Root Using Font Changer - what is the "stock" HTC EVO system font?

[scudder]

I was looking at the Font Changer app...thinking of trying it out. I was wondering if anyone knew the name of the stock system font for the EVO??

Also has anyone used Font Changer?? Any problems? There was a warning in the app at startup indicating that the "restore" function to get back to your stock font after playing around "might not work" so I was a bit nervous about trying it

THANKS!!

 

[akazabam]

1) Read this thread:

http://androidforums.com/evo-4g-all-things-root/259584-what-my-default-installed-font.html

It answers your question.

2) In that thread, there is a link to a whole bunch of flashable fonts. No need for an app to flash them. Just flash them from recovery. The link is also there for the stock font if you want it back.

3) No matter what you decide, make a nandroid backup, first. If you somehow manage to break something (unlikely while flashing fonts), you can always go back to where it was before.

 

[scudder]

1) Read this thread:

http://androidforums.com/evo-4g-all-things-root/259584-what-my-default-installed-font.html

It answers your question.

2) In that thread, there is a link to a whole bunch of flashable fonts. No need for an app to flash them. Just flash them from recovery. The link is also there for the stock font if you want it back.

3) No matter what you decide, make a nandroid backup, first. If you somehow manage to break something (unlikely while flashing fonts), you can always go back to where it was before.

Ahh...ya see, when I created my thread and searched for the information before posted, I was searching for "stock" font rather than "default" and NOTHING with relevant info hit So I appreciate the link to the info!

Forgive me, as I am rooted but haven't found time to sit down and flash ANYTHING like a ROM to play around with but it appears from the post (and I didn't read the XDA site post) that I would be flashing a FONT change and NOT a ROM change?? And it is as simple as "flashing back" to the default font whenever I want??

If so, sounds super...THANKS AGAIN!!

 

[akazabam]

Yes, that's correct. Download the flashable zip, copy it to the root of your sdcard, wipe cache/dalvik if you're paranoid, flash the zip, reboot. Repeat with the stock font to go back. I don't *think* you need a deodexed ROM for this, but I'm not positive. As you've never flashed a ROM, I highly recommend you make a nandroid backup first, just in case.

 

[scudder]

Yes, that's correct. Download the flashable zip, copy it to the root of your sdcard, wipe cache/dalvik if you're paranoid, flash the zip, reboot. Repeat with the stock font to go back. I don't *think* you need a deodexed ROM for this, but I'm not positive. As you've never flashed a ROM, I highly recommend you make a nandroid backup first, just in case.

Hey akaz...

So on your recommendation I went over to XDA and have been playing around with some of these font pack zip! This is also my first FLASHING experience (I haven't had a chance to get into any custom ROMs...so I was a FLASHING VIRGIN HA!! That's FUNNY!! Anyway...).

I came across a post in that thread that was interesting, posing the same question that I had now that I have played with flashing these font packs:

xda-developers - View Single Post - 239 Flashable Font Packs - Change your system fonts the easy way!

IF you have any experience, I was wondering what the pros and cons were with flashing these packs vs. using the Font Changer app. It seeeemed to me that using the app might be easier, just find/convert to a ttf file and load for the app to recognize. I also thought it might be easier on the poor guy over there who is getting request after request to create new font packs.

So, if you have any experience with Font Changer, do you know any pros or cons?? Or do you have any opinions either way??

THANKS!!

 

[cquinn]

You might check out Absolute System Root Tool. From within that app you can download a large selection of system fonts and just pick the one you want to switch too. All you have to do after you've switched is reboot and it's changed. Easy.

 

[akazabam]

Yes, that will work too. The post in the thread sums it up, really. Do whatever you're comfortable with. Keep in mind that all these apps are basically doing the exact same thing, but with a "user friendly" format. Personally, I like to flash things from recovery because I *know* they will work. Front-end apps can be buggy at times. If you're comfortable with either of the above front-end options, and they work for you, go for it. Also, keep in mind that if you find the ttf files for a font you want, and it's not already packaged in a flashable zip, it's really easy to do yourself. Should you decide to do that, I can show you how.

 

[scudder]

Yes, that will work too. The post in the thread sums it up, really. Do whatever you're comfortable with. Keep in mind that all these apps are basically doing the exact same thing, but with a "user friendly" format. Personally, I like to flash things from recovery because I *know* they will work. Front-end apps can be buggy at times. If you're comfortable with either of the above front-end options, and they work for you, go for it. Also, keep in mind that if you find the ttf files for a font you want, and it's not already packaged in a flashable zip, it's really easy to do yourself. Should you decide to do that, I can show you how.

Is this kinda the gist of what you would have taught me what to do with making my own font packs??

xda-developers - View Single Post - 239 Flashable Font Packs - Change your system fonts the easy way!

 

[akazabam]

Yep! That's how you do it. It's really simple. Heed the update and sign the flashable zip. You can get around it by toggling the option to verify signature in recovery, but save yourself potential grief and just sign it. There are many, many ways to sign zips/apks. I usually use this one:

[PC] PPCGeeks Android APK & Zip Signer - PPCGeeks

There are command line ones out there too.

 

[scudder]

Yep! That's how you do it. It's really simple. Heed the update and sign the flashable zip. You can get around it by toggling the option to verify signature in recovery, but save yourself potential grief and just sign it. There are many, many ways to sign zips/apks. I usually use this one:

[PC] PPCGeeks Android APK & Zip Signer - PPCGeeks

There are command line ones out there too.

What is the purpose/reason for "signing" the zip/apk?? I'm VERY new at all of this...but enjoying and learning

THANKS!!

 

[akazabam]

Basically, you're just verifying the integrity of the file. If there is any corruption whatsoever, recovery won't even attempt to flash it as long as it has been signed. Depending on recovery/version, you can toggle signature verification to off, if you want, but I wouldn't recommend it. It takes seconds to sign a file.

 

[scudder]

Basically, you're just verifying the integrity of the file. If there is any corruption whatsoever, recovery won't even attempt to flash it as long as it has been signed. Depending on recovery/version, you can toggle signature verification to off, if you want, but I wouldn't recommend it. It takes seconds to sign a file.

So, I tell you about 4 posts up that I'm a FLASHING VIRGIN...then 2 posts ago, I admit to decompressing .gz-compressed .apks...and now I'm REALLY gonna get in over my head and take this one step further, though a bit off topic ...

So, say I want to screw around with the images in an app...the png files. For example, if a weather app or widget, I don't want the sun icon to be yellow, I want it RED. Can I theoretically (or simply) decompress the apk file, mod the image file, put it back where it was with the same name, repackage the file and the RESIGN THE FILE as you have mentioned above, then reinstall the modded app and I'll have my RED sun??

 

[akazabam]

Well, you could probably get away with doing that. If you want to completely decompile an apk, use apktool:

[UTIL][03.09.10] Apktool v1.3.2 - a tool for reengineering apk files - xda-developers

Just install it, and run it from the command line. It will give you the options for how to use it. I've done the same sort of thing you're asking about with launcher pro. It works fine. I did, however, use apktool to completely decompile it. If the images are available by just opening the apk, you could probably do it without it. Try it and see what happens. This is an apk, so as you said, you must sign it. It will never install if you don't. it's not an option like it is with flashable recovery zips. Also, you can sign apks on the fly from your phone with signapktic. It's in the market, I believe.

All that being said, you might be thinking to far into this. While you'll need to do the above for most apps, a lot of weather apps just use some sort of skins. Beautiful widgets, for example, stores all it's skins on the sdcard. You can just open the directory for whatever skin you want to modify, and replace the appropriate png with whatever you want (assuming you keep the png sizes the same). It's ridiculously easy, and doesn't require messing around with the apk at all. What weather app did you have in mind?

One other quick thing. If you do open up an apk, be careful messing around with files named 9.png or any others that have black borders around them. You don't want to remove that border.

EDIT: Oh, one more thing. If you can find it on xda, use apktool 1.3.1 instead of the latest (1.3.2). The latest seems to have issues recompiling apks.

 

[scudder]

Well, you could probably get away with doing that. If you want to completely decompile an apk, use apktool:

[UTIL][03.09.10] Apktool v1.3.2 - a tool for reengineering apk files - xda-developers

Just install it, and run it from the command line. It will give you the options for how to use it. I've done the same sort of thing you're asking about with launcher pro. It works fine. I did, however, use apktool to completely decompile it. If the images are available by just opening the apk, you could probably do it without it. Try it and see what happens. This is an apk, so as you said, you must sign it. It will never install if you don't. it's not an option like it is with flashable recovery zips. Also, you can sign apks on the fly from your phone with signapktic. It's in the market, I believe.

All that being said, you might be thinking to far into this. While you'll need to do the above for most apps, a lot of weather apps just use some sort of skins. Beautiful widgets, for example, stores all it's skins on the sdcard. You can just open the directory for whatever skin you want to modify, and replace the appropriate png with whatever you want (assuming you keep the png sizes the same). It's ridiculously easy, and doesn't require messing around with the apk at all. What weather app did you have in mind?

One other quick thing. If you do open up an apk, be careful messing around with files named 9.png or any others that have black borders around them. You don't want to remove that border.

EDIT: Oh, one more thing. If you can find it on xda, use apktool 1.3.1 instead of the latest (1.3.2). The latest seems to have issues recompiling apks.

Coincidental that you mention Beautiful Widgets (weather) which I do NOT have installed because I found a similar suggestion to simply adjust the .png files for the skins and put back on the SD card, even renamed if you would like.

I should probably take the easy way out and just download Beautiful Widgets, mess with the png file and be done. But I was getting CREATIVE The app I was thinking of modding was the widget associated with "Weather Forecast Widget" http://www.appbrain.com/app/weather-forecast-widget/org.koxx.forecast_weather.v2 I just liked the simplicity of the 1x1 icons.

 

[akazabam]

Beautiful widgets does have a 4x1 and a 1x1 widget now, if that's what you're after. In any case, if that's the one you want, I can see how it works later. I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to do something similar.

 

[scudder]

Beautiful widgets does have a 4x1 and a 1x1 widget now, if that's what you're after. In any case, if that's the one you want, I can see how it works later. I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to do something similar.

Hey Akazabam...coincidentally, I was posting in another thread asking about the possibility of making changes to the notification/status bar at the top of my EVO. Check out this post link:

http://androidforums.com/htc-evo-4g/91853-lets-us-peek-your-screens-90.html#post2190291

The reply to my question about the status bar refers to an app called "NinjaMorph" It seems that that app automates what I am trying to do here with choosing a few weather widget icons with the .apk file, do you agree?? Not only automates but seeks to back up, preserve the original file(s) and repackage in a safe way.

Are you familiar with this NinjaMorph??

 

[akazabam]

Hey Akazabam...coincidentally, I was posting in another thread asking about the possibility of making changes to the notification/status bar at the top of my EVO. Check out this post link:

http://androidforums.com/htc-evo-4g/91853-lets-us-peek-your-screens-90.html#post2190291

The reply to my question about the status bar refers to an app called "NinjaMorph" It seems that that app automates what I am trying to do here with choosing a few weather widget icons with the .apk file, do you agree?? Not only automates but seeks to back up, preserve the original file(s) and repackage in a safe way.

Are you familiar with this NinjaMorph??

I haven't used it all that much, myself, but I do believe it can be used for that. If you need help figuring it out, let me know.