Instructions for patching firmware 3.12.1

[GeoffR]

Before starting:

1. Make sure your Kobo ereader is already running firmware version 3.12.1 (c1198635ca).

2. Check that your battery is well charged.

3. Note that in Windows 8 the instructions below might require the batch file to be run in admistrator mode.


Patching from Windows, Linux (i386/x86_64), or Mac (OS X 10.8-10.9, i386/x86_64):

1. Download and extract patch_kobo_3121.zip (attached). [WARNING: If using Windows, make sure the path to the extracted files does not contain any '&' characters.]

2. Download the Kobo firmware archive version 3.12.1 for your device (See this thread) into the 3.12.1_source subdirectory. (Don't extract.)

3. Read and edit all the *.patch files in the 3.12.1_source subdirectory in order to: choose which patches to enable (patch_enable=`yes`) or disable (patch_enable=`no`); and to change some of the replacement values to suit your device and preferences. (See the section below on customising the patches.)

4. In Windows double-click 3.12.1.bat; For Linux/Mac open a terminal, change to the patch_kobo_3121 directory, and run ./3.12.1.sh from the command line.

5. If there were no errors, copy the resulting KoboRoot.tgz from the 3.12.1_target subdirectory to the .kobo directory on your ereader.

6. Safely eject and unplug the device, which will then update and restart.


To return your ereader to its original unpatched state:

1. Edit all the 3.12.1_source/*.patch files to disable all patches (set patch_enable = `no` for every patch).

2. Repeat steps 4-6 of the procedure above.


Customising the patches to suit your preferences and device

Some patches require no customisation, you can choose simply to enable them or not. But the following patches allow more customisation and their initial values should be considered examples only.

1. Custom reading footer style: There are six example footer styles, comment out the styles you don't want by adding a "#" character at the beginning of the line beginning with replace_, and leave the style you want uncommented. Examples 1 or 4 are best if using the ePub adjustable top/bottom margin patch.

More complex customisation is possible, see this post for a guide on what all the options do.

2. My line spacing values: Change the lines of the enabled patch starting with replace_float: the middle number is the original spacing value, the number to change is on the right.

The values are the line spacings set by the adjustment slider. The actual spacing depends on the font used, but for most fonts a value of 0.7 gives very tight spacing with ascenders/descenders overlapping, a value of about 0.9 gives a spacing similar to that of a mass-market paperback. The smallest value available in the unpatched firmware is 1.0.

3. Custom font sizes: Change the lines starting with replace_int. The middle number is the original value, the number to change is on the right.

The values are the font sizes set by the adjustment slider, they are in pixels so the absolute size depends on the device: size 20 on the Glo is about the same as size 25 on the AuraHD. Some books change the base font size, so you may need font sizes that are larger or smaller than your normal reading size to allow for adjusting such books.

4. Custom left & right margins: Change the lines starting with replace_int. The middle number is the original value, the number to change is on the right.

The values are the margin widths (in units of about 1% screen width I think) set by the adjustment slider. The margin size is added to whatever margin is fixed in the book (if any) and in reading software (The kepub reader has a base margin of about 2 units, the epub reader has a base margin of zero).

5. Brightness fine control: Change the lines starting with replace_int. The middle number is the original value, the number to change is on the right.

The values are the percentage amounts that the brightness slider changes when the small or large sun symbols are tapped. (Both should probably be set to the same value).

[GeoffR]

Notes

The `ePub fixed top/bottom margin` and `ePub ajustable top/bottom margin` patches have been combined into a single `ePub fixed/adjustable top/bottom margins` patch.


Working around problems with reading kepubs in full-screen mode:

To enable the full-screen reading option, add the following to the device's configuration file ./kobo/Kobo/Kobo eReader.conf using a unix-aware text editor (don't use Windows' Notepad or Wordpad, use an editor such as Notepad++ instead.)

