Importing / Converting DOCX files

fan of kovid · 03-03-2011, 05:21 PM

Gents,

My current method is to edit the book in Word - then save as Web Page (filtered) - then import to Calibre - then convert to epub.

Now, I know that Word's "docx" format is actually a thinly disguised Zip file containing HTML files...

So, it is possible to get Calibre to directly import "docx" files into calibre? I realise that it is currently not possible but maybe in the future?

I really like (that means I've gotten used to) Word's editing features - I'm old so I don't really want to learn the idiosyncrasies of a whole new software - and don't forget the extra costs

Alternatively, does anyone know of a better method?

Many thanks - (BIG) Fan of Kovid

kovidgoyal · 03-03-2011, 05:29 PM

docx isn't quite html in a zip file, which is why adding support for it is not simple. I wont rule it out for ever, but there are no immediate plans for it.

fan of kovid · 03-03-2011, 06:26 PM

Thanks Kovid,

Did I mention that I'm a big fan of yours? The work you've done on Calibre is excellent!

There's one or two little niggles, but overall, the program has got to be the best I have seen in a long time - well done!

Thanks again

kovidgoyal · 03-03-2011, 09:04 PM

You're welcome

ddjohn · 03-03-2011, 11:45 PM

Dear "Fan",

If you are using Word to edit your books, how about saving the final book in .doc format instead of .docx? Calibre will import the .doc format. If you were using the Open Office Writer (openoffice.org) you could get the plugin that converts your document to ePub format. Both are free and very easy to use.

DJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by fan of kovid

Gents,

My current method is to edit the book in Word - then save as Web Page (filtered) - then import to Calibre - then convert to epub.

Now, I know that Word's "docx" format is actually a thinly disguised Zip file containing HTML files...

So, it is possible to get Calibre to directly import "docx" files into calibre? I realise that it is currently not possible but maybe in the future?

I really like (that means I've gotten used to) Word's editing features - I'm old so I don't really want to learn the idiosyncrasies of a whole new software - and don't forget the extra costs

Alternatively, does anyone know of a better method?

Many thanks - (BIG) Fan of Kovid

DoctorOhh · 03-04-2011, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddjohn

If you are using Word to edit your books, how about saving the final book in .doc format instead of .docx? Calibre will import the .doc format.

Calibre does not convert or view Doc files either. The method the OP describes is the best method to currently go from Word to any other format via calibre.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddjohn

If you were using the Open Office Writer (openoffice.org) you could get the plugin that converts your document to ePub format. Both are free and very easy to use.

There are many ways to get to ePub, the method you describe will work. The only problem is the OP wishes to stay with Word.

Spacejock · 03-04-2011, 02:20 AM

Over the past week I've modified yWriter5 (freeware) so that it will generate an HTML file suitable for Calibre.

yWriter will already import RTF and generate a project (and you can save to RTF from any word processor.)

I've put a guide online here: http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter5_Ebooks.html

fan of kovid · 03-04-2011, 02:38 AM

Thanks Guys,

At least I'm not going too far out of my way to get the job done.

Now I know that this is a Calibre forum, but for anyone who is interested, there is an easier way to get Word documents into epub format...

There is a bit of software "Aspose.Words for Microsoft Word" which is free, installs as a plug-in (I think?), in Word and allows you to "save as" an epub format file.

Link is http://www.aspose.com/community/file...try194468.aspx Although it is free, you have to register in order to download it - I know it says 30 day trial, but it is completely free - and not limited to 30 days.

The down side to this, is that it's not as polished as Calibre, no automatically generated TOC, no page breaks - not even those manually inputted into the original document.

Thanks again for the suggestions / tips - all are welcome!

ddjohn · 03-04-2011, 08:57 AM

dwanthny, I just went to Calibre to view and convert a .DOC file. You are quite correct. It opened the external viewer app and is not available for convert. Newbie assumptions based on a successful import of the format.

Open Office is very similar in look and handling to the older version of MS Word, making this a very easy transition for those who don't want to expend $$$ on MS Word. Almost no learning curve involved in getting started. Calibre will import the .odt file, is using the external app for viewing, but successfully converts the file to epub.

Many thanks to Fan, for the link. I'm going to give it a try and see if it works better than the OpenOffice/plugin. Very handy resource.

DJ

DoctorOhh · 03-04-2011, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddjohn

dwanthny, I just went to Calibre to view and convert a .DOC file. You are quite correct. It opened the external viewer app and is not available for convert. Newbie assumptions based on a successful import of the format.

Sometimes doc files are really rtf files with a doc extension. I have heard rumor that those files will convert in calibre.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddjohn

Open Office is very similar in look and handling to the older version of MS Word, making this a very easy transition for those who don't want to expend $$$ on MS Word. Almost no learning curve involved in getting started. Calibre will import the .odt file, is using the external app for viewing, but successfully converts the file to epub.

True.

chameleon68 · 03-08-2011, 12:41 PM

Is there a reason not to save the file as .pdf in Word then convert it using Calibre?

Manichean · 03-08-2011, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chameleon68

Is there a reason not to save the file as .pdf in Word then convert it using Calibre?

Yes: PDF is the absolute worst format to use as conversion source.

fan of kovid · 03-08-2011, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chameleon68

Is there a reason not to save the file as .pdf in Word then convert it using Calibre?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manichean

Yes: PDF is the absolute worst format to use as conversion source.

