How To: Making small user defined icons in composer

BBThemes · Thread Author #1 03-31-2010, 05:24 PM

Default application order icon resizing video

hi all, so iv uploaded a video on how to resize the application order icons in composer so they still update, please bear with the audio, i dont have a mic so its from my 8900, gotta use that voice recorder for summat right!

BBThemes · Thread Author #2 03-31-2010, 05:26 PM

Hide object at Frame 1

Code:

<set xlink:href="#focus_1" attributeName="display" to="none"   begin="0"/>

Hide/Show on focusin/out

Code:

<set xlink:href="#focus_1" attributeName="display" to="inline"   begin="Theme_Button_1.focusin"/>
<set xlink:href="#focus_1" attributeName="display" to="none"   begin="Theme_Button_1.focusout"/>

mrtolles · #3 04-01-2010, 01:09 PM

Great Tutorial! It's a very commonly asked Question. I must admit, i did not know about step 8! Thanks!

A Quick Note:
If you happen to want to use a size that other themes use like 46*46, 52*52 or 73*73, There is no need to resize your own icons. You can go to Edit > Preferences > Miscellaneous > Theme Button Icons and use any of the other predefined icon sets. Just make sure to set that BEFORE you start adding icons. If you do it that way, you do not have to edit each bitmap. (**HINT! After you add icons, you can Save and close your file in composer, reopen it back up, go back to Edit > Pref > Misc, select a new set of icons and any NEW icons you add will be that size while the icons saved before you closed will remain the other size!) This method will also work for SET icons too if you so desire.

zcyclist · #4 04-01-2010, 03:19 PM

wow! outstanding tutorial!
i'm sure this will help a lot of people!
great job daveastra!

berrygoodthemes · #5 04-02-2010, 02:24 PM

very nice!

never thought of doing it like that!

a simple version would be

- change size of default icons to 50x50
- use them as the focus in and focus out in replacement of the 80x80 icons
- add buttons
- save and export!!

nice tho i will defo look into using that!

i tended to use the 8500 icon set if i wanted smaller home screen icons, which is an other option but they dont look as crisp.

hilliuse · #6 04-05-2010, 06:58 PM

Ok so this seems simple enough. BUT, now don't all bite off my head at once, wouldn't it be simpler and a lot more logical to allow icon resizing in Theme Builder simply by grabbing and shrinking the icons. Maybe it's just me but that makes a lot
more sense.

I only say this because today I decoded to make my first theme and found it odd that I couldn't resize icons on the home screen in theme builder.

mrtolles · #7 04-06-2010, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hilliuse

Ok so this seems simple enough. BUT, now don't all bite off my head at once, wouldn't it be simpler and a lot more logical to allow icon resizing in Theme Builder simply by grabbing and shrinking the icons. Maybe it's just me but that makes a lot
more sense.

I only say this because today I decoded to make my first theme and found it odd that I couldn't resize icons on the home screen in theme builder.

Theme Builder just is not designed that way. It would makes sense, however, Theme Builder was designed for ANY one to use and therefore was programed to automatically resize any and every thing to the right specs. No matter what size icon or wallpaper you use in theme builder, it will resize to the right size.

That's why RIM gave us composer, so the more advanced users who wanted to do more can with a little bit of knowledge and a LOT of trial and error!

tuffy_82 · #8 04-06-2010, 10:25 PM

I was able to resize the icons, and export it to TB, but when I upload the theme to my phone, all the icons I built are only defined to the 1st application. So I had 4 "messages" icon on my home screen instead of messages, calendar, etc.... what am I missing?

mrtolles · #9 04-07-2010, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuffy_82

I was able to resize the icons, and export it to TB, but when I upload the theme to my phone, all the icons I built are only defined to the 1st application. So I had 4 "messages" icon on my home screen instead of messages, calendar, etc.... what am I missing?

Slot Numbers. It's a Composer bug. Once composer exports them wrong, i personally have not been able to ever get them to export correctly without remaking my composer file from scratch. But you can fix them by editing the SVG file.

What you need to do is Open the exported SVG file in Notepad, and do a Find (search) for "slot" and correct them.

The Slot numbers START at 0 (Zero) for the first app in your app screen, and or First Theme Button in your dock/ Device Application order. There are TWO different spots where you need to fix the slots. One is for the Application the other is for the icon. Make sure you fix both for all wrong slot numbers.

slot0 = First App
slot1 = Second App
slot2 = Third App... and so on

I have found, that if i do ALL my theme buttons FIRST before any images or text or shapes or ANY thing and save, that it greatly reduces the chance of the bug causing the slot numbers to error. Also, if you delete buttons, it happens more. Good luck!

tuffy_82 · #10 04-08-2010, 12:42 AM

Thanks mrtolles! I got it working!!

MedicStuder · #11 04-08-2010, 07:33 PM

First let me say great post, just what I was looking for. My question is, how do you make the icon you used in composer be the one that shows up in theme builder. I did what was said at the beginning of the thread and it worked like a charm. But when I load theme onto my phone it replaces the icons I chose with the standard ones, if that makes sense. If not let me elaborate I use an all green icon that when you roll over it, it glows and shows the application name on the screen. It appears right and works in composer, it appears right in theme builder. When I installed theme onto my phone the green icons I used don't show up, in their place the blackberry original icons show up. The size (smaller) is still there just not the look I wanted. Please help.

mrtolles · #12 04-09-2010, 10:35 AM

Composer does NOT store ALL of the icons for the set in the SVG file. Just the default and Static Icons you actually set. For any other icon you did not set, Composer just tells the HOMESCREEN to use this app and this icon from the set that Theme builder Uses. So, if you did not change the icons in theme builder, then the default icons are used.

MedicStuder · #13 04-09-2010, 09:13 PM

Got ya, makes sense thank you.

swtchc500 · #14 04-24-2010, 09:32 PM

after you resize the icons, does anyone have a problem on the homescreen that the new message icon doesnt show up and if it does, it then doesnt go away?