[P3400 ROM Development] krazy_about_technology:
To add registry settings, you need to either create a new package or add it to existing ones.

Description of a package is as follows. A package is essentially a folder containing following things :

- a .dsm file that identifies it as a separate package. Althout it can be generated using a tool, you can also take an empty file, generate a UUID using the uuidgen.exe tool and assign it as the name of this dsm file followed by the extension .dsm. That works most of the time.

- Optionally, a file with the same uuid as its name as dsm but with extension .RGU. this is the file where you put your registry settings. its a normal Regedit generated file, starts with the header REGEDIT4 and the settings from the next line. Never forget to leave a blank line at the end and save it as Unicode, otherwise u'll get errors from RegComp.exe

- Optional Initflashfiles.txt file which is used to copy files to their proper place from the windows folder on first boot. This file is now replaced by autoshortcut utility in ROMs of newer phones starting with the touch series. but nevertheless, it works on those roms too. The typical format of this file is:

1. To create a folder :

Directory("Target Parent Folder"):-Directory("Name of the new folder")

2. To copy a file :

Directory("Target Directory"):-File("Name of the file as you want it to be","source location of the file including the filename (files are alwaysin \Windows) ")

- Optionally some .provxml files which are the newer way of creating registry settings and doing file operations, but cant describe the format here as its quiet big.

- And the files of the package.

Now you can add the registry settings to an existing package's RGU file or create a seprate package with a new dsm file and an rgu files with your settings in it. Also name of the folder in which package resides can have any name, it doesn't matter. Plus the initflashfiles.txt cannot create new files like making a shortcut. It just copies things from windows folder, the shortcuts etc must be there beforehand.

Regarding homescreen plus plus, ya its a bit tricky to add. You sometimes need to edit the registry and iniflash files to make it work. Every today plugin needs a key with 4-5 values in HKLM \Software\Microsoft\Today\Items key. Check the rgu of the package, if its creating the required entries. otherwise you'll have to create these using some other today plugin as reference.

Also, always check the initflashfiles after you create a package, coz it sometimes copies whole lot of things which are sometimes even not required to be copied. This happens coz the cab is originally designed to be installed in \program files. Google Maps is a good example, the package's initflashfiles.txt by default copies all of the dlls to program files while only the googlemaps.exe is needed to be copied, and that too only if you are using Manilla, to make the Maps tab work.

Some things About Shortcuts in WIndows Mobile OS

Shortcuts are nothing but text files with a .lnk extension with a single line of text in it. To create a shortcut make a new file and edit its name to something.lnk. Open it in notepad and enter following info:

[no of characters including quotes]#"path to the executable"

for example to create a shortcut to windows media player:

23#"\windows\wmplayer.exe"

save the file and place it at the desired location. It'll work, the icon will show up on the device.

I hope this will solve many of your queries. :)