[Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

Hi,

I am completely new to themes, never done it on any device before. So, what I am about to ask may seem to be really stupid!!!!

Where do I start?????


I have read through many post on here, and they all seem to be about Theme Maker, to which i downloaded. The app itself seems to be pretty straight forward, the bit I don't understand is what to do with the psd/png files.

I am familiar with Photoshop, and looking in the nuvo-fremantle-template.psd, I can see what looks to be a layout with a number of layers, do I just literally put my desired choice over the top of a section in this file, what happens when I don't change an area.....it is really these image files that I don't understand.

What happens if I add new icons in the icon file, will they ever show up, how do you reference them.

So I guess what I am after, is an example of how one of these template files are changed.

I'm sorry that this is really a very noob question

Re: How to start a new theme
 

im guessing you just put ur png files where the original was, with the same file name (overwrite it). then just test it out, the ones that you dont change will be kept at the original files.

I havent created any themes but ive taken parts from 5 or 6 different themes to make it a perfect theme for me. I dont use theme maker, I just manually edit the files

Re: How to start a new theme
 

that's an interesting thought, doing it manually.

Where are the theme files stored?

Re: How to start a new theme
 

usr/share/themes

the alpha is the default theme, beta is the 2nd. The rest just go by the name. The images folder is where most of the files will be, the background folder also has some interesting files. You must have root access to modify these files, and ALWAYS make a backup first

Re: How to start a new theme
 

If you want to have other people use your theme manual wont work. You have two choices first Theme Maker find it on garage.maemo.org but I want to warn you its very buggy and really doesn't work also only works right on mac and linux. If you want to do themes on windows or the non buggy way Go here http://mer-project.blogspot.com/2010...for-theme.html follow these instructions can't be easier if you run into any problems let me know here or at andrewfblack@gmail.com

Re: How to start a new theme
 

That is really helpful, thanks a lot, I'm going to have a play with it this weekend

Re: How to start a new theme
 

Re: How to start a new theme
 

Hi there! I'm not sure who have made that hildon-template, but there's something wrong with it. I just got message from extras testing group that none of my themes are gonna hit the extras-repo since they are not completely optified.

I checked and it's true: some random files are left under /usr instead of /opt. Same issue seems to bother your Marina -theme and Andrew's Maemo.org -theme also.

I hope that someone could locate why maemo-optify leaves randomly some files un-optified so that I could continue working with themes. I'm not sure if I have the willpower to re-pack all my previous themes, but I'd really like to publish my new IivilRoyal -serie soon since it's almost ready to roll.

Re: How to start a new theme
 

Don't know who told you that but several of our themes are in extras. Infact if you optify all the files then themes wont work. I know because I have optified an entire theme and it doesn't work. Files it leaves are very small anyways.

Re: How to start a new theme
 

I know they won't work if you symlink the whole theme-folder, but all the imagefiles and subfolders can and should be symlinked to /opt.

Yes, several themes are in extras allthough they take more rootfs than is suggested (more than 250kb). No-one just noticed it before in testing team before I launched over ten themes and someone had them all installed > lots of rootfs used.

Edit: just to make clear what I mean: the optification leaves random amount of image files ignored without any reasonable reason. For example your maemo-org theme takes about 438kb of rootfs because of these leftovers.
And what's more weird: files left without optification has no logic. it depends and varies if you make some changes into template.png and and pack it up again to .deb.

Re: [Maemo 5]How to create a theme
 

Decide what you want to call the Theme. Create a folder in C:\Program Files\PLUS!\Themes name it what you want the name of your theme to be. This keeps everything in one place for you to keep everything organized.
==mcts===

Re: [Maemo 5]How to create a theme
 

Just wanted to inform that Stskeeps updated the master template for PR1.2 today and it so far it seems to be working just nice :)
http://gitorious.org/hildon-theme-ex...s/trees/master

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

I really hope some more userfriendly Theme Editor will come around...

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

It pretty much really can't get much easier than it's now. So just try to learn it.

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

I wouldn't say it's easy to produce a installable .deb file if you want to take quick test of something. You basically have to options; a) set up a SDK enviroment and build debs there, or b) create a garage account and upload sources to autobuilder and wait for it to build the package and then download it to your phone...

