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Need critics for my SH2 theme, SmallCaps

El Blacksheep

El Blacksheep

Android Enthusiast
So it looks like my theme was a BIT of a success; it's currently the most downloaded theme :o
Still, that doesn't tell me anything about retention rates; how many of you actually use it? What do you like, what don't you like? What would you like to see added or removed? Let me know :)

Latest version: 2.3​

* I intentionally didn't add the Power Control widget or a Settings button. I strongly recommend downloading a free app from the market called Quick Settings which puts all your most-used settings in the notification bar so you don't have to clutter your screen with them.

* Top screen is just a changelog. Mostly because at the time I couldn't come up with a better use for that screen. I've grown to like it :)

CENTER screen:
COMMUNICATION
SmallCaps_clock.png
SmallCaps_social.png

- Features one-touch access to your Dialer, Contacts, Android Market, and Handcent SMS
- Toggles back and forth between a clean and simple clock widget and a pair of trays for social networking apps and finance / account-based apps.
- Known bug: sometimes have to toggle back and forth between the two screen-sets before they show & hide correctly.

LEFT screen:
MULTIMEDIA
SmallCaps_video.png
SmallCaps_music.png
SmallCaps_games.png

- Features one-touch access to your camera and gallery apps
- Minimizable menus featuring music, video and gaming content
- Music menu now features a playlist tray for quick access to your favorite songs and albums
- NEW Video menu features a favorites tray for quick access to your favorite clips, recordings, shows and movies

RIGHT screen:
INFORMATION
SmallCaps_calendar.png
SmallCaps_gps.png
SmallCaps_news.png

- Features one-touch access to your Gmail and DocsToGo
- Minimizable menus featuring the PureCalendar widget, news apps, gps apps and navigation locations
- The calendar menu brings up the widget and a button to launch Astrid Tasks
- The GPS menu now separates the location shortcuts from the gps apps
- The news menu now keeps track of all your news, sports and weather.

BOTTOM screen:
APPLICATIONS
SmallCaps_apps.png

- Simple app drawer
- Looking for user suggestions. Keep it simple or add a background?

My goal with this theme is to make it light and powerful. I didn't want to use too many flashy widgets and pictures; instead focusing on using text, gradients and transparencies to create a theme that would work well with nearly any wallpaper the user wishes to use.
Click to expand...
 
I can't find this to download anymore... I have been using your older version because I find the layout to be fantastic and really clean.... Nothing to clutter up the screen and makes my droid just look incredible
 
There's a couple ways to find it:

1) Themes -> Popularity. Recently it's jumped all the way to #1 with over 3000 downloads
2) Themes -> Search. By author: elblacksheep
3) Themes -> Search. By name: SmallCaps
4) Themes -> Recent. Whenever I update, it's back on the most recent list.

Alternatively, you can use this link from your phone:
sweeterhome://ws.sweeterhome.com/themes/content/elblacksheep/SmallCaps

Or, you can use this link to download the theme, then use a file manager to move it to /sdcard/sweeterhome/
http://ws.sweeterhome.com/themes/content/elblacksheep/SmallCaps
 
great theme, i was trying to tweak it a bit and was having trouble...it is set to default browser when i use dolphin...if you could make the springboards more editable would be cool because the gps is one that i didnt think was worth a whole folder...it is the best and mostversitile of the sweeterhome themes ive seen
 
I happened to notice somebody directly copied my theme and uploaded it as their own. I don't mind if anyone wants to use my theme as a starting point and modifies it from there, but FFS at least change the name and description!

Sturge[Droid];293386 said:
great theme, i was trying to tweak it a bit and was having trouble...it is set to default browser when i use dolphin...if you could make the springboards more editable would be cool because the gps is one that i didnt think was worth a whole folder...it is the best and mostversitile of the sweeterhome themes ive seen
Click to expand...

