PRS-T1 Modified Sony home screen

[Morkl]

This started as a post in the Your Rooted PRS-T1 (Screen shots and observations) thread but grew into a hobby project of mine rather quickly, so I'm breaking it out to avoid cluttering the thread.

I'm working on customizing the PRS-T1 in a different way than the SonyPrsT1Home project; instead of creating a new home screen I'm modifying the stock one (also: other stock Sony apps). Why? Because I like the look and layout of the stock home screen and it's a great way for me to pick up some Android and Dalvik knowledge.

If you miss a certain feature on the PRS-T1, don't hesitate to say so!

Latest version (Home and Reader) as of this writing: 2012-01-22

Main features

• Home screen
• Recently Added instead of Recently Read (will be made optional when I get around to do it)
• Custom apps can be set on all buttons
• Stock launcher page activated
• Reader
• Bold/italics bug fixed
• Custom fonts in the font selector
• Custom font sizes in the font selector
• Custom CSS
• Customizable number of page turns between screen refreshes

NOTE 2012-01-20:
New releases are uploaded here, code is posted here. I'll keep posting updates in this thread, but this post may not always be up to date.

Old first post, saved for historical reasons:

Spoiler:

Changelog:

• v6
• Apps page categories appear in the same order as the config
• Broadcasts intent for screensaver update on book launch
• Reload configuration by pressing back button
• v5
• Favourite apps above 3rd page app drawer. Still using the the stock scrolling component for the rest of the apps.
• Custom configurable categories on the app screen
• New configuration file with better structure
• v4:
• Stock app drawer enabled by default; no need to meddle with system files
• v3:
• Updates last read time when launching book from home screen no matter what reader is used
• Custom apps can be added to home screen and apps screen
• Installs as a normal apk
• v2:
• Sorts "Recently Read" books by last read time by itself, no need for books.db hack
• v1:
• "Recently added" string changed to "Recently read" (relies on books.db hack to get the order right)

Installation:
V1 and v2 are installed the same way as the root packages, with flash_reader.bat and whatnot. >=V3 is installed like a normal APK.
Don't install V1 or V2 on an unrooted device - it breaks things!

Files:
v6: http://morkl.se/reader/homemod_v6.zip
v5: http://morkl.se/reader/homemod_v5.zip
v4: http://morkl.se/reader/homemod_v4.zip
v3: http://morkl.se/reader/homemod_v3.zip
v2: http://morkl.se/reader/recentlyread_v2.zip
v1: http://morkl.se/reader/recentlyread.zip
Restore original home screen: http://morkl.se/reader/recentlyread_undo.zip

Modified Reader app, with bold/italics working with the font selector:
http://morkl.se/reader/readermod_v2.zip - crashes when opening more->settings, new package coming soon

Future:

• Updating the last read time when launching a book (in another reader than Sonys own) currently only works from the home screen, not from the Books or Collections screens. That ought to be fixed.
• Clock, battery indicator
• "Open Last Collection" button
• Better app drawer, possibly like this (todo: make static instead of scrolly)
• Last read book's cover as screen saver when using non-stock reader works when launching book from home screen or modified reader/content manager
• Make "Recently read" an option, some prefer the "Recently added" mode
• Documentation
• Does anyone else have any requests, irks or other ideas about how to make the stock home screen better?

Not quite home screen but should be done anyway:

• Collections Manager
  

Cheers!

[robyshot]

this is how i'd like the 3rd page to be (just an idea)

[nrapallo]

Looks very promising.... Keep up the great work!

Initial requests:
- Time/Date stamp of last activity on home screen (at bottom) or clock in notification bar (if possible)

- batt. life in % on home screen (at bottom) or % in notification bar (if possible) (a favourite of mine!)

- clear last book read from listing (for privacy concerns)

- separate collections buttons; one for "internal memory" and another "on sd card".
Was thinking more about a "copy collections from the sd card to the internal memory" button and vice-versa?

UPDATE: Be sure to try the JuneReader.zip mods for (un-rooted) PRS-T1 devices provided also by Morkl:

Originally Posted by Morkl

The package at http://morkl.se/reader/JuneReader.zip has been updated, and if I don't hear about any critical bugs I'll put it up at SourceForge in the weekend

[soseono]

Originally Posted by robyshot

this is how i'd like the 3rd page to be (just an idea)

Like this idea, too!

