standalone iPhone book app

Richard Maseles · 06-22-2009, 10:19 AM

Has someone here either created a standalone iPhone app consisting entirely of just (or mostly) text? And-- very important-- did that app include interior hyperlinks, i.e., links within the app/text to other locations within the text? I need it to go beyond just a table of contents feature to include footnotes and indexing.

Before someone suggests Calibre/ePub or some other e-book reader like eReader or Mobipocket, I need to say that I'm quite familiar with those and appreciate what they bring to the table, but I have editorial and business reasons for at least investigating a standalone iPhone app.

I had some communication with someone who, for a time, was licensing his e-book/independent app software (for a LOT of money!) (or I thought it was, anyway). I would have paid the licensing fee in a heartbeat, however, except he said that he hadn't solved the internal hyperlink problem-- the iPhone program environment insisted on opening Safari in its default environment with his internal hyperlinks. And he wasn't interested in solving the problem.

I can't help but think that the iPhone's UIWebView, which is supposed to open up non-internet HTML docs, is the best solution, particularly since I'm creating simple, clean HTML as my default electronic document. But I am not much of a programmer and I don't own a mac, which I understand is required to create apps in the iPhone SDK environment. And I don't know Objective-C. I'm willing to at least discuss what an outside programmer would charge for conversion, although I'd rather have this person create a template if possible.

Anyway, I'm asking the hive mind-- what do you know about this? Thanks in advance.

ilovejedd · 06-22-2009, 10:32 AM

I'm not a developer, but I'd say internal hyperlinks aren't a problem. Stanza certainly handles them well enough. Unfortunately, I don't think the source code for the Stanza app is available for download.

Richard Maseles · 06-22-2009, 11:22 AM

Actually, Stanza may handle them, but the resulting ePub docs don't, at least not well. But thanks.

ilovejedd · 06-23-2009, 08:51 PM

Hmm, I've converted some single HTML files to EPUB and the internal links I've used seem to work well enough. One thing that has been discussed previously, link id/names must not begin with a number.

Richard Maseles · 06-23-2009, 09:30 PM

maybe that was a problem...I know I've been working in other media. Thanks!

fugazied · 06-24-2009, 07:45 PM

It might be worth contacting the Stanza authors about this? A lot of the app publishers are very easy to get in contact with and always keen to improve their product.
They would definitively tell you if the Apple iphone api supports it.

06-22-2009, 10:19 AM	#1
Richard Maseles Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Palm Treo	standalone iPhone book app Has someone here either created a standalone iPhone app consisting entirely of just (or mostly) text? And-- very important-- did that app include interior hyperlinks, i.e., links within the app/text to other locations within the text? I need it to go beyond just a table of contents feature to include footnotes and indexing. Before someone suggests Calibre/ePub or some other e-book reader like eReader or Mobipocket, I need to say that I'm quite familiar with those and appreciate what they bring to the table, but I have editorial and business reasons for at least investigating a standalone iPhone app. I had some communication with someone who, for a time, was licensing his e-book/independent app software (for a LOT of money!) (or I thought it was, anyway). I would have paid the licensing fee in a heartbeat, however, except he said that he hadn't solved the internal hyperlink problem-- the iPhone program environment insisted on opening Safari in its default environment with his internal hyperlinks. And he wasn't interested in solving the problem. I can't help but think that the iPhone's UIWebView, which is supposed to open up non-internet HTML docs, is the best solution, particularly since I'm creating simple, clean HTML as my default electronic document. But I am not much of a programmer and I don't own a mac, which I understand is required to create apps in the iPhone SDK environment. And I don't know Objective-C. I'm willing to at least discuss what an outside programmer would charge for conversion, although I'd rather have this person create a template if possible. Anyway, I'm asking the hive mind-- what do you know about this? Thanks in advance.

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06-22-2009, 10:32 AM	#2
ilovejedd hopeless n00b Posts: 5,111 Karma: 19597086 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: in the middle of nowhere Device: PW4, PW3, Libra H2O, iPad 10.5, iPad 11, iPad 12.9	I'm not a developer, but I'd say internal hyperlinks aren't a problem. Stanza certainly handles them well enough. Unfortunately, I don't think the source code for the Stanza app is available for download.

06-22-2009, 11:22 AM	#3
Richard Maseles Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Palm Treo	Actually, Stanza may handle them, but the resulting ePub docs don't, at least not well. But thanks.

06-23-2009, 08:51 PM	#4
ilovejedd hopeless n00b Posts: 5,111 Karma: 19597086 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: in the middle of nowhere Device: PW4, PW3, Libra H2O, iPad 10.5, iPad 11, iPad 12.9	Hmm, I've converted some single HTML files to EPUB and the internal links I've used seem to work well enough. One thing that has been discussed previously, link id/names must not begin with a number.

06-23-2009, 09:30 PM	#5
Richard Maseles Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Palm Treo	maybe that was a problem...I know I've been working in other media. Thanks!

06-24-2009, 07:45 PM	#6
fugazied Wizard Posts: 1,305 Karma: 1958 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: iPod Touch	It might be worth contacting the Stanza authors about this? A lot of the app publishers are very easy to get in contact with and always keen to improve their product. They would definitively tell you if the Apple iphone api supports it.

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