[GUIDE/THEME/MOD] How to switch to Light theme [Maybe for all 4.1+ Android devices] - Galaxy S Advance I9070 Themes and Apps

Hello community!
Intro:
You may not know it, but Samsung(and maybe every popular Android phone manufacturers) has a ready-to-use Light theme "pre-installed" in our devices, not only the Galaxy S Advance of course, this theme probably exists in every latest firmware for Galaxies from Samsung, including Galaxy SIII, Galaxy S2 and many more I guess, the Galaxy S4 is not an exception, which also comes in the Light version already set. I found a way to switch in this light version, and it's VERY easy. Maybe newbie-friendly too. Ok maybe not so easy but it still is as simple as adding a word. Literally, it's only adding a word! Read the "Notes:" sections at the end of the post before doing anything.
Getting to the point:
These themes exist in the framework-res.apk, specifically, in the /res/values/styles.xml
You will find different themes in there including Google's "Holo(.Dark)" and "Holo.Light". These are the basic ones, which will be used by almost every application that does NOT have it's own skin, so these applications will use the either Holo(Dark) or Holo Light.
There are three(I think) more basic themes in there including the stock Android, this one is based on Gingerbread I guess.
The other two are the Device Default and Device Default Light. These two are the ones that a manufacturer, like Samsung, can edit to give it's devices a custom and unique style.
A stock application that comes pre-installed in the software(Like SecSettings.apk, MusicPlayer.apk e.t.c.) will probably use either the Device Default or Device Default Light. This is up to the manufacturer to choose. In our case, Samsung has set most of it's applications to use the Device Default.
A small "What I am talking about":
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"lightbox_download": "Download",
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}
How to set the Light theme to an application:
Requirements:
The application which you want to change it's theme. (I will use SecSettings.apk as an example)
apk-tool (I use APK Multi-Tool because it's very easy to use)
Notepad++
Know how to decompile/recompile
Instructions:
Decompile the .apk.
Go to "/res/values/" folder and open the file "styles.xml" with Notepad++.
Click "Find" or press "Ctrl+F".
In the "Find What :" box enter "DeviceDefault" and hit next.
Check the first result you get, mine was this:
Now, copy this ".Light" (without the "), this is the magic word!
You will paste this exactly after every "[email protected]*android:style/blabla.DeviceDefault
Like the image below:
Even if there is something after the DeviceDefault like this:
You will still paste the ".Light" exactly after the DeviceDefault like the image below:
Make sure to paste it ONLY in "parent=" lines, and in EVERY "parent=" lines. There are exceptions though, based on the .app. But don't get confused, even if you make a mistake, will be able to find it and fix it later. For now just continue the "paste" process.
Once you have finished the "paste" process, save the file and overwrite the old one.
Recompile the .apk.
That's it! Copy the .apk on your phone, place it where it belongs and set the right permissions.
Reboot, open the application, and take a taste of a light UI that your phone's manufacturer had hidden from you.
Notes:
1. I don't even know if other manufacturers like Sony do this too. If yes, then this tutorial will work for these phones too, probably.
2. Don't try this on framework-res.apk. framework-res.apk can be used too for you to change your theme to Light, but it will probably cause many graphical errors. And it also requires a different way to change the theme. I have tried it and got both good and bad results, check the second post for more information.
3. If you tried and had any errors I could use a hand, just post your compile log and myself and maybe some other people will help you if we can.
4. Modifying the framework-res.apk in a proper way will allow every stock application to be themed without having someone to edit them. Again check the second post.
5. If you find something confusing you can freely ask by posting here.
6. I am not sure about everything that I say in the "Intro:" section. It's just my theory, excuse me if I'm wrong.
7. These themes are the main reason(probably ) for the apps to have both "holo_dark" and "holo_light" variants of .png files and colors. People who have edited SystemUI.apk's and framework-res.apk's "drawable-" folders will understand what I am saying.

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Here is a modded framework-res.apk, with this I managed to theme almost every stock Samsung application without editing anything except the framework-res.apk.
I am totally sure that I changed some things without thinking first. The styles.xml is big and I almost got lost. I did everything I could for now, I'm sorry.
You can flash it only on LQB firmwares, maybe only some of them. Check the screenshots to see what I have managed so far. Expect MANY UI bugs.
P.S. It's just for you to see how a Light theme would look. Don't complain about bugs on this, please.
Light Framework
Screenshots:

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Great job, Koulis!

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Well done!! :good:. Must have taken you quiet some time to find how to do it. :good: :good: :good:

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Still people need to understand that this won't magically invert the theme to white... You'll still get loads of UI bugs, which you of course, must fix manually.

