for everyone else who wants a better explanation, or never understood what auto-theme is:
auto-theme is a web-app (application run locally on your browser) to patch a user's provided szs with dds picture and, optionally, a json patch layout.
Auto-theme works by visiting the theme website, the dds and json can be linked in the URL : auto-theme_URL?type<type>&dds=<URL_dds>&layout=<URL_Json>
type defines which szs to patch (home, lock screen, settings, all games library)
dds is a direct link to a dds file
layout is a direct link to a json file
Example full url
Code:
https://exelix11.github.io/SwitchThemeInjector/autotheme.html?type=home&dds=https://gbatemp.net/download/gbatemp-theme.35263/download?version=35362&layout=https://gbatemp.net/download/gbatemp-theme.35263/download?version=35361
users creating a theme have to convert a picture to dds format, upload it and share the link.
the user who want that theme have to click on the link and the browser patch the original szs with the provided dds link, saving the patched szs to use on Switch.
But before being able to patch the original szs with the dds+layout, the end user has to extract its original szs file from his own console.
A lot of users don't bother doing that (dumping nand and using hactool is not easy) and prefer downloading pre-patched szs files.
*******
exelix will release a new theme format today.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/switch-custom-themes-sharing-thread.522213/page-3#post-8435590
but don't worry, auto-theme links are still working fine !
instead of generating szs, the Theming program will just generate nxtheme files.
instead of replacing szs in a layeredFS format (and you can have only one at a time), now you'll be able to have many nxthemes files on your SD card and switch themes easily with a theme installer NX homebrew
The szs patching will be done on the console, instead of being done in the browser.
so, the step is identical :
1)
auto-theme with dds+layout
OR
nxtheme file sharing (you can save nxtheme file directly from the program). nxtheme is just a dds+layout pack.
2)
user either direct download the nxtheme, OR use auto-theme link to get the nxtheme file.
3)
put the nxtheme on SD card
launch Theme installer NX homebrew and choose the nxtheme to install from all the nxtheme file list.
The change is on the user's end :
in order to apply the theme, they will have to extract their own unpatched szs file (like before), but instead of uploading them into the browser's cache they put them on SD.
but it's easy :
1) run lockpick to get keys
2) run theme extractor homebrew to get the nca file on SD card
3) run a program on PC to extract the szs from the nca (currently, nca extraction is not done on the switch. if you want to help contact Exelix)
4) put original szs on SD card to be used with theme installer homebrew.
no need to dump NAND anymore.
users who don't want to extract their szs or use nxtheme or auto-theme links will just continue to create/share/download pre-patched szs file for LayeredFS but :
1- it'll illegal to share here, sorry all links will be deleted.
2- you can only have one theme at a time on your SD card, while nxtheme allows you to switch themes on the fly without removing the card.