not last. It may revert without reboot.

redhonker said:
I have copied my wall paper in png format to the location (with root access). However, it's not used as the wall paper or lock screen background, even after reboot. What am I missing?
In the meantime, I can use an image browser (Quick Pic) to set it as wall paper. However, it does not last. It may revert without reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you are in the right directory/folder and all the way to the end of com.android.systemui:
/data/securedStorageLocation/com.android.systemui/ls_wallpaper/0. Your wallpaper goes in the '0' folder. So far as I know no special permissions needed. But it won't hurt to set permissions to:
rw-r--r-- (0644). Make sure you have a lock screen set

# ls /data/securedStorageLocation/com.android.systemui/ls_wallpaper/0
-rw-r--r-- root root 11833019 2018-12-08 16:19 Wallpaper-Florida-Keys.png
So it all looks right. Just not taking effect. I don't know if it depends on some package that might get disabled (I've disabled a bunch).

redhonker said:
# ls /data/securedStorageLocation/com.android.systemui/ls_wallpaper/0
-rw-r--r-- root root 11833019 2018-12-08 16:19 Wallpaper-Florida-Keys.png
So it all looks right. Just not taking effect. I don't know if it depends on some package that might get disabled (I've disabled a bunch).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It very well may have been patched on 5.3 or 5.6.3 (whatever it really is)

The good news is that I can just set it using a image viewer. However, they do revert back though it's not clear what triggers revert.

redhonker said:
The good news is that I can just set it using a image viewer. However, they do revert back though it's not clear what triggers revert.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try disabling com.amazon.kindle.kso and deleting it.

I am on the latest 5.6.3.0, and copying to the '0' folder works for me. I had ads removed when I first got the device, so I don't have com.amazon.kindle.kso. So as Dragon said, maybe disabling and deleting will help.
Note that if the image is subsequently deleted from the '0' folder, the "7 cycling wallpapers" return. I don't know if they would return if some other method of setting the lock screen wallpaper is used, like the Prime Photos app.
---------- Post added at 09:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------
Dragon, with regard to the "7 cycling wallpapers" in your other thread, I was able to use your post 2 to get my own 7 wallpapers to cycle on the lock screen. So even though I wanted your info on how to recover if I screwed up SystemUI.apk, I didn't need it! If you ever get around to it, I'd still like to know how to recover without having to reinstall stock, reroot, etc.
This post really should be put over in that thread, but I didn't know if you were getting notified there, so I continued to write here (and in another thread that I knew you would see). Thanks for your great work!

sga999 said:
I am on the latest 5.6.3.0, and copying to the '0' folder works for me. I had ads removed when I first got the device, so I don't have com.amazon.kindle.kso. So as Dragon said, maybe disabling and deleting will help.
Note that if the image is subsequently deleted from the '0' folder, the "7 cycling wallpapers" return. I don't know if they would return if some other method of setting the lock screen wallpaper is used, like the Prime Photos app.
---------- Post added at 09:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------
Dragon, with regard to the "7 cycling wallpapers" in your other thread, I was able to use your post 2 to get my own 7 wallpapers to cycle on the lock screen. So even though I wanted your info on how to recover if I screwed up SystemUI.apk, I didn't need it! If you ever get around to it, I'd still like to know how to recover without having to reinstall stock, reroot, etc.
This post really should be put over in that thread, but I didn't know if you were getting notified there, so I continued to write here (and in another thread that I knew you would see). Thanks for your great work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes it's easier to make a new thread and index them into one as you go along...I sorta have one started. Anyways, if the SystemUI fails when you install it, the tablet will still boot...just without any user interface. So you can just push your back up back to the tablet. It's tricky if you come to it because you have to keep your tablet attached to PC while running a few shell commands.

I have copied my wallpaper in png format to the location (with root-access) and used a website like https://convertx2y.com/png-to-jpg/ to convert between the image formats. Is it a good one?

