How To Manage an Em Dash?

Ransom · 06-21-2011, 07:37 PM

I've tried both the typical ways of making an Em dash appear in html before importing the file in Calibre, but the reuslting mobi file always seems to come out as just a hyphen. Any ideas? Should we just use a pair of hyphens and be done with it?

cybmole · 06-23-2011, 01:42 AM

i never had any issues with adding emdash to epub ( as — ) , converting to mobi, viewing on Kindle.... ditto for endash, ellipsis... they are all supported

I' ve also done it by adding directly to book view in sigil with the ALT code sequence 0151 — , then save, convert, view.....

explain how you are doing it & viewing it..

Agama · 06-23-2011, 02:00 AM

I use html entity: & # 8 2 1 2 ;

(Shown spaced to stop this forum from converting it to an emdash!)

Ransom · 06-23-2011, 05:40 PM

1) &#151

2) —

Neither work in Calibre for me.

susan_cassidy · 06-23-2011, 05:50 PM

Are you sure you are looking at the newly converted output, or a previous version? What are you using to view the .mobi file? Since many other people have used the html entities in .mobi files successfully, it must be something you are doing wrong.

Ransom · 06-23-2011, 06:53 PM

Quote:

What are you using to view the .mobi file?

E-book Viewer.

dwig · 06-23-2011, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ransom

E-book Viewer.

Try using Kindle Previewer
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...cId=1000234621

cybmole · 06-24-2011, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ransom

E-book Viewer.

so lets check: how does your epub look ,in the same viewer ?

i.e. is it OK before conversion?

or are you going straight from html ( zip) to mobi. ?
like others have said, it works for the rest of us so we need to figure you what you are doing that is different.

itimpi · 06-24-2011, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ransom

E-book Viewer.

Do you mean the Calibre one? If so that should not be treated as definitive as to what the file would like on a real Kindle as internally Calibre would do a mobi->ePub conversion to show a mobi file.

As was mentioned the most accurate way to check a mobi file without using a real Kindle is to use the Amazon Kindle Previewer software.

Agama · 06-24-2011, 02:26 AM

Did you try: & # 8 2 1 2 ; (remove the spaces) ? This always works for me and I had trouble with —

Maybe you could make a simple .mobi with 1 paragraph and post it to this thread for some testing?

ldolse · 06-24-2011, 04:01 AM

Make sure 'transliterate unicode characters to ASCII' is disabled under the look and feel options.

Ransom · 06-24-2011, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agama

Did you try: & # 8 2 1 2 ; (remove the spaces) ? This always works for me and I had trouble with &mdash

That worked! Thanks.

Run2Eat · 10-11-2011, 02:27 PM

thanks so much for the & # 8 2 1 2 ; tip! i have been using "--" instead of emdash because the — and the alt+0151 won't validate thru threepress. now i can have the emdashes back! yay!

Agama · 10-12-2011, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Run2Eat

thanks so much for the & # 8 2 1 2 ; tip! i have been using "--" instead of emdash because the — and the alt+0151 won't validate thru threepress. now i can have the emdashes back! yay!

You're welcome. I have received lots of help thru the calibre forum, so it's nice to be able to give some as well.

Sydney's Mom · 10-14-2011, 03:34 PM

If I could go back to the beginning - I have a lot of pdfs that contain the mdash. When I converted them to mobi, it was still mdash. Is there something I need to check in Calibre to get it to take that out? Unfortunately, this author really likes to use dashes!

06-23-2011, 01:42 AM	#2
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	i never had any issues with adding emdash to epub ( as — ) , converting to mobi, viewing on Kindle.... ditto for endash, ellipsis... they are all supported I' ve also done it by adding directly to book view in sigil with the ALT code sequence 0151 — , then save, convert, view..... explain how you are doing it & viewing it.. Last edited by cybmole; 06-23-2011 at 01:44 AM.

06-23-2011, 02:00 AM	#3
Agama Guru Posts: 776 Karma: 2751519 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: UK Device: PW2, Nexus7	I use html entity: & # 8 2 1 2 ; (Shown spaced to stop this forum from converting it to an emdash!) Last edited by Agama; 06-23-2011 at 02:09 AM. Reason: spaced the entity

06-24-2011, 02:26 AM	#10
Agama Guru Posts: 776 Karma: 2751519 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: UK Device: PW2, Nexus7	Did you try: & # 8 2 1 2 ; (remove the spaces) ? This always works for me and I had trouble with — Maybe you could make a simple .mobi with 1 paragraph and post it to this thread for some testing? Last edited by Agama; 06-24-2011 at 02:29 AM.

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06-21-2011, 07:37 PM	#1
Ransom Banned Posts: 242 Karma: 51054 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Belleville, IL Device: Kindle-3	How To Manage an Em Dash? I've tried both the typical ways of making an Em dash appear in html before importing the file in Calibre, but the reuslting mobi file always seems to come out as just a hyphen. Any ideas? Should we just use a pair of hyphens and be done with it?

06-23-2011, 05:40 PM	#4
Ransom Banned Posts: 242 Karma: 51054 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Belleville, IL Device: Kindle-3	1) &#151 2) — Neither work in Calibre for me.

06-23-2011, 05:50 PM	#5
susan_cassidy Wizard Posts: 2,251 Karma: 3720310 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Device: Kindle, iPad (not used much for reading)	Are you sure you are looking at the newly converted output, or a previous version? What are you using to view the .mobi file? Since many other people have used the html entities in .mobi files successfully, it must be something you are doing wrong.

06-24-2011, 04:01 AM	#11
ldolse Wizard Posts: 1,337 Karma: 123455 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Malaysia Device: PRS-650, iPhone	Make sure 'transliterate unicode characters to ASCII' is disabled under the look and feel options.

10-11-2011, 02:27 PM	#13
Run2Eat Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: none	thanks so much for the & # 8 2 1 2 ; tip! i have been using "--" instead of emdash because the — and the alt+0151 won't validate thru threepress. now i can have the emdashes back! yay!

10-14-2011, 03:34 PM	#15
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,895 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	If I could go back to the beginning - I have a lot of pdfs that contain the mdash. When I converted them to mobi, it was still mdash. Is there something I need to check in Calibre to get it to take that out? Unfortunately, this author really likes to use dashes!

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