A 'better' way to install themes.

[spock]

Hi, been playing around more with themes on the A910.
I have found that you can actually install all themes on the TF, thereby releasing more memory on the ezx_user and ezxlocal directories.
The only file that is required to be on the phone memory is the .chm file, example follows:
Suppose you download a theme called 'mytheme'. The theme will come with a directory called 'mytheme' containing all the configuration files (.ini files) and the iconres.ezx files (which are the menu icons/animation icons etc..), plus it will have another file called mytheme.chm.
1. First open up mytheme.chm with a text editor (use wordpad instead of notepad).
This will look something like this:
[THEME_CONFIG_TABLE]
ThemeName = mytheme
Skin = /ezxlocal/download/appwrite/skin/mytheme
CalendarAlarm = /ezxlocal/download/appwrite/skin/mytheme/7clock.mp3
CallAlertLine1 = /ezxlocal/download/appwrite/skin/mytheme/n-mix.mp3
CallAlertLine2 = //ezxlocal/download/appwrite/skin/mytheme/n-mix.mp3
EmailAlert = /ezxlocal/download/appwrite/skin/mytheme/alert.mid
IMAlert = /ezxlocal/download/appwrite/skin/mytheme/alert.mid
PowerOffScreen = /ezxlocal/download/appwrite/skin/mytheme/appledown.gif
WallPaper = /ezxlocal/download/appwrite/skin/mytheme/mytheme.jpg
WallPaperLayout = Tile
[THEME_PROP_TABLE]
CopyRight = someone
CreatedTime = 16/04/08
GridIcon =
ListIcon =
PackagePath =
ParentPath =
ThemeSize =

2. Change all directory pointers to ones on the TF, for example see below how it may be changed:
[THEME_CONFIG_TABLE]
ThemeName = mytheme
Skin = /mmc/mmca1/skin/mytheme
CalendarAlarm = /mmc/mmca1/skin/7clock.mp3
CallAlertLine1 = /mmc/mmca1/skin/n-mix.mp3
CallAlertLine2 = /mmc/mmca1/skin/n-mix.mp3
EmailAlert = /mmc/mmca1/skin/alert.mid
IMAlert = /mmc/mmca1/skin/alert.mid
PowerOffScreen = /mmc/mmca1/skin/appledown.gif
WallPaper = /mmc/mmca1/skin/mytheme.jpg
WallPaperLayout = Tile
[THEME_PROP_TABLE]
CopyRight = someone
CreatedTime = 16/04/08
GridIcon =
ListIcon =
PackagePath =
ParentPath =
ThemeSize =

3. Save as mytheme.chm
4. telnet/samba into the phone.
5. Go to directory /ezx_user/download/appwrite/setup/theme and in this directory (theme) copy mytheme.chm
6. Create a directory on your TF (/mmc/mmca1) called 'skin'.
7. Copy the directory called 'mytheme' (containing all the .ini files and iconres.ezx) that you downloaded into directory 'skin'.
6. Reboot moto and try it out

This will also enable to change any .ini setting in theme simply by writing to the TF in a reader, without having to telnet/samba in everytime you wanted to change something in the theme.
Observations:
1. The powerup gif cannot be referenced in this .chm file, it can but it does not work. The powerup gif comes from a protected directory in the phone file system, so you have to put any powerup gif in the powerup diretory by unsquashing (de-compile) and squashing (compile) the file system and creating a sbf to load via RSDLite.
2. If you change to a theme on the TF and then remove the TF the phone will hang/freeze. This makes sense since the reference in the .chm now no longer have the files required.
The solution to this is that if you want to remove the TF card (e.g. to change a .ini file in the theme), then change to the default moto theme first, make your changes on the TF, replace the TF and then change the theme again.
You can play about with the .ini files to see changes.
For example, any CLI references are usually for the outside screen, so you can make the outside digital clock font bigger by changing size in the section Font_CLI_DigitalClockStd of the openwindow_p.ini file, as shows below:

Font_CLI_DigitalClockStd]
OutlineColor = 16777215
Leading = 22
Size = 22
Color = 0
OutlineSize = 0
AntiAliasing = 0
Style = 16
Align = 36

Some changes can have unpredictable effects,so be careful, but your default moto theme is write-protected so you can always revert back to this if you get into a problem.
All we need now is for people to start finding changes we can make in the ini files and documenting them here.
For example, moving date/operator from top to bottom (or anywhere else on the main screen), making main digital clock italic (instead of current regular), changing fonts sizes/colour.
Anway, i think you get the idea...
Happy modding !

[sabrod]

hehe
Great finding! Thanks!