ROM Hack RELEASE [Release/Tutorial] Switch theme injector : Easily make custom themes

[Dichotomy754]

Anyone know how to turn applet icons white? I'm trying to edit an old theme someone made for me, it has custom icons and most of them work without any icons set and they're all white. Except for the album. If I don't set anything as the custom album icon it's the default blue one. If I try to use the dds I extracted from the theme or a png I create myself it always turns out grey. I can't live like this XD

 

[exelix11]

Anyone know how to turn applet icons white? I'm trying to edit an old theme someone made for me, it has custom icons and most of them work without any icons set and they're all white. Except for the album. If I don't set anything as the custom album icon it's the default blue one. If I try to use the dds I extracted from the theme or a png I create myself it always turns out grey. I can't live like this XD

If this old theme has all the applet icons custom it's an szs theme, so first of all make sure to extract the home menu again in the installer to restore the original files to the systemData folder.
After that, latest injector changes a bit the behavior of custom applet icons, now you can load png files and they will properly replace the target icon and set its color to a light gray, there's a layout in the layouts folder that shows how to change their color but i'm not sure if you can achieve full white cause the home menu automatically slightly changes the color based on the light/dark option in the settings, still haven't found a way to workaround that.
Note that if you use a layout extracted from an old theme that replaced the album icon without changing its color it will probably move the album icon off center with the new patching method, you should remove the album icon entry from the json manually.

 

[HinaNaru Cutie]

Not sure why you get the net framework error, could be an old os version or wrong cpu architecture ig. Also you could be downloading the wrong version, the injector requires 4.6 iirc and some old framework version are still available. Anyway glad the web version works for you

Yeah, it's my laptop -it's not that good and up to date x.x it's an emachines my dude...t..that's how badly old and not good it is lol. It doesn't allow me to download the net framework version 4.6 -just gives me an error. -Sadly, but the web version is much better for me.

 

[HinaNaru Cutie]

If this old theme has all the applet icons custom it's an szs theme, so first of all make sure to extract the home menu again in the installer to restore the original files to the systemData folder.
After that, latest injector changes a bit the behavior of custom applet icons, now you can load png files and they will properly replace the target icon and set its color to a light gray, there's a layout in the layouts folder that shows how to change their color but i'm not sure if you can achieve full white cause the home menu automatically slightly changes the color based on the light/dark option in the settings, still haven't found a way to workaround that.
Note that if you use a layout extracted from an old theme that replaced the album icon without changing its color it will probably move the album icon off center with the new patching method, you should remove the album icon entry from the json manually.

Um excuse me, but I went to make my theme through the web version of the theme maker but for some unknown reason the theme when I install it to use it on my switch, doesn't want to appear none of my images o n o. I do not know why. Do you know why this is happening?? Also I did in fact resize some jpg images to the correct size, I have the themes for the settings, home menu, and lockscreen all in the folder and I placed it inside the themes file with the themes I installed on here.

But yeah.

 

[Dichotomy754]

If this old theme has all the applet icons custom it's an szs theme, so first of all make sure to extract the home menu again in the installer to restore the original files to the systemData folder.
After that, latest injector changes a bit the behavior of custom applet icons, now you can load png files and they will properly replace the target icon and set its color to a light gray, there's a layout in the layouts folder that shows how to change their color but i'm not sure if you can achieve full white cause the home menu automatically slightly changes the color based on the light/dark option in the settings, still haven't found a way to workaround that.
Note that if you use a layout extracted from an old theme that replaced the album icon without changing its color it will probably move the album icon off center with the new patching method, you should remove the album icon entry from the json manually.

Actually seems to be an nxtheme with a custom resident menu file. You're right about the messed up album szs though, can't even convert it.

Edit: Got home from work and tried copying over some code from the colored applet layout, but that always results in an error. The layout editor also doesn't seem to want to open json files. Is there an easy way to edit them? I'd look around but it's getting kind of late here and I got a headache from trying to mess with the code -_-' I'm like a level below a code monkey, could never wrap my head around the stuff as well as I'd like.

But here's how it's looking so far, if I can't fix the icon it will have to do for now. I ended up taking slight inspiration from Fire Emblem, my new obsession. I like it, is clean.

 

[exelix11]

Actually seems to be an nxtheme with a custom resident menu file. You're right about the messed up album szs though, can't even convert it.