Ah yes, that deals directly with how I made the theme itself. Here's how you would go about changing it from using the default browser to Dolphin:

1) Go into Edit mode
2) Long press on the browser label, and select Custom Tray:browser:browser
3) Change Locked from Yes to No
4) Exit Edit mode
5) Long press on the browser label, and drag the invisible browser app out of the tray.
6) Long press on the browser label, and add a new application to the browser tray. (Select Dolphin from the menu)
7) Go into Edit mode
8) Long press on the browser label, and select Custom Tray:browser:browser
9) Change Locked from No to Yes
10) Exit Edit mode

Simple once you realize how it all works lol. You can do the same for the others.
 
El Blacksheep said:
I happened to notice somebody directly copied my theme and uploaded it as their own. I don't mind if anyone wants to use my theme as a starting point and modifies it from there, but FFS at least change the name and description!



Ah yes, that deals directly with how I made the theme itself. Here's how you would go about changing it from using the default browser to Dolphin:

1) Go into Edit mode
2) Long press on the browser label, and select Custom Tray:browser:browser
3) Change Locked from Yes to No
4) Exit Edit mode
5) Long press on the browser label, and drag the invisible browser app out of the tray.
6) Long press on the browser label, and add a new application to the browser tray. (Select Dolphin from the menu)
7) Go into Edit mode
8) Long press on the browser label, and select Custom Tray:browser:browser
9) Change Locked from No to Yes
10) Exit Edit mode

Simple once you realize how it all works lol. You can do the same for the others.
Click to expand...

sorry for accidental paste...i was trying to edit the theme (i hope you dont mind) and accidently uploaded the theme...thanks for the help
 
El Blacksheep said:
I happened to notice somebody directly copied my theme and uploaded it as their own. I don't mind if anyone wants to use my theme as a starting point and modifies it from there, but FFS at least change the name and description!
Click to expand...

I think some new users do it by mistake sometimes...
 
I suppose you're right. BTW thanks for featuring my theme on sweeterskins :)

For version 2.4, I'm thinking along the lines of:
- *MAYBE* Add a speed dial menu in place of Contacts
- *MAYBE* Add a post-it note widget to Top screen

Version 3.0 will be another revamp once SH2 gets a new public release.
 
I could fix the theme for landscape but it's not a priority for me... it'd double the size of the theme. The next SH2 release will give you the option of disabling landscape mode.
 
So, the Phone and contacts shortcuts at the bottom are broken, and searching the market gives me a connection failure. Also the 1x4 clock widget doesn't show the date correctly it is cut off at the bottom?
 
deman89 said:
So, the Phone and contacts shortcuts at the bottom are broken, and searching the market gives me a connection failure. Also the 1x4 clock widget doesn't show the date correctly it is cut off at the bottom?
Click to expand...

Using the method to change default browser I was able to fix the phone and contacts problems, the widget is still needing to be, fixed, going to try to change the touch here to start to display a peep widget. (ERIS)
 
It's sized for a Droid, so yea things will be cut off a bit on the Eris. It shouldn't be too hard to fix.

And I'm assuming the Eris uses a different Dialer app than the Droid does if the Phone and Contacts buttons are broken, since those are embedded...
 
Yes, okay I'm working on optimizing this for me and other Eris/Hero users, I will post screens soon.

Changes include all fonts to 10px, much easier to see on Eris.
 
I have a question, I want to change the contacts buttons, to Speed Dials I have the shortcuts and trays set up, but how do I make the clock and clock BG disappear only when I click the Speed dials springboard, when I do it it makes it so they appear only when I do that?
 
deman89 said:
Yes, okay I'm working on optimizing this for me and other Eris/Hero users, I will post screens soon.

Changes include all fonts to 10px, much easier to see on Eris.
Click to expand...

Sounds good for you and all the Hero / Eris users :)

deman89 said:
I have a question, I want to change the contacts buttons, to Speed Dials I have the shortcuts and trays set up, but how do I make the clock and clock BG disappear only when I click the Speed dials springboard, when I do it it makes it so they appear only when I do that?
Click to expand...

EDIT: The directions below don't work. Apparently there are issues with the way SH handles logic. I'll find a work-around.

