[Tutorial] Notification Dropdown Text Color Changes/Status Bar Changes (Sense 3.0)

Gunthermic · Aug 27, 2011

I hope this little tutorial from Average Joes will help the many questions about how to change the Notification Dropdown Text Color.

I have been on a mission for a couple of months to figure this beast out. Read many threads, PM'd many others. Alot of info is out there about how to change the text color for notification dropdown for Sense 2.0 and Sense 2.1. But Sense 3.0 made some changes to the structure of the XML's and how the Status Bar was using them. I will write out how I did it, and hopefully it will guide you along to what I think is an awesome change for a ROM or a Theme to make..

Requirements:

1. You must be able to decompile and compile your SystemUI.apk and Framework.apk

2. Understand how to edit XML's.

3. Know how to back up and flash all these changes. I would never suggest making all changes at once to SystemUI. If you make a mistake,your Status bar will fail to show up upon booting the phone..

This is what mine looks like:

In the first part I will cover changing the text color for Quick Settings Tab..

If you find an error of discover a new way of doing it, please let me know so I can update this tutorial..

1. Quick Settings
2. Status Bar
3. Transparency Notification/Quick Settings
4. Time Location on Notifications
5. Changing Text Color of Notifications in Dropdown
6. Animation in Notification Dropdown!!!!
** Special Thanx to - Stoney66,fernando sor,Bad Seed customs for creating this mod**
7. Using Wallpaper as Background in other Windows
** Special Thanx to - Clever for showing me this mod**

Always, Always Backup!!!!

Gunthermic · Aug 27, 2011

Quick Settings:

(Part 1) - Changing Text Color of Primary and Secondary Text

Primary Method:

SystemUI\res\drawable-hdpi\layout\status_bar_preference.xml

1. Header Name of Item

Look for:

<TextView android:textSize="@com.htc:dimen/list_primary_m" android:textColor="@color/list_item_primary_text"

a. Substitute "@color/list_item_primary_text" with “#ffrrggbb” (whatever rgb color you want)

2. Status of Header Item (like on/off i.e secondary text)

Look for:

<TextView android:textSize="@com.htc:dimen/list_secondary_m" android:textColor="@color/list_item_secondary_text"

a. Substitute "@color/list_item_secondary_text" with “#ffrrggbb” (whatever rgb color you want)

Secondary Method: (Coming Soon)

Why the two?

The primary keeps any other text within the system from changing. The secondary method can affect any other ares of the the system that call upon this color in the xml. You decide what is best.

(Part 2) - Quick Settings Label

SystemUI\res\drawable-hdpi\layout\quick_settings.xml

Look for:

<TextView android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.Title" android:gravity="center_vertical"

a. Add android:textColor="#ffrrggbb” (whatever rgb color you want)

Example:
<TextView android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.Title" android:textColor="#fffffd80” android:gravity="center_vertical"

Gets you a Yellow Label:

Gunthermic · Aug 27, 2011

Status Bar Color - Date/Clock

SystemUI\res\drawable-hdpi\layout\status_bar.xml

Look for:

1. Clock

Look For:

<com.android.systemui.statusbar.Clock

a. Add: android:textColor="#ffXXXXXX" the “X’s” are in RRGGBB

Example:

<com.android.systemui.statusbar.Clock android:textAppearance="@android:style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.Icon" android:textColor="#ff3366CC"

2. Date

Look for:
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.DateView

a. Add: android:textColor="#ffXXXXXX" the “X’s” are in RRGGBB

Example:

<com.android.systemui.statusbar.DateView android:textAppearance="@android:style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.Icon" android:textColor="#ff3366CC"

Gunthermic · Aug 27, 2011

Transparency Background for Notification Dropdown and Quick Settings

SystemUI\res\drawable-hdpi\values\drawables.xml

Look for:

1. Complete Transparency

<item type="drawable" name="list_item_background">#ffffffff</item>

a. Substitute: #ffffffff with #00000000
b. This will give you complete transparency

2. Partial Transparency

<item type="drawable" name="list_item_background">#ffffffff</item>

a. Substitute: #ffffffff with #77000000
b. This will give you less transparency

Results:

Gunthermic · Aug 27, 2011

Two Lines Text in Notification Dropdown

Coming soon

Gunthermic · Aug 27, 2011

Colorized Text in Notification Dropdown

SystemUI\res\values\colors.xml

<color name="white">#ffffffff</color> (This changes what the text color is when pressed in notifications)
<color name="black">#ff000000</color>
<color name="half_white">#7fffffff</color>
<color name="half_black">#7f000000</color>
<color name="primary_text_color">#ffffffff</color> (This changes the Notification Text Header)
<color name="secondary_text_color">#ff000000</color> (This changes the Notification text Content)

In each of the above lines marked with a comment, Substitute the >#ffXXXXXX with you RRGGBB values you want your text to be.

