Sigil file import quagmire

Aethyr · 05-22-2013, 09:07 PM

So why is it that if i open an individual epub file named 'Chapter 5' in Sigil, it will open as an .html file and i can edit it....yet when i have a complete book file open in Sigil and then i use the 'add existing file' feature to add in the same individual epub file 'Chapter 5' it gets imported into Sigil as an .epub and i can't open it for edit ?

theducks · 05-22-2013, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aethyr

So why is it that if i open an individual epub file named 'Chapter 5' in Sigil, it will open as an .html file and i can edit it....yet when i have a complete book file open in Sigil and then i use the 'add existing file' feature to add in the same individual epub file 'Chapter 5' it gets imported into Sigil as an .epub and i can't open it for edit ?

EPUB is a Book

HTML or XHTML is a portion of a book?

DiapDealer · 05-22-2013, 10:05 PM

There's some terrible deep, dark confusion going on here.

elibrarian · 05-23-2013, 03:58 AM

You can add existing files to an open epub - e.g. text from existing .txt or .(x)html files - images - and styles (.css) and fonts.

If you add an existing .epub - which is a mix of the above packed in a specially designed .zip archive - it will be imported as some sort of "other media" (like a video or such) - which is not editable in Sigil.

If you want to ad some parts from an existing epub, you can unzip it and add those parts of it, you want.

Regards,

Kim

Aethyr · 05-23-2013, 04:52 AM

Thanks, but if you unzip the epub and add just its text as an existing file, what about the remaining components of the unzipped epub...can you add those in seperately aswell and won't you loose some vital info?

BobC · 05-23-2013, 05:30 AM

What sounds odd here is why you have an EPUB named "Chapter 5". An EPUB book would normally be named with the book title and contain (amongst other things) a number of files such as Chapter1.html, Chapter2.html, Chapter3.html, Chapter4.html, Chapter5.html together with other stuff that "hold it all together".

You are right that just adding a file to an existing EPUB is not a simple as just "dropping it in" - it needs to use the same css elements as the other files and reference the same .css files in order that that chapter will be in the right place when you read the book and look the same as the rest of the book. You will also need to regenerate the Table of Contents for the book to reference the "new" file.

It looks like you have found the right tool for doing the job you want but really need to understand what you are carving up before starting out on open heart surgery. Try examining a few books with Sigil to see how the bits of an EPUB interact with each other (how to change the Chapter order and how to build the TOC and most important how the individual html (or xml) files interact with the css (style) files to give a consistent appearance.

There is an explanation of how to build an EPUB "by hand" at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/xm.../section3.html which might make things a little clearer.

HTH BobC

mrmikel · 05-23-2013, 06:30 AM

This was just discussed in this thread:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=213175

Sigil does not automatically merge epubs. There is a calibre plugin that can do this if you are willing to run it through calibre.

elibrarian · 05-23-2013, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aethyr

Thanks, but if you unzip the epub and add just its text as an existing file, what about the remaining components of the unzipped epub...can you add those in seperately aswell and won't you loose some vital info?

Yes, you can add the other components separately. And yes, you might loose some info - but that risk exists, whenever you start doing "open-heart-surgery", as BobC describes it

. In this like all other things, you'll have to know, what you're doing, so make a copy of the files you're working on and go on experimenting ... To be a bit blunt (and no offense intended!): You can't turn shit into gold without some amount of work.

Regards,

Kim

theducks · 05-23-2013, 10:48 AM

IF you start with a style (template) in your word processor, there is a fair chance the stylesheets will match. Fair Chance.

But KISS

Write the whole book as one document, Doing FREQUENT, incremental 'Save Copy as' along the way, just in case.

Disclaimer: I am neither a Author nor a 'Word' user

05-22-2013, 09:07 PM	#1
Aethyr Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2013 Device: none	Sigil file import quagmire So why is it that if i open an individual epub file named 'Chapter 5' in Sigil, it will open as an .html file and i can edit it....yet when i have a complete book file open in Sigil and then i use the 'add existing file' feature to add in the same individual epub file 'Chapter 5' it gets imported into Sigil as an .epub and i can't open it for edit ?

05-23-2013, 05:30 AM	#6
BobC Guru Posts: 691 Karma: 3026110 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Lancashire, U.K. Device: BeBook 1, BeBook Pure, Kobo Glo, (and HD),Energy Sistem EReader Pro +	What sounds odd here is why you have an EPUB named "Chapter 5". An EPUB book would normally be named with the book title and contain (amongst other things) a number of files such as Chapter1.html, Chapter2.html, Chapter3.html, Chapter4.html, Chapter5.html together with other stuff that "hold it all together". You are right that just adding a file to an existing EPUB is not a simple as just "dropping it in" - it needs to use the same css elements as the other files and reference the same .css files in order that that chapter will be in the right place when you read the book and look the same as the rest of the book. You will also need to regenerate the Table of Contents for the book to reference the "new" file. It looks like you have found the right tool for doing the job you want but really need to understand what you are carving up before starting out on open heart surgery. Try examining a few books with Sigil to see how the bits of an EPUB interact with each other (how to change the Chapter order and how to build the TOC and most important how the individual html (or xml) files interact with the css (style) files to give a consistent appearance. There is an explanation of how to build an EPUB "by hand" at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/xm.../section3.html which might make things a little clearer. HTH BobC Last edited by BobC; 05-23-2013 at 05:59 AM. Reason: Added reference to IBM Tutorial.

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05-22-2013, 10:05 PM	#3
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,549 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	There's some terrible deep, dark confusion going on here.

05-23-2013, 03:58 AM	#4
elibrarian Imperfect Perfectionist Posts: 464 Karma: 724664 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Ølstykke, Denmark Device: none	You can add existing files to an open epub - e.g. text from existing .txt or .(x)html files - images - and styles (.css) and fonts. If you add an existing .epub - which is a mix of the above packed in a specially designed .zip archive - it will be imported as some sort of "other media" (like a video or such) - which is not editable in Sigil. If you want to ad some parts from an existing epub, you can unzip it and add those parts of it, you want. Regards, Kim

05-23-2013, 04:52 AM	#5
Aethyr Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2013 Device: none	Thanks, but if you unzip the epub and add just its text as an existing file, what about the remaining components of the unzipped epub...can you add those in seperately aswell and won't you loose some vital info?

05-23-2013, 06:30 AM	#7
mrmikel Color me gone Posts: 2,089 Karma: 1445295 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Central Oregon Coast Device: PRS-300	This was just discussed in this thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=213175 Sigil does not automatically merge epubs. There is a calibre plugin that can do this if you are willing to run it through calibre.

05-23-2013, 10:48 AM	#9
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,801 Karma: 54830978 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	IF you start with a style (template) in your word processor, there is a fair chance the stylesheets will match. Fair Chance. But KISS Write the whole book as one document, Doing FREQUENT, incremental 'Save Copy as' along the way, just in case. Disclaimer: I am neither a Author nor a 'Word' user

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