want to learn to be a dev...

[traumahawk]

yea it was pretty much hell trying to find the guide. hence why i turned to rootexplorer. finally starting to see why its one of the tools Rag and Paul said I should download waaay back as a really useful dev tool. its awesome.

but now i'm gonna go play with ec05 thanks again.

 

[traumahawk]

gahhhh! now i want to cry. i installed bonsai. totally screwed my phone. lost everythign i did. and accidentally deleted my nandroid backup. AHH not cool.

 

[DroidXcon]

ok now i need help,,,so i opened up one of adrynalynes roms because the version of swype he provided didnt work, so i replaced it with a version i know does work. then i rezip the file but now it just hangs at installing.
I only changed 1 app. any idea of what could be wrong, am i suppose to zip it in a particular format? i ended up using root explorer to swap it but i still want to know why i cant get it to flash

 

[Paul627g]

ok now i need help,,,so i opened up one of adrynalynes roms because the version of swype he provided didnt work, so i replaced it with a version i know does work. then i rezip the file but now it just hangs at installing.
I only changed 1 app. any idea of what could be wrong, am i suppose to zip it in a particular format? i ended up using root explorer to swap it but i still want to know why i cant get it to flash

When you opened up the ROM did you just "open the archive" ? If you actually extracted the ROM then that is your problem.

- Open the archive with WinRar/7Zip
- Goto system/app
- Delete the old swype.apk
- Drag and drop the working swype.apk into the system/app/ folder.
- Back out of the folders or just close the window up on the zip.

Flash it, that should be it...

Hit me up if you have any more troubles DroidXcon.

 

[ragnarokx]

ok now i need help,,,so i opened up one of adrynalynes roms because the version of swype he provided didnt work, so i replaced it with a version i know does work. then i rezip the file but now it just hangs at installing.
I only changed 1 app. any idea of what could be wrong, am i suppose to zip it in a particular format? i ended up using root explorer to swap it but i still want to know why i cant get it to flash

When you re-zip it you have to make sure you do it with zero compression. If the zip file is compressed at all Clockwork will not flash it.

 

[traumahawk]

Thanks for the tip!

and Paul, Rag... if you two want to see what you created... take a look at "stock" Bonsai 4.0. then head over to the "submit your screenshots" on our forums and check on page 32. You may or may not recognize ~6 different roms represented there, along with 3-5 themes (lost track, no need to remember now, as i can successfully use adb-pull to copy my system files for backups and editing).

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your help. I would donate if I had more than $40 to last me until next thursday. being in college sucks sometimes. But really, thank you. You've made owning an Epic (or any Sprint, or even any Android phone, but mainly Sprint haha) fun again. Thanks.

 

[DroidXcon]

Awesome bro, i want to talk and pick your brain sometime soon, if thats cool

 

[traumahawk]

pick away. whats up?

 

[DroidXcon]

pick away. whats up?

well i want to learn to do some of that stuff aswell, and im sure you have used alot of resources to learn, what are some of the most efficient ways to learn... i know i have spent alot of time learning things that i found later were a waste of time to learn. Any direction would be helpful

 

[traumahawk]

all ive learned ive gotten off here, the learning to theme stuff over on XDA (in the Epic 4g themes section), and by trial and error. I knew nothing about image editing- so i spent a lot of time on google reading tutorials and playing with different tools in "Gimp" to learn what they did. The guide about making CWM3 zips here on android central taught me how to edit zip files... which carried across to editing .apk files (which are just zips)

rename them ___.zip. extract. edit. open archive of original ___.apk. drag. drop. close window. open archive of blank cwm3 zip. drag/drop .apk in. put on sd card. flash. done.

changing media and animations was just a matter of playing around looking inside an extracted copy of a rom like ACE (actually what i pulled apart to learn) to learn what files go in what folders. I still have ZERO coding knowledge. everything i have done is photo editing and changing zip files.

make a LOT of nandroid backups. download android sdk (and learn to use adb, at least a little. thats all i know. basically i can pull files off my phone to my computer. thats it haha but thats all i need because it gives you a copy of exactally what is on your phone, which you can then edit and reflash the changes back onto your device without having to start from scratch).

 

[traumahawk]

if there is a specific question or guide or tip or change you see i've made and you cant figure out how, ask me. I want to make my own youtube collection of how-to-theme for beginners like me to share what i've learned, because there was nothing on there that was helpful to me. my best tip on how to learn- pick your favorite rom. extract it to your pc. explore the folders. extract the .apks and learn where different files go in them (icons and such). get familiar with 7zip and Gimp (great, free photo editing program. really powerful). Then start with little things- change the icon on an app you like. change an app that installs with a rom when you do a fresh flash of that rom (actually change the .apk file that comes ON the rom). DONT TOUCH the metainf folder in the cwm3 zips unless you know what the coding is and how to read and edit it. its the instructions on how cwm will install the zip you created. I use the blank one available on here . just edit-->drag-->drop-->flash. its really easy once you learn the steps.

like i said- any little questions... send me a pm or as on here (pm prob best way to make sure i get message) and if i know it i will try to make a quick vid on how to do it, or send you the link(s) i got my answer from.

