Instructions for patching firmware 4.15.12920

[droopy]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Step 4 is about installing fw 4.15.12920 on your Kobo, which you don't need to do because you've said it's already been installed via wi-fi.

However, you do still need to download and place a copy of kobo-update-4.15.12920.zip in the src subdirectory (on your Linux machine) so that kobopatch can extract the files it needs (there are 1-4 of them depending which patches you enable) so it can apply your chosen patches to those files.

Thanks, Jackie, for your helpful reply. I had mistakenly assumed that the kobo-update-4.15.1290.zip was superfluous. Now knowing better, I placed that zip into the src folder in my linux machine and run the sh. file. Here's the "printout":

Spoiler:

Loading configuration from kobopatch.yaml
Reading input firmware zip

Patching ./usr/local/Kobo/libnickel.so.1.0.0
SKIP `Allow searches on Extra dictionaries`
SKIP `Always display chapter name on navigation menu`
SKIP `Always show confirmation dialog before upgrading`
SKIP `Arabic keyboard (Mini/Touch/Glo/Aura/AuraHD/H2O)`
SKIP `Block WiFi firmware upgrade`
SKIP `Both page turn buttons go next`
SKIP `Both page turn sides go next`
SKIP `Change dicthtml strings to micthtml`
SKIP `Clock display duration`
SKIP `Custom Sleep/Power-off timeouts`
SKIP `Custom font sizes`
SKIP `Custom footer (page number text)`
SKIP `Custom kepub default margins`
SKIP `Custom left & right margins`
SKIP `Cyrillic Keyboard (GloHD/ClaraHD/AuraOne/H2O2)`
SKIP `Cyrillic keyboard (Mini/Touch/Glo/Aura/AuraHD/H2O)`
SKIP `Dictionary text font-family/font-size/line-height - beta`
SKIP `Dictionary, remove long winded closest match notification`
SKIP `Disable all tutorial dialogs`
SKIP `Enable rotation on all devices`
SKIP `Fix three KePub fullScreenReading bugs`
SKIP `Force user font-family in ePubs (Part 1 of 2)`
SKIP `Force user line spacing in KePubs`
SKIP `Force user line spacing in ePubs (part 1 of 2)`
SKIP `Freedom to advanced fonts control`
SKIP `Greek Keyboard (GloHD/ClaraHD/AuraOne/H2O2)`
SKIP `Hebrew keyboard (AuraHD/H2O)`
SKIP `Hebrew keyboard (GloHD/ClaraHD/AuraOne/H2O2)`
SKIP `Hebrew keyboard (Mini/Touch/Glo/Aura)`
APPLY `Hide browser from beta features`
SKIP `Ignore .otf fonts`
SKIP `Increase TOC level indentation`
SKIP `Increase TOC level indentation and fix extra indentation bug`
SKIP `KePub constant font sharpness`
SKIP `KePub stylesheet additions`
SKIP `Keyboard template (AuraHD/H2O)`
SKIP `Keyboard template (GloHD/ClaraHD/AuraOne/H2O2)`
SKIP `Keyboard template (Mini/Touch/Glo/Aura)`
SKIP `My 10 line spacing values`
SKIP `My 24 line spacing values`
SKIP `Never show Kobo Plus, wishlist, and points SmartLinks`
SKIP `Only show Pocket SmartLink`
SKIP `Only show stats SmartLink`
SKIP `Remove beta features not supported text`
SKIP `Remove recommendations (row1col2) from home screen`
SKIP `Rename new home screen footer`
SKIP `Rename settings`
SKIP `Replace adobe page numbers toggle with invert screen`
SKIP `Set KePub hyphenation`
SKIP `Set font scale factor`
SKIP `Set reading footer height`
APPLY `Set slide to unlock`
SKIP `Set visible SmartLink`
SKIP `Un-Force user font-family in KePubs`
SKIP `Un-Force user text-align in div,p tags in KePubs`
SKIP `Un-force font-family override p tags (std epubs)`
SKIP `Un-force link decoration in KePubs`
SKIP `Use old keyboard on all devices`
SKIP `Wikipedia Search language`
SKIP `ePub constant font sharpness`
SKIP `ePub disable built-in body padding-bottom`
SKIP `ePub fixed top/bottom margins`
SKIP `ePub fixed/adjustable top/bottom margins`
SKIP `ePub uniform font scale`

Patching ./usr/local/Kobo/nickel
SKIP `Change pop-up footnote font-family`
SKIP `Changing the info panel in full size screensaver- beta 1`
SKIP `Custom font to collection and author titles`
SKIP `Custom menubar - reduce height by 33%`
SKIP `Custom menubar - reduce height by 50%`
SKIP `Custom reading footer style`
SKIP `Custom synopsis/details line spacing`
SKIP `Custom synopsis/font size`
SKIP `Dictionary pop-up - increase available text area`
SKIP `Disable reading footer`
SKIP `Fix reading stats/author name cut off when series is showing`
SKIP `Increase headlines font`
SKIP `Increase size of kepub chapter progress chart`
SKIP `Increase the cover size in library`
SKIP `Increase the view details container size`
SKIP `New home screen increasing cover size`
SKIP `New home screen subtitle custom font`
APPLY `Only Reading and My Books`
APPLY `Reduce top/bottom page spacer`
SKIP `Remove extra space on selection menu`
SKIP `Remove footer (row3) and increase cover size on new home screen`
SKIP `Remove footer (row3) on new home screen`
APPLY `Remove forgot pin button from lock screen`
SKIP `Show all games`

