Database Users

Make themes

Hello everyone...
I just looked for hours...
But can't find a program to make my own theme's for diamond.
I've tried using google, youtube and this forum... iam sure iam missing something,,,,
I understand i shall use Manila editor??? or???
But when iam opening it ... I can't se any pic's i can change...
I really hope someone can help me.. maybe its just in front off my eyes... But then iam totaly Blind.....
-Best regards Dennis

The easiest way is this, and do note themes do not work on any theme with a disattached Manila (for example, TLR ROMs seem to have problems with theming):
Preparations:
- Make a folder on your computers desktop called "Theme", and in it a folder called "My Theme" or the name of your personal theme.
- Connect your Diamond to your computer and copy ALL manila files (files ending in _manila) in the Windows subdirectory of your Diamond to the "Theme" folder on your desktop.
- Download Manila Editor and extract the files to a place where you can easily find it.
- In Manila Editor, press "Select Path" and select the "Theme" directory on your desktop. The program will "parse" the files and you'll see a loading bar in the bottom left.
Modifying:
- The files are now loaded. Browse through the files, and notice they're ordered by category. Also note the "Friendly name" is somewhat of a description as to what each image is. Finally, do note some files do NOT have a description and can be found in the "Unknown" category.
- Select the files you want to modify, and use Export -> Selected -> BMP/JPG/PNG (whichever you prefer). Choose a location to extract the files to.
- Use The Gimp, Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro or your image editing program of choice to edit the files as desired. Use the old file as indicator for placement and size. Save the files under the same name for practicality, or give them a name that lets you easily figure out what each image is.
- When done, go back to Manila Editor and select the items you modified one by one. Each time, click the item, then click "Replace". Select your new image, and click OK. Repeat this as many times as necessary.
- If all files are correctly changed, click Zip -> Zip All. I've found that Zip All gives the least problems on most ROMs. This will create a .zip file, which you can name and save anywhere you wish.
Installing: (Sushilange has confirmed that later versions of Manila Editor will have a "Create Theme" function).
- Rename the .zip file to .theme and copy it to a subdirectory on your Diamond.
- Download, Install and Run Diamond TF3D Config 0.6.7 or higher. Go to the appearance tab and select the "Path..." button. Select the DIRECTORY in which your .theme file is and click OK. Then, from the dropdown list, select the name of your theme (the name of the zip-file).
- Select "Apply'. Take into account you need AT LEAST 20MB of free space on your device, as indicated by the program.
- Select start, wait until it finishes (don't worry if it says something about deleting files), click Finish and let the program restart your Diamond.

Thank you very much...
Perfect explination...'

Thank you . Glad it helps.

Instead of renaming the exported manila files from .zip to .theme, you can also use QuickCab to make a cab file of the exported manila files. Then you don't have to use the Diamond TF3D Config 0.6.7 program.
Advantage is that you can run the cab file and you can easily uninstall your theme. Uninstalling your own theme means that the original manila files wil be restored again. Furthermore it's much more easier and faster to install a theme.

MRE-net said:
Instead of renaming the exported manila files from .zip to .theme, you can also use QuickCab to make a cab file of the exported manila files. Then you don't have to use the Diamond TF3D Config 0.6.7 program.
Advantage is that you can run the cab file and you can easily uninstall your theme. Uninstalling your own theme means that the original manila files wil be restored again. Furthermore it's much more easier and faster to install a theme.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't uninstalling the theme through Diamond TF3D Config also restore the original theme? That's what happens here, in any case.

but how do you copy manilla files from Diamond to PC ?
it doesnt show Windows directory in Vista on Windows Mobile Device Center ?

