[Nook Touch General] nmyshkin:
How-to

Disclaimer

: I am not responsible for anything odd you do to your NST/G. Make a backup.

"My habits protect my life, but they would assassinate you."--Mark Twain

For this reason my original instructions were very incremental and complex. I now think that was a bad idea.

I recently discovered a way to create CWM flashable zips of installed and configured apps. I thought this might vastly simplify recreating the "new UI" look. I think I was right. I also decided that it was better to install everything at first and then subtract (uninstall) stuff that you don't want, seeing as how there are so many moving pieces and lots of dependencies. You can decide if I was right.

Note: These procedures assume you are starting with FW 1.2.2, registered and rooted with updated NookManager ("Traditional" variant).

STAGING

Note

: you need a good file manager app on your device and may also need some kind of working gallery app (like QuickPic), depending on whether the activity picker recognizes your file manager app fully. I was able to get along with ES File Explorer.

1. Make a CWM card (https://xdaforums.com/t/nst-cwr-rc2-clockworkmod-based-recovery-fixed-backup-issue.1360994/), using either of the two SD card versions.

2. Download framework_newUI_CWM.zip and NST_newUI_CWM.zip. Copy these files onto the CWM card you have made.

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3. Download folders.zip. Inside the zip are two folders, media and sdcard. Copy the contents of the "media" folder to /media on your NST/G. If there is not already a "screensavers" folder in /media, create one and inside that create the folder "CurrentBookCover".

Next, copy the contents of the "sdcard" folder to /sdcard on your NST/G. If there is not already a "Pictures" folder in /sdcard, create one and inside that create the folder "Screenshots".

You now have everything you need to reproduce the UI shown in the first post.

INSTALLATION

1. Make a backup of your NST/G. Everything you are going to do is reversible, but it would be so much easier to just restore a backup if you decide you don't like the result.

2. Power down, remove your regular sdcard and replace it with the CWM card. Power up. Wait for CWM to pass the splash screen and display the first menu.

If you're not familiar with CWM, movement in the menu and item selection are controlled by hardware buttons:

upper left: previous menu, upper right: up, lower right: down, "n" button: select.

a. move down the menu to "install zip from sdcard". Press "n"

b. press "n" again ("choose zip from sdcard")

c. move to framework_newUI_CWM.zip and press "n"

d. move either up or down to confirm the file you want to flash and press "n"

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e. again, select "choose zip from sdcard" (press "n")

f. move to NST_newUI_CWM.zip and press "n"

g. move either up or down to confirm the file you want to flash and press "n"

The screen gets a little mushed up with the menu after two flashes, but all you need is to get back to the beginning.

h. go back (upper left button) until the first item in the menu is "reboot system now"

i. remove the CWM sdcard and replace it with your usual sdcard, then press "n"

Chug, chug, chug... Boot may take a little longer because of replacing the framework-res.apk, but be patient.

THE DETAILS

1. Change Wallpaper (may have to do it twice for it to take effect). Tap on the Wallpaper Chooser app and navigate through the tiny print to /media/Wallpaper. There are three files. You want "NST UI Background_p.png". The other two files are for a smoother transition to landscape mode (handled by QuickTiles). If you never use your device in landscape mode you can design your own wallpaper to suit without making a version for landscape. The Wallpaper Changer app is sort of funky, but it gets the job done. If you have my Nook Settings app, there is a wallpaper setting under "Display", so you could uninstall Wallpaper Changer in that case.

2. Initialize NST UI by tapping on the icon. You are taken back to the home screen and get an SU permission prompt.

3. Use NTMM (NookTouch ModManager) to assign NST UI to the status bar "reading now" button.

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Also assign ADW Launcher to the "n" button.

Note: if you are not familiar with ADW Launcher, the three dots at the upper right corner of the app drawer screen are your friend. The first option allows you to hide apps from the drawer, the second to create additional tabs if you want to group apps. And it's a convenient place to access the App Manager.

4. Add BookCover widget (DesktopVisualizer), scale and position.

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a. Long press on the home screen somewhere blank. You will see a dialog. Tap as needed to get to "Widgets."

b. Select a 4x4 Desktop Visualizer widget.

c. A place-holder for the widget appears somewhere on the home screen. Long-press until you can drag the image down to below "Now Reading". Then tap on it.

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d. Tap on "Select Icon" (this will be the book cover image). Tap on "Image File". You'll see a selection of possible apps that might open such a file. In my case that was ES File Explorer. If nothing shows up that will allow you to navigate to /media/NowReading/NSTcover.png or select from a variety of images (with a gallery app like QuickPic) you will need to install something.

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e. Tap on "Select Action". You will see options. We want to launch an app.

Select NST UI. This makes the widget active as a "button" which will open the "Now Reading" book.

Note: if you would rather not have the book cover image repeat the function of the "reading now" button, select "None". In that case tapping on the book cover image will have no effect.

