Tutorial: Integrating Custom Registry Settings into a ROM w/ ProvXML - Lazy Man's Way

[AceszHigh]

So after learning so much from the wonderful community here in this past month I've had with my touch, I figured I'd try to give back a little.

THIS IS DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH PROVXML TO WRITE THEIR OWN IN NOTEPAD, OR JUST WANT AN EASIER WAY THAT ELIMINATES MOST OF THE CHANCES FOR BUGGED CODE.

Up until recently, I found myself messing with my registry settings for a while after each ROM flash. Sure, the kitchen does include a few good reg tweaks, but I always have a few that I personally like as well. And, provXML's are so picky that sometimes if I select a few reg tweaks in the kitchen AND use my own ProvXML in a ROM, not all of the settings get implemented. So I just use my own provXML strictly without choosing any reg tweaks in the kitchen.

I use OEMizer (found in the \Tools directory of PPCKitchen Buildos) to implement my provxml, but you don't have to.

This part of the tutorial is only for if your tweak does NOT involve creating a completely new registry key (as opposed to changing the value of an existing key).

1. Install CERegEditor (attached below). This program allows you to access/edit/export your device's registry from your PC. Very useful!

2. Make sure you have an ActiveSync connection established. Fire up CERegEditor and click Connection -> connect. At this point your device's registry should come up.

3. Navigate to the key you want to export. This could either be: a) a reg key you have already tweaked on your current rom, or b) a key that you want to tweak on your future rom.

4. Now click EDIT -> export. NOT Export AS
For me, an error message usually pops up here. Click OK and disregard it.
Type in whatever name you want for the File Name.
SAVE AS either a .REG or .RGU file, NOT .ceReg! and click save
5. Now, if you are exporting a key from your device which already has been edited the way you want it...Do nothing for this step.
If you prefer the value of the key to be changed, then open up your .reg file in NOTEPAD and change the value.

Example:
My .reg for the above example says

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Drivers\TouchPanel]
"PressureThreshold"="40175"
The value of the key is always on the right after the = sign, between the quotation marks. So I would simply change 40175 to whatever I wanted. Oftentimes, for other keys, this value is a simple 1 or 0.

6. Download the RGU to XML converter.

7. Run it, open your reg or rgu file and click Translate. It will create a provxml file in the same directory as the reg file.

8. Now open the provXML file in NOTEPAD.
If you're using the OEMizer provxml config then,
Copy and paste everything, starting after the line
<!-- *** COMMENTO *** -->

and ending at the last line BEFORE
</wap-provisioningdoc>

into the OEMizer provxml field. OEMizer automatically creates and nests everything between the <wap-provisioningdoc> </wap-provisioningdoc> tags, so if you are NOT using OEMizer make sure everything is between these tags.

9. Continue for as many regedits as you want to import to your ProvXML.


I'm not sure how many people need this, but I'm writing it because it was hard for me to find all this information. Initially, I used the info over at xda-dev to try writing my own XML but it always had errors for some reason so I resorted to this virutally foolproof method for implementing the code. Just be careful to copy/paste everything after one another, as to not mess up the tag nesting!


Thanks to all of the PPCKitchen developers as well as those on here for helping me learn this stuff!

[boggsie]

All of this may seem simple for many of you, but it is one of those things that I had found elusive, so I really apprecaite the message, AceszHigh.

I wish I could hit Thank's more than once.

Best regards,
-boggsie

[mrgeoff]

Also, remember that you can have two kinds of provxml files...

mxip_*********.provxml = cold-boot (hard-reset) only.
mxipupdate_********.provxml = warm-boot (regular reset)

The biggest part of this is the fact that with the mxipupdate actually keeps writing registry entries. It's very helpful for stuff that seems to get overwritten by the rom and regular rgu registry changes don't seem to help.

[rstoyguy]

Awesome! I have found xml the way to go with usercustomization. Great contribution!

Perhaps we could get a tutorial sub-forum so all these great tutorials don't get buried by the ol' "Help....how do I..." and others.

[InvincibleLiving]

yeah this is really great, thanks a ton dude. xml's are basically the last hurdle for me in getting my UC to do EVERYTHING i want it to do!!

[jeiyuu]

hey guys, maybe you might want to submit this tutorial over to the developing how-to sticky on top. other future chefs may find this useful.

here is the thread: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=20550

[InvincibleLiving]

Originally Posted by jeiyuu

hey guys, maybe you might want to submit this tutorial over to the developing how-to sticky on top. other future chefs may find this useful.

here is the thread: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=20550

i agree... make it so!

[AceszHigh]

Already Done. Well, I put a link to this thread in there cause I'm lazy

[SOHKis]

great writeup, thanks acesz