Hello There Greg...
Your Going To Wanna Go To MY COMPUTER> MOBILE DEVICE>MY WINDOWS MOBILE DEVICE> Tools>folder Options>view>show Hidden Files And Folders
WHILE IN ACTIVE SYNC MODE
Hope I Helped... Ill Be Looking At The Thread So.... You Can Ask For More Help If Need Be

tha_rami said:
- If all files are correctly changed, click Export -> Export All. I've found that Export All gives the least problems on most ROMs. This will create a .zip file, which you can name and save anywhere you wish.
- Rename the .zip file to .theme and copy it to a subdirectory on your Diamond.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You meant "Zip" not "Export"... Export is only the converting-function qtc->png
tha_rami said:
- Download, Install and Run Diamond TF3D Config 0.6.7 or higher. Go to the appearance tab and select the "Path..." button. Select the DIRECTORY in which your .theme file is and click OK. Then, from the dropdown list, select the name of your theme (the name of the zip-file).
- Select "Apply'. Take into account you need AT LEAST 20MB of free space on your device, as indicated by the program.
- Select start, wait until it finishes (don't worry if it says something about deleting files), click Finish and let the program restart your Diamond.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, no! Don't do this! Wait until I added a "Create Theme"-function in Manila Editor. A *.theme-File is not just a Zip-File. You can't use a custom zip as a theme-file.

sushilange said:
You meant "Zip" not "Export"... Export is only the converting-function qtc->png
No, no! Don't do this! Wait until I added a "Create Theme"-function in Manila Editor. A *.theme-File is not just a Zip-File. You can't use a custom zip as a theme-file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm just telling what works, but I can't wait until you get that functionality in - sounds good.
And yup, I meant Zip All, will edit now.

tha_rami said:
I'm just telling what works, but I can't wait until you get that functionality in - sounds good.
And yup, I meant Zip All, will edit now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that it is possible, that it works But the problem is, if it is not working in some reasons, the noobs are crying and i can't give support ;-)
When I add the feature officially, I can give support

I'd daresay screw them. It's not supported by your application yet, so you have no obligation to make it work for them until making *.theme files is actually supported by the program.
Great program, by the way.

I don't know whether I am asking too much. I want to know if it's possible to turn the big digital clock on the 3D theme to transparent (instead of white opaque color). I wanted to change the background to a photo and the clock occupies half of the screen and always blocks the person's face in the photo.

bbju said:
I don't know whether I am asking too much. I want to know if it's possible to turn the big digital clock on the 3D theme to transparent (instead of white opaque color). I wanted to change the background to a photo and the clock occupies half of the screen and always blocks the person's face in the photo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this one
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2546236&postcount=584

NisseDILLIGAF said:
Try this one
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2546236&postcount=584
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, NisseDilligaf you are an angel!! I searched the forum for about 2 hours and couldn't find it. This is EXACTLY what I want.
Thanks!!

If I do not want to create a new theme (because I do not know how ) , can I change the png?.
So I change 123213_manila for my icon 123231_manila , Can it works?.
Thank you

Juan w said:
If I do not want to create a new theme (because I do not know how ) , can I change the png?.
So I change 123213_manila for my icon 123231_manila , Can it works?.
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep that works. See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=420423

MRE-net said:
Yep that works. See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=420423
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you.
I will try it.

tha_rami said:
The easiest way is this, and do note themes do not work on any theme with a disattached Manila (for example, TLR ROMs seem to have problems with theming):
Preparations:
- Make a folder on your computers desktop called "Theme", and in it a folder called "My Theme" or the name of your personal theme.
- Connect your Diamond to your computer and copy ALL manila files (files ending in _manila) in the Windows subdirectory of your Diamond to the "Theme" folder on your desktop.
- Download Manila Editor and extract the files to a place where you can easily find it.
- In Manila Editor, press "Select Path" and select the "Theme" directory on your desktop. The program will "parse" the files and you'll see a loading bar in the bottom left.
Modifying:
- The files are now loaded. Browse through the files, and notice they're ordered by category. Also note the "Friendly name" is somewhat of a description as to what each image is. Finally, do note some files do NOT have a description and can be found in the "Unknown" category.
- Select the files you want to modify, and use Export -> Selected -> BMP/JPG/PNG (whichever you prefer). Choose a location to extract the files to.
- Use The Gimp, Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro or your image editing program of choice to edit the files as desired. Use the old file as indicator for placement and size. Save the files under the same name for practicality, or give them a name that lets you easily figure out what each image is.
- When done, go back to Manila Editor and select the items you modified one by one. Each time, click the item, then click "Replace". Select your new image, and click OK. Repeat this as many times as necessary.
- If all files are correctly changed, click Zip -> Zip All. I've found that Zip All gives the least problems on most ROMs. This will create a .zip file, which you can name and save anywhere you wish.
Installing: (Sushilange has confirmed that later versions of Manila Editor will have a "Create Theme" function).
- Rename the .zip file to .theme and copy it to a subdirectory on your Diamond.
- Download, Install and Run Diamond TF3D Config 0.6.7 or higher. Go to the appearance tab and select the "Path..." button. Select the DIRECTORY in which your .theme file is and click OK. Then, from the dropdown list, select the name of your theme (the name of the zip-file).
- Select "Apply'. Take into account you need AT LEAST 20MB of free space on your device, as indicated by the program.
- Select start, wait until it finishes (don't worry if it says something about deleting files), click Finish and let the program restart your Diamond.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GREAT explanation! Thanx!

