HOWTO: install 4-Side / 6 side cube on HTC Touch (P3450) ELF

Re-Mi · 09:36 PM

HOWTO: install 4-Side / 6 side cube on HTC Touch (P3450) ELF

This Howto is a freehand translation from the howto HavocNL posted in dutch on tweakers.net

You find your normal 3 side cube boring, and you want to get more out of your cube?
Now you can you can make the cube 4 or 6 sides now (you can also install the Icube as it's almost the same as the other 2)

Files you need ;

Files4GSM.zip, 4Side cube or 6Side cube

Programs you need to have installed (PPC);

Totalcmd, PHM Regeditor

Things to know !:

The Cube only loads at startup (or after a soft reset), any change you make will be visible after reboot.
The new Cube doesn't work with PNG files anymore, BRN is the format you want.
The 6-side cube isn't any different from the 4-side cube (the how to is written for the 4 side cube), the only big differents is that you have to fill 4 sides and not 2.

Okay lets start;

First thing you do.
Backup APLauncher.exe and Biotouch.exe form your windows directory with Totalcmd.
Now you have to copy 2 files from the file4GSM.zip APLauncher.exe and Biotouch.exe to your storage card just like you would with every other file. After that copy them to the windows directory using Totalcmd.
(direct copying form your pc to the windows directory on your ppc doesn;t work for this files.)
After this just do a reset just to make sure that everything still works, if all did go well you shouldn't see any differents with your older cube.

Install the 4Side/ 6side cube:

Now you have an updated (3 side) cube that was original written for the Enchanced. But we're not there yet. We are still missing the extra sides.
Choose between the 4-side or 6-side zip file posted above. Unpack the Cab file and install it to your ppc. After the install soft-reset again. After the soft-reset you will find your cube having 4 or 6 sides now. Where the Quickdial and the Mediahub will still have their original funtion (only different icons on the Qd side).
But the most important part is that you will now have 2 applauncher sides, the only thing is they are both blank. Sorry for that ..

No just kidding, I will explain in a few moment how to revive your old applauncher side.
First I will help the 4 side users the remove some stuff you don't need anymore. 6-side users please skip this step. In your windows directory you will find APLauncher.exe, APLauncher2.exe, APLauncher3.exe and APLauncher4.exe. You can remove the 3rd and 4th side as you don't use them (with totalcmd). Again 6-side users leave these values where they are.

Adjust the 4/ 6 side cube (and revive your old APLauncher side):

Alright use PHM Regeditor to change things in the registry (or any other, I just found one that change your PPC registry from your P, it types a whole lot better :P named CERegEditor)
Al the keys you have to change are in the following registry directory
\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\HTC\BioTouch
(4-side users can remove the APLauncher3 and APLauncher4 keys)
Okay lets take a look into the different APLauncher keys, if you did take a good look you found out that the registry values of the APLauncher is different than APLauncher1 (2 and 3). These differences are the reason you normal APLauncher doesn't work anymore.
We are going to adjust the APLauncher key to show your normal APLauncher again.
(You can copy the values out of the APLauncher1 key folder.)
Make sure every main folder of the APLauncher's has a background key!
Rename the subfolders in APLauncher to App0 -> App5 (0 is upper left, 1, middle left, 2 bottom left, 3 upper right, 4 middle right, 5 bottom right)
Every subfolder must contain the following values: (the fixed values al already filled in)

Height 105 (80 with 12 apps)
IconPath Path to the icon, exmpl. \Windows\AL_01.brn
IconPressPath Path to a pressed icon, exmpl. \windows\AL_01_HL.brn
Name The name you will see in the cube, exmpl. E-mail
Param Parameters for the program exmpl.. -service "ActiveSync"
Path Path to the program. \Windows\tmail.exe
Type 0
Width 119 (80 with 12 apps)
xPos X position in the screen (left to right)
yPos Y Position on the screen (top to bottom)

X,Y Positions (6 apps per screen)

0,0 121,0
0,107 121,107
0,214 121,214

X,Y Positions (12 apps per screen) ( the weight and height should both be changed to 80)

0,0 80,01 60,0
0,80 80,80 160,80
0,160 80,160 160,160
0,240 80,240 160,240

If you want to use a 12 apps side you will have to manually make subfolders App6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 and fill them with the correct parameters posted above.
.
After changing all the values you should upload the brn icons to the correct folder. You can find multiple brn icons all over this forum Here you can find the ones for the normal applauncher. If you want to make your own there is a nice program called BrnConvert. This program can only convert bmp to brn and back.

I would advice to make a icons directory on your memory card as it saves some room on your device, but remember you have to change the path.

Okay now all you have to do is adding icons and programs to the other APLauncher sides.