Morkl, can I change the Morkl.se button links to something else? I might like my local library website link there.

And does the "press Menu on the Home to see clock on the status bar" tip work here as well?

[treadlightly]

Thanks for sharing this. I will probably wait until the update with the first feature enhancement that you list since that is how I open a book, either searching in "Books" or opening a book from a collection. I'm not sure if it is possible, but handy for me would be a shortcut to a particular collection - either "last collection read" or (less desirably) a hardcoded tag name that I move around in Calibre. That would make it easier to open the next book from the series I'm currently reading without having to browse alphabetically for the collection, which I find tedious.

[vishcompany]

Thanks once more for your work, Morkl! This is getting better by the day...

A few questions:

• If I am running v2 at the moment, do I have to run the undo package (I was going to ask for this) or is it safe to just upgrade to v3 via apk installer?
• Is it possible to define the custom apps on homescreen/apps schreen on a user basis, or is some digging involved to do so?

As you asked for further requests, I place a few features of PRS+, which I like best (I am aware, that his involves much more, than modifying the home app, but who knows...)

• clock on homescreen
• clock shown while reading (is it possible to show the top bar while reading, so the clock could be placed there?)
• change fonts (also using external fonts). There is already a thread about this, as you surely have noticed
• Integration of the hidden app launcher.

[robyshot]

@vishcompany

to view that launcher you just need to edit a file

see the wiki

[slowfax]

I have installed modified homescreen v1 on a NOT rooted PRS-T1. I know, that's my fault, but I have several devices. Some are rooted, some are not.
After the reboot the device is not accessible any more. It shows the "opening ebook" screen for about 10 seconds. Then it just shows the loading circle of two slowly turning arrows for hours.
I don't see a possibilty to access the device. The computer doesn't recognize the device. Sony's hard reset instruction and the instruction in the Rooting thread don't work. I have also tried the sdcard-rescue (by Borada). No chance.
Does anybody know an other way I could try to access the Reader?
Thanks for reading (and thinking).

[Morkl]

Originally Posted by robyshot

this is how i'd like the 3rd page to be (just an idea)

App drawer with static pages instead of scrolling like the stock one seems like a good idea. I didn't even know the stock app drawer existed until yesterday, but I'm putting "better app drawer" on the list

Originally Posted by nrapallo

Looks very promising.... Keep up the great work!

Initial requests:
- Time/Date stamp of last activity on home screen (at bottom) or clock in notification bar (if possible)

- batt. life in % on home screen (at bottom) or % in notification bar (if possible) (a favourite of mine!)

- clear last book read from listing (for privacy concerns)

- separate collections buttons; one for "internal memory" and another "on sd card".
Was thinking more about a "copy collections from the sd card to the internal memory" button and vice-versa?

Pretty sure sure the notification bar is outside the scope of the home screen, but the bottom should be possible. Should be user configurable.

Some kind of "Collections Manager" app perhaps? Not really part of the home screen, but I like the concept. I've had problems with accidentally opening a book myself, and then having to open my "real" last read books in order to get it neat like I want it.

Originally Posted by soseono

Like this idea, too!

Morkl, can I change the Morkl.se button links to something else? I might like my local library website link there.

And does the "press Menu on the Home to see clock on the status bar" tip work here as well?

Yep, the custom buttons are all configurable. Check out the allapps.xml and extapps.xml files in the homemod folder; extapps.xml contains definitions of custom apps and allapps.xml is used to determine where to place what.
I'm thinking of redoing allapps.xml into a more understandable way (and configurable, e.g. allowing custom categories on the second screen) in the future; it is currently just a replacement for a string array in the stock version.

Do you have a link for the clock on status bar thing?

Originally Posted by treadlightly

Thanks for sharing this. I will probably wait until the update with the first feature enhancement that you list since that is how I open a book, either searching in "Books" or opening a book from a collection. I'm not sure if it is possible, but handy for me would be a shortcut to a particular collection - either "last collection read" or (less desirably) a hardcoded tag name that I move around in Calibre. That would make it easier to open the next book from the series I'm currently reading without having to browse alphabetically for the collection, which I find tedious.