bbju said:
I don't know whether I am asking too much. I want to know if it's possible to turn the big digital clock on the 3D theme to transparent (instead of white opaque color). I wanted to change the background to a photo and the clock occupies half of the screen and always blocks the person's face in the photo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can find many transparent clocks here

Edit TF3D theme

Hi first of all I wanna say that this site is very nice!
There are lots of nice themes here, but I would like to know how to edit the TF3D theme myself.
What software do you need for that? Thanks.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=464984
and a PNG editor, (paint works but you won't get transparencies), if you have photoshop all power to you, a good free one is Gimp.
use mode 9 to convert QTC1 files into .PNG. then use an image editor to change the .PNG to look like whatever you want.
Use mode 9 to convert back to a QTC1 file and then drag it to your Windows folder (on your device). Cycle TF3D off and then on again (Settings > Today > items > TF3D)
And you should see your theme there
Good luck on it mate

EDIT: post used for uploads.

EDIT: Post used for uploads

I don't know how to get into the windows directory on the phone with m9editor.
When i use activesync, i can't get into the directory; when I click on 'my device' on 'this computer', i can't explore the phone, I just see nothing there. And when I use Diskdrive, I can only look into the internal storage.
So I just tried to copy it to my computer, I thought I would be able to copy them back into the windows directory of my phone. But the quality of the copied files is worse I think, when I open them wit photoshop I get a very pixelated image How do I load that files using m9editor?

Making a theme?

So I'm new to all of this. I bought a touch diamond with Sprint just last week and stumbled upon this site for themes and apps. It seems to be a very cool site for customization, but i've been wondering where should i start if i want to make my own themes? I got CFC and Manila editor. Are there tutorials or manuals on using those programs? And is there a way to extract the preinstalled theme that came with my phone so i can modify it? Thanks for any help.

bavman13 said:
So I'm new to all of this. I bought a touch diamond with Sprint just last week and stumbled upon this site for themes and apps. It seems to be a very cool site for customization, but i've been wondering where should i start if i want to make my own themes? I got CFC and Manila editor. Are there tutorials or manuals on using those programs? And is there a way to extract the preinstalled theme that came with my phone so i can modify it? Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To extract your phone's TF3D files
To extract your phone's TF3D theme, connect it to your computer using Activesync (XP) or WMDC (Vista) and click on "Explore Files". While exploring your devices files, navigate to the Windows folder of your cell phone then sort the files by type. Look for a collection of files that end in "manila" (there should be ALOT). Copy EVERY file that ends with .manila from your device to a folder on your computer (give it a couple minute as there are many files to copy).
To copy manila files to a manila editor
Using either Manila Editor of CFC GUI (i personally think CFC GUI is much easier to use because it gives me less errors), click on "File" and "Select Folder" to navigate to the folder where you copied the manila files on your computer. Select the folder and the files will be loaded into the program
To make your own theme
Once you have copied the manila files and loaded them into either Manila Editor or CFC GUI, the next step is to replace some of the icons with the ones you want for your theme. In CFC GUI (I havent used Manila Editor and dont remember the buttons for this so I cant instruct how to use it), click on any of the files and you will get a preview of it. If you would like to SAVE that icon in a png format to edit (with Photoshop/Gimp etc.) click on "SAVE AS" and choose the directory in which you would like to save it. To replace a manila file with your own, click on the file then select "REPLACE WITH" and choose your file (NOTE: The file you choose absolutely MUST be the same size as the original. If the original file is 128x128, the file you replace it with must also be 128x128).

