[Windows Mobile Apps and Games] osiedacz:
MichelDiamond has given us such a wonderful tool in CHTS 2.30. Of the many functions available in the application, Layout Switching is an amazingly powerful part and it seems to be relatively unused, with the exception of file backup. BHSInterceptor and I have been successful at changing our phone themes on the fly from such popular themes as Touch of Glass to Sencity. All without having to install a cab on our phones. The key to this switching are XML files that are saved in the windows directory when you install CHTS. I will upload copies of these files here for you to look at, along with some additional ones for other tabs and applications on your phone. These XML files can be added, removed or edited as you need for your themes.

CHTS Layout Saving Options

In the CHTS Menu, there are a couple different options that use these XML files for saving. There is Full Sense Backup, Layout Saving and Baseline Saving. The Full Sense Backup and Baseline saving are both there as a fallback, in case you need to restore your phone to a previous state.

When saving your layout with CHTS, there are several options to choose from. What exactly you want to save will determine which method you will use. You can save a "Standard Layout" or an "Extended Layout". Both methods will save your CHT settings, the difference is that "Standard" will only save the items associated with your Home Tab, including all widgets and add-ons. Extended will save items for all Sense Tabs, this includes everything that would be saved with the "Standard". With either one of those layouts, you can also save all of your start menu icons. One other option you will see there is to save your "CHT(E) Settings Only".

When you first install CHTS on your phone, I recommend you first save a Baseline and then save an initial Full Sense Backup.

Baseline Saving: This is the most basic Layout you can save. Baseline will save the same files that are defined in the XMLs for the "Layout - Standard", except it won't save any of the quicklink information.

Full Sense Backup: This is the most complete Layout you can save. Full Sense Backup will save ALL manila files in your Windows directory, in addition to all other files defined in the XML files. With this method, all of the manila files will be zipped and stored to save space. This compression happens on the fly as you save the Layout.

Layout Saving - Standard: This will save all of the items from your Sense Home Tab. Including the following: Widgets, Clocks, Quicklinks, Freelinks, Positions of all of them, configuration,... All xml files that are CHTWidget_**.xml will be backed up here. This would be the method to use if the only thing you are themeing is your home tab.

Layout Saving - Extended: This will save all items saved in the Layout - Standard, in addition to items from other tabs defined in the XML files CHTTheme_**.xml. In the release of CHTS 2.30, this includes most of the standard sense tabs. All xml files that are CHTWidget_**.xml and CHTTheme_**.xml are backed up here.

In the CHTS 2.30 release cab, the following XML files are included:

CHTTheme_BasicWeather

CHTTheme_Calendar_Tab

CHTTheme_CommonFiles

CHTTheme_Email_Tab

CHTTheme_Home_Tab_Subs

CHTTheme_Internet_Tab

CHTTheme_Messaging_Tab

CHTTheme_MusicPlayer_Tab

CHTTheme_People_Tab

CHTTheme_Photo_Tab

CHTTheme_Settings_Tab

CHTTheme_Stock_Tab

CHTTheme_Twitter_Tab

CHTTheme_Weather_Tab

CHTWidget_Basic

CHTWidget_BasicHometab

CHTWidget_CHTS

CHTWidget_TabSlider

The attached zip file contains all of the CHTTHeme files listed above and also includes the following tab files:

CHTTheme_Documents_Tab

CHTTheme_Facebook_Tab

CHTTheme_Footprints_Tab

CHTTheme_Mode9_Lua

This zip files will be updated periodically as I add more xml files and add file names to the ones that already exist. The version number will be the date on the file. I will be going through some available themes to verify that they work with CHTS when using this group of files. The goal is that if you install a theme and want to change back to where you started, you will be able to use CHTS to switch back and forth.