HowTo install Themes? [Archive] - maemo.org

View Full Version : HowTo install Themes?

jonnymarx

2009-10-12, 07:21

Hello User,

sorry for this stupid Question, but i don't know how i can install selfmade Themes at the N900. I built a Theme via The Theme Maker 1.2.3, created a .deb and sent it by bluetooth to my N900.

Now, it is saved in the file manager, but this is the reason, why i can't choose it by the Setting "Themes".

What should i do?

Best wishes,
Jonny

Mandibela

2009-10-12, 07:25

You should install it first on the device? Double tap the .deb file, it should open the app manager.

joppu

2009-10-12, 07:46

In xterm, navigate to MyDocs and run,
dpkg -i themefile.deb

kabu

2009-10-12, 08:48

plese tell me how you created a .deb successfull. i try ,but cann't,i also use theme maker 1.2.3

joppu

2009-10-12, 08:53

plese tell me how you created a .deb successfull. i try ,but cann't,i also use theme maker 1.2.3

What's your O/S?

jonnymarx

2009-10-12, 09:00

joppu

2009-10-12, 09:22

kabu, where exactly is the problem? You have to be more explicit.

So, if i double-tick on the .deb, i get the app manager.
But what i have to do then??
i can open it as as_daemon, Backup, Blocks, etc. ...

They removed the one-click-installation.

You need to use the console

In xterm, navigate to MyDocs and run,
dpkg -i themefilename.deb

jonnymarx

2009-10-12, 10:36

joppu

2009-10-12, 11:04

use
ls
to list the directory content.

Make sure to type the MyDocs as Case Sensitive, since it's Unix.

ossipena

2009-10-12, 11:04

Hey, thank you joppu for your help,

Unfortunelly, the xterm needs superuser privilegs!
with sudo, it needs a password, that i don't have..
and how i can change to Mydocs? cd mydocs don't work..

I have only a prototype of the N900, could it be disruptive?

try

sudo gainroot

i think the path is /home/user/MyDocs/ but i'm not sure... atleast my n800 has that path

jonnymarx

2009-10-12, 11:19

Enable RD mode if you want to break your Device

kommt, auch wenn ich es mit sudo gainroot mache...

kanishou

2009-10-12, 11:25

Enable RD mode if you want to break your Device

kommt, auch wenn ich es mit sudo gainroot mache...

Wrong language. ;)

You can enable rd mode with the flasher tool (I'm sure someone can provide the link, or just search on maemo.org). Just flasher --enable-rd-mode, then turn on the device with the USB cable connected.

Alternatively, you can try if red-pill mode is (still) available on your device. To enable it, open the application manager, add a new repository and enter "matrix" in the web address, then close the dialog and choose the red pill. If this works, you will have an "install from file" option in the application menu.

Perhaps there is also a package you could install to gain easier root access, this is just how I'm used to do it.

joppu

2009-10-12, 11:43

rootsh, from Extras, install that.

andrewfblack

2009-10-12, 11:55

Did they remove install from file from the application manager? That is what I use to install my themes.

Jaffa

2009-10-12, 13:15

Hmm, we might really need to consider a "this post is unhelpful"/"-ve karma"/"anti-thanks" on posts.

Here's a more complete statement:

You cannot install debs directly on the device out-of-the-box.
Themes should be distributed (like every other package) through Extras.
To test your theme, you'll need to install the deb. You have two basic ways of doing this easily:

Install rootsh (http://maemo.org/downloads/product/Maemo5/rootsh/). Use sudo gainroot and dpkg -i MyDocs/sometheme.deb
Install a install-from-deb package, such as appinstaller (http://maemo.org/packages/view/appinstaller/) and use it to install the deb

appinstaller is only in extras-devel, so not really recommended. Developers wanting to test their packages (whether themes or apps), are probably best going for the X Terminal root.

kabu

2009-10-13, 03:29

kabu, where exactly is the problem? You have to be more explicit.

So, if i double-tick on the .deb, i get the app manager.
But what i have to do then??
i can open it as as_daemon, Backup, Blocks, etc. ...

i build with theme maker1.2.3,when build successfull,i can't find a .deb file,where i am wrong?

kabu

2009-10-13, 03:30

i build with theme maker1.2.3,when build successfull,i can't find a .deb file,where i am wrong?

jonnymarx

2009-10-13, 08:48

Clicked on "Make deb?"
Than your dpkg don't work correctly.
Read this Thread from the first entry ;)

So, thanks Jaffa, but its really complicated..
But i hope, i'll get it ;)

thx

jonnymarx

2009-10-13, 09:02

kanishou

2009-10-13, 10:33

Okay, new problem :(

i installed rootsh, gave in sudo gainroot

Root shell enabled

BusyBox v1.10.2 ...

