[How To] Make Script Run By Using Hardware Keys

[Se7enLC]

To add these options to your boot.img add the following lines to your preferred init script inside the ramdisk before compiling.

Aha, inside the ramdisk! It all makes sense now...

So unfortunately, to make a change to this means recompiling a kernel, which means that most people won't do it :-P

Guess it's about time I learn how to compile an android kernel (can't be that different from std linux, right?)

Ahh, correction to my previous statement - modifying the ramdisk does NOT require recompiling the kernel - it only requires rebuilding the boot.img file! And now with this new kernel update format, the boot.img is actually generated when you apply the update - so it's just a matter of updating the ramdisk image and using that instead of the default. I'll poke around and post if I have a good way to do this. I'd LOVE to remap those reboot keys to be something on the keyboard so that I have easy access without pulling off my case, but no way of accidentally triggering it.

Details: The anyrom update format does the following:
1). Read the current boot partition and dump the boot.img to /tmp
2). Unpack that boot.img, extracting out the kernel and ramdisk images to /tmp
3). Repack it using the new kernel with the old ramdisk
4). Write that image to the boot partition

[bad4u]

To remap it to the keyboard keys I think its going to have to be ones that dont cause something to happen already. By this I mean pressing any letter brings up the search bar and starts typing. For mine I was going to change it to X+power for reboot recovery, but once you press x it just keeps typing x.

It appears the alt, shift, del, and return buttons dont do anything when pressed if at your homescreen.

[Se7enLC]

Success! I modified init.sholes.rc, re-generated a ramdisk, and modified one of the kernel install zip files to apply it.

Here's a page that explains the process of building / extracting ramdisk images:
HOWTO: Unpack, Edit, and Re-Pack Boot Images - Android Wiki

The modification I made to the kernel update.zip file was to add the file boot.img-ramdisk.img (the ramdisk I modified) and commented out these two lines in the updater-script:

#run_program("/tmp/dump_image", "boot", "/tmp/boot.img");
#run_program("/tmp/unpackbootimg", "/tmp/boot.img", "/tmp/");

As always, make a backup before attempting anything, and I take no responsibility for anything you break.

I think my next mission will be attempting to relocate dalvik-cache to the /cache partition to make more room on /data
EDIT: Changed my mind. Moving dalvik is probably a bad idea. The cache currently takes up about 80mb for 90mb of apps. Moving dalvik-cache to a cache partition that only has 90mb of space means that I'll have a ton more space on /data for apps, but I won't be able to use it, because the cache will be full.

[bad4u]

I read that wiki how-to. Yeah, at first glance I understand maybe 50%....

[Cosmo24]

Okay i get mabey 35% of what im reading lol ...I would like to make the volume key up turn my phone on when its sleeping...and use it as power up button too....the reason is because my power button is starting to stick...and its hard sometimes to actually get it to turn on from sleep mode...for now im just sliding open the keyboard and that works..but its a pain.....can someone point me in the right direction..or will this require too much for a noob like me to do lol...thanks

[Se7enLC]

Okay i get mabey 35% of what im reading lol ...I would like to make the volume key up turn my phone on when its sleeping...and use it as power up button too....the reason is because my power button is starting to stick...and its hard sometimes to actually get it to turn on from sleep mode...for now im just sliding open the keyboard and that works..but its a pain.....can someone point me in the right direction..or will this require too much for a noob like me to do lol...thanks

In short, yeah, it's too much for a noob :-P

I've tried it, using some helpful instructions I found on xda for an HTC device, but was not able to get it to work. That's an excellent use of this ability, though, once somebody figures out how.

[Jarvisoid]

Can someone write one. To use the volume up and down to skip tracks on the music player when long pressed.

THAT would be amazing!