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panda00 said:
Still people need to understand that this won't magically invert the theme to white... You'll still get loads of UI bugs, which you of course, must fix manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe not so many bugs, but I guess there will be some.

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then change the text color for holo dark to holo light
joehanh88 themed GT-I9070

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joehanh88 said:
then change the text color for holo dark to holo light
joehanh88 themed GT-I9070
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought of that. But I'll try another time I'm feeling lazy now.
Sent from my Galaxy S Advance

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Nice mod.
If i want the google default holo theme (like nexus) thenbi should write '.holo dark' instead of '.light'??
Sent from my GT-I9070 using xda premium

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I just have one note, to make this much much easier...
When pressing Ctrl+F go the replace tab and on the find space type "DeviceDefault" and on the replace space type "DeviceDefault.Light"... Then press replace all... This should replace everything in one click, I guess.

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Nice post
Sent from my GT-I9070 using xda app-developers app

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panda00 said:
I just have one note, to make this much much easier...
When pressing Ctrl+F go the replace tab and on the find space type "DeviceDefault" and on the replace space type "DeviceDefault.Light"... Then press replace all... This should replace everything in one click, I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...but the OP said "Make sure to paste it ONLY in "parent=" lines, and in EVERY "parent=" lines."
and one question: How to change the text color for holo dark to holo light?

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No screens in the OP

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d14gvn said:
No screens in the OP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's because of Photobucket. I did some mistakes. Sorry. Also, just to let everyone know, I'm back!!! Not that I'm going to do something great but I will try to think of something.
Sent from my Galaxy SIII Mini

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Koulis2000 said:
It's because of Photobucket. I did some mistakes. Sorry. Also, just to let everyone know, I'm back!!! Not that I'm going to do something great but I will try to think of something.
Sent from my Galaxy SIII Mini
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice article!
Hope to see the screenshots back!!!

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pathuri97 said:
Nice article!
Hope to see the screenshots back!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will reupload them later today, maybe.
Thanks!
Sent from my Galaxy SIII Mini

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Apk N't Installed???
Koulis2000 said:
It's because of Photobucket. I did some mistakes. Sorry. Also, just to let everyone know, I'm back!!! Not that I'm going to do something great but I will try to think of something.
Sent from my Galaxy SIII Mini
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the SCREENSHOTS.
Really useful.
I followed your steps and compiled & decompiled using VTS software. (http://www.virtuous-ten-studio.com/).
Absolutely NO ERROS before after compilation.
After copying the file to /system/app with ROOT EXPLORER (with proper permissions),
When I click SETTINGS ICON - I get a message saying "Apk N't installed".
What could be the reason - any idea???

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pathuri97 said:
Thanks for the SCREENSHOTS.
Really useful.
I followed your steps and compiled & decompiled using VTS software. (http://www.virtuous-ten-studio.com/).
Absolutely NO ERROS before after compilation.
After copying the file to /system/app with ROOT EXPLORER (with proper permissions),
When I click SETTINGS ICON - I get a message saying "Apk N't installed".
What could be the reason - any idea???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No ideas why you get a message like this. :/
Sent from my Galaxy SIII Mini

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pathuri97 said:
Thanks for the SCREENSHOTS.
Really useful.
I followed your steps and compiled & decompiled using VTS software. (http://www.virtuous-ten-studio.com/).
Absolutely NO ERROS before after compilation.
After copying the file to /system/app with ROOT EXPLORER (with proper permissions),
When I click SETTINGS ICON - I get a message saying "Apk N't installed".
What could be the reason - any idea???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you copy the META-INF and AndroidManifest.xml from the original apk to the new compiled in dist? AFAIK is it like signing. When you try to install by hand do you get a parsing error?

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and2 said:
Did you copy the META-INF and AndroidManifest.xml from the original apk to the new compiled in dist? AFAIK is it like signing. When you try to install by hand do you get a parsing error?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply!
As you can see from the enclosed screenshots - no problem with the compilation and signing.
VTS is taking care of the same.
What I'm trying to do is copy framework-res.apk, systemui.apk and settings.apk from different custom ROM to current ROM.
No problem in copying and overwriting the original files of current ROM.
TAB works fine.
NO FC's.
Only thing is I'm trying to change LIGHT theme of secsettings.apk to DARK theme.
Either I get APK n't installed or FC (SystemUI.apk etc).
Again If I replace secsettings.apk from CUSTOM ROM to current ROM - works fine. NO FC's.
Might be I need to dig deeper....