OpenOffice to ePub export extension

[eBookLuke]

Originally Posted by PeterMzizi

My problem is that the paragraph formatting is not preserved in any way

As you can read somewhere in the post, W2E is not a format converter, but an ePub creator.
This means that W2E forces the formatting using the best traditional typographic rules, discarding all found formatting.

In a future release, I will add an option to preserve all formatting, but this is not a priority for me. This kind of job is available in all the format converters on the market (Calibre, Atlantis etc…)

Anyway, because the generated code is easy readable, you can edit the style001.css file in this way:

@namespace h "http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml";
@page
    {
    margin: 5pt;
    }
body
    {
    font-family: Georgia, Garamond, serif, sansserif, monospace;
    }
p
    {
    margin:0pt;
    margin-bottom: 0.8em;
    text-indent:0em;
    text-align: justify;
    font-size: 3.00em;
    color:#000000;
    }
…

By adding "margin-bottom: 0.8em;" to the paragraph definition, you'll get a space after each paragraph. I suggest the value of 0.8em, just a bit less than a line, but you can modify this value

Luke

[eBookLuke]

Originally Posted by PeterMzizi

Also an idea for another feature - how about an 'ignore TOC in .odt' as it looks rather silly in the epub

Nice idea… I hate the TOC inside the book…
Please send me an example .odt file with TOC and I will try to remove it during conversion.
The e-mail is writer2epub@gmail.com

Thanks

Luke

[PeterMzizi]

Thanks for quick response - I will give that a try, sounds easy enough

[CazMar]

I have just tried this and am very impressed! I have been converting my uni lecture notes etc to small size PDF's to fit on my Kobo screen (using Open Office and saving as a PDF) but this is much better. I don't mind doing all the reformatting to get a decent EPUB book but for lecture notes etc this will be much faster - more time to read the notes instead of processing them!

[Ken Irving]

<<…to create an high quality ePub with just one click...>

This is very nice and just the right approach as far as I'm concerned. It produces a nice, clean, valid epub file with a straightforward style sheet. As long as I keep my input file equally straightforward, essentially all I have to do to make things exactly the way I like them is to drop in my version of your style sheet and I'm done. Thanks for this.

[roger64]

Hi Luke

I unsuccessfully try to download your latest W2E 1.1.7 from OpenOffice.org repository (I am not in Europe). No way to get it from your site ?
http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/node/4615

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by roger64

I unsuccessfully try to download your latest W2E 1.1.7 from OpenOffice.org repository (I am not in Europe). No way to get it from your site ?
http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/node/4615

I'm not sure what not being in Europe as to do with anything. I'm in North Carolina and it downloaded fine for me. You might want to try again later or a different browser.

[eBookLuke]

Originally Posted by roger64

Hi Luke

I unsuccessfully try to download your latest W2E 1.1.7 from OpenOffice.org repository (I am not in Europe). No way to get it from your site ?
http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/node/4615

Maybe you tried to DL version 1.1.7 while I update it to 1.1.9
Try again, or write to me at writer2epub@gmail.com and I will send the latest version to you

Luke

[eBookLuke]

Hi all,

W2E is now an extension officially available on the OpenOffice.org repository.
It works quite fine, and make a different job from Calibre, Sigil and Atlantis.

Do you think that the correct place for the topics regarding W2E can be
eBook Software section of Mobileread?

If you think so, and moderators agree, I kindly ask to moderators to create a topic for Writer2ePub in the eBook Software section

Thanks to all, and Happy Christmas!

Luke

[superanima]

Originally Posted by Adjust

I just tested this out with openoffice MAC version