Thanks jrodi. Im thinkin of making one myself too. But I wasnt sure if the icon size has to be the same as original.

Usper said:
Thanks jrodi. Im thinkin of making one myself too. But I wasnt sure if the icon size has to be the same as original.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you wouldnt believe how easy it is to make a theme once you get the hang of it. good luck on the theme youre making and if you have any questions or want any help feel free to pm me

Cool, i cant wait to get started, but i have one final question. After im done do i just replace the files which i changed to where i got them off my phone?

bavman13 said:
Cool, i cant wait to get started, but i have one final question. After im done do i just replace the files which i changed to where i got them off my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are multiple ways to install a theme to your device but ill go through the easiest and quickest method using Total Commander
1) Copy the manila files that you changed to a new folder on your phone (Give this folder the name of your theme). Turn off the TF3D plugin (Settings/Today/Items/ Uncheck Tf3d). Then use Total Commander to find the new folder and copy all of the files in the folder to the Windows directoty of your device. If you get a prompt, select "Overwrite All" and give it a minute to replace the files. Soft reset your device and youre done

I was just looking through the windows folder of my diamond but there are no files ending in manila, is it because its the sprint version or something?

bavman13 said:
I was just looking through the windows folder of my diamond but there are no files ending in manila, is it because its the sprint version or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"show hidden and systemfiles" in explorer..

cfc gui problems with new VZW 6.5 update

I have used cfc gui plenty of times but ever since I upgraded to the new Verizon Wireless WM 6.5 I can see the manila files and edit them but when I try to send them to the phone it says "0 images exported" and it fails. Can someone help me out? Thanks in advance.

Not sure what you're trying to copy the file back with.
Create the manila file with CFC GUI and save it. I copy mine with Windows back to my sd card and then copy the file back to \Windows with Resco Explorer.

how do you create the manila in cfc gui? I have always just hit "to device"

It sounds like you're working on the file right on the phone? I copy mine out and then put it back. Here are the steps I've been using, from THIS post, pertaining to swapping out the logo on the home screen. Not sure what you're editing, but the CFC GUI steps should be the same.
443d5315_manila is the manila file your looking for in your touch pro 2, copy it off your device.
1. Once you have the file, use CFC GUI, to open it up. [ just select the folder you extracted the file to when it asks you where are the manila files ]
2. Save the manila file as a .png by clicking the name of your manila file on the left hand list of files, and clicking save as at the bottom right of your monitor ; you can edit it with gimp or photoshop. [ i used photoshop ]
3. open up the png in photoshop.
4. On the right hand side of the file, put anything you want, a logo, text, whatever it is, make sure its just the logo or txt, no background. Use the eraser tool, or magic eraser tool to clean up the background on your logo/text if there is one.
5. Once your done, save the .png file, with the same exact name. overwrite the original one.
6. Go back to CFC GUI and select the manila file on the left hand side of the screen again.
7. Click replace with on the bottom right hand side of your monitor, and select your edited .png file.
8. Copy the manila file back to your phone, and your good to go =]..

thanks for your help I will try it out tonight

How to CHANGE QuickMenu Folder Icons?