Can't Modify SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA.apk

Background: Really not loving the default New Contact icons and the random colors. Should be easy enough to change. What I tried (and failed miserably...)
MODest ROM 11 (Twiz/stock 6.01-based)
Flashpoint 5 Kernel
Copied SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA.apk from
/system/priv-app/SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA/
to my Win7 PC.
Used 7-Zip to unpack the file to a temporary folder.
Found the .qmg files I didn't like.
Found a .qmg that would be a passable replacement for the ones I didn't dig.
Made 11 copies of that image in a working folder.
Renamed each copy to the exact name of each of the 11 files I wanted to replace.
Dragged those 11 files back into the open .apk in 7-Zip
On the Phone, in Root Explorer:
Made a copy of SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA.apk in the same folder:
/system/priv-app/SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA/
deleted the original
Copied my mod'd apk back into this folder and set the perms.
Rebooted.
No Phone or Contacts on home screen or in Apps
Tried to 'install' the apk from Root Explorer.
Wouldn't install
Tried to delete cache & Dalvik from TWRP.
No Joy.
Tried to do a partial Nandroid restore of Contacts and sec.phone from Titanium (nothing there called /systempriv-app/SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA)
No Joy.
Nandroid restore from TWRP.
Back to normal.
Okay, what did I do wrong, and how can I change the icons?
Should I have used APKTook instead of 7-Zip, created a new signature, etc?
Should my mod'd apk somehow be flashed from recovery rather than copied to a system folder?
Is this some perverted Samsung-ism that would have worked fine on any other phone on the planet?
Thanks for reading.

ForestCat said:
Background: Really not loving the default New Contact icons and the random colors. Should be easy enough to change. What I tried (and failed miserably...)
MODest ROM 11 (Twiz/stock 6.01-based)
Flashpoint 5 Kernel
Copied SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA.apk from
/system/priv-app/SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA/
to my Win7 PC.
Used 7-Zip to unpack the file to a temporary folder.
Found the .qmg files I didn't like.
Found a .qmg that would be a passable replacement for the ones I didn't dig.
Made 11 copies of that image in a working folder.
Renamed each copy to the exact name of each of the 11 files I wanted to replace.
Dragged those 11 files back into the open .apk in 7-Zip
On the Phone, in Root Explorer:
Made a copy of SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA.apk in the same folder:
/system/priv-app/SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA/
deleted the original
Copied my mod'd apk back into this folder and set the perms.
Rebooted.
No Phone or Contacts on home screen or in Apps
Tried to 'install' the apk from Root Explorer.
Wouldn't install
Tried to delete cache & Dalvik from TWRP.
No Joy.
Tried to do a partial Nandroid restore of Contacts and sec.phone from Titanium (nothing there called /systempriv-app/SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA)
No Joy.
Nandroid restore from TWRP.
Back to normal.
Okay, what did I do wrong, and how can I change the icons?
Should I have used APKTook instead of 7-Zip, created a new signature, etc?
Should my mod'd apk somehow be flashed from recovery rather than copied to a system folder?
Is this some perverted Samsung-ism that would have worked fine on any other phone on the planet?
Thanks for reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That apk took me a long time to figure out too. It's one of the apps you I had to modify for multi dpi. The only way I know of is to change the compression when you're putting the app back together and even then it took a couple tries. There's probably a better way but the compression change seems to work well enough.
I don't know if 7-zip has this option, but with winrar you can change the compression to "store". You should know right away whether or not it worked. You'll see the little phone icon in the bottom left of the lock screen. You may still have to do a factory reset to see your changes (probably not though) but the app should work without it.
By the way, you can swap those image files for .png files if you'd like. Just delete the corresponding .qmg or .pio file.
I saw your post in the rom thread about theming TouchWiz. You should check out @supergrobi94's theming threads. He's put together an impressive collection of options for 6.0.1 and 5.1.1 and there's also a [how to] section that uses the vrtheme zip that will modify the res folder of a specific app without having to break it down. I'm not sure how active he is these days but he's always been very helpful with requests and questions in the past if you need it.
Supergrobi94's theming threads:
This one has all the themes
This is the [how to] thread

