Best way to get clean HTML

JSWolf · 03-29-2009, 05:18 PM

I'm wondering is there a way to get clean HTML out of a Mobipocket eBook that does not have all the junk you get from a Mobipocket HTML file?

Every paragraph is loaded with junk. What I'd like is if this junk could somehow be converted into CSS so it would be easy to edit the CSS instead of having to fool around with all the junk.

Here is an example of what I mean...

Code:

<div style="margin-top: 6"/><div style="text-indent: 1em"><font size="3">â€œWhat I was going to ask your boss, Charley, is if there is some good reason you canâ€™t go to Buenos Aires right now.â€</font></div><div style="margin-top: 6"/>

Hadrien · 03-29-2009, 06:13 PM

TidyHTML maybe ?

tompe · 03-29-2009, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'm wondering is there a way to get clean HTML out of a Mobipocket eBook that does not have all the junk you get from a Mobipocket HTML file?

If I remember correctly this depends on the book. You do not get it for all books so it is nothing inherent in the format.

Hadrien · 03-29-2009, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

If I remember correctly this depends on the book. You do not get it for all books so it is nothing inherent in the format.

I disagree, for some things you do not have much of a choice and you need to use junk with Mobipocket.

tompe · 03-31-2009, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hadrien

I disagree, for some things you do not have much of a choice and you need to use junk with Mobipocket.

Yes, if you want to force a specific formatting. But for a straightforward book formatted as a standard paperback you should be able to use clean html.

JSWolf · 03-31-2009, 08:08 AM

I think it's time Mobipocket & AZW all went away. They mess they make of well formatted HTML is not nice.

All4Fun · 03-31-2009, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hadrien

TidyHTML maybe ?

So will TidyHTML do the trick?

=X= · 03-31-2009, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

... What I'd like is if this junk could somehow be converted into CSS so it would be easy to edit the CSS ...

Yes there is a tool called cssutils that parses out style in HTML and creates CSS file.

=X=

tompe · 03-31-2009, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I think it's time Mobipocket & AZW all went away. They mess they make of well formatted HTML is not nice.

Yes, a good idea. DRM stopping working on all MobiPocket files will be the final death of DRM.

ericshliao · 04-01-2009, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'm wondering is there a way to get clean HTML out of a Mobipocket eBook that does not have all the junk you get from a Mobipocket HTML file?

It's a problem bothering me for some time, too. I just want a clean html file with simple html tag, such as <H1>, <H2>,<P> from MS Word file.

kacir · 04-01-2009, 06:00 AM

html Tidy
and
demoroniser

Jellby · 04-01-2009, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hadrien

I disagree, for some things you do not have much of a choice and you need to use junk with Mobipocket.

Even so, the amount of junk you have to use (and which is recognized by mobipocket readers) is very limited. The use of the normal <P>, <DIV>, <I>, etc. tags plus properties like WIDTH, HEIGHT and ALIGN is often enough. Add <FONT> with SIZE and COLOR and I think that's about the only needed junk.

Nate the great · 04-01-2009, 07:57 AM

If the input and output are consistent, I could write a specific cleanup program for it. Anyone interested?

Sweetpea · 04-01-2009, 09:34 AM

I generally use regular expression search and replace...

To take your example (replaced your weird characters with the quotes for readability):

Code:

<div style="margin-top: 6"/>
<div style="text-indent: 1em"><font size="3">"What I was going to ask your boss, Charley, is if there is some good reason you can't go to Buenos Aires right now."</font></div>
<div style="margin-top: 6"/>

in my style:

.emptyLine { margin-top: 6em; }
p { text-indent: 1em; font-size: normal; }

<div style="margin-top: 6" /> would be replaced with <div class="emptyLine" />
<div style="text-indent: 1em"><font size="3"> would be replaced with <p>
</font></div> would be replaced by </p>

I generally start with headers and other exceptions (there are less headers than paragraphs, generally

). Then I create an epub out of it, check it, fix any errors and repeat the checking process until it's clean.

=X= · 04-01-2009, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

If the input and output are consistent, I could write a specific cleanup program for it. Anyone interested?

Yes I would be very interested.

=X=

03-29-2009, 05:18 PM	#1
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,866 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Best way to get clean HTML I'm wondering is there a way to get clean HTML out of a Mobipocket eBook that does not have all the junk you get from a Mobipocket HTML file? Every paragraph is loaded with junk. What I'd like is if this junk could somehow be converted into CSS so it would be easy to edit the CSS instead of having to fool around with all the junk. Here is an example of what I mean... Code: <div style="margin-top: 6"/><div style="text-indent: 1em"><font size="3">â€œWhat I was going to ask your boss, Charley, is if there is some good reason you canâ€™t go to Buenos Aires right now.â€</font></div><div style="margin-top: 6"/>

04-01-2009, 09:34 AM	#14
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	I generally use regular expression search and replace... To take your example (replaced your weird characters with the quotes for readability): Code: <div style="margin-top: 6"/> <div style="text-indent: 1em"><font size="3">"What I was going to ask your boss, Charley, is if there is some good reason you can't go to Buenos Aires right now."</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 6"/> in my style: .emptyLine { margin-top: 6em; } p { text-indent: 1em; font-size: normal; } <div style="margin-top: 6" /> would be replaced with <div class="emptyLine" /> <div style="text-indent: 1em"><font size="3"> would be replaced with <p> </font></div> would be replaced by </p> I generally start with headers and other exceptions (there are less headers than paragraphs, generally ). Then I create an epub out of it, check it, fix any errors and repeat the checking process until it's clean.

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03-29-2009, 06:13 PM	#2
Hadrien Feedbooks.com Co-Founder Posts: 2,263 Karma: 145123 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Paris, France Device: Sony PRS-t-1/350/300/500/505/600/700, Nexus S, iPad	TidyHTML maybe ?

03-31-2009, 08:08 AM	#6
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,866 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I think it's time Mobipocket & AZW all went away. They mess they make of well formatted HTML is not nice.

04-01-2009, 06:00 AM	#11
kacir Wizard Posts: 3,450 Karma: 10484861 Join Date: May 2006 Device: PocketBook 360, before it was Sony Reader, cassiopeia A-20	html Tidy and demoroniser

04-01-2009, 07:57 AM	#13
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	If the input and output are consistent, I could write a specific cleanup program for it. Anyone interested?