Other than that, theme making is pretty easy atm.

Maybe someday MADDE will include all necessary things for building the package when using stskeeps's theme template.

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

is there a way to buid the theme.deb without the use of autobuilder?

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

Yes, install Maemo5 SDK on your Linux and build packages there :)

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

i allready did that and i have got this error...:( :


Processed ChatBubbleOtherSW.png
Processed ChatBubbleOtherW.png
Processed ChatBubbleOtherMiddle.png
Done!

touch slice.stamp
make[4]: Leaving directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/applications/rtcom-messaging-ui'
Making all in backgrounds
make[4]: Entering directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/applications/backgrounds'
make[4]: Nothing to be done for `all'.
make[4]: Leaving directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/applications/backgrounds'
make[4]: Entering directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/applications'
make[4]: Nothing to be done for `all-am'.
make[4]: Leaving directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/applications'
make[3]: Leaving directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/applications'
Making all in matchbox-1
make[3]: Entering directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/matchbox-1'
hildon-theme-subst /usr/share/hildon-theme-layout-5//layout.txt ./../template/template.png /usr/share/hildon-theme-layout-5//theme-matchbox1.xml theme.xml
Fetching colors...
Processing /usr/share/hildon-theme-layout-5//theme-matchbox1.xml...
sed -i -e 's:@THEME_DIR\@:rstylebluethemedir:' theme.xml
sed -i -e 's:@THEME_FULL_DIR\@:/usr/share/themes/rstylebluethemedir:' theme.xml
sed -i -e 's:@THEME_NAME\@:R-Style Blue Theme:' theme.xml
make[3]: Leaving directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/matchbox-1'
Making all in matchbox-2
make[3]: Entering directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/matchbox-2'
hildon-theme-subst /usr/share/hildon-theme-layout-5//layout.txt ./../template/template.png /usr/share/hildon-theme-layout-5//theme.xml theme.xml
Fetching colors...
Processing /usr/share/hildon-theme-layout-5//theme.xml...
sed -i -e 's:@THEME_DIR\@:rstylebluethemedir:' theme.xml
sed -i -e 's:@THEME_FULL_DIR\@:/usr/share/themes/rstylebluethemedir:' theme.xml
sed -i -e 's:@THEME_NAME\@:R-Style Blue Theme:' theme.xml
make[3]: Leaving directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/matchbox-2'
make[3]: Entering directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6'
make[3]: Leaving directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6'
make[2]: Leaving directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6'
make[1]: Leaving directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6'
#docbook-to-man debian/r-style-blue-theme.sgml > r-style-blue-theme.1
touch build-stamp
fakeroot debian/rules binary
dh_testdir
dh_testroot
dh_clean -k
dh_installdirs
# Add here commands to install the package into debian/r-style-blue-theme.
/scratchbox/tools/bin/make DESTDIR=/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/debian/r-style-blue-theme install
make[1]: Entering directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6'
Making install in template
make[2]: Entering directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/template'
mkdir -p -- . /scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/debian/r-style-blue-theme//usr/share/themes/rstylebluethemedir/images
convert -rotate 90 LockSliderLeft.png LockSliderTop.png
make[2]: convert: Command not found
make[2]: *** [install] Error 127
make[2]: Leaving directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6/template'
make[1]: *** [install-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6'
make: *** [install] Error 2
[sbox-FREMANTLE_X86: /scratchbox/users/crash/home/crash/MyDocs/r-style-blue-theme-1.6] >

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

it says that "convert: Command not found" . what is this? do i have to install something to avoid getting this error?

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

You need to install additional tools to scratchbox (see themes control file what are build depencies and install those into scratchbox) and then build deb using this command:
dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -tc

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

where i could find that file?

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

i think i have installed all of them ...i don't know if i missed one ...anyway the error doesn't say anything about package not found or something like that...help:(

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

anyone?...

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

You can find the control file under themedir/debian

I think you're missing imagemagic -package.