kevintm78 said:
That apk took me a long time to figure out too. It's one of the apps you I had to modify for multi dpi. The only way I know of is to change the compression when you're putting the app back together and even then it took a couple tries. There's probably a better way but the compression change seems to work well enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, that makes perfect sense. But I'd never have figured it out myself, lol.
I'll dig into those theming threads, thanks.
kevintm78 said:
☆☆Edge Panel for ModestRom v11☆☆
DOWNLOAD-This will change your Contacts app to the S6 version and the IncallUI app to the Note 7 version because the people stripe will not work with the N4 contacts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, this is from the MODest ROM thread, but I think it's germain here.
SO.....
If I want to 'try out' that Edge Panel, is there a way to revert back to the stock apps in question other than restoring a nandroid backup or re-flashing the ROM?
I ask because I'm thinking that, at least in the case of the Note 4 and its well known memory problems, 'bulk' memory writes like ROMs, nandroid retores, etc., stress the device, so I'm trying not to do it more than I have to.
During my last episode(see above) putting the stock apk back in its original folder didn't work.
Is there a standard procedure for either android generically, or touchwiz specifically, for safely reverting back to the stock system apps after experimenting w/ custom stuff?
EDIT: Just tried something. In Root Explorer, went into:
/system/priv-app/SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA/
and simply renamed the .apk to .foo
Rebooted.
No Contacts, as expected, but no Phone either??? Not sure why.
Anyway, back into Root Explorer.
Rename .foo back to .apk
Reboot.
Still no Contacts or Phone, so something bigger at work here.
Before I have to restore Nandroid anyway (unless there's a better way???),
I flashed your EdgePanel.zip in TWRP to see if it would restore the Phone/Contacts apps.
Wiped the cache. Reboot.
Edge Panel is now there, but still no Phone or Contacts. WTF???
Last resort-TWRP- Factory Reset.
Now the Contacts/Phone are back (and all my other stuff is gone, lol)
So is whacking the Data a necessity here?
If so, it makes trying out things related to the phone/contacts a LOT more tedious...
Any workaround???
Thanks again.

ForestCat said:
OK, this is from the MODest ROM thread, but I think it's germain here.
SO.....
If I want to 'try out' that Edge Panel, is there a way to revert back to the stock apps in question other than restoring a nandroid backup or re-flashing the ROM?
I ask because I'm thinking that, at least in the case of the Note 4 and its well known memory problems, 'bulk' memory writes like ROMs, nandroid retores, etc., stress the device, so I'm trying not to do it more than I have to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it doesn't look like I ever made an easy way to go back. I had thought I did but I'm either overlooking it or it's not there. Feel free to rifle through my androidfilehost folders if you want to double check. All of my stuff is very organized so it could be buried in there somewhere.
If you still need a recovery zip let me know and I'll get one together. I'm actually going to make one anyway but if you need it right away I can get on it. I didn't realize that there wasn't a way back to stock.
ForestCat said:
During my last episode(see above) putting the stock apk back in its original folder didn't work.
Is there a standard procedure for either android generically, or touchwiz specifically, for safely reverting back to the stock system apps after experimenting w/ custom stuff?
EDIT: Just tried something. In Root Explorer, went into:
/system/priv-app/SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA/
and simply renamed the .apk to .foo
Rebooted.
No Contacts, as expected, but no Phone either??? Not sure why.
Anyway, back into Root Explorer.
Rename .foo back to .apk
Reboot.
Still no Contacts or Phone, so something bigger at work here.
Before I have to restore Nandroid anyway (unless there's a better way???),
I flashed your EdgePanel.zip in TWRP to see if it would restore the Phone/Contacts apps.
Wiped the cache. Reboot.
Edge Panel is now there, but still no Phone or Contacts. WTF???
Last resort-TWRP- Factory Reset.
Now the Contacts/Phone are back (and all my other stuff is gone, lol)
So is whacking the Data a necessity here?
If so, it makes trying out things related to the phone/contacts a LOT more tedious...
Any workaround???
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is strange that they are not coming back. You may just want to double check your permissions and that there isn't two of the same apps in your folder. At the time of making that Edge zip I was still using other programs to make zips for me and the major downside to that is having to name the new apps the exact same as the old so it would get overwritten so if it doesn't match you'll end up with two active apps in one folder.
Now I think the best way to do that is to use a binary script (osm0sis has great tutorials for this) to change the app getting replaced to a .bak file and then just copy the new app to the system, set perms, and reboot (dalvik cache/ cache needs to be wiped if it's a framework .jar file). But to each their own. If you can get the job done a better way then I would use what you're comfortable with.
My system to test apps isn't much difference than yours. I think the only thing I do differently is change the app to be replaced to .bak instead of .foo although I can't imagine there's much difference. There's been a few apps like the Contacts app that gave me a bunch of trouble when modifying them but I can't remember ever having trouble bringing back the stock app. I wish I had more insight on that situation for you. If push comes to shove I would reflash the rom zip over factory reset only because the factory reset won't correct the system partition problem, if that's what's going on in this case.

