"Copyright" page in .mobi toc.ncx

[twedigteam]

I'm wondering if this is a known issue, but couldn't find any documentation in regards to it:

-A page with the title "Copyright" does not display as an entry in the .ncx TOC in .mobi files (or does appear inconsistently).

-What remedies the situation is manually editing the toc.ncx file, changing:

<navPoint id="navPoint-9" playOrder="9">
<navLabel>
<text>Copyright</text>
</navLabel>
<content src="Text/copyright.xhtml"/>
</navPoint>

To:

<navPoint id="navPoint-9" playOrder="9">
<navLabel>
<text>Copyright&nbsp;</text>
</navLabel>
<content src="Text/copyright.xhtml"/>
</navPoint>

Nothing else seems to work, including using various top level heading code in the .xhtml file, like:

<h1 title="Copyright"></h1>
<h1>Copyright</h1>
<h1 title="Copyright">Copyright</h1>

The bizarre thing is that this affects only pages titled "Copyright", nothing else. Is anyone else aware of this issue/can it be resolved/is it worth fretting about?

[DreamWriter]

I don't know if this will help you, but in the .ncx for one of my ebooks I have:

<navPoint class="copyright" id="copyright" playOrder="2">
<navLabel>
<text>Copyright</text>
</navLabel>
<content src="rsf.html#COPY"/>

and in the .html it's:

<a name="COPY" /><p>Copyright © 2010 Ric K. Hill</p>

It works fine.

[DMSmillie]

Originally Posted by twedigteam

A page with the title "Copyright" does not display as an entry in the .ncx TOC in .mobi files (or does appear inconsistently).

What MOBI reader are you using twedigteam? Kindle, Kindle for PC and Mobipocket Reader - none of these uses the NCX file to display a TOC, so I can't test this to see if I can figure what's happening. But might be able to do so if I know what reader you're using.

[twedigteam]

Using Kindle Previewer, so it should give a good representation of the Kindle device itself. There is a NCX option that displays a TOC generated by the toc.ncx file. We're converting over to ePub, but it shouldn't make a difference...

[DMSmillie]

OK... thanks for the info, twedigteam. I created a small test file, but can't reproduce what you're experiencing, so hard to know what might be going on I'm afraid.

However, that facility in Kindle Previewer to view the NCX content is purely for the purpose of checking that it is an accurate map of the ebook content - it's not a feature on the Kindle itself. Unlike EPUB viewers, the Kindle doesn't use the NCX file to display a TOC - the only TOC you can display to the user on a Kindle is an inline HTML TOC. So this shouldn't be an issue with the published ebook - just a (currently) unexplained quirk in Kindle Previewer.

I've attached a copy of the test MOBI file I used to see if I could replicate what you're seeing, so you can use it to compare with the file you're currently working on, if you want. Also attached the EPUB file I used to generate the MOBI file.

[twedigteam]

Thanks for looking into this. I tested the provided .mobi and it does indeed work fine. The bizarre thing here is that we do have the odd file without issue, and can't quite nail down why it is occurring.

Didn't realize about the actual Kindle device and the .ncx file....looks like the only obvious solution here is to go with an inline TOC, and get an actual Kindle reader for testing!

Again, much thanks!

[DMSmillie]

You're very welcome.

The Kindle Previewer is a reasonably accurate tool for seeing how a Kindle ebook will look and behave on a Kindle 3, Kindle DX, and on the Kindle for iPad and iPhone apps. It's certainly a useful tool for checking that the formatting works the way you expect/intend it to. Just a case of being aware that the NCX TOC viewer is an inspection tool, and not something present in the actual Kindle device. The intermittent problem you're having with displaying a "Copyright" entry in the NCX is kind of bizarre - goodness knows what's causing it!

[DMSmillie]

Oh, I meant also to say (though you might already be aware of this in which case apologies for repeating stuff you already know!) that although the Kindle doesn't use the NCX file to create a TOC for the user, it's still something you should include in Kindle ebooks, since the Kindle uses the NCX file to enable "skip to previous/next navigation point" navigation using the 5-way control button, and the navigation points defined in the NCX file are marked on the progress bar - both features that those users who are aware of them do generally appreciate.

[twedigteam]

Thx! I didn't actually realize this, and it certainly has an impact on how .mobi's are created and/or displayed on a Kindle device. The Previewer has been a great tool, but I did have a sneaking suspicion there might be some drawbacks to using it....once more, appreciate it.

[st_albert]

Also note that if you want the "copyright page" to show up in the "go to" menu of the kindle previewer, that is controlled by an entry in the <guide> section of the content.opf file with which the mobi file is built. This is true even if the copyright page is not mentioned in the toc.ncx file at all.

And in my experience, even if it does show up in the "go to" list on the Kindle Previewer (MS-Windows) it still doesn't show up on a Kindle3. On the K3 the only "go to" items I have ever seen are cover, beginning, location, and table-of-contents.

BTW I usually make the mobi file using kindlegen from an epub, or, more rarely, using MS-Windows Mobipocket Creator. I've used calibre in the past, and IIRC it's the same story.

[DMSmillie]

Yep - that's a limitation in the Kindle - it only supports a few specific GUIDE items for inclusion in its "Go To" menu. You can add other GUIDE items, of course, and who knows - perhaps they'll show up in other MOBI readers. Just not on the Kindle.

[twedigteam]

As far as I'm aware, <guide> supports the go-to feature on <reference type="text">...which goes to the first page (whatever that may be defined as), and <reference type="toc"> which just goes to the inline HTML TOC file. Haven't tested anything else though......

[DMSmillie]

From the Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines (available for download as a PDF from http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...cId=1000234621):

The Kindle platform supports guide items for defining the cover, the table of contents (TOC), and the start reading location (”Go To Beginning”).