A few other uses of flashable .zips include:
Modifying the DPIApplying a custom fontApplying a custom boot animationRemoving or adding system apps
Instructing your users to mess around in the file system and manually move files is a time waster for everyone involved – creating a flashable .zip is a much more convenient route. This Appual’s guide will show you how to create a flashable zip for Android. We will also show you an addon.d script, so that custom system changes will survive a dirty ROM flash – thus, users will not need to re-flash your zip for each update.
Requirements:
A root file explorer (MiXplorer, Solid Explorer)ZipSigner (for signing zips) or the MiX Signer plug-in if you use MixPlorerA Nandroid backup is highly recommended
You should also prepare all the files that are going into the zip – APKs, configs, boot animations, etc. Have everything organized before we begin, because this is a delicate process.
Template of a Custom Zip
If you want to download a template zip that you can customize to your own needs, or use it as a base for creating a flashable zip, you can grab them here:
TEMPLATE SCRIPT: DOWNLOAD LINK (basic commands / you have to add your custom values: apps, paths of ringtones, bootanimation…)TEMPLATE ZIP: DOWNLOAD LINK (examples are always welcome to better understand an explanation. It can help to understand how to structure your files).
The template should be enough to start using a custom script. You’ll need to remember these main paths, because these are the things in the /system partition that your flashable zips will typically target:
Always remember that files removed from these paths will be re-installed after a dirty flash, and files that have been manually added will be removed. This is why its necessary to create a script that makes a backup of your /system mods.
Example of an Update-Script Note: ui_print(” “); is for text message. These lines don’t do anything. You should always unmount and re-mount the partition before working on it. To remove system components / apps, put a comma at the end of each line, except the last one. Extract the system files you want to install. Do the same thing but for the /data folder. So you will mount the partition, extract the data you want to add, and set the permissions. Next you will unmount the modified partitions.
Example of Addon.D script
Create a list of files you want to keep after a dirty flash. RM -RF the files you don’t want to be installed after a dirty flash (system files you removed in your modification that will be re-installed from a dirty flash)
How to Create a Flashable Android Zip
We’ll be using MiXplorer for this, as it’s the best root explorer and file manager for Android, hands down.
Final Notes
Your flashable zip needs to be installed after a clean flash, or after wiping the /system partition and doing a dirty flash of your ROM. The updater-script will remove and add the system files you specified in your script – but leave the addon.d script alone, because it will do its job without any interference from you. After your first installation, thoroughly check the /system partition to make sure everything is correct – files are removed, etc. Maybe you had a typo in a file name and it wasn’t removed, it happens.
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