How to Download and Modify a Progress Bar Plugin in Android Studio

In this tutorial, we’ll explore how to enhance your Android Studio experience by customizing a progress bar plugin. Specifically, we’ll focus on downloading and modifying the Mario Progress Bar plugin to replace the iconic Mario icon with an icon of your choice. This guide is perfect for developers looking to personalize their development environment.

Introduction

Android Studio plugins can significantly improve your productivity and personalize your development experience. One such plugin, MarioProgressBar, adds a fun twist to the usual progress bar by featuring Mario. However, you might want to customize this further by using your own icon. This article will guide you through the process of downloading the plugin, modifying it, and applying your customizations.

Step 1: Downloading the Plugin

1. Open Android Studio Android Studio and navigate to File > Settings on Windows/Linux or Android Studio > Preferences on macOS.
2. In the Settings or Preferences window, go to the Plugins section. Use the search bar to look for "Mario Progress Bar".
3. Once you find the “Mario Progress Bar” plugin, click on the Install button. After the installation is complete, you will be prompted to restart Android Studio. Proceed with the restart to activate the plugin.

Step 2: Locating and Copying the Plugin

After you’ve successfully installed the “Mario Progress Bar” plugin from the Android Studio marketplace, you’ll need to locate the plugin JAR file to begin the modification process.

1. Navigate to the Plugin Directory: Use the Finder to go to /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Google/AndroidStudio2023.1/plugins/.
2. Copy the Plugin JAR File: Locate the MarioProgressBar-1.9.jar file within the plugins directory. Copy this file to your Downloads folder. This step prevents any accidental changes to the original plugin file and ensures that you have a backup.

Step 3: Modifying the Plugin

Now that you have a copy of the plugin JAR file, you can begin customizing it with your own icons and GIFs.

1. Go to the Downloads folder and extract the contents of MarioProgressBar-1.9.jar using a file archiver tool that supports JAR files.
2. In the extracted folder, find and replace the bricks.png, mario.gif, mario@2x.gif, shell.gif, and shell@2x.gif files with your custom-designed images and animations. Utilize the following resources for image and GIF editing:

• Convert images to PNG format with CoolUtils.
• Modify existing GIFs or create new animated GIFs using Clideo.
• Delete backgrounds, resize, and crop your GIFs at EZGIF.

3. After your modifications are complete, use the terminal to navigate to the directory where you want to save the new JAR file and run the following command:

jar cfM MarioProgressBar-1.9.jar -C /Users/username/Downloads/MarioProgressBar-1.9/ .

Replace username with your actual macOS username. This command will create a new JAR file with all your changes, ready to be used in Android Studio.

Step 4: Testing Your Custom Plugin

Once you’ve repackaged your modified plugin into the new MarioProgressBar-1.9.jar file:

1. Replace the Original Plugin: Move the new JAR file back to the plugins directory at /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Google/AndroidStudio2023.1/plugins/, replacing the old MarioProgressBar-1.9.jar file.
2. Restart Android Studio: Launch Android Studio and begin a task that would typically trigger the progress bar, such as building your project. You should now see your custom icon in the progress bar, effectively replacing the traditional progress indicator with your personalized touch.

Conclusion

Customizing plugins in Android Studio allows you to create a more personalized and enjoyable development environment. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can modify the Mario Progress Bar plugin or any other similar plugin with your custom icons or designs.

Tips for Further Customization

• Experiment with different icons and designs to match seasonal events or personal preferences.
• Share your customized plugin with your team or community, but ensure you have the right to distribute modified versions of the plugin.

Remember, modifying plugins can be a fun way to personalize your development experience, but always respect copyright and licensing agreements.

This article was created with the assistance of ChatGPT, which helped in formulating the text.