 

[DroidXcon]

Thanks so much Trauma ill keep working on learning and if you have any questions you can always come to me aswell you know i know a couple little tricks here and there. And making some videos would be great id be sure to watch

 

[traumahawk]

beyond learning 7zip techniques and photo editing tips, its all just trial and error. you'll make a zip- flash it- and all of a sudden you're getting fc's. or it wont even flash at all. just nandroid back, start with fresh files, and try again. i read a lot on here. a lot on xda devs. and a lot on google (when i'd have a prob i'd google sol'n first, then annoy Rag and Paul on here after I failed to find answers >.<). took me 3x to get the new dialerpad.apk i edited to work. i kept screwing something up and it would fc my phone. still dont know what was wrong, but its fixed so idc. just a matter of trying until it works.

 

[GSF1200S]

Windows is fine for now - you only really need Linux if you get into making your own custom kernels, which is a whole different skill level.

I would start out by downloading a copy of your favorite custom ROM. Unzip it onto your desktop and poke around a little. I'll give you a quick tour of the important stuff.

The file "zImage" is the kernel, and can be found in a folder usually named "kernel_update" or simply "kernel". To switch kernels, simply change the "zImage" file.

If you follow the path "/system/app" you'll find all the stock and otherwise uninstallable apps.

In "/system/framework" you'll find the files that control the ROM's theme elements.

In "/META-INF/com/google/android" you'll find a file called "updater-script", which controls how the Clockwork .zip file is flashed. Note: if you want to edit this file (or any text file) DO NOT use regular Notepad as it will include formatting and other things that will give Clockwork errors. Use Notepad++ or a similar UNIX editor.

The best way to learn is by doing. Download some random mods, like ones from ACE ROM or XDA. Unzip them, look at what files they contain and the folders that those files are in. You can transplant files from mods like these into a full ROM to start customizing.

Once you make a few changes to the ROM, use an application like 7zip to re-zip the ROM with no compression. Place on SD card, go to Clockwork and flash away.

If you run into any problems or have further questions, post them here.

Ok, I wouldnt mind getting into the kernel side of things.. Ive been using linux for about 3 years (mostly Arch). Any suggestions other than just search search search? Bout to take a programming class soon- while its going to be C++, Im pretty sure moving on to C wont be that bad..

Im really really green in the Android department though- Ive rooted an inspire/flashed rom/kernel, my Epic, and a Droid X, but I havent gotten into any low level development yet..

 

[freeze]

How does one get into the ROM development scene

Think the title says it all. If one were so inclined, how do you "get into" ROM development? What are the tools, process, etc? Is there a site that describes the process?

 

[ZiggSVO]

Think the title says it all. If one were so inclined, how do you "get into" ROM development? What are the tools, process, etc? Is there a site that describes the process?

you can check this story out see if it can get you into it?
http://www.androidcentral.com/android-central-rom-review-doc-stefunels-rom-kitchen-galaxy-s

 

[trooper54]

edited: Post in here about it, paul will see it, i'm sure he'll give you some pointers.

Thanks ragnarokx ^_^

 

[ragnarokx]

talk to paul, pm him and tell him your interested, he'll give you some pointers.

Please don't PM Advisers with questions. Post them in a thread and they will be answered as fast or faster. It will also avoid multiple people asking the same questions.

Sent by a little green robot

 

[Paul627g]

you can check this story out see if it can get you into it?
http://www.androidcentral.com/android-central-rom-review-doc-stefunels-rom-kitchen-galaxy-s

A lot can be learned from the first post of this thread I did, it teaches you alot about basics of working with the file system, creating flashable zips, where things go..

If you read the second post in this thread below it also has some very helpful links.
[How To] Converting/Creating CWM2 & CWM3 Files Step by Step

This link below also has alot of great info and tips for starting out provided by one of our great administrators/writers for Android Central.
General ROM FAQ


Any more questions please feel free to ask and I will answer what I can.

 

[ZiggSVO]

Please don't PM Advisers with questions. Post them in a thread and they will be answered as fast or faster. It will also avoid multiple people asking the same questions.

Sent by a little green robot

lets everyone learn from your experience!

I think this post should be stickied as I would have referenced this post instead of that article had I ever realized this one was posted lol