Themes from Pak Rat
Pak Rat, Leaf’s on-device store, carries themes as well as apps. You can browse them with a preview of each one, install a theme over Wi-Fi, and wear it straight away. Pak Rat keeps the themes it installed up to date, and removes them cleanly when you are done with one.
Every theme in Pak Rat was made by someone in the community and reviewed before it was published. You can browse them all on the web in the Theme gallery. To make your own, see Themes. To put yours in Pak Rat, see Submit a theme.
Browsing themes
Section titled “Browsing themes”Press the Menu button, open Actions, and choose Pak Rat. Press Y on the list to switch between apps and themes. While you are looking at themes, the header reads Pak Rat Themes and the Y hint reads Apps. Each list keeps its own place.
Moving through the list shows the selected theme’s preview beside it, with its author and a one-line summary. Press X to refresh the list, and B to leave Pak Rat.
Each theme in the list has a status:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Available | Not installed yet |
| Installed | Installed by Pak Rat, but not the theme you are using |
| Applied | Installed, and your current theme |
| Update | A newer version is out |
| Manual | A theme folder with the same name is already on your SD card, and Pak Rat did not put it there |
| Unavailable | Pak Rat can’t install this theme on your device. The details say why |
Theme details
Section titled “Theme details”Press A on a theme to open its details. The page shows the status, a large
preview, the theme’s description, and then its Author, License, Version,
the version you have installed, and the Folder it installs to, such as
Themes/neon-nights.
When something decides what you can do with the theme, a note under the preview says so, for example that this is your current theme or that a newer version needs a newer Leaf.
The button hints at the bottom change with the theme’s state. A is always the next useful thing: Install, Update, Reinstall, Apply, or Applied when there is nothing left to do. Y is Uninstall for a theme Pak Rat installed.
Installing and applying a theme
Section titled “Installing and applying a theme”On the theme’s details, press A to Install. Pak Rat downloads the theme, checks
it, and puts it in the Themes folder on your SD card. When it finishes, it asks
whether to apply the theme now. Choose Apply to switch to it, or Not now to
keep your current look.
To apply an installed theme later, open its details and press A on Apply. That is the same choice as Settings > Appearance > Layout > Theme, and you can switch themes from either place.
A theme dresses Grid view and Cover Flow. If your Home Layout is Tabs, change it to Grid or Coverflow in Settings > Appearance > Layout to see the theme.
If the theme folder has gone missing from the card since you installed it, A reads Reinstall and puts it back.
Updating a theme
Section titled “Updating a theme”When a theme you installed from Pak Rat has a newer version, its status reads Update. Open its details and press A on Update. If it is your current theme, it stays applied and the new version shows up right away.
A new version sometimes needs a newer Leaf. The details then say which version of Leaf it needs, and Pak Rat keeps offering the newest version your Leaf can use until you update Leaf.
Uninstalling a theme
Section titled “Uninstalling a theme”Open the theme’s details and press Y to Uninstall. Pak Rat asks first, then deletes the theme’s folder from your SD card.
If it is your current theme, Leaf switches to no theme, so Grid view and Cover Flow go back to Leaf’s own look. You can pick another theme at any time.
Pak Rat only uninstalls themes it installed. A theme you copied to the card yourself
stays until you delete its folder from Themes on a computer.
A theme folder with the same name
Section titled “A theme folder with the same name”A theme installs to a folder named after it, such as Themes/neon-nights. If you
already have a folder with that name that Pak Rat did not install, for example a copy
you made by hand, the theme shows as Manual.
Installing it then asks before doing anything: Pak Rat replaces the files in that folder with the version from the store. After that, the theme belongs to Pak Rat, which can update and uninstall it like any other. Cancel if you want to keep your own copy.
Why a theme is Unavailable
Section titled “Why a theme is Unavailable”A theme is Unavailable for one of these reasons, and its details say which:
- It was withdrawn. A theme can be taken out of Pak Rat, for example at its author’s request. A withdrawn theme disappears from the list for anyone who has not installed it. If you have it installed, it stays in your list marked Unavailable, keeps working, and you can still apply or uninstall it, but it can’t be installed again or updated.
- A theme that comes with Leaf uses the same name. Leaf’s bundled themes, such as Sample, are replaced every time Leaf installs, so no store theme may take their folder name.
- Your Themes folder is full. Leaf lists up to 32 themes, so Pak Rat won’t add a
33rd. The count includes every folder in
Themes, the bundled Sample and themes you copied yourself as well as the ones from Pak Rat. Uninstall a theme, or delete a folder you no longer use, to make room. Updating or replacing a theme you already have doesn’t need a free slot.
A theme won’t install
Section titled “A theme won’t install”- The download did not match the catalog. The file Pak Rat received was not the one that was reviewed, so nothing was changed. Try again later, and check your Wi-Fi.
- It is not a valid theme. Pak Rat checks every theme again before installing it and refuses one that fails, with a short reason. Let the Leaf team know on the Leaf Discord.