Cool things to do with ADW Launcher 2

[MoodyBlues]

Since switching from ADW Launcher 1 EX to ADW Launcher 2 (both are paid versions) recently, I've spent a lot of time exploring, and experimenting with, its features. There are many!

I'll post some; please feel free to add your own.

For my first example, this shows how you can organize/categorize your app drawer, using a menu to pick from:

Next is an example of hidden bits of programs (for lack of a better way to explain it). You find these by using Activities:

My normal wallpaper, which I've set for both home and lock screens, looks like this:

but I changed it to blue for clarity in the above examples. However, this one, which shows my font settings for icons' text, is readable:

There's much more! I'd love to see what you're doing with it.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I've been spending time customizing icons lately; here are some newer shots:

Fun!

 

[PitCarver]

Nice place. I like what you've done.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Nice place. I like what you've done.

Thanks!

 

[MoodyBlues]

Another nice feature of ADW is being able to customize your fonts.

You're able to use your own fonts, which I really like. I have thousands of fonts I've accumulated over the years, and I like using some on my devices.

You can customize different elements separately, for example, the app drawer's icons use one font while desktop icons use another. Some samples:

App drawer

Desktop

You control each font's appearance, too, e.g., its size and placement.

Using your own fonts simply involves placing their files in the appropriate directory. Then they're available to ADW along with your default fonts:

 

[PitCarver]

Nice feature.
I'm using a system font from LG, currently. Might need to see what ADW will do for me.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Nice feature.

Yes, it really is--especially if you're a font freak like I am. I have thousands of fonts...carrying old ones with me from computer to computer, for decades. At one time I really needed (wanted?) that variety, when I was creating designs for my online shops; I hope to resume doing that someday.

I'm using a system font from LG, currently. Might need to see what ADW will do for me.

Check it out! IIRC (questionable!), the free version lets you see the paid version's features, to give you an idea of what it can do before committing to buying it. After several months I'm still exploring, finding new things, and playing with its settings.

 

[Milo Willamson]

I still do not see any thing, I must drop some money for it though. I will.

 

[MoodyBlues]

When you have the paid version, Milo, just let me know if you need help with anything. I do not by any stretch think I'm an expert, but I've managed to do quite a few things with it, some totally unexpected. If I can help, I will!

 

[Milo Willamson]

When you have the paid version, Milo, just let me know if you need help with anything. I do not by any stretch think I'm an expert, but I've managed to do quite a few things with it, some totally unexpected. If I can help, I will!

Thank you I will get my play store ADW 2 on the wishlist
So many music need to download, so little time hahahaa
Guess I might youtube the albums first, then just digitally clipgrab them onto my desktop, and pin them to my phone, ergo save big dollars...

 

[Dannydet]

@MoodyBlues, what icons are you using? I would like to change from nova launcher to adw2....

 

[MoodyBlues]

@MoodyBlues, what icons are you using?

That's a hard question to answer! That's because I have numerous icon packs, and I pick and choose from them individually. If there are particular icons you can describe from my screenshots, I'll look up which packs they came from.

I would like to change from nova launcher to adw2....

Excellent! As I'm sure you're aware, I think Nova is a fine launcher--I just prefer ADW. There will, of course, be something of a learning curve, but you'll adjust quickly, I'm sure. And there's no need to uninstall Nova; you can keep it to fall back on if you find you prefer it.

 

[Dannydet]

I like these...

 

[MoodyBlues]

I like these...
View attachment 145565

They're from different packs....hmmm... how can we do this?

I know! I'll be back...

 

[PitCarver]

App icons...

I've got roughly 185 apps on my phone while I have a photo file that has nearly 700 Png images for icons.

I like to make/modify mine.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Here's what I came up with, DD. First, a screenshot that includes all my icon packs, so you can get their names:

If there are some specific icons from my screenshots that you're interested in, let me know and I'll look them up.

But you can check out all of my icon packs by looking for their names in Play.

I also want to clarify that some of what you're seeing has less to do with the chosen icon pack than with ADW's settings:

The end result is a combination of various factors. So, for example, the glossy, subtle green background of all my icons is a combination of things.

An app I highly recommend for icon collectors like me is Iconzy. It makes searching through zillions of icons a snap. And I really like the developer's approach to payment! He leaves it up to the user to pick from $1.49-$5.49, any of which will remove ads.

 

[MoodyBlues]

App icons...

I've got roughly 185 apps on my phone while I have a photo file that has nearly 700 Png images for icons.

I like to make/modify mine.

Care to show us some examples? I'd love to see them.

 

[PitCarver]

Couple screen shots of some of the icons, MB. Sometimes I just take a stock icon and highlight it someway...add a frame, something that makes it stand out on my phone.
Got a dark color background, so I might simply add a border.

 

[PitCarver]

Been playing around with ADW again and have 3 questions...

1 is there a way to use the system font instead of one of the multitude in ADW?

2 on the home screens, is there a setting that allows apps to be placed along the grid lines?

3 can the wallpaper be set to where it remains stationary, when scrolling through the homepages?

 

[Milo Willamson]

Here is my app drawer.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Been playing around with ADW again

Fun, right?

and have 3 questions...

1 is there a way to use the system font instead of one of the multitude in ADW?

Yes. You can use any TTF/OTF font you want. Create a sub-directory called userFonts in your AdwUserData directory, then copy the desired font(s) to userFonts, and you're good to go.

2 on the home screens, is there a setting that allows apps to be placed along the grid lines?

Probably...but I keep my desktops clear, so I don't know how.

3 can the wallpaper be set to where it remains stationary, when scrolling through the homepages?

Yes:

ADW Settings | Advanced Settings | Desktop | [uncheck Wallpaper Scrolling]

 

[MoodyBlues]

Here is my app drawer.

Nice! Don't forget that you can mix and match icons.

Also, instead of having all your categories in a horizontal list at the top, you can try my preferred look, as shown in the very first pic in this thread. I find it much neater and easier to use.

 

[Milo Willamson]

Nice! Don't forget that you can mix and match icons.

Also, instead of having all your categories in a horizontal list at the top, you can try my preferred look, as shown in the very first pic in this thread. I find it much neater and easier to use.

Mmmhmmm I am keeping it in mind too, more on the way...

 

[Milo Willamson]

Say you said about font download from the p.c., is there a folder underneath the phone, I could drag and drop from my comp?

 

[MoodyBlues]

Say you said about font download from the p.c., is there a folder underneath the phone, I could drag and drop from my comp?

I have no idea how this would be done on window$; maybe someone else can help with that.

But you don't need a physical connection to a computer to exchange files with your phone. I do it daily, and can't even remember the last time I used a cable. I just copied some files from my main laptop to my phone--I'm in bed, the laptop's in the dining room.

See my earlier post for the directory names you need for adding fonts to ADW. They're what you'd look for when connecting to a computer.