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TheDisaster · Jun 9, 2003, 10:46 AM

I got on this quest from something that came up in the 'can find this pxm' thread. I need to change the progress bar on the boot panel screen, which I have been told is in the QuartzDisplay file. Does anybody know of where I can get some good instructions of what I need to take out of it to bring into PhotoShop, and what it needs to be opened as? Because I found some great instructions, but they aren't in English

bOOzo · Jun 9, 2003, 11:32 AM

I have a file that has good instructions in english. It also comes with extracted .raw files with already defined dimensions. So all you need to do is follow the instructions and make your changes, and then reinsert the changes into the QuartzDisplay.

This was made by someone whos name I forgot. He asked me for help on edit the quartzdisplay and I handed him the files I got from desktopper.net and he made this more comprehensive package with very nice instructions.

Download it here !

TheDisaster · Jun 9, 2003, 12:56 PM

Max, you are the man. I was looking at the article on desktopper.net but since half of it isn't in English I was cautious about screwing up one of the destails. Thanks

TheDisaster · Jun 9, 2003, 01:17 PM

One thing the instructions left out was what to set when you save the .raw after you edit it. Is it like making a boot image where you save the file type as BINA or do I leave it as RSRC?

swiz · Jun 9, 2003, 01:24 PM

Originally posted by TheDisaster:
One thing the instructions left out was what to set when you save the .raw after you edit it. Is it like making a boot image where you save the file type as BINA or do I leave it as RSRC?

Save it as raw and paste the raw image code back into the exact same location inside QuartzDisplay as the original Aqua code came from.

TheDisaster · Jun 9, 2003, 01:37 PM

That's the point where I am but when you save it it asks for File type and creator when you save it. The same thing as when you make a boot image, it asks for specific deatils about the raw. I think I'll just copy the one that came with the thing Max posted, that way I can paste mine into it and save it, because I think it only asks for new details when you select 'save as..'

TheDisaster · Jun 9, 2003, 02:00 PM

It all worked out alright, thank you.

bOOzo · Jun 9, 2003, 03:18 PM

Originally posted by TheDisaster:
One thing the instructions left out was what to set when you save the .raw after you edit it. Is it like making a boot image where you save the file type as BINA or do I leave it as RSRC?

Just go back to the original color setting and flatten the image and choose save, and not save as. Then you wont have to worry about how you save it.

smeger · Jun 9, 2003, 05:16 PM

You guys are insane editing a binary file needed to boot your mac and putting it into a theme for distribution!

Here's the scenario. Apple will make changes at some point to QuartzDisplay. The user updates his/her operating system, which now has the newer version of QD. They install your theme, which puts in the old version of QD. They reboot. Every other library in the OS crashes because QD is the wrong version. They have an unbootable machine.

I highly, highly, highly recommend that you don't do this. Can I say it any more clearly?

Sorry about being harsh. I think that this is a really bad idea.

TheDisaster · Jun 9, 2003, 07:54 PM

I know, the theme I am building isn't anything that would be highly distributed, it's just a practice really, so I can get a run through of what I have to do. I felt it would be good to do this simple one because I can never think of what to do, or it's impossible. I thought that running through and doing a simple theme would help me later think of what I could put into a theme. But that aside, people should always make sure the theme they are installing is good to use with their OS version. If people fail to read the Read Me file included with the theme and read what could potentially happen if they use an outdated theme, I see it as their fault. In a highly distributed theme I would probably not do this, but for what I am doing, I had a great idea and I want to make this as complete as possible.

mrtew · Jun 9, 2003, 09:50 PM

Originally posted by smeger:
You guys are insane editing a binary file needed to boot your mac and putting it into a theme for distribution!
Here's the scenario. Apple will make changes at some point to QuartzDisplay. They have an unbootable machine. I highly, highly, highly recommend that you don't do this. Can I say it any more clearly?

You are probably right.... that was certainly the case with the BootX file, but couldn't it also be the case with almost any system resource from an outdated theme? I know the BootX thing has been the worst occurance so far, but I'd think anything being replaced COULD cause a "disaster".

smeger · Jun 9, 2003, 11:03 PM

Originally posted by mrtew:
You are probably right.... that was certainly the case with the BootX file, but couldn't it also be the case with almost any system resource from an outdated theme? I know the BootX thing has been the worst occurance so far, but I'd think anything being replaced COULD cause a "disaster".

You're right, of course, but generally, data is much safer to replace than executable code. Things like BootX and QuartzDisplay rely on patching data that's sitting in the midst of executable code. If the code changes at all, everything breaks. And, current theme changers replace the entire executable file when patching these things. Other components in the system expect a certain version - if it's not there, any executable can die at any time. So, you're not just patching data when you do stuff like BootX and QD - you're patching an entire executable.

Patching something like Extras.rsrc or BootPanel.pdf is much safer because it's just data - there's no executable involved.

But, yes, any time you patch private things, you run a risk. I personally feel that the risk is small and worthwhile when patching data files, but insane when patching executables used to boot your computer.

I'm sorry about ranting on about this - I just think it's really really stupid and discourteous to distribute stuff like this to unwary users.

TheDisaster · Jun 9, 2003, 11:46 PM

You have no need to be sorry about being concerned, it's a perfectly reasonable concern. I personally would never put out a theme that automatically installed these files. I just know that I had seen themes that had it done. I don't really trust using a theme that has all the other stuff besides the extras.rsrc and login panel unless it's from either Swiz or Max. The boot panel and QD I have for the theme I am working on (that may not even be released) go very good with it. I was thinking that instead of including a BootX file, I could include the raw image that the user could install using MacBoot if they wished with the instructions in the Read Me, if anybody ever reads it. And maybe putting a link to a QD to go with the theme in the Read Me, so if anybody read it, and wanted to use it they could download and install it, which would involve checking the system number. These are things I previously thought of because I am very weary of the thought of having a script install these files alone. I eventually decided to not include them anyway, maybe until a theme later when I have more experience, if at all. But now that I have learned how to do it, and installed a test version of it I really like how it goes with everything else.

But I do appreciate your concern, that is exactly why I asked the people here for more details on stuff like this.

bOOzo · Jun 10, 2003, 09:54 AM

I understand that you are concerned, but since the QuartzDisplay doesn't change in minor updates, I will keep including it in my themes. I will have to update all themes for 10.3 anyway, and then I'll update the QD too. And I clearly state which OS version the theme is compatible with, and the theme switchers doesn't let you install a 10.2 theme on 10.1 or 10.3.

Angus_D · Jun 10, 2003, 11:36 AM

DO NOT MODIFY EXECUTABLE FILES. That is all. Good bye.

smeger · Jun 10, 2003, 07:47 PM

Originally posted by bOOzo:
I understand that you are concerned, but since the QuartzDisplay doesn't change in minor updates, I will keep including it in my themes.

Just because it hasn't in the past doesn't mean that will always be the rule.

In any case, it occurs to me that there is a safe way of doing this. The xscheme format allows you to specify a 'hash' for a file. The hash is sort of like a fingerprint. If the file changes, so does the hash.

Anyway, the idea is that you put your QD file into an xscheme and specify the hash of the original file. Duality will (supposedly) only replace the file if the original has the correct hash.

But I don't know of any good way to get your QD file into an xscheme. Colin?