Edit: Got home from work and tried copying over some code from the colored applet layout, but that always results in an error. The layout editor also doesn't seem to want to open json files. Is there an easy way to edit them? I'd look around but it's getting kind of late here and I got a headache from trying to mess with the code -_-' I'm like a level below a code monkey, could never wrap my head around the stuff as well as I'd like.

But here's how it's looking so far, if I can't fix the icon it will have to do for now. I ended up taking slight inspiration from Fire Emblem, my new obsession. I like it, is clean.
View attachment 174384

Json is a text format, i usually use notepad++ but any "coding" text editor works, after editing make sure you followed the json syntax using a validator. To merge two patches you have to copy just the part with the stuff in the "files" entry (aka the blocks that start with "FileName") to the "files" entry of the other json

Um excuse me, but I went to make my theme through the web version of the theme maker but for some unknown reason the theme when I install it to use it on my switch, doesn't want to appear none of my images o n o. I do not know why. Do you know why this is happening?? Also I did in fact resize some jpg images to the correct size, I have the themes for the settings, home menu, and lockscreen all in the folder and I placed it inside the themes file with the themes I installed on here.

But yeah.

Do they not appear in the installer ? or after installed ? If the second, did you reboot after installing ?
Make sure to be using latest version of the installer (currently 2.0)

 

[HinaNaru Cutie]

Json is a text format, i usually use notepad++ but any "coding" text editor works, after editing make sure you followed the json syntax using a validator. To merge two patches you have to copy just the part with the stuff in the "files" entry (aka the blocks that start with "FileName") to the "files" entry of the other json


Do they not appear in the installer ? or after installed ? If the second, did you reboot after installing ?
Make sure to be using latest version of the installer (currently 2.0)

they do not appear after i installed them on my switch -for no reason at all :s. And i do in fact reboot when i install a theme. -I even went back to check if maybe i am missing something?? I checked the theme files i downloaded and looked at the nyx files to see if i am missing one. And found out that i got them all :s..i just do not understand why this is happening.

What i did was installed a png file i converted it into jpg by using paint tool, than i resize it to the correct size it's asking me to -than i upload it -give the file a name, and put it as either; home theme, lock screen, settings or just all menu. -But i did use some jpg files. Two of the images were originally png but i converted them to jpg of course. And even when i go to check if the jpg files show up -it doesn't. -So i tried checking it out lol.

So once i installed the nyx files i put them inside the folder and bam, i go to the theme application and install it o.o. and nothing. And yes i have been using latest version of the installer.

Edit: i can show you what i mean through video?? or image -if you want me to, for you can see the weird thing it does, and how i have the files up.

Edit 2: So, i went to use the old version of the 'switch theme injector online' and it completely works better than version 2.0 of it :s. I don't know why?? But when i used the dds files and did the whole thing my theme works =0! So..i think you may have to change the 'accepting jpg' to dds files only, believe that maybe the reason why it won't read my images when install it -when i use the version 2.0 of the 'switch theme injector online'.

I maybe wrong, but this is just my guess here.

 

[exelix11]

they do not appear after i installed them on my switch -for no reason at all :s. And i do in fact reboot when i install a theme. -I even went back to check if maybe i am missing something?? I checked the theme files i downloaded and looked at the nyx files to see if i am missing one. And found out that i got them all :s..i just do not understand why this is happening.

What i did was installed a png file i converted it into jpg by using paint tool, than i resize it to the correct size it's asking me to -than i upload it -give the file a name, and put it as either; home theme, lock screen, settings or just all menu. -But i did use some jpg files. Two of the images were originally png but i converted them to jpg of course. And even when i go to check if the jpg files show up -it doesn't. -So i tried checking it out lol.

So once i installed the nyx files i put them inside the folder and bam, i go to the theme application and install it o.o. and nothing. And yes i have been using latest version of the installer.

Edit: i can show you what i mean through video?? or image -if you want me to, for you can see the weird thing it does, and how i have the files up.

Edit 2: So, i went to use the old version of the 'switch theme injector online' and it completely works better than version 2.0 of it :s. I don't know why?? But when i used the dds files and did the whole thing my theme works =0! So..i think you may have to change the 'accepting jpg' to dds files only, believe that maybe the reason why it won't read my images when install it -when i use the version 2.0 of the 'switch theme injector online'.

I maybe wrong, but this is just my guess here.

I mean most people have had issues properly converting images to dds, that's why switching to jpg is a big deal.
Can you send me your nxtheme files that don't work ? it could be very well some encoding problem cause.