I'll second that!

Best option is to save as "Web Page, Filtered", alternatively, RTF - or even TXT - anything but PDF!

For a "quick & dirty" conversion, directly to epub, "Aspose.Words for Microsoft Word" - link above - also works.

I'm told that Open Office Writer (free) has an available plug-in (also free) that can do epubs.

PDF should be an absolute last resort - the reason (I think) is in the way PDFs are coded - it doesn't make for a clean conversion - although the text in a PDF can be edited, it doesn't flow properly from one page to the next - which leaves a lot of editing to hammer it into good shape.

Try making a PDF from a simple text document - then convert that PDF back to Word's DOC or DOCX format - looks okay, right? Now click the "Show/Hide" button ¶ - you will see a Page Break at the bottom of each page - these would need to be edited out from the finished ebook.

oldbwl · 03-12-2011, 07:47 PM

I edit exclusively in MSWord for the same reason as the OP, and then I save as RTF - I get the exact results I want this way, the epub and RTF are almost identical.

I import the original file whatever the format to Calibre and convert to RTF from there. Occasionally the resultant file wont open in MSWord. But I found it will open in Wordpad. A quick save again and then MSWord will work.

I also notice that despite having the setting to Remove spacing between para's ticked and have 0.0em indent, the RTF file always has an indent with a 'tab' - however easily removed as part of my macros.

03-03-2011, 05:21 PM	#1
fan of kovid Member Posts: 14 Karma: 304 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Sony PRS 900	Importing / Converting DOCX files Gents, My current method is to edit the book in Word - then save as Web Page (filtered) - then import to Calibre - then convert to epub. Now, I know that Word's "docx" format is actually a thinly disguised Zip file containing HTML files... So, it is possible to get Calibre to directly import "docx" files into calibre? I realise that it is currently not possible but maybe in the future? I really like (that means I've gotten used to) Word's editing features - I'm old so I don't really want to learn the idiosyncrasies of a whole new software - and don't forget the extra costs Alternatively, does anyone know of a better method? Many thanks - (BIG) Fan of Kovid

03-03-2011, 06:26 PM	#3
fan of kovid Member Posts: 14 Karma: 304 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Sony PRS 900	Importing / Converting DOCX files Thanks Kovid, Did I mention that I'm a big fan of yours? The work you've done on Calibre is excellent! There's one or two little niggles, but overall, the program has got to be the best I have seen in a long time - well done! Thanks again

03-04-2011, 02:38 AM	#8
fan of kovid Member Posts: 14 Karma: 304 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Sony PRS 900	Importing / Converting DOCX files Thanks Guys, At least I'm not going too far out of my way to get the job done. Now I know that this is a Calibre forum, but for anyone who is interested, there is an easier way to get Word documents into epub format... There is a bit of software "Aspose.Words for Microsoft Word" which is free, installs as a plug-in (I think?), in Word and allows you to "save as" an epub format file. Link is http://www.aspose.com/community/file...try194468.aspx Although it is free, you have to register in order to download it - I know it says 30 day trial, but it is completely free - and not limited to 30 days. The down side to this, is that it's not as polished as Calibre, no automatically generated TOC, no page breaks - not even those manually inputted into the original document. Thanks again for the suggestions / tips - all are welcome!

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03-03-2011, 05:29 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,850 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	docx isn't quite html in a zip file, which is why adding support for it is not simple. I wont rule it out for ever, but there are no immediate plans for it.

03-03-2011, 09:04 PM	#4
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,850 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	You're welcome

03-04-2011, 02:20 AM	#7
Spacejock Hal Spacejock & yWriter Posts: 125 Karma: 1100412 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Perth, Western Australia Device: Kindle	Over the past week I've modified yWriter5 (freeware) so that it will generate an HTML file suitable for Calibre. yWriter will already import RTF and generate a project (and you can save to RTF from any word processor.) I've put a guide online here: http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter5_Ebooks.html

03-04-2011, 08:57 AM	#9
ddjohn Enthusiast Posts: 33 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Palm TX; Pandigital-7W	dwanthny, I just went to Calibre to view and convert a .DOC file. You are quite correct. It opened the external viewer app and is not available for convert. Newbie assumptions based on a successful import of the format. Open Office is very similar in look and handling to the older version of MS Word, making this a very easy transition for those who don't want to expend $$$ on MS Word. Almost no learning curve involved in getting started. Calibre will import the .odt file, is using the external app for viewing, but successfully converts the file to epub. Many thanks to Fan, for the link. I'm going to give it a try and see if it works better than the OpenOffice/plugin. Very handy resource. DJ

03-08-2011, 12:41 PM	#11
chameleon68 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle	Is there a reason not to save the file as .pdf in Word then convert it using Calibre?

03-12-2011, 07:47 PM	#14
oldbwl Zealot Posts: 122 Karma: 164 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Old Ynysybwl Device: Sony PRS-300	I edit exclusively in MSWord for the same reason as the OP, and then I save as RTF - I get the exact results I want this way, the epub and RTF are almost identical. I import the original file whatever the format to Calibre and convert to RTF from there. Occasionally the resultant file wont open in MSWord. But I found it will open in Wordpad. A quick save again and then MSWord will work. I also notice that despite having the setting to Remove spacing between para's ticked and have 0.0em indent, the RTF file always has an indent with a 'tab' - however easily removed as part of my macros.

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