Why use html formatting with kindle?

[susan_cassidy]

Multiple files sent to the Kindle conversion email service will not magically become one. Mobipocket Creator is the way to go.

[vmars316]

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

Multiple files sent to the Kindle conversion email service will not magically become one. Mobipocket Creator is the way to go.

Beginner's luck, I guess,
TOC Error message: Object doesn't support this action

Greetings,
I am trying to create an ebook with html.
mc accepts all html pages until toc
the only toc entry i want to track is H1
but when i start the toc processing
i get the following error:

<<Microsoft Internet Explorer
4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/5.0; SLCC2; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.5.30729; .NET CLR 3.0.30729; Media Center PC 6.0; .NET4.0C)0
Line: 94
Character: 3
Code: 0
Message: Object doesn't support this action
Url: file:///C:/Program%20Files%20(x86)/Mobipocket.com/Mobipocket%20Creator/rsrc/html/table_of_contents.html>>

My default browser is Chrome.
If that's the prob,
how can i tell mc to use IE instead?
Thanks...vmars

[AThirstyMind]

I need to find an html editor. Sigil is fine when I'm doing an epub, but for Mobipocket C, I would rather work with an html document and not a doc file. But I can't figure out how to open the html file I created FROM my doc and edit out the errors that I'm sure sneak in when my back is turned. Where would I find an html editor (and validator) which would let me edit and save the changes so I can use the file to convert to prc?

Any help would be appreciated.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by AThirstyMind

I need to find an html editor. Sigil is fine when I'm doing an epub, but for Mobipocket C, I would rather work with an html document and not a doc file. But I can't figure out how to open the html file I created FROM my doc and edit out the errors that I'm sure sneak in when my back is turned. Where would I find an html editor (and validator) which would let me edit and save the changes so I can use the file to convert to prc?

Any help would be appreciated.

Convert to ePub, make the ePub nice and clean and look how you want. Then use Calibre to convert to Mobipocket. That's the best way to do it.

[Mike L]

Originally Posted by AThirstyMind

I need to find an html editor.

If you're looking for a text editor (as opposed to a WYSIWYG authoring tool), I would recommend Microsoft's Visual Web Developer Express, which is a free download from Microsoft.

It's mainly intended for people who are happy to type HTML (or CSS) by hand, but it gives a lot of assistance. For example, if you type <a, it assumes you are starting a link, so it pops up a little menu from where you can choose items such as "href", etc.

Similarly, if you type any opening tag, it automatically inserts the corresponding closing tag. Plus it uses colour coding so that you can see at a glance which are tags and which are text.

There are many similar (free) tools available. VWD is the one I use most

[vmars316]

Originally Posted by AThirstyMind

I need to find an html editor. Sigil is fine when I'm doing an epub Where would I find an html editor (and validator) which would let me edit and save the changes so I can use the file to convert to prc? Any help would be appreciated.

Cnet gives Sigil a 1 star user rating. Is it really this bad?
Anyways,
I own/use siteSpinnerPro, Antenna, webPlusX4(best one),
when I don't want to actually code it myself.
There are free versions of the above, siteSpinner/webDwarf, webPlus.

But when I need to do some actual html coding
the best (wysiwyg) by far (and free) is Matizha Sublime 3.2 .
Download here: http://www.matizha.com/sublime/

Lots of the other freewares out there come with extra covert little phishing and advertisizement pgms. Even some of the ones from cnet.
So beware...hth...vmars

[vmars316]

Greets,
Well, I tried to convert my Tutorial from .html to .mobi
tried many freeware types 'auto kindle', calibre, mobiCreator, 'Pdf/Html to eBook', and several more, including KindleGen. The ones that did the best job (best 1st) were 1) KindleGen, 2) mobiCreator, 3) autoKindle. But still can only do one page, no TOC linking.
I even tried jutoh ($39, awesome GUI), but am still awaiting output.

Next I'll try .html internal links. If that works out then maybe, I'll try putting all .html pages into one .html file. Ugly, but maybe workable.
...vmars

[DrDln]

You're not a cynic. So stick with it. I use word format for all my kindle books. That's the format recommended by most publishers. Smashwords suggests you to use word format. All the best.

Originally Posted by kateharp

I know html/css, but using it to format a book seems like overkill. I've done both html and word with the same book and it's much faster and easier in Word (especially with images)
So what's the purpose of creating a REALLY LONG html document and painstakingly link all the images by hand?
It seems like the only people who push for it are consultants. Am I a cynic?

[kateharp]

Originally Posted by vmars316

kateharp,
When you did the book in html:
did you have 'separate html pages',
or could you have 'separate html pages'.
Or were you forced to make it into one long document.
And did the links work?
Thanks...vmars

I made it one long document (my understanding is you cannot link pages for ebooks) and if felt really bizarre to do it. MS word seemed more civilized.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by kateharp

I made it one long document (my understanding is you cannot link pages for ebooks) and if felt really bizarre to do it. MS word seemed more civilized.

What do you mean when you say "you can't link pages for e-books"? When you create a Mobipocket book, you can have as many separate source documents as you wish. It's very common to make each chapter a separate file, for example.

[kateharp]

Originally Posted by HarryT

What do you mean when you say "you can't link pages for e-books"? When you create a Mobipocket book, you can have as many separate source documents as you wish. It's very common to make each chapter a separate file, for example.

My understanding is that kindle won't accept but one html doc (along with jpgs)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by kateharp

My understanding is that kindle won't accept but one html doc (along with jpgs)

That may be true if you send your file directly to Amazon, but why would you create a book that way? Using "Mobipocket Creator" (or "Kindlegen") gives you far more flexibility, and allows you to split your HTML files up however you wish.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DrDln

You're not a cynic. So stick with it. I use word format for all my kindle books. That's the format recommended by most publishers. Smashwords suggests you to use word format. All the best.

Word to eBook without cleaning up the mess that Word makes is a sure fire way to get eBooks that may not look right. The best way to do it if you do use Word is to go from Word to filtered HTML to ePub and then clean up the ePub. Then once the ePub is clean, you have a good source to go making the Mobipocket edition.

Smashwords uses Words as a source and there can be a right mess because of that.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by vmars316

Greets,
Well, I tried to convert my Tutorial from .html to .mobi
tried many freeware types 'auto kindle', calibre, mobiCreator, 'Pdf/Html to eBook', and several more, including KindleGen. The ones that did the best job (best 1st) were 1) KindleGen, 2) mobiCreator, 3) autoKindle. But still can only do one page, no TOC linking.
I even tried jutoh ($39, awesome GUI), but am still awaiting output.

Next I'll try .html internal links. If that works out then maybe, I'll try putting all .html pages into one .html file. Ugly, but maybe workable.
...vmars

Do the following, create one HTML file that is your ToC and links to all the other separate HTML files. Have your cover image separate. Then use Calibre to convert the ToC HTML to whatever format you want. Tell Calibre to include your cover image with the correct aspect ratio. Calibre will pick up all the separate HTML files linked via the HTML and the cover and make one eBook. It works very well. And it means if you have to fix any of it, you just fix whatever HTML that needs fixing and regenerate with Calibre.

[Ajax]

Originally Posted by AThirstyMind

I need to find an html editor.

I've been using Notepad++ for a few years now and it's a great program for any text editing / basic coding. Best of all it's completely free so there's no harm in trying it out if you decide you don't like it.

http://notepad-plus-plus.org/