Okay, I searched for "change icons" and got two pages of threads on how to change program icons. Some provided great information; however, none addressed my need.
I'm interested in changing only FOLDER icons, and ONLY those in QuickMenu (see attached images). The folder icons are all the same except for two, the Games folder and the Office Mobile folder. They both have a small file inside the directory that's called "icon."
I would like to change any and all directories to whatever icon I choose, or design. Is this possible? If so, how?
Thanks,
Peter

Try PExplorer - it works magic!!!
http://www.heaventools.com/

Confused???
eenbox said:
Try PExplorer - it works magic!!!
http://www.heaventools.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply. I had a look at that program, and the web site, and I'm completely confused. It looks like a program for my PC, and not my phone. Furthermore, I don't see anything mentioned on how to change an icon.
HELP!
ADDENDUM: Furthermore, as I said in my original post, I DO NOT want to change program icons, such as exe files or dll files. From what I can tell, PExplorer is desiged to modify the inner workings of exe and dll files, etc.
I want to change the icons for a directory (folder image). These are not programs or dlls.
Thanks,
Peter

Figured it out ...
I figured it out. It took a bit of thought, and some weird manipulation using Notepad, but now I can change any QuickMenu icon to almost whatever I want, as long as there's either an EXE or DLL file that contains the icon.
Cheers!
----------------------------------
Since I don't plan to return to this thread, and since there may be someone who wants to know what I did, here's my solution:
REMEMBER: This solution ONLY works if you want to change folder icons WITHIN the QuickMenu subset of folders. It does NOT work on program icons, or for any other icons for that matter (ONLY QUICKMENU FOLDERS).
01) Find an EXE or DLL file with the icon you want. If this file contains more than one icon, then you'll need to know the icon number within the program. This can be quite difficult to determine. However, for the purpose of this discussion, I'm assuming you want to use the MAIN icon, which is usually designated as icon "0" (zero) within the EXE or DLL file. We'll go with "0" for this discussion.
02) Your phone should already have at least one (probably two) folder icon files. The two in question are usually used for the Start Menu Games directory and for the Start Menu Office Mobile directory. Using Total Commander or any similar program (File Explorer will NOT work), make your way to either the Games or Office Mobile directory within the Windows\Start Menu. Whether it's the Games folder or the Office Mobile folder, you should find a shortcut file called icon. This is the file that determines how the folder will appear within the QuickMenu structure.
03) Copy this file to your PC. Anywhere will do as long as you remember where you put it. Make a second copy of it just in case you "ruin" your attempt to change the icon using these instructions. At least you can go back to what you had before.
04) Right click on this file and select Properties. In the General tab, uncheck the Read-only box. Click on Apply.
05) Open NotePad on your PC.
06) Within NotePad, click on File and then on Open. The Open dialogue box appears. At the bottom of this dialogue box are three horizontal white boxes. The second box has the title "Files of type." The default entry is "Text documents (*.txt). Click on the down arrow and change this to "All files." Now find the icon file you copied to your PC in (3) above and open it within NotePad.
07) You will see a line of instructions at the top of the file. These instructions tell your phone where to find the icon image. What we need to do, therefore, is change the instructions to another icon image.
08) Now let's assume that you have a Start Menu folder within QuickMenu called PDF files, and you would like that folder to have the Adobe Reader icon. To do this, change the line of instructions from what it currently reads to the following:
1#AdobeReaderLE.exe,-0
09) Make sure there's a carriage return after the final "0"
10) Re-save the file. The file name must not be changed. It must always remain as "icon."
11) Now copy this new file to the actual PDF directory within your phone's Start Menu. Soft reset your phone and the PDF folder will now have the Adobe icon.
DONE!
Here are some tips:
The above example assumes that the AdobeReaderLE.exe file is in your main Windows directory. If the EXE file you want to use is anywhere else, you need to direct the instructions appropriately. Here's an example for an EXE file contained on your Storage Card, and within the Program Files directory. Let's say you installed BsB Tweaks to the Storage Card, and you want to use the main BsB icon for one of your Start Menu folders. Here's how the instructions would look:
1#\Storage Card\Program Files\BsB\Tweaks\BsB Tweaks.exe,-0
Remember to always save the file with the name "icon." Always put the revised icon file inside the directory whose appearance you want to change.
Happy Changing!
Peter
P.S. Since I can't seem to add images to a post after the fact, I will submit another post shortly with images to show you what I did with my phone.

Before and After Images
As promised, attached (below) are images to show you what I did with my phone.
Peter

thanks alot man, i have been looking for days, to find a way to do this!!!!