Screenshots coming in a few..

** I have this done in my mods for a while, however special thanx to Jon for finding out it only needed this file changed instead of several that I had done before. I knew it should take as many files to change the color. THANK YOU JON!!!

Time on Notifications Location

Framework-res\res\layout\status_bar_latest_event_content.xml

Look for:

<android.widget.DateTimeView

Cut and paste whole line into the second or third <Linearlayout... Right after the corasponding Textview

Placing the DateTimeview in the second <Linearlayout will place the time on the first line of the Notification.

Placing the DateTimeview in the third <Linearlayout will place the time on the second line of the Notification

Gunthermic · Aug 27, 2011

Animation in Notification Dropdown!!!!Ported by myself!

** Special Thanx to - Stoney66,fernando sor,Bad Seed customs for creating this mod**

Required Attached files at bottom of post

All in SystemUI:

res\drawable\status_bar_background_animation.xml
res\drawable-hdpi\pulldown_anim1.png (1 thru 36)
res\layout\status_bar_tracking.xml
res\values\public.xml

Copy status_bar_background_animation.xml to the SystemUI\res\drawable folder.
Edit to suite, it has 36 png's list, but you can do how many every you want. Ensure you have the same amount of png's in res\hdpi\*.png as you have listed in the status_bar_background_animation.xml

status_bar_background.png - Controls the background, might need to make it more transparent so animation can be seen

Manual:

Edit status_bar_tracking.xml

Look for: (Should be first line)

<com.android.systemui.statusbar.TrackingView android

rientation="vertical" android

addingLeft="0.0px" android

addingRight="0.0px" android

addingBottom="0.0px" android:focusable="true" android:visibility="gone" android:descendantFocusability="afterDescendants"

Replace with:

<com.android.systemui.statusbar.TrackingView android

rientation="vertical" android:background="@drawable/status_bar_background_animation" android

addingLeft="0.0px" android

addingRight="0.0px" android

addingBottom="0.0px" android:focusable="true" android:visibility="gone" android:descendantFocusability="afterDescendants"

Notice we are adding the adding the status_bar_background_animation

Edit Public.xml

Look for any "APKTOOL_DUMMY_XXXX" id=XXXXXXXX

Change the APKTOOL_DUMMY_XXXX with:

status_bar_background_animation

Results: Edit only one line to define the resource!!!

<public type="drawable" name="status_bar_background_animation" id="0x7f020198" />
(DO NOT USE THIS ID=="0x7f020198") leave which ever ID Number is there from the APKTOOL_DUMMY!!!!!

Required Files for Animated Notification Dropdown!!!!!

jonathanphx1 · Aug 27, 2011

This looks exciting I sure hope you know what your doing lol, you taking the first 6 posts!!!!!!

xx_bluedev_xx · Aug 27, 2011

Man, this is epic, this is exactly what I was looking for couldn't have asked for better! Looking forward to the rest!

c_live_lee · Aug 30, 2011

Wow Dude! After all that typing, I hope you still have the use of your hands. I didn't really have much to say, other than, this is an impressive tutorial, Gun so, I just thought I would drop by and...

Gunthermic · Aug 30, 2011

c_live_lee said:
Wow Dude! After all that typing, I hope you still have the use of your hands. I didn't really have much to say, other than, this is an impressive tutorial, Gun so, I just thought I would drop by and...

Thanx, much more to come. Time I start giving back to all those that want to learn as well, or those that just like something I did.

Gunthermic · Sep 2, 2011

Gotta be gone out of town for a week at a funeral. This thread is not dead. Just on a break.

1. Color text
2. What png's are where in the status bar.
3. Movement of clock to center
4. Deleting clock off status bar.

That is just to name a few items that will be spelle dout how to do.