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f. To complete the setup of the widget, trash the Label and select "None" for the Touch Effect color. Then tap on OK.

g. You are now back on the home screen:

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Long-press on the widget until you see the dialog open and select "Resize":

The best option for me was to move the bottom handle down a little. This gave an image that seemed to fit in the space and had the right aspect ratio. Compare with the screenshot in the first post. Of course you can position and size the image any way you want if you are developing your own design. When you select a book to read this temporary image will be replaced.

5. Getting a custom version of the SetCover app.

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a. Use a file manager to navigate to /data/data/jp.co.bii.androi.app.dskvzr/files.

Inside that folder there should be one file representing the book cover widget. The file name will be something like "conf_1.dat". Your widget ID# is the numeric part of the file name (so, "1", in the example shown). Navigate to the SetCover download folder and find your customized app. The app file names are all in the form of "SetCover_4-x.apk" where "x" is your widget ID#.

b. Install the app and initialize it by tapping on the icon. You are returned to the home screen and an SU permission prompt is generated.

c. Use NTMM to assign SetCover to the hardware button of your choice (for manual cover capture). Remember, automatic cover images are only generated for non-DRM epub files. Everything else requires one button press when the cover is displayed on the screen.

Tip: you may want to choose a long-press option. I sometimes pick up my device and inadvertantly press the button which then takes a screenshot of whatever and puts it on the home screen...

5. Create additional SimiFolders and arrange dock icons

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I've provided one sample SimiFolder (the "books") so that setup of additional folders is simplified (if you like my choices...). Here's how to make additional ones.

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a. Tap on the SimiFolder icon in the app drawer. Just a useful tidbit before we go on: the "Applications" section lists your apps, as you might guess. But there is an option in there for changing the app icon. I did this with the stock Library app in the sample "Reader" folder. So, tap on "Folder" and then "Add Folder". Give the folder a name and select the type of folder ("Combined").

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Finally, to keep things simple for now, you can skip all the tedious configuration by choosing to "Copy settings from Folder". In this case, the sample "Readers" folder I provided. Save before going on.

b. To add apps to the new folder, tap on it and then on "Add".

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This takes you to a screen with all your apps. Check the ones you want. You can choose to order the apps manually or let the app arrange them ("Sorting", back on the previous screen).

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c. To get the new SimiFolder to appear on the home screen (in the dock) you need to use DesktopVisualizer. Long-press on an empty area of the home screen to bring up the ADW dialog:

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Use the dialog options that follow to navigate to /media/Icons and select the icon of your choice (you can add/design your own, of course).

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You would choose your own folder, of course. Then you are back to the home screen and you can drag your new SimiFolder shortcut down to the dock and arrange as you like.

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6. Add Greeting widget (MinimalisticText)

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a. Long-press on the home screen somewhere and add a Widget. You want MinimalisticText 5x1 Horizontal. This takes you to the app itself where you enter the name for the widget. Use the name as shown.

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b. Scroll to the very end of Settings until you see Save/Restore. Choose "Restore" and select "Greeting". This reads in the widget as I have created it so you don't have to go through all the setup.

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c. DO NOT USE either the back arrow or back button at this point!! You'll have to start all over again. Instead, scroll back through Settings to find "Custom Layout". You can now see the "innards" of the widget. You want the last item which will allow you to type in your name.

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d. NOW use the back button (status bar) twice to dismiss the keyboard and close the editing screen. To save any changes to a widget of any kind, ALWAYS use the menu button (status bar) followed by a tap on "OK" at the bottom. MinimalisticText closes and you are back at the home screen.

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e. Resize and position as before with the book cover image (see post #1). For me, pulling down on the bottom a little put the widget in the correct vertical position.

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7. Add Weather widget (MinimalisticText)

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If you want to have the Weather widget, you will need to get a free API from Open Weather Maps. For more information, see the original app post. You don't need to go through the whole widget-building process. Once you have the API and your geocoordinates, tap on the app icon and fill in the Settings information. The rest is more or less automatic. You will receive a notification when the data has been processed and the app is "widget-ready". Then you follow the procedure for the Greeting widget (the size is Horizontal 4x2), but name it "Weather" and read in the configuration for that widget. There's nothing else to do but position the widget properly on the home screen. If your location is not showing up correctly for some reason, you can go into the widget settings (Layout>CustomLayout) and replace the Location variable with static text. Message me for additional help.

8. Configure QuickTiles

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Tap on the app icon to initialize. By default, only the WiFi tile is set. You should read more about how the app works and how to set up additional tiles in the original app post. Some functions may require the presence of additional apps. RotationLocker is a dependency so whether you actually use that particular tile, the app must remain installed if you want to run QuickTiles.

Just in case...

If you have deleted some apps and later change your mind, it would be a shame to have to go back to the CWM zip and flash all over again. For that reason I've posted copies (or links to copies) of the main "optional" apps. Note that MinimalisticText comes as a CWM-flashable zip because it is so difficult to get a working install by just installing the app.

Desktop Visualizer

Minimalistic Text

Simi Folder

QuickTiles 2.3 (custom for this UI)