Teal / Launcher

Configuration should not be a test of patience.

RETUI began with configuration files you could open, understand, and change yourself. I still value that. What I do not value is making someone hunt through XML before they are allowed to change a font or wallpaper.

There are two good ways in

Type `settings` and the launcher opens the Settings Hub. It keeps the terminal look, but gives the important choices names, sections, pickers, and dialogs. The older `themer` command still works as a compatibility alias.

settings

The configuration files have not disappeared. If you prefer direct editing, they are still there. The hub is the normal entrance; the files are the power-user path. Neither one has to pretend the other is wrong.

Appearance is more than a colour picker

The Appearance section brings together the parts that define the launcher on screen: `theme.xml`, `ui.xml`, `toolbar.xml`, and `suggestions.xml`. You can also manage fonts, apply saved presets, and open Android's static or live wallpaper picker.

Fonts

Choose a bundled typeface or import your own font without manually moving it into place.

Presets

Save and return to complete visual setups instead of trying to reconstruct them value by value.

Wallpaper

Use Android's wallpaper surfaces, while RETUI keeps the wallpaper outside the settings window rather than turning every panel translucent.

I want the interface to stay recognisably RETUI while you change it. Square borders, attached labels, and terminal-style dialogs are part of that continuity. Customisation should change your launcher, not make the settings screen feel like it belongs to another app.

Behaviour and personality are separate on purpose

Behaviour covers how the launcher acts: `behavior.xml`, `apps.xml`, `notifications.xml`, and `cmd.xml`. Personalization is where it becomes yours: aliases, toolbar buttons, ASCII settings, RSS, RETUI Wallpaper, and the opt-in RETUI focus system.

alias.txt

Keep the short names and command chains that make sense to you.

Toolbar Buttons

Assign commands to the optional toolbar slots. Empty slots stay disabled by default.

ASCII Settings

Control the text art shown by the launcher without treating it as a generic theme value.

RETUI WALLPAPER

Open RETUI's own wallpaper surface rather than the system picker.

That split matters. Changing how notifications are handled is not the same kind of decision as choosing what the prompt looks like. A useful settings screen should help you find the thought you already had.

Integrations should explain themselves

The Integrations section currently handles your preferred music app and Tasker. Tasker is not presented as a mystery toggle: the launcher can show whether the integration is enabled, whether Tasker is installed, whether permission is available, and which supported actions are ready.

That includes applying presets and themes, working with modules, and sending output back to the terminal. If one of those pieces is missing, the settings surface should tell you which piece instead of leaving you to guess.

Your setup should be portable

System & Support is where a customised launcher becomes something you can keep. You can create a backup, restore one, or build a shareable configuration. The same section holds feedback, rating, and crash-log access, with direct links to the RETUI community and source nearby.

Backup

Export the launcher state you rely on before changing devices or making larger edits.

Create Shareable Configuration

Package a setup for someone else without treating your whole private launcher state as the thing to share.

Restore

Bring a saved configuration back through a deliberate file picker.

View Crash Log

Open the local crash record when there is one, so a useful bug report does not begin with guesswork.

Direct control is still there

The Settings Hub is not a replacement for readable configuration. Open one of the XML or text entries and RETUI still gives you the direct editor. Changes are staged until you save, and backing out with unsaved work gives you a chance to discard it deliberately.

You can also stay at the prompt and use `config` when one precise value is all you need.

config -get <entry>
config -set <entry> <value>
config -reset <entry>

The exact entries depend on the installed build, so `help config` remains the best reference on your phone.

open the Format Cookbook read the Configuration post read the Presets post

I do not think a configurable launcher has to choose between a friendly interface and honest files. RETUI keeps both because control is only useful when you can actually reach it.