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Menu Modders Guide |
max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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How to mod K, W, Z and S series Menus:
When you mod your phone's menu, you are editing the xml based code that specifies the menu options and the icons that will represent those options. So you need to upload this modified xml file and any alternative icons you want used in the menu to the /tpa/preset/system/menu on the phone.
How to install the files (we'll get to how to make the files in a second, but this step I've put at the start for handy reference):
First you will need usb drivers installed: http://rapidshare.com/files/15929980/USBFlash.zip
Extract the USB Drivers to a folder on your computer.
Turn off your K800 (or SE phone). Hold down the "C" button, and while holding it, plug in the cable. A windows prompt will find hardware and will ask you if you want to install it automatically or manually. Use the manual option and browse to the folder where you extracted the usb drivers.
You can also get the drivers by installing SEUS http://www.sonyericsson.com/d[....]te_Service_Setup-2.7.6.8-1.exe
Download XS++: http://forums.se-nse.net/inde[....]=6805&st=0&p=85226&#entry85226
Extract to a folder. In the XS++ folder, create two folders called files_to_upload and own_custpack
Run XS++. Click Connect and plug the usb cable into the phone while holding the "c" button. Release the c button when XS++ indicates the phone is connected. You are now connected to the phone's subsystems.
The first thing is to select the access method; generally use BreakSX as the wayin. However, to select the wayin, you will need to click into 'Flash' configuration, tick 'customize file system', and then go back to 'settings' and click BreakXS.
Click FSX: any files in the files_to_upload folder will be copied to the phone's internal file system when you click Start FSX. Alternatively add file names and the full pathname using the "add file" button for any files you want to delete.
The files in files_to_upload folder must have the same directory structure as the phone. For example camera drivers should be saved in /ifs/settings/camera within the files_to_upload folder so they will be copied to that same folder on the phone. Menu files need to be uploaded to /tpa/preset/system/menu
Okay, now on to the fun stuff!
Modifying the Menu
The first step is editing the menu xml file to suit the modifications you have in mind. The most visual modification is the addition of your own icons in the menu. Other modifications include shortcuts to java apps and moving of menu options from one location to another among other tricks.
The xml file we are dealing with is called menu.ml. Within menu.ml is code to instruct the phone how to assemble the menu. The following options are specified for each menu item:
* what function will be initiated when that menu item is selected.
* where that menu item should be located in the menu tree
* what it's name is
* what icon will be displayed both when selected, when unselected, and when in a shortcut list
Example Menu Item:
Code:
| <element id="PlayNow" replace="next">
<label type="name" textid="DIL_PRE_PLAY_LINK_TXT"/>
<icon pos="unselected" source="internal">PREPLAY_DESKTOP_ICN</icon>
<icon pos="selected" source="internal">PREPLAY_DESKTOP_SELECTED_ICN</icon>
<icon pos="shortcut" source="internal">RN_SHORTCUT_LIST_PREPLAY_ICN</icon>
<link type="internal"/>
</element>
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The Tags:
Element:
Each menu item is contained within the tags ~ . Elements are named; . Elements can be nested within other elements. For example all the main menu items (each one an element with sub elements) are contained within the element "MainMenu". Elements can be cut and pasted easily from one sub element to another, or from one level to another, by ensuring everything within the element tags (and the tags themselves) is copied to the new location.
Layout:
Main Menu items can have the option "layout" specified, such as DesktopTopMenuGFX2 (the standard 3x4 icon layout) or DesktopFullScreen (each menu item takes up the full screen) or SingleRow (list form).
Label
label type is to use the embedded text hook for the menu item name, example DIL_PRE_PLAY_LINK_TXT, or to specify your own name, example
Code:
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<label type="name"> <text>Opera Mini</text> </label> |
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icon:
This is where you set the menu item's icons. The value 'pos' defines which position the icon is need for; the selected menu item, the unselected menu item or the menu item in a shortcut list. The options are 'selected', 'unselected' or 'shortcut'.
The value 'source' specifies whether the icon is an embedded image in the main firmware or a file in the file system. The options are 'internal' for embedded or 'file' for file system.
Contained within the ICON tag is the name of either an internal icon, for example PREPLAY_DESKTOP_ICN, or the name of the icon file contained in the same folder as menu.ml, for example icon1_unselected.png.
Link Type:
Link Type defines the action that will be performed when the menu item is chosen. When set to 'internal', the phone uses element id to determine what action will be initiated.
When set to 'java', a java program can be specified. When JAVA is specified, these additional values must be also specified:
Code:
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<link type="java" javasuitename="Opera Mini 1.20" javasuitevendor="Opera Software ASA" javasuitepoint="Browser"/>
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These values can be obtained from the java program's JAD file if you have it, or from the manifest file within the java app itself. Java apps can be unpacked with winrar. A Java JAD or manifest file contains the following information that corresponds to the above link type values:
MIDlet-Name: Opera Mini 1.20
MIDlet-1: Opera Mini 1.20, /icon.png, Browser
MIDlet-Vendor: Opera Software ASA
The non-obvious one is "javasuitepoint", which corresponds to the information after the last comma in "Midlet-1"
Using Your Own Icons
Now I'm not going into the how-to's of photoshopping your own icons, I'm no Photoshop guru, so I'll assume you either made them yourself or downloaded them and they are ready to be used in your menu.