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

i tried apt-get install imagemagick and it says that it couldn't be found

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

tskeeps] > apt-get install imagemagick
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Package imagemagick is not available, but is referred to by another package.
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or
is only available from another source
E: Package imagemagick has no installation candidate

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

check the build depencies from control -file and install those packages. Imagemagic is included in one of them.

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

i installed all of them :(

debhelper (>= 4.0.0), hildon-theme-layout-5 (>= 0.15.0), hildon-theme-layout-5 (< 0.16.0), hildon-theme-tools, imagemagick

Depends: gtk2-engines-sapwood (>= 3.1.1), hildon-theme-cacher (>= 0.3.0)

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

Sorry. Maybe someone else knows where you can find imagemagic -package. I don't remember anymore which package included it.

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

are you sure that that's the package causing the problems?

:))

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

No, I'm not shure, but I use Shure's microphones + In-ears ;)

Seriously, I think it's imagemagic you're missing or you have some weird version of it. Can you run this and see if you find package that includes imagemagic (in scratchbox):
apt-get update
apt-cache search imagemagic

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

carbide.ui was easier, i made hundreds of symbian themes with that, after reading so many n900 theme making threads i still dont know where to start!:confused:

dont understand any of this linux/terminal mumble jumble!:
http://mer-project.blogspot.com/2010...for-theme.html

more mumble jumble!:
i cant see any download link on this page:
manual is much much much easier:)
and there easily shared by just uploading the 'theme' folder, but i am interested in making them as installable debs instead,
was hoping this thread was an 'idiots' [guide] like the ones i posted here:
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=51502
i know its just a case of us linux n00bs reading/studying all the 'kindly' provided links, but its sooooo painfull for my braincells to get to grips with 'linux/terminal mumble jumble'!
surely an idiots guide explaining everything in detail, with screenshots, step by step, would benefit everyone:)
(and i mean a REAL idiots guide!):o

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

My thoughts exactly when I first wanted to make themes without editing every image hand by hand.

I never had used Linux before (if you don't count N900). But I still survived to set up a SDK that could build debs inside Ubuntu (running on virtual machine under Win 7). I must admit that it's pretty complicated and hard for noobs to get everything up and running :/

But I know it's possible to create debs inside N900 if you have your edited theme working in it. Can't just remember what was the name of the program @ devel repo.

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

the package that came up after searching is xresponse-visualize, i installed it but i still have that error:(


is there a way to install all the packages which are available in the repos?:) maybe that way i won't miss it...

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

finally i have got it to work!!!!.....i had to add the extras-testing repositories in scratchbox to be able to install imagemagic....thanx for your help D-livil

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

I have the following error when i try to build my theme package:
dpkg-genchanges: warning: unknown information field `Xb-Maemo-Icon-26' in input data in package's section of control info file


the thing is that i have `XB-Maemo-Icon-26' in the debian/control file...

Does anyone know what shoud i do?


thanx

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

I would like to make a Maemo 5 Hildon theme.

I have taken beta theme (Digital Nature), renamed it to gamma (in index.theme), changed something with colors and want to turn it into deb (just to test what it looks like).

I created folder structure:

deb/usr/share/themes/gamma/index.theme, colors.config, backgrounds/, images/, others

deb/DEBIAN/control and three other files

I run in X Terminal
dpkg-deb -b deb
I get error
tar: unknown option "--format=GNU"

What should I do about it?

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

Don't know about the error, but I'm using this command to build debs inside scratchbox:
dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -tc

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

Hello,

I've been away from computer for some time. Now I have read your
message, reinstalled dpkg-dev and tried to run your command (instead
of fakeroot I use sudo gainroot from rootsh). Here are errors from it:



parsechangelog/debian: warnings: badly formatted heading line; found
eof where expected first heading



changelog is created by hand and contains one line

gamma(0.1)

where gamma is theme name (the same as in control and index.theme) and
0.1 is version (the same as in control).

I would be thankful for any help with this file


dpkg-buildpackage: error: unable to determine source package



If it's caused only by changelog, go ahead. I just don't know what to
write in changelog file. I'm able to edit it in vi.



Best regards.

Re: [Guide]How to create a Maemo5 theme
 

Here is correctly formatted changelog-file (edit it to suit your needs, change at least the package name):