I am always looking for more ideas..

sonami · Sep 3, 2011

Awesome work man! Can you tell me where the text and color for the notification pulldown header is located?

http://db.tt/dUpdaAt

Were it says gingeritis 3d, i wana be able to change the text to my themes name, and i want to change the color of the bar underneath that one, the one that says notifications

Sent from my TBolt using my f***king thumbs...

Gunthermic · Sep 3, 2011

sonami said:
Awesome work man! Can you tell me where the text and color for the notification pulldown header is located?

http://db.tt/dUpdaAt

Were it says gingeritis 3d, i wana be able to change the text to my themes name, and i want to change the color of the bar underneath that one, the one that says notifications

Sent from my TBolt using my f***king thumbs...

I am away from my main computer, but from memory it's in the

SystemUI\res\layout\status_bar_expanded.xml (again from memory.. will add as soon as I get back into town)

BennyJr · Sep 3, 2011

Ive been trying to learn how to theme for the longest. Im going to study ur guide and make sure i can do it perfect! Thanks

julesism · Sep 12, 2011

I'll ask the obvious n00b question

... what app can I use to edit the file via phone or OS X. I've been trying to use the UOT kitchen to change the notification text color. The preview looks good but it always comes out black. I stumbled upon this topic doing a search. I understand where (SystemUI\res\drawable-hdpi\layout\status_bar_preference.xml) and what (FF000000 to FFFFFFFF) needs to be changed, but I'm having trouble getting the right tool(s) to let me open/edit the file. I've attached a screenshot. I'm trying to make the text white. Thats all I need to do. Thanks in adv.
*edit*
should mention I'm currently on BAMF Forever 1.0.2 which is Sense 3. I'm usually on CM7 and the UOT Kitchen works perfect on it.

Gunthermic · Sep 16, 2011

julesism said:
I'll ask the obvious n00b question ... what app can I use to edit the file via phone or OS X. I've been trying to use the UOT kitchen to change the notification text color. The preview looks good but it always comes out black. I stumbled upon this topic doing a search. I understand where (SystemUI\res\drawable-hdpi\layout\status_bar_preference.xml) and what (FF000000 to FFFFFFFF) needs to be changed, but I'm having trouble getting the right tool(s) to let me open/edit the file. I've attached a screenshot. I'm trying to make the text white. Thats all I need to do. Thanks in adv.
*edit*
should mention I'm currently on BAMF Forever 1.0.2 which is Sense 3. I'm usually on CM7 and the UOT Kitchen works perfect on it.

on OS X I use text wrangler for editing xml's.

Devildog8791 · Sep 24, 2011

Gunthermic said:
Colorized Text in Notification Dropdown

SystemUI\res\values\colors.xml

<color name="white">#ffffffff</color> (This changes what the text color is when pressed in notifications)
<color name="black">#ff000000</color>
<color name="half_white">#7fffffff</color>
<color name="half_black">#7f000000</color>
<color name="primary_text_color">#ffffffff</color> (This changes the Notification Text Header)
<color name="secondary_text_color">#ff000000</color> (This changes the Notification text Content)

In each of the above lines marked with a comment, Substitute the >#ffXXXXXX with you RRGGBB values you want your text to be.
Screenshots coming in a few..

** I have this done in my mods for a while, however special thanx to Jon for finding out it only needed this file changed instead of several that I had done before. I knew it should take as many files to change the color. THANK YOU JON!!!

I have done this and it does not change the second line of the notification. It also turns the first line back to black if you select it and let go, i.e. selecting Disk Drive or Charge Only. Is there another xml file that I need to edit along with this one to chane the text color of the notifications?

Edit: Nevermind, I figured it out. Thanks for the tutorial.

Gunthermic · Sep 24, 2011

Devildog8791 said:
I have done this and it does not change the second line of the notification. It also turns the first line back to black if you select it and let go, i.e. selecting Disk Drive or Charge Only. Is there another xml file that I need to edit along with this one to chane the text color of the notifications?

Edit: Nevermind, I figured it out. Thanks for the tutorial.

What did you do?

More tutorial to come.

Devildog8791 · Sep 25, 2011

Gunthermic said:
What did you do?

More tutorial to come.

To be honest, I found a theme that already had it done and compared the xml files.

Edit: I am having one problem though. It seems that some third party apps like Pandors and Handcent are still black text. Do you know where I need to go to fix this or is this something that you are battling too?

[Tutorial] Notification Dropdown Text Color Changes/Status Bar Changes (Sense 3.0)

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