Great idea!

Originally Posted by vishcompany

Thanks once more for your work, Morkl! This is getting better by the day...

A few questions:

• If I am running v2 at the moment, do I have to run the undo package (I was going to ask for this) or is it safe to just upgrade to v3 via apk installer?
• Is it possible to define the custom apps on homescreen/apps schreen on a user basis, or is some digging involved to do so?

As you asked for further requests, I place a few features of PRS+, which I like best (I am aware, that his involves much more, than modifying the home app, but who knows...)

• clock on homescreen
• clock shown while reading (is it possible to show the top bar while reading, so the clock could be placed there?)
• change fonts (also using external fonts). There is already a thread about this, as you surely have noticed
• Integration of the hidden app launcher.

Thanks for pointing me to the fonts thread; I'll do some digging in the Reader app and see if i can come up with something.

Edit:
Forgot to answer the questions:
It should be safe to install v3 or higher with v2 installed. Since it has a new package name, V3 is basically just an ordinary app, as far as the system is concerned.
The home/app screen apps can be configured by editing the XML files provided in the homemod folder in v3/higher. The homemod folder is goes in the root of the internal storage.

Originally Posted by robyshot

@vishcompany

to view that launcher you just need to edit a file

see the wiki

I have removed the check for ro.build.type, so the stock app drawer is always enabled without having to meddle with system files.

V4: http://morkl.se/reader/homemod_v4.zip

I'll start looking at implementing the other points when I get home from work.

[Morkl]

Originally Posted by slowfax

I have installed modified homescreen v1 on a NOT rooted PRS-T1. I know, that's my fault, but I have several devices. Some are rooted, some are not.
After the reboot the device is not accessible any more. It shows the "opening ebook" screen for about 10 seconds. Then it just shows the loading circle of two slowly turning arrows for hours.
I don't see a possibilty to access the device. The computer doesn't recognize the device. Sony's hard reset instruction and the instruction in the Rooting thread don't work. I have also tried the sdcard-rescue (by Borada). No chance.
Does anybody know an other way I could try to access the Reader?
Thanks for reading (and thinking).

Hmm, if it comes all the way to the "opening ebook" screen, the sdcard-rescue should work fine? Are you sure it is correctly set up?

I broke my system lots of times while trying to figure out the workflow of modifying apps but the sdcard-rescue always did the trick.

[slowfax]

Originally Posted by Morkl

Hmm, if it comes all the way to the "opening ebook" screen, the sdcard-rescue should work fine? Are you sure it is correctly set up?

I broke my system lots of times while trying to figure out the workflow of modifying apps but the sdcard-rescue always did the trick.

It worked for me several times too.
But this time it doesn't. I have also tried with three different sd-cards.

[slowfax]

BTW: You could add a warning for other idiots like me :-)
This Hack should ONLY be applied to a rooted T1. (Because it *seems* to work and doesn't refuse to work on a non rooted device.)

[soseono]

Originally Posted by Morkl

Do you have a link for the clock on status bar thing?

It's in the T1 User Guide (the epub that's in your T1 when first initialized). Basic Operations -> [Home] Screen -> Applications and the [Home] Screen -> Status bar.

Says: "Tip: When you press the (Menu) button from the [Home] screen, the time is displayed at the left side of the status bar for approximately 5 seconds."

[Morkl]

Originally Posted by slowfax

BTW: You could add a warning for other idiots like me :-)
This Hack should ONLY be applied to a rooted T1. (Because it *seems* to work and doesn't refuse to work on a non rooted device.)

Warning added, in red!

How about applying the undo package directly from the SD card, i.e., putting the tmp and updates folder along with "PRS-T1 Updater.package" in the root of the sd card and then doing the home+menu reboot thing? Not sure if this would work if the normal sdcard-rescue doesn't, but it might be worth a shot?

[Venzent]

Does the "continu reading" work when using a non-default reader like FBreader. The stock homescreen works only with the default reader.

Edit:
What also would be nice, I use the picture of the book I'm currently reading as the screensaver, this also works only with the default reader, would be nice if it works with FBreader.