kevintm78 said:
If you still need a recovery zip let me know and I'll get one together..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, Merry Christmas!
Thanks very much. No rush on that, I'm OK on the Edge version for the minute.
What would be extremely useful if you have some time/curiousity would be to replicate my steps, ie renaming the untouched apk in a fresh MODest flash (i.e. break the contacts/phone function), and then see if you can get the whole thing working again without a factory reset, or if not, why. I see on xda, you & I are not the first ones to be tripping over this contacts.apk issue.
The other thing that would be telling is after successfully installing the Edge.zip, whether you can modify something (like a picture) within the contacts apk within the zip, reflash the zip and have contacts/phone still working with the change active.
I think there just HAS to be abetter way than Factory Resets.
Thanks so much again for the insights. I really want to become at least minimally competent at hacking my own ROMs together so I don't have to feel like such a noob/mooch on here, but I really do appreciate the help.
What are your weapons/platform of choice, or, if there are better tools for noobs learning the ropes, I'm all ears.
EDIT: Just found this. The last post is interesting...
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/devs-only/recompile-seccontacts-apk-t3377142/page2

ForestCat said:
First, Merry Christmas!
Thanks very much. No rush on that, I'm OK on the Edge version for the minute.
What would be extremely useful if you have some time/curiousity would be to replicate my steps, ie renaming the untouched apk in a fresh MODest flash (i.e. break the contacts/phone function), and then see if you can get the whole thing working again without a factory reset, or if not, why. I see on xda, you & I are not the first ones to be tripping over this contacts.apk issue.
The other thing that would be telling is after successfully installing the Edge.zip, whether you can modify something (like a picture) within the contacts apk within the zip, reflash the zip and have contacts/phone still working with the change active.
I think there just HAS to be abetter way than Factory Resets.
Thanks so much again for the insights. I really want to become at least minimally competent at hacking my own ROMs together so I don't have to feel like such a noob/mooch on here, but I really do appreciate the help.
What are your weapons/platform of choice, or, if there are better tools for noobs learning the ropes, I'm all ears.
EDIT: Just found this. The last post is interesting...
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/devs-only/recompile-seccontacts-apk-t3377142/page2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not exactly sure what's going on with your contacts app not showing back up. Ever since modestrom v8 (I think) I've been doing the multi dpi on SecContacts_M_OSup_Note_Legacy_USA and every time I would test it doing the same as your way. After a reboot if the modified app was no good, then I would just delete that new app and change the name of the old app back to .apk, reboot and it would work again. I can't remember running in to any problems where I would have to factory reset or reflash the rom to get things working again.
There has been a couple times where I've had to factory reset to get a color change to show up or if you're adding toggles to the QS drop down that also (sometimes) requires a factory reset to show up.
As far as the post you linked, that is exactly how I do it except I use winrar to open the newly compiled app and drag the changes to the original. When I drag the changes over I change the compression method from "normal" to "store". If I don't change the compression the app doesn't work for me. The apps that I've ran into where I had to change the compression are: secContacts, secCamera, secSettings, and framework-res.apk. Any other app that I've worked on can be dragged and dropped without compression changes.
Jar files don't need an original signature though (so long as signature verification has been disabled, which it has in modestrom). They can be decompiled, edited, recompiled, and copied to the system. It does require a dalvik cache/cache wipe though on all framework files except for the framework-res.apk and twframework-res.apk
If you get a chance, you should start using apktool to decompile/recompile. It will make things easier for you in the long run and most of the time if you've made any mistakes in your edits apktool will catch it. If you're not familiar with apktool you can try using Tickle My Android or Advanced Apktool. You may also want to get Apktool by itself. I use all three of them. Android can be fickle and sometimes what works with one app won't work with another. What's nice about TMA and Advanced Apktool is that they'll do the drag and drop method for you, but when the compression needs to be changed that's when I use apktool by itself.
Sorry for the word vomit. Hopefully, this all makes sense.