Icons can be named anything you want, as long as the code in menu.ml points to the same name. However SE seem to use the following standard for naming menu icons located within the file system:
'icon1_unselected.png', where "1" is the menu item placement in main menu, and "unselected" is the pos. So the selected icon for the entertainment menu for example, is icon3_selected.png. Note: this is a convention only, it's the code in menu.ml that determines the actual placement not the icon name, but if icon developers use the same standard then it is easier for people to use those icons with their own menu.ml files, because everyone will be using the same naming convention.
So that's it a basic how to on menu modding. 
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[ This Message was edited by: max_wedge on 2007-08-27 14:05 ] | |
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max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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Editing menu.ml
The menu.ml file can be edited in notepad or you can use this app:
http://onyx-ltd.chat.ru/se_menueditor/menuedit.zip which makes the process somewat less tedious.
Additional information on Icons
*transparent png or gif, and animated gif files can be used.
*Submenu icon Size: 24 pixels wide, by 15-24 pixels high.
submenu icons must be 24 pixels wide otherwise the text in lists doesn't line up properly when default icons are alongside custom icons. Height doesn't seem to matter too much, I've used from 24x17 up to 24x24 pixel icons.
*submenu icons can be specified in the tag "icon" with pos="left" instead of "shortcut". pos="shortcut" specifies the icon that will appear when the menu item is added to the shortcut list.
Additional information on Elements, Menus and other Tags
*The tags 'Element' and 'Menu' must be properly closed and properly nested or the menu will not display correctly.
Important note: XS++ version 3 has come out since I did the above guide. For instructions for copying files to your phone with XS++ 3, see this link: http://forums.se-nse.net/index.php?showtopic=17452
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File System Tweaks for the K750 K750 Tricks
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[ This Message was edited by: max_wedge on 2008-01-10 00:52 ] |
tranced
Joined: Jan 19, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Santo Domingo, wonDeRland
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@max: this prolly sounds stupid, but here i go:
my firmware is a generic one and since i flashed it i noticed the PlayNow disappeared. everytime i put a different menu it has the PlayNow icon, but the text label says Sony Ericsson. is there a way to change this label? or is this in the firmware?
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[ This Message was edited by: tranced on 2007-08-27 13:56 ]
[ This Message was edited by: tranced on 2007-08-27 14:39 ] |
max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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Actually I left a step ou to f the guide above.
Code:
| <label type="name"> <text>Opera Mini</text> </label> |
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So, in label type try changing
type="name" textid="DIL_PRE_PLAY_LINK_TXT"
to
Code:
| <label type="name"> <text>Play Now</text> </label> |
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Does it actually go to play now when you select it?
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File System Tweaks for the K750 K750 Tricks
K800 Tips and Themes
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[ This Message was edited by: max_wedge on 2007-08-28 00:12 ] |
tranced
Joined: Jan 19, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Santo Domingo, wonDeRland
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uuuummmm, i dont know. i have no credit 
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max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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hehe 
I suppose it doesn't matter then as long as it looks good
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max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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Icon image sizes:
Menu icons that will be displayed in the 3x4 menu format should be around 93x73 pixels for the selected image, 73x53 for the unselected image.
Menu icons displayed in the full screen format should be 240x320 (width x height)
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tranced
Joined: Jan 19, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Santo Domingo, wonDeRland
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What about the 176x220 phones? Full screen icons should be 176x176 or what?
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max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
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From: Australia
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On 2007-08-28 01:47:00, tranced wrote:
What about the 176x220 phones? Full screen icons should be 176x176 or what?
Yep what ever screen res of the mobile being modded, or smaller.
Some 240x320 phone menus use 240x227 fullscreen desktops. So you can experiment
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File System Tweaks for the K750 K750 Tricks
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[ This Message was edited by: max_wedge on 2007-08-28 00:56 ] |
max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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Another addition, icon pos shortcut is the icon in a shortcut list. however use the following to get an icon in sub-menu lists:
Code:
| <icon pos="left" source="file">youricon.png</icon> |
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File System Tweaks for the K750 K750 Tricks
K800 Tips and Themes
Max's K800 Page
[ This Message was edited by: max_wedge on 2007-08-28 06:33 ] |
Chrispy
Joined: Jan 20, 2006
Posts: 308
From: Auckland, New Zealand
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That is a very informative post, Max.
Very easy to read
I wish I'd had something like that, when I started modding my phones
t68i (dead), t630 (sold), s700 + 128mb (lost), P990i + 1gb (sold) Nokia N73 ME (sold) Currently: K750i, W810i + 1gb, W580i (gray) + 4gb
previously (un)known as : dumbrella |
max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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Thanks. I wouldn't have minded something like this too - I think I must have read 100 pages learning that little bit of info 
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SE4NICK
Joined: Dec 27, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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WOW nice guide !! STICKY STICKY STICKY STICKY
Could you please post it here www.segoodies.com (there are menu icons for download and menu icon creators over their)
OR if you don't mind i can post it their giving you full credit of course.
However if you don't want it shared i respect that and will leave well enough alone.
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max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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Done! http://www.segoodies.com/foru[....]php?topic=1286.msg6355#msg6355
Enjoy.
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SE4NICK
Joined: Dec 27, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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Thanks alot max...............
I have made it a sticky..
[ This Message was edited by: SE4NICK on 2007-08-28 10:32 ] | |
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Access the forum with a mobile phone via esato.mobi
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Posted: 2007-08-27 14:30
jay0726 | 