Then, i gave in:
/home/user/MyDocs # dpkg - i MyDocs/mytheme.deb

And i get:

dpkg: error processing MyDocs/mytheme.deb (--install):
cannot access archive: No such file or directory Errors
were encountered while processing:
MyDocs/mytheme.deb

Where is here the problem??? :(

Replace "mytheme" with whatever you called your theme? :) Check what the file is called exactly after creating it with the theme maker. Also, try hitting the tab button on xterm while entering a path, that will complete the path if possible (hit tab twice to get a list of files starting with the letters you typed).

Jaffa

2009-10-13, 10:37

/home/user/MyDocs # dpkg - i MyDocs/mytheme.deb

The first part of the path is showing you your current directory. You can see it ends in "MyDocs". Then, your final parameter to dpkg is specifying the file to install. You've asked it to install a file called mytheme.deb in the folder MyDocs. But you're already in MyDocs!

Try instead:

/home/user/MyDocs # dpkg - i mytheme.deb

Also ensuring, as kanishou says, that "mytheme.deb" is the actual name of the file that you've copied to the N900!

jonnymarx

2009-10-13, 11:19

Okay, thank you it works!

The problem was, like Jaffa said. Someone before advices me to change to the MyDocs folder, this was my mistake.

Thank you everyone! :)

kabu

2009-10-14, 01:50

What's your O/S?

windows/linux

jukata

2009-11-05, 21:53

After reading this thread I'm curious to know (in a non-developer way) if it will be at all possible to install new themes by simply opening a theme package (deb) with the N900, eg. download a theme with the device from website x > open theme file > activate theme > enjoy?

Sorry for the noob questions coming from the designers corner :) Trying to stand in the gap here.

joppu

2009-11-08, 14:13

Well there has been the decision to remove the option to install anything by just clicking the .deb. It's to encourage developers and users to use the repos to distribute their stuff. So now, if you want to install from the deb, you'll need to use the terminal.

jukata

2009-11-08, 22:09

Thanks for the reply Joppu.

It would be great to install/manage all personalization related things (wallpaper, theme, opening video) by using a simple application, since most of maemo users will never use a terminal.

Current situation doesn't leave much options for generating revenue out of personalized content for majority of users. Free content eg. themes can be shared via Maemo.org repos and for paid content theres Ovi under construction, which still is out of the question for individual designers and small studios. Being a VAT registered business isn't the challenge, but getting Media Publisher status is, since it requires 1M USD general liability insurance which costs an arm and a leg, but the real frustration starts to kick when you notice that you're limited to 20 paid and/or free published items.

Are there any options in between for this simple use case: User pays and downloads a file with personalized content, clicks and installs, the old fashioned way? And please don't say use Ovi for things with a pricetag, it just isn't viable. There's a growing group of designers and artists not fitting into Ovi criteria and crying out for alternatives.

Sorry if its a bit off topic. This is a big deal for people looking to create and distribute content and getting paid for it, themes in particular.

jukata

2009-11-08, 22:16

Adding to previous post: By options for the use case I mean scripts/applications etc. any other more user friendly ways to install personalized content than using a terminal.

jukata

2009-11-09, 23:30

I'll answer my own previous question, just in case anyone else comes seeking for the same info:

- About app manager not installing debs (http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=32445)
- App installer (http://maemo.org/packages/package_instance/view/fremantle_extras-devel_free_i386/appinstaller/1.1/) (no experience, should do the trick but dont know if its easy enough for "grandma".)

jonnymarx

2010-01-25, 14:51

I have another Question.

I work for a company, which want to offer Themes for N900. is it possible, to unpack the .deb automatically, via file-manager or something like that?

It is quite unconvenient for a user to make such big operations in the Terminal, you see?

Hope to get help here,

Best wishes,
Jonny

Lacedaemon

2010-01-25, 17:22

Since last firmware update, I am not sure if it's possible to install .deb files without Terminal.

kjmackey

2010-01-25, 17:30

The themes, such as Harmony and Alpine etc, available in the Ovi store unpack and install quite nicely with the Application Manager.

Quite how this is done I don't know. But it seems possible to package them for simple installation by the user.

jonnymarx

2010-02-18, 15:59

Yes, but its very complicated for the producer...^^
You have to creaty repositories and gz-files and stuf like that...

But thanks for your help!