Instructions for patching firmware 3.17.3

[GeoffR]

Before starting:

1. Make sure your Kobo ereader is already running firmware version 3.17.3 (407d48ba86).

2. Check that your battery is well charged.


Patching from Windows, Linux (i386/x86_64), or Mac (OS X 10.8-10.9, i386/x86_64):

1. Download and extract patch_kobo_3173.zip (attached). [WARNING: If using Windows, make sure the path to the extracted files does not contain any '&' characters.]

2. Download the Kobo firmware archive version 3.17.3 for your device (See this thread) and copy it into the 3.17.3_source/ subdirectory. (Don't extract the firmware zip archive.)

3. Read and edit all the *.patch files in the 3.17.3_source/ subdirectory in order to: choose which patches to enable (patch_enable=`yes`) or disable (patch_enable=`no`); and to change some of the replacement values to suit your device and preferences.

4. In Windows double-click 3.17.3.bat; For Linux/Mac open a terminal, change to the patch_kobo_3173/ subdirectory, and run ./3.17.3.sh from the command line.

5. If there were no errors, copy the resulting KoboRoot.tgz from the 3.17.3_target/ subdirectory to the .kobo directory on your ereader.

6. Safely eject and unplug the device, which will then update and restart.


To return your ereader to its original unpatched state:

1. Edit all the 3.17.3_source/*.patch files to disable all patches (set patch_enable = `no` for every patch).

2. Repeat steps 4-6 of the procedure above.

[Nick_1964]

Thank you again Geoffr, you are the fastest.

[GeoffR]

Notes:

* The `Custom page refresh options` patch has been split into two patches, one for 1,2,3,...,12 pages and the other for 1,2,4,8,16,32,64 pages per refresh.

* `Wi-Fi insomnia` patch is still missing. I think the Wi-Fi watchdog function might be handled by the seperate fickel process now?

* There seems to be something a little different with the EPUB reader layout in full-screen mode. After upgrading from 3.17.0 to 3.17.3 I can't get the layout of the ePub book I was reading exactly back to where it was. The KEPUB reader seems to be unaffected,

* Sickel doesn't automatically reboot anymore, so there should be no need to patch it.


More patches:

A replacement hyphenation dictionary for the Dutch language.

A new `Force user line spacing in ePubs` patch.

A patch to `Always display chapter name on navigation menu`.


If you know of any other patches for firmware 3.17.3 post them in this thread and I'll add them to this post.

[Desdinova]

The first thing I look for once I update! Many, many thanks!

[Martina Schein]

Thank you very much, GeoffR. You are the best.

[boriar]

@GeoffR



Sorry if you have answered before.

I know that 'WiFi insomnia' and padding-bottom in 'Custom reading footer style' are problematic to translate to 3.17.3 but are there a chance to get they?

Are there some problem with `Custom header style` and `Unitless ePub line height`? I can't see these anywhere.

I want to test `Change dicthtml strings to micthtml` with 3.17.3. Can you update that patch to do it?

Thanks in advanced and, of course, for your patches.

[freekobo]

Thanks GeoffR!

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by boriar

I know that 'WiFi insomnia' and padding-bottom in 'Custom reading footer style' are problematic to translate to 3.17.3 but are there a chance to get they?

The Wi-Fi watchdog functions had a major change starting in firmware 3.16.10 and I don't know how to create a new Wi-Fi insomnia patch. It is almost certainly possible for someone to create a new one, but because I didn't create the original patch and never used it myself my knowledge about what it does and how it works is very limited. I suspect it has something to do with the fickel program, which is perhaps similar in function to sickel.

The Reading footer code also had a major change, starting in firmware 3.13.1 it works completely differently. The padding-bottom doesn't work at all so there is no point adding it to the patch. However is is not needed either, because you can increase the gap between the bezel and footer by increasing the height of the footer and/or decreasing the margin-top (making it more negative.) The new footer patch can do everything the old one did, it is just done in a different way.

Are there some problem with `Custom header style` and `Unitless ePub line height`? I can't see these anywhere.

The header style patches I have abandoned because they are just too much work (there is separate header code for each device, although they all use the same footer), and the original problem they were created to solve has been fixed by Kobo. Originally I created them because of the problem of the reading header/footer font defaulting to Gothic on some devices when Document Default was selected, which made it necessary to change the footer font to avoid problems caused by Gothic text being chopped off at the bottom, and that made it necessary to change the header text to match the new footer text. Kobo fixed this and now the default header/footer text is Georgia which doesn't cause the problems Gothic did.

Starting with firmware 3.16.0 the `Unitless line height` patch is not needed anymore because Kobo have fixed the problem it was created to solve.

I want to test `Change dicthtml strings to micthtml` with 3.17.3. Can you update that patch to do it?

I have updated that patch below. But this is just guesswork, I don't use custom dictionaries and have no idea how they work. It really would be better if someone who uses custom dictionaries could update this patch, that way they can test it before posting it. All that is needed is to use a hex editor or the strings command from the GNU binutils package to find the addresses of the strings, (Edit: and make some guesses about which strings to leave and which to patch when they change.)

