[Nook Touch Themes and Apps] nmyshkin:
Version for no-BN account devices in post #5

This version of the app is for fully registered devices.

5-14-22: Updated to v1.5. Uninstall any previous version to insure all variables clear.

--removed Google accounts section

--removed Network Location setting (relied on Google accounts).

Over the years a few new "Settings" apps have been cobbled together from the ruins of what B&N left on the device. Starting with the original listing by @Renate NST which revealed the scope of what was hidden on the NST/G, people have rejiggered the app in a number of ways. Each of those attempts relied on actually changing the app or the framework and had limitations as to the type of installation they would run on and things that needed to be added, deleted, disabled, etc.

The Nook Settings app is my effort to create a utility that would encompass all the good ideas and none of the less good. But as I am no Java programmer, that meant Tasker (surprise). The result is a frankenapp, using screens from the B&N Settings app (you can't delete it!) as well as completely original pages I assembled from screen images and many, many invisible overlays to hijack the Back button and the return arrow throughout the app. My goal was to eliminate anything that did not work (USB debugging in the Development section, for example), try to fix what I could (USB debugging, for example!), and add in features that just should be there, mundane things like wallpaper and keyboard changes. I also wanted to re-organize the app in a more traditional way. A few representative screenshots below.

Disclaimers

1. Transitions are sometimes a little scrappy. It all depends on what the device is doing in the background and how difficult the item is to access.

2. Rather than introduce a lot of forking with many permutations, I elected to only separate the NST from the NSTG at first run. As far as accounts go, I included everything from B&N: Shop, Social). There is error trapping, so there should be no issues.

3. My number one goal in herding all these electric sheep was to keep what happens in the Settings app within the Settings app. This proved to be impossible in a few cases (keyboard swap is one) because of the way the native Android system was handling the main window. Those cases are clearly indicated in the app menus as "Exits Settings".

4. This app cannot be totally localized. That is, if you have a different display language (say, German), the parts of the app that are actually parts of the B&N Settings app will be localized, i.e., the phrases will be changed to the language you have selected. However, the custom pages I created are just images with invisible touch overlays so.... If anyone is seriously interested in localizing the app for themselves, they should contact me and we can discuss creating a custom set of images which I will then compile into a custom app.

5. I'm sorry to say that the App Manager was one of most difficult nuts to crack. It is part of the B&N Settings app but has an activity that cannot be opened via shell commands. Somehow ADW Launcher does it, but I was never able to come up with a method. Luckily, Tasker has a generic call to the App Manager and it actually works. Still, it is sluggish on the Back arrow where it must be tested against which screen is being displayed. Just not a happy camper. Be sure not to tap the Back arrow more than once or you'll end up who knows where. Consider it a free lesson in patience :)

6. This app is

only

for Portrait orientation. Oh, you can rotate your screen, but all the touch coordinates will be off and images distorted. This is not a priority for me, but I may look at it someday. It requires a redesign and right now, I'm sorta sick of working on this :silly:

Requirements

1. This is a Tasker app and has a dependency on two library files which are part of a GApps installation. If you don't have GApps or one of my other Tasker apps already, you need to copy the two files in the zip as below:

/system/etc/permissions/com.google.android.maps.xml

/system/framework/com.google.android.maps.jar

Set permissions for both files to rw-r--r-- and reboot. Without these files resident, the app will not install.

2. Root/SU. Right off the bat. Many, many shell commands, settings.db, accounts.db, etc. manipulations.

3. Sqlite3 (for the database manipulations), provided in the zip below. If you don't already have it, move the file to /system/bin and set the permissions to rwx r-x r-x.

4. Busybox. If you rooted with NookManager, you already have Busybox installed. A few other special packages probably include it. If you have it, you will find it in /system/xbin. If it's not there, copy the file from the zip to that location and set permissions to rwx-rwx-rwx

5. The original B&N Settings app installed

Edit: 6. I've discovered while working on a no-B&N variant that a kernal enabling multi-touch is needed for some of the "sendevent" sequences to execute. Lacking multi-touch does

not

mean the app will not function or that you will not be able to access some settings.

Installation

The easy part. This is not a system app, but a user app. Just install as normal. You don't have to disable or remove or change anything. If you don't like it, just uninstall.

On first run the app:

1. determines if you have an NSTG and adjusts the menus accordingly.

2. sets ADB debugging via TCP (for WiFi apps like ADB Konnect); This is the default state for rooting with NookManager. You can change to USB in Developer options.

Just to be clear, in every case in which there is a "return" arrow as part of a Settings screen, its function is identical to the Back button in the status bar (i.e.,

both

have been hijacked).

Problems

If you have some issue and end up crashing the app or exiting unexpectedly (has not happened to me, but.....), there may still be invisible overlays present that will impair the function of your device. The easiest way to deal with these is to repeatedly press the Back button until the main Settings menu appears and then disappears. If there is still an issue, force stopping the app via the App Manager will clear all overlays. A power cycle is the last resort.

Acknowledgement

Wow, this was tough... I'm indebted to the generous folk who hang out at the Google Tasker group. I'm sure they all think I'm daft spending so much time on an Eclair device with an ancient version of Tasker, but they have nonetheless been helpful when I've been stuck.