ePub Validation

[odedta]

Hello everyone,

I am using EpubCheck tool to validate my books.

According to what I know I need both toc.ncx and toc.html in order to pass the EpubCheck (EDIT: correction - I need toc.ncx for previous versions compatibility and reader application toc like in iBooks) validation proccess. Why? because I must set:

PHP Code:

properties="nav" 


to one of the elements in the manifest and I cannot do that to the toc.ncx, only to an html file.

So my question is this:
I want to avoid using a Table of Contents html in this book, the TOC in the book reader application is sufficient.
How do I make the book pass validation process?

Thanks.

[Toxaris]

For ePUB2 the toc.html is not required. For ePUB3 the toc.ncx is no longer required. However, if the ePUB3 must be read in an ePUB2 reader, the toc.ncx must be there for backwards compatibility. Be aware that not all ePUB3 functionality works in ePUB2.
Also be aware that there are very limited number of ePUB3 readers out there and that most people cannot read it.
Also, there are no real ePUB3 editors.

[eping]

If you are using some software, please choose output as ePub 2.0.
Then in validation, epubcheck will detect it as 2.0,

"Detected version: EPUB 2.0 "

Then you can pass epubcheck with only toc.ncx

[eping]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

Also be aware that there are very limited number of ePUB3 readers out there and that most people cannot read it.
Also, there are no real ePUB3 editors.

Can not agree any more.
Actually, I want to whisper, ePub 3 is still a joke,
I even want to murmur, ePubcheck is also a joke.
(I jest tested, Adobe's own EPUB Best Practices Guide
can not pass epubcheck, many errors reported.
But it shows perfectly on all ereaders. )

[odedta]

Toxaris:
So in order to create a validated ePub3 that has backwards compatibility I have to include both toc.ncx and toc.html.
About the ePub3 readers, yes there may not be many readers that support this standard, still this market is at it's infancy in my opinion and I am always for upgrading to a better format/system. Thanks for your reply!

eping:
I understand your frustration, however, I do not personally stick to ADOBE best practice guide or any other guide for that matter, the only thing I stick to is the idpf standards and everyone should in my opinion.
Epub validation system is critical to publishers that are getting eBooks for other people and need to insure the book is written to the standards, much so that you want to know a factory has ISO9000 to know they are following quality standards and that way you don't need to check their products, saves a lot of time on your side. Thanks for your reply!

[mrmikel]

Ask Hitch about the crazy quilt of requirements to qualify books that are device, brand specific.

To my understanding, epub3 did very little to correct the shortcomings of epub2, but did add on a bunch of media stuff which can not be displayed on the millions of older devices. So qualifying for epub3 is not necessarily a step forward for most people.

[Toxaris]

Originally Posted by odedta

Toxaris:
So in order to create a validated ePub3 that has backwards compatibility I have to include both toc.ncx and toc.html.
About the ePub3 readers, yes there may not be many readers that support this standard, still this market is at it's infancy in my opinion and I am always for upgrading to a better format/system. Thanks for your reply!

The latest and greatest is not always the best. If you do not use the new functionality of ePUB3 in your book, there is no single reason to make it in ePUB3 other than making it very difficult for yourself.
One of the big issues with the ePUB3 standard, is that it does not fix the main issues with regards to ePUB2 that relate to BOOKreading, but does add al kinds of fancy stuff that has nothing to do with books. And the stuff that does gets added that has value (MathML), is mostly ignored by all the programmers that create the reading programs. Heck, Apple's iBooks doesn't support the full ePUB3 specs, but only their own mangled version of it.
So, if you do not need the ePUB3 features, don't use ePUB3. Trust me, you will sleep better...

Also ePUBcheck is a joke. It gives some indication, but even that is debatable. All reading programs have their own interpretation of the standard so it is great if your book follows the specs, but if it isn't readable it is still an issue. Most retailers use their own version of ePUBCheck (or very old versions), making it challenging getting the book to the retailer. Ask Hitch or any other about their experiences. It will make you cry...

[odedta]

Thank you very much, I value your opinion