Patching ./usr/local/Kobo/libadobe.so
APPLY `Keep PDF pan position`
SKIP `Remove PDF map widget shown during panning`
APPLY `Remove PDF page turn arrows`

Patching ./usr/local/Kobo/librmsdk.so.1.0.0
SKIP `Default ePub monospace font (Courier)`
SKIP `Default ePub sans-serif font (Gill Sans)`
SKIP `Default ePub serif font (Amasis)`
SKIP `Default ePub symbol font (Symbol)`
SKIP `Disable orphans/widows avoidance`
SKIP `Force user font-family in ePubs (Part 2 of 2)`
SKIP `Force user line spacing in ePubs (Part 2 of 2)`
SKIP `Ignore ePub TOC navpoints`
SKIP `Ignore ePub book Adobe XPGT stylesheet (page-template.xpgt)`
SKIP `Ignore ePub book CSS and Adobe XPGT stylesheets`

Checking patched KoboRoot.tgz for consistency
Successfully saved patched KoboRoot.tgz to out/KoboRoot.tgz. Remember to make sure your kobo is running the target firmware version before patching.

I successfully experienced the patches. I so much appreciate the "Keep panned position for PDFs" patch.

Geek1101's OP's step 5 says "Enable patches in the files in the src folder (or use the overrides in kobopatch.yaml to keep your options separate)."

How do you "use the overrides in kobopatch.yaml"?
Where is kobopatch.yaml?
What are the benefits/advantages to "keeping your options separate"?

[droopy]

I'm reading through nickel.yaml right now, and come across stuff like:

"Custom menubar - reduce height by 33%:"
For a newb like me, I'm asking:
What/where is this menubar?


May I humbly suggest that for each patch, there would be graphical representation (screenshot)?

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by droopy

I'm reading through nickel.yaml right now, and come across stuff like:

"Custom menubar - reduce height by 33%:"
For a newb like me, I'm asking:
What/where is this menubar?

This menubar is the one you see at the top of the screen (contains various icons, e.g. battery, light, etc) when you tap the screen to bring up the top/bottom menus from within a book.

Originally Posted by droopy

May I humbly suggest that for each patch, there would be graphical representation (screenshot)?

Screenshots do exist for some of the patches but they tend to have been posted when the patch was initially created/shared with the community. It's up to the creator whether they post screenshots or not.

"Custom menubar - reduce height by 33%" is one of my patches and I created some screenshots for it. As Google is my friend, here they are. It was a long time ago.

Some of the oldest patches have more detail in this thread.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by droopy

How do you "use the overrides in kobopatch.yaml"?
Where is kobopatch.yaml?

There is a bare bones kobopatch.yaml file in the same zip file where you found kobopatch.sh. It contains it's own help notes.

[rudgas]

My last patch version was 4.6.9995

I think the touch-behavior for flipping pages has changed. I use the:

top -> back
middle -> menu
bottom -> forward

scheme. After this patch, the very bottom of the page where the footer (page numbers) are located is no langer valid as an area to flip the page forward. Could this be reenabled? I usually hold my reader with either left or right hand and just use the thumb to tap one corner to flip to the next page. reaching further up is rather inconvenient (and a bit contra-intuitiv) ;-)

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by rudgas

My last patch version was 4.6.9995 ...

After this patch, the very bottom of the page where the footer (page numbers) are located is no langer valid as an area to flip the page forward. Could this be reenabled? I usually hold my reader with either left or right hand and just use the thumb to tap one corner to flip to the next page. reaching further up is rather inconvenient (and a bit contra-intuitiv) ;-)

I don't think you can. Tapping (or more precisely, long-pressing) the bottom of the screen (where the 'Page x of y' is) is reserved for quickly cycling the footer text between 'Page x of y', 'x% read' and 'x hours to go'. You'll need to tap above the footer to turn pages.

Also the next firmware, which is imminent, is about to change a lot of things about the header and footer so I'd wait and see the state of play after it arrives.

[rudgas]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

I don't think you can. Tapping (or more precisely, long-pressing) the bottom of the screen (where the 'Page x of y' is) is reserved for quickly cycling the footer text between 'Page x of y', 'x% read' and 'x hours to go'. You'll need to tap above the footer to turn pages.

Also the next firmware, which is imminent, is about to change a lot of things about the header and footer so I'd wait and see the state of play after it arrives.

Yeah I imagine the long pressing was to avoid a conflict of flipping pages vs changing the footer... Well I'll await the new firmwre and see what changed.