[FeatureSettings]
FullScreenReading=true

Then it is possible to switch between normal and full-screen mode by ticking the "Show header and footer" box in the Reading Settings menu.

Full-screen mode works well with epubs, but there are two problems that affect kepubs:

1. If the book's stylesheet has non-zero margin or padding on the body element, then the text can be shifted to the right resulting in text being cut off at the right hand side.

For sideloaded kepubs this should be able to be fixed by adding the following to the book's stylesheet, or to kobo_extra.css if that option is enabled in Calibre:

body { margin: 0 0 0 0 !important; padding: 0 0 0 0 !important; }

For kepubs synced from Kobo, the `KePub zero body margin/padding` patch (see post #27) can be used to modify the device's built-in KePub stylesheet instead.


2. For some fonts, characters with a large side-bearing value (such as Georgia f, J, etc.) get cut off if they appear at the end of a line.

For sideloaded kepubs created by recent versions of Calibre's KoboTouchExtended driver, this can be fixed by adding the following to the book's stylesheet or to kobo_extra.css:

div#book-columns { padding: 0.2em !important; }

For kepubs synced from Kobo or created with older versions of the KoboTouchExtended driver, the `Fix kepub side bearing font cut-off bug` patch can be used to add the appropriate padding to the device's built-in stylesheet instead.


More patches:
If you know of any other patches for firmware 3.12.1, post in this thread an I'll add the patch to this post.

* A patch to fix a problem with displaying book titles in Arabic and other scripts: post #17.

* Arabic keyboard patch: post #20.

* Hebrew keyboard patch: post #24

* A patch to work around the problem with the text of some KePubs being shifted to the right and cut off in full-screen reading mode: post #27

[boriar]

Speedy Gonzalez!!!!!

Time to suscribe a new thread!

[Nick_1964]

Thank you again

[Alexander Turcic]

GeoffR, great instruction! Now a sticky.

Alex

[truemarine]

So great! Thank you again!

[karamasova]

GeoffR, Thank you! =)

[booklover6]

Is there anyway to add more information to the page number line in the footer? Like, for example, a clock?

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Is there anyway to add more information to the page number line in the footer? Like, for example, a clock?

I would love that feature myself, I've always missed the clock display from my Sony 350s. I read a lot between waiting for various things where I need to watch the time and it's very convenient to be able to check the time without having to bring up the menu, which disrupts reading for me. And I often forget as well and end up being late...

[JSWolf]

Are there any patches for 3.12.0 that are not present here?

[jshzh]

Thank you, GeoffR, for the great work.

I wonder, after I disabled the firmware auto-update, if I will still able to use Pocket when there is a new firmware available. In the past I seemed to get notices telling me "sync articles" only works after I update the firmware.

Thank you.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Is there anyway to add more information to the page number line in the footer? Like, for example, a clock?

I'm sure it is possible, but working out how to do it is another matter, I'm not sure how easy it would be.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Are there any patches for 3.12.0 that are not present here?

All patches from 3.12.0 are available for 3.12.1, there was very little changed between the firmware versions.

Originally Posted by jshzh

I wonder, after I disabled the firmware auto-update, if I will still able to use Pocket when there is a new firmware available. In the past I seemed to get notices telling me "sync articles" only works after I update the firmware.

I don't know sorry, I don't use Pocket, but I don't expect there would be any change in the way the `Block WiFi firmware upgrade` patch functions.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

All patches from 3.12.0 are available for 3.12.1, there was very little changed between the firmware versions.

This weekend, I'll have to have a go at setting up the patches for 3.12.1. I won't install without the patches ready to go.

[boriar]

@GeoffR
Is it posible a patch to change the order of windows in home screen?

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by boriar

Is it posible a patch to change the order of windows in home screen?

I don't know. The tile order is based on the last time the object associated with the tile was used. What other order would be useful?

If you mean to change the order by dragging the tiles around or pinning them in place then that would be a nice feature, but I doubt it is possible just with a patch.