For example, here is the output from strings filtered by grep:

Spoiler:

$ 
$ strings -tx libnickel.so.1.0.0 | grep dicthtml
 b29848 %1/dicthtml%2.zip
$ 
$ strings -tx -el libnickel.so.1.0.0 | grep dicthtml
 b4d9b0 %1/dicthtml%2
 b4d9f8 dicthtml
 b4da98 %1/dicthtml%2
 b4dafc %1/dicthtml%2
 b4db60 %1/dicthtml%2
 b4dbc4 %1/%2/dict/dicthtml%3
 b4e2a4 dicthtml*
 b54330 dicthtml*
 b5648c dicthtml%1
$

And here is the updated patch, based on the one from version 3.12.1:

Spoiler:

<Patch>
patch_name = `Change dicthtml strings to micthtml`
patch_enable = `yes`
# `%1/dicthtml%2.zip` --> `%1/micthtml%2.zip`
#replace_string = B29848, `%1/dicthtml%2.zip`, `%1/micthtml%2.zip`
# `%1/dicthtml%2` --> `%1/micthtml%2`
replace_string = B4D9B0, `%\01\0/\0d\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\02\0`, `%\01\0/\0m\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\02\0`
# `dicthtml` --> `micthtml`
replace_string = B4D9F8, `d\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0`, `m\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0`
# `%1/dicthtml%2` --> `%1/micthtml%2`
replace_string = B4DA98, `%\01\0/\0d\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\02\0`, `%\01\0/\0m\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\02\0`
# `%1/dicthtml%2` --> `%1/micthtml%2`
replace_string = B4DAFC, `%\01\0/\0d\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\02\0`, `%\01\0/\0m\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\02\0`
# `%1/dicthtml%2` --> `%1/micthtml%2`
replace_string = B4DB60, `%\01\0/\0d\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\02\0`, `%\01\0/\0m\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\02\0`
# `%1/%2/dict/dicthtml%3` --> `%1/%2/dict/micthtml%3`
replace_string = B4DBC4, `%\01\0/\0%\02\0/\0d\0i\0c\0t\0/\0d\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\03\0`, `%\01\0/\0%\02\0/\0d\0i\0c\0t\0/\0m\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\03\0`
# `dicthtml*` --> `micthtml*`
#replace_string = B4E2A4, `d\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0*\0`, `m\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0*\0`
# `dicthtml*` --> `micthtml*`
#replace_string = B54330, `d\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0*\0`, `m\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0*\0`
# `dicthtml%1` --> `micthtml%1`
#replace_string = B5648C, `d\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\01\0`, `m\0i\0c\0t\0h\0t\0m\0l\0%\01\0`
</Patch>

[tshering]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

3. Note that in Windows 8 the instructions below might require the batch file to be run in admistrator mode.

I do not know under which conditions this is required. As reported in another thread, which I cannot find right now, running as administrator by right-clicking and selecting run as administrator causes a problem. The solution proposed by DNSB was to add "CD %~dp0" after "@ECHO off", if I remember correctly (or at least something to that effect). So the bat file would start with

@ECHO off
CD %~dp0

[tshering]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

To return your ereader to its original unpatched state:

1. Edit all the 3.17.3_source/*.patch files to disable all patches (set patch_enable = `no` for every patch).

2. Repeat steps 4-6 of the procedure above.

I think I did not mention this before. With the windows version you can take a shortcut. There is no need to edit the patch files. Leave them as they are and call the bat file with the argument "restore", for instance:

>cd C:\GeoffR\patches\patch_kobo_3173
>3.17.3.bat restore

[tshering]

Originally Posted by boriar

I want to test `Change dicthtml strings to micthtml` with 3.17.3. Can you update that patch to do it?

I think it is much easier to give names to the self-made dictionaries that are different from the original dictionaries. For instance, when you have a self-made English dictionary call it dicthtml-en-en.zip. Since you are a KSM user, you can easily activate these kinds of dictionaries (tools > nickel diverse.msh > activate dictionaries.msh),if nickel does not recognize them automatically.

[boriar]

Thanks GeoffR for your complete explanation. Good arguments. And also thanks tshering, I will try both methods.

[Nick_1964]

But,maybe I am stupid.. (ehh.. open goal here..) when you just put the firmware on it again,would you not bypass all the patches.. I mean, if you replace the patched firmware with the same unpatched, all pathing is undone ??

[tshering]

Originally Posted by Nick_1964

But,maybe I am stupid.. (ehh.. open goal here..) when you just put the firmware on it again,would you not bypass all the patches.. I mean, if you replace the patched firmware with the same unpatched, all pathing is undone ??

You are completely right. The difference is file size and processing time.

[Nick_1964]

Originally Posted by tshering

You are completely right. The difference is file size and processing time.

Didn't thought about the size.. I never have more then 25 books or so on it, so never stumbled into that, but walking trough all the patch settings takes for me even the same time as copy and unzip, the space must be there before otherwise you was not able to upgrade the first time to when sideloaded... Makes me wonder, what if the upgrade started by wifi and there is not enough room,does it check before or just stop when the space isn't enough.. Well..never mind, thank you for claring it out for me