 

[HinaNaru Cutie]

I mean most people have had issues properly converting images to dds, that's why switching to jpg is a big deal.
Can you send me your nxtheme files that don't work ? it could be very well some encoding problem cause.

Well, i had no issue at all -0. it was extremely easy thing to do o.O. and well..didn't work at all with me. Here is the file; http://www.mediafire.com/folder/b8h6ktiaq8lqe/The_Casual_Puffs_Theme

Also sorry for responding extremely late x.x"

 

[exelix11]

Well, i had no issue at all -0. it was extremely easy thing to do o.O. and well..didn't work at all with me. Here is the file; http://www.mediafire.com/folder/b8h6ktiaq8lqe/The_Casual_Puffs_Theme

Also sorry for responding extremely late x.x"

Found the problem, there's a bug in the installer that won't actually apply the bg image if it was not initialized first, happens only with images from the new webinjector cause it uses the experimental jpg support, dds images don't need initialization.
As a workaround, viewing the image with L before installing it will initialize it and it will install fine, will release an update soon to fix this.

Edit: it's out, https://github.com/exelix11/SwitchThemeInjector/releases

 

[Dichotomy754]

Json is a text format, i usually use notepad++ but any "coding" text editor works, after editing make sure you followed the json syntax using a validator. To merge two patches you have to copy just the part with the stuff in the "files" entry (aka the blocks that start with "FileName") to the "files" entry of the other json

Thanks for the help, I was just using Notepad but an online code editor led me to discover all I was missing was a comma. That's why I hate code right there. Anyways, got all the icons the same color at least. Would have preferred to get them all to white but this will definitely do.

 

[HinaNaru Cutie]

Found the problem, there's a bug in the installer that won't actually apply the bg image if it was not initialized first, happens only with images from the new webinjector cause it uses the experimental jpg support, dds images don't need initialization.
As a workaround, viewing the image with L before installing it will initialize it and it will install fine, will release an update soon to fix this.

Edit: it's out, https://github.com/exelix11/SwitchThemeInjector/releases

Ooh, so that was the bug o: , well I'm glad you figured it out, I actually thought it was jpg problem lol. But, thank you so much for telling me what it was and fixing the issue. Thank you again <3!!

 

[Dichotomy754]

Sorry for asking so much, however now that I have the theme to my liking I would very much like to share it. Unfortunately it's base is an old theme which contains animations. Now that animations are supported by the installer is there an easy way to extract those and add them to my theme the kosher way? Right now they're contained within szs files.

 

[exelix11]

Sorry for asking so much, however now that I have the theme to my liking I would very much like to share it. Unfortunately it's base is an old theme which contains animations. Now that animations are supported by the installer is there an easy way to extract those and add them to my theme the kosher way? Right now they're contained within szs files.

You need to create a json diff you can use for nxthemes: https://github.com/exelix11/SwitchT....md#generating-a-layout-patch-with-layoutdiff
Only possible issue is that you need to make sure it works fine on >= 8.0 firmwares as some old layouts don't. If it works on 8 then it will most likely on previous firmwares as well

 

[Dichotomy754]

You need to create a json diff you can use for nxthemes: https://github.com/exelix11/SwitchT....md#generating-a-layout-patch-with-layoutdiff
Only possible issue is that you need to make sure it works fine on >= 8.0 firmwares as some old layouts don't. If it works on 8 then it will most likely on previous firmwares as well

Already tried making a diff, no luck... thanks anyways though.

 

[exelix11]

Already tried making a diff, no luck... thanks anyways though.

Wdym no luck ? It should work fine with animations and most layout edits

 

[Dichotomy754]

Wdym no luck ? It should work fine with animations and most layout edits

What I tried was creating a diff patch with only the animations and then copied it over to the layout I had been working with, it built and installed fine but no animations were preserved.

I only tried once because it was getting pretty late, let me give this another shot with the completed theme. Will get back to you.

 

[exelix11]

What I tried was creating a diff patch with only the animations and then copied it over to the layout I had been working with, it built and installed fine but no animations were preserved.

I only tried once because it was getting pretty late, let me give this another shot with the completed theme. Will get back to you.

Guess make sure to be using latest installer and that you opened the files in the right order, if you need more detailed help dm me on discord

 

[goncalodoom]

Nevermind, got it to work with hekate.

 

[Screw_the_Rules]

If we are running atmosphere 0.9.3, where does the themeswitcher.kip file go for doing theme shuffling? Do we have to make a new folder somewhere?