This was about it. I surely will change multiple things when I see some error's typo's or add ons

Good luck with customizing

Credits:
File4GSM.zip by musicman
4 and 6 side cube by Polen
HavocNL for posting a dutch how-to
Me for finding out the 6 side cube works on the htc P3450

Edit: added the normal aplauncher icons brn and bmp format.\

Edit2:

Carlos has just released a new version of his program now you can modify the sides without going trough the registry :d Post any problems with the program is that thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...&postcount=347

Himself™ · 5th January 2008, 08:27 PM

Very nice Re-Mi and much appreciated!

rtakeo · 6th January 2008, 12:54 AM

wow... if just a cab file exist...and could make all this stuffs automatic.. will be good for a newbies like.. me... but thinks not to complicated... but a youtube video step by step could help us.... too

jackolus · 02:14 PM

everything done - 4side cube is launching programs on all walls, BUT:

- please help me, I can't make any icons

i downloaded cube config 4.1 for sprint touch and it's working

with registry editor I put right path on the device with .brn icons, but it makes no effect...

what's wrong ? maybe icons ?

can you resend me yours - working ?

and finally brn converter doesn't work (I'm on vista)
I found some solution with hex editor but pleeeeese... it's miles of work with this little detail

Re-Mi · 6th January 2008, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackolus

everything done - 4side cube is launching programs on all walls, BUT:

- please help me, I can't make any icons

i downloaded cube config 4.1 for sprint touch and it's working

with registry editor I put right path on the device with .brn icons, but it makes no effect...

what's wrong ? maybe icons ?

can you resend me yours - working ?

and finally brn converter doesn't work (I'm on vista)
I found some solution with hex editor but pleeeeese... it's miles of work with this little detail

I will add the normal applauncher icons to the first post (as promissed but i forgot

) just wait a minute and they will be there.

jackolus · 02:47 PM

Re-mi your unbelievable

I have only reboot device when you reply !!
respect

I'm waiting for your present

BUT IT DOESN'T WORK
there's still blank icons

andrebe · 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackolus

Re-mi your unbelievable

I have only reboot device when you reply !!
respect

I'm waiting for your present

BUT IT DOESN'T WORK
there's still blank icons

hi guys also on my touch only the cube background appears
Also if I set different icons they does't appear....
seem that the background come in front...always.
If I change the background icon it changes

Looking for your help

Re-Mi · 6th January 2008, 04:19 PM

1. Did you all checked if the icons path ended with BRN in stead of PNG because the normal cube used PNG.

2. Did you all checked the icons path standard it's \Windows\ (but i put the on \Storage card\icons\) if you have changed the path you need to upload the icons there.

3. Did you upload the BRN icons and not the BMP the BMP wont do anything on the device.

andrebe · 6th January 2008, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Re-Mi

1. Did you all checked if the icons path ended with BRN in stead of PNG because the normal cube used PNG.

2. Did you all checked the icons path standard it's \Windows\ (but i put the on \Storage card\icons\) if you have changed the path you need to upload the icons there.

3. Did you upload the BRN icons and not the BMP the BMP wont do anything on the device.

[QUOTE=Re-Mi;1792200]
1. .
yes...infact if I use the same icon as background it appears...
2..
yes I'm trying with icons in windows folder..
3..
yes icons are in brn format....

I have copyed all the subkey of aplauncher2 into aplauncher reg key and deleted the originals..

Am I right?

Re-Mi · 05:20 PM

[QUOTE=andrebe;1792211]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Re-Mi

1. .
yes...infact if I use the same icon as background it appears...
2..
yes I'm trying with icons in windows folder..
3..
yes icons are in brn format....

I have copyed all the subkey of aplauncher2 into aplauncher reg key and deleted the originals..

Am I right?

Alright did you set the x and y position for every icon ?

I made a copy of the values i have:

Code:

-Biotouch
 -APLAUNCHER
	| [ab]BACKGROUND	\Windows\AL_Bkgd.brn
	| [D]Handle	2080870976 (Decimal)
	|
	|-App0
	| [D]Height		105 (0x000069)
	| [ab]IconPath		\Windows\Al_01.brn
	| [ab]IconPressPath	\Windows\AL_01_HL.brn
	| [ab]Name		E-mail
	| [ab]Param		-service "ActiveSync"	
	| [ab]Path		\Windows\tmail.exe		
	| [D]Type		0 (00000000)
	| [D]Width		119 (0x000077)
	| [D]xPos		0 (00000000)
	| [D]yPos		0 (00000000)
	|
	|
	|-App1
	| [D]Height		105 (0x000069)
	| [ab]IconPath		\Windows\Al_02.brn
	| [ab]IconPressPath	\Windows\AL_02_HL.brn
	| [ab]Name		Internet Explorer
	| [ab]Param		NULL	
	| [ab]Path		\Windows\iexplorer.exe		
	| [D]Type		0 (00000000)
	| [D]Width		119 (0x000077)
	| [D]xPos		0 (00000000)
	| [D]yPos	            107 (00000000)
	|
	|