Currently there are 2 springboards on that screen: ShowClock and ShowApps. They're both in group 'main'

ShowClock will make the clock, clockbg and "Touch to begin." text appear.
ShowApps will make the Social and Accounts trays and the "Touch to close." text appear.

To mod Speed Dial instead of Contacts:
(Optional) Change the Contacts label to Speed Dial or something else
1) Remove the Contacts custom tray
2) Copy/Paste the ShowClock (or the ShowApps) springboard, and move it over your speed dial text
3) Rename the new springboard to ShowContacts or something similar
4) Under controlled blocks, have it control your new Speed Dial tray (and any other trays you may also want to appear)

Now, this screen wasn't meant to have a 3rd springboard togglable, so you'll have to fix the first 2 as well:
5) Edit the ShowApps springboard
6) Under controlled blocks, add the ShowClock springboard
7) Edit the ShowClock springboard
8) Under controlled blocks, add the ShowApps springboard

This will make it so that when your speed dial list is up, those other springboards will be hidden. But now we have another issue: once the contacts springboard is open, there's no way to get back to the clock/apps. Even if it's minimizable all you get is a blank screen! Here's the fix:

9) Copy/Paste the ShowClock springboard again
10) This time, move it somewhere on the screen and give it a label (I'd suggest a red X or something similar)
11) Rename it to HideContacts
12) Edit ShowContacts and include the HideContacts springboard for controlled blocks.

Now, when you open the contacts tray you'll have a 'button' you can press to close it and return back to the clock screen. It's a bit dirty but it works!

Well I found out why it doesn't work: the new version of SH2 nests springboards, which completely screws up what would've worked otherwise.

But alas, I found my workaround:

To mod Speed Dial instead of Contacts:
(Optional) Change the Contacts label to Speed Dial or something else
1) Remove the Contacts custom tray
2) Copy/Paste the ShowClock (or the ShowApps) springboard, and move it over your speed dial text
3) Rename the new springboard to ShowContacts or something similar
4) Under controlled blocks, have it control your new Speed Dial tray and TouchLabel2 (and any other trays you may also want to appear)
5) Make sure your Speed Dial tray isnt covering the "Touch to close." label & springboard, they're the only way to get back to the clock without causing serious bugs.

It comes with a bug: since springboards are now nested, we can't put the ShowApps springboard in the ShowClock springboard's controlled blocks list without causing errors. This means you can press the empty space where you know the springboard is and go from Contacts to Apps. To get around this bug, you can:

1) Hide it. Make your Speed Dial tray large enough that it covers the ShowApps springboard, and move the ShowApps springboard down to a layer below the Speed Dial tray so you can't select it.
2) Make it a feature. Add an additional text label to the Contacts controlled blocks list that says "Show apps" or something.

This will be in my next version, along with:

* A new Tools/Productivity menu replacing the DocumentsToGo button (for apps like WiFi Tether, DocsToGo, SetCPU, Settings, Clock, Astro, Calculator, etc.)
 
The problem... The Home springboard remains, after I change the Speed Dials switch off, and it causes the clock to disappear, so how does one get around this?

SmallCapsMain-1.png
 
joek71 said:
Download not working, tried to download from phone and to pc neither is working.
Click to expand...

PC working for me. From phone should be too.

Just click the link (don't save as) - should load as an XML doc. If it does then it works.

Also, make sure you have the latest version of SH - click link in my sig.
 
Your new release springboards were still buggy, I have it working on my device with a transparent block overtop the home springboard at layer 1, only problem is it creates a small dead spot...
 
Hmm I wonder if its just an error with the Eris / Hero, cause I don't have any flaky behavior on my Droid.

Can anyone with a Droid confirm?
 
I don't know I changed my interface slighty for speed dials here:
SmallCapsForErisMainNew.png

dials.png

SmallCapsForErisTools.png



Also how does one get the picture block to get behind the gradients?
 
If you wanted to add a picture block behind the gradients, you'd have to move everything up a level since I have gradients on layer 1.
 
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