[Archived] Marvin ePub reader for iPad

[kguil]

You're very welcome. I've got another update scheduled for today that fixes some other things.

[crashnburn]

Originally Posted by kguil

@crashnburn: before deleting a book from your library, locate it in the library, swipe it to the left and tap share. From the menu, choose "export annotations". This will let you email an .mrv file to yourself that contains all the highlights, notes, bookmarks and vocabulary for the book. When you delete the book and install the fresh copy, you can email the mrv file back to yourself and open it in Marvin to import the bookmarks for that book.

As you say, the book changed so the only way that Marvin can correctly guess that the mrv file belongs to the new copy of the book is by doing a Title+Author match (technically, Marvin uses some other criteria but unless you substantially changed the structure of the book it won't make a difference). If you also changed the Title+Author in the new copy of the book, Marvin cannot determine that the mrv file belongs to that book and will not import the mrv file.

@fireland: Many thanks!

Could you share the format of the MRV file? Is it text readable/ XML like? That way if/ when we have some EXPORTS that do not GO DOWN smoothly we could EDIT them and then make them work that way?

Also, I am guessing Marvin does not support ePubs with video as yet? Does it.

If not, any idea what kind of VIDEO formats does iBooks support?

I am trying to maybe put together workout plans with exercise VIDEO into an ePub for referral in the iPad.

[kguil]

Of course. It is plain XML and it's quite self explanatory (especially fields such as title and author). If you need any help with it, let me know.

[crashnburn]

Originally Posted by kguil

Of course. It is plain XML and it's quite self explanatory (especially fields such as title and author). If you need any help with it, let me know.

Awesome. I will check it out. I am guessing these are stored somewhere inside/ along side the ePubs inside Marvin or store inside a DB... A
Are they only generated at time of EXPORT?

[kguil]

You're guessing correctly. They're stored in a DB.

[crashnburn]

Originally Posted by kguil

You're guessing correctly. They're stored in a DB.

Hmm.. would it not be safer to store them as individual files? If the DB crashes then all highlights for all books are POOF!

Maybe add the following ways to export the highlights:
- Full DB export
- Batch Export of all as collection of individual XMLs

This would be a safe backup PS: Or we'd have to manually backup the DB file inside the iOS App (via iFunBox on JB iOS)

[kguil]

1) Marvin exports to an XML format (*.mrvi) that contains highlights, notes, vocab, etc... for all books in your library. Unfortunately, this cannot be imported back yet.

2) A DB is required for performance reasons and to perform certain complex tasks.

3) If you're into iFunbox, pulling everything out of Marvin's /documents directory and the database from /library is pretty much the safest backup you can make. Restoring involves putting everything back in the right place.

4) Soon, full backups and restores will be much, much simpler.

[crashnburn]

You rock! If/ When I visit Malta or we cross paths, lunch/ dinner is on me.

[kguil]

Cheers. The summer is great here!

[drofgnal]

Great app. Bye-bye iBooks.

[RONE]

Thanks for all your hard work, Kris. My wife loves Marvin for reading on her iPad. I'm still stuck using Stanza on my iPhone, so I anxiously await the update that will allow me to share in her enjoyment of using Marvin.


Kris

[kguil]

Thanks drofgnal, RONE. Marvin for iPhone is definitely coming this summer. I promise it will be worth the wait.

[RONE]

Something that just occurred to me that I thought I should mention:

When you release synchronization between devices, will there be any concerns with shared AppleID's between individuals? The point I'm trying to make is my wife and I use one AppleID between her iPhone, her iPad, and my iPhone (and there will probably be another iPad for me added to the mix this fall). Will synchronization between devices be an issue for us? I would love to be able to pick up her iPad and read my book on it without having to hunt for my page, but I don't want Marvin to automatically open to my last read page of my book on her iPad for when she is trying to read her own book. I hope that made sense??

[kguil]

@RONE I haven't decided exactly how synchronisation will work. If iCloud is used to synchronise positions, the position will be saved per book + per Apple ID. If you are reading different books, it shouldn't be a problem. If you're reading the same book you'll both sync to the same, last position.

[RONE]

Originally Posted by kguil

@RONE I haven't decided exactly how synchronisation will work. If iCloud is used to synchronise positions, the position will be saved per book + per Apple ID. If you are reading different books, it shouldn't be a problem. If you're reading the same book you'll both sync to the same, last position.

Good to hear. I doubt we'll ever be reading the same book at the same time, but I guess if we do I can suffer through having to use Stanza again after being spoiled with Marvin on my phone. Thanks again for making a great app and working to improve it!