Media Queries on Kindle Previewer

[SusanM]

Here is a test file that I have been using for nested and external queries for Kindle.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by SusanM

Both nested and external media queries work for me. I was wondering about whether commenting out for epub works well or whether best to use a separate file to convert through KindleGen. You haven't had a problems with Amazon with the epub.css?

I don't upload the epub to Amazon, so the epub.css is never even a factor. I upload the combination mobi/KF8 that I build from the epub, so with the "@import url(../Styles/epub.css);" line commented out in the main css file, KindlePreviewer/Kindlegen ignores the epub.css file it during its build process. The commented-out line still appears in the main css file whenever the KF8 is unpacked and inspected, but that's the extent of it.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by SusanM

DiapDealder

Question: when I preview queries on Kindle Previewer or sideload on to Kindle for Mac and Kindle for iPad, results are that Kindle for Mac previews KF8 and Kindle for iPad and Kindle for iPhone preview/use mobi query both on devices and on Kindle Previewer. So conclusion: Kindle for iPhone and Kindle for iPad (not Kindle for Mac) use mobi query. However, someone said that they thought that when published, not previewed or sideloaded, that Kindle for iPhone and Kindle for iPad then use KF8. No idea why publishing would do this and Kindle Previewer wouldn't. Your experience? Anyone else?

No clue, really. I do know that if you're side-loading a file you created with Kindlegen/Previewer, you're loading a dual-function, MOBI/KF8 hybrid file. When downloading a published ebook to those devices/apps, you're getting a stand-alone KF8 if the device/app supports KF8, and you're getting a stand-alone mobi if the device/app doesn't support KF8. Published ebooks are never delivered as dual-function hybrid files. They're either one or the other. So perhaps the Kindle apps on i(Pad|Phone) don't work perfectly with those side-loaded, dual format files? Just guessing of course—I don't have any iDevices to test on.

[SusanM]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I don't upload the epub to Amazon, so the epub.css is never even a factor. I upload the combination mobi/KF8 that I build from the epub, so with the "@import url(../Styles/epub.css);" line commented out in the main css file, KindlePreviewer/Kindlegen ignores the epub.css file it during its build process. The commented-out line still appears in the main css file whenever the KF8 is unpacked and inspected, but that's the extent of it.

Great answer! I've been playing with various ways: a main stylesheet with Kf8 and mobi tweaks or overrides (as done in the KF8 samples on Amazon), or using not-mobi for the main stylesheet so that the main stylesheet has formatting for both ePub and KF8 with a standalone for Mobi, or nesting kf8 and mobi in the one and only main stylesheet. Guess it depends on how much complex formatting there is. Your method seems cleaner - you know what is in what. Do you comment out the KF8 and Mobi for your ePubs or just leave them in? They should be ignored, of course, but one always wonders what little glitches can arise.

[SusanM]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

No clue, really. I do know that if you're side-loading a file you created with Kindlegen/Previewer, you're loading a dual-function, MOBI/KF8 hybrid file. When downloading a published ebook to those devices/apps, you're getting a stand-alone KF8 if the device/app supports KF8, and you're getting a stand-alone mobi if the device/app doesn't support KF8. Published ebooks are never delivered as dual-function hybrid files. They're either one or the other. So perhaps the Kindle apps on i(Pad|Phone) don't work perfectly with those side-loaded, dual format files? Just guessing of course—I don't have any iDevices to test on.

I owe you a pint. Another thoughtful answer and a great discussion. I just assumed that the published eBook was the same dual-function file as shown when unpacked and the results would be the same whether published, previewed or sideloaded. But you send the Kindlegen file to Amazon which is the dual-hybrid file, right?

Still wondering about older Kindles - some people have installed the updates and others not (especially seniors who may not have wi-fi). And the updates are only for Kindle 2 and above, not for Kindle 1. So that would mean that the mobi file only is downloaded to Kindle 1. I thought that the the media query would determine what device it was after the hybrid file downloaded to the device and the device selected which stylesheet or styles are applicable on the client-side rather than the server side. Am I making sense?

[knc1]

"Making sense?"
Other than the part about "seniors who may not have wifi".
I am a "senior", I have wifi, I have 3G, I do not install updates, I create them.

[SusanM]

Re-reading you anwser. You did answer that the hybrid file is not downloaded to the device but you do submit the combined file generated by KindleGen. I should have read more carefully before I replied!

[SusanM]

Originally Posted by knc1

"Making sense?"
Other than the part about "seniors who may not have wifi".
I am a "senior", I have wifi, I have 3G, I do not install updates, I create them.

I (very) humbly stand corrected. Not all seniors. I was thinking of a lady I know in her 80's who loves her old Kindle that she was given as a gift - I don't think she would be able to follow about installing an update, she has trouble even getting books on to her Kindle and she doesn't have wi-fi, just a dial-up as she lives in the countryside.

And I am no youngster, myself.

[SusanM]

Originally Posted by SusanM

I (very) humbly stand corrected. Not all seniors. I was thinking of a lady I know in her 80's who loves her old Kindle that she was given as a gift - I don't think she would be able to follow about installing an update, she has trouble even getting books on to her Kindle and she doesn't have wi-fi, just a dial-up as she lives in the countryside.

And I am no youngster, myself.

Am I forgiven?

[knc1]

Originally Posted by SusanM

Am I forgiven?

I guess I can let you slide on that one.

[SusanM]

Originally Posted by knc1

I guess I can let you slide on that one.

[Oxford-eBooks]

QUOTE=DiapDealer;2208828]No clue, really. I do know that if you're side-loading a file you created with Kindlegen/Previewer, you're loading a dual-function, MOBI/KF8 hybrid file. When downloading a published ebook to those devices/apps, you're getting a stand-alone KF8 if the device/app supports KF8, and you're getting a stand-alone mobi if the device/app doesn't support KF8. Published ebooks are never delivered as dual-function hybrid files. They're either one or the other. So perhaps the Kindle apps on i(Pad|Phone) don't work perfectly with those side-loaded, dual format files? Just guessing of course—I don't have any iDevices to test on.[/QUOTE]
Hi DiapDealer - can I make sure that I've got this straight in my head. I'm having a problem with some media queries on a new project, which I think I've now solved. I tend not to use them unless I REALLY need to.

So, when KINDLEGEN (I use the command-line version V2.5) makes it's output, it makes a file with BOTH the old MOBI format AND the KF8 version together.
When sideloading, the device will pick one of these to render - it looks like Kindle V3.5 is showing KF8 by the formatting that it's picking up from the non-media query part of the CSS.

Kindle Previewer (Ver 2.51 is my weapon of choice right now) looks like it'll pick out the version depending on the device chose. Fire and Touch seem to render KF8 and Kindle and DX choose the MOBI.

I got myself a little confused earlier by making some classes with text colour to smoke out which styles that were working on various devices but the font colour wasn't changing on the MOBI version … I'm sure it used to?

Now, is it true that when, say the customer buys an eBook from Amazon, they serve up only the part that they need for their particular device?
Would that mean that if an eBook was uploaded in dual format BEFORE the new V3.5 was rolled out, that the customer at that time would only have the MOBI version, and their eBook wouldn't 'magically' start to render all the KF8 lovliness that someone buying the exact same eBook today would get?

I wonder if there's going to be any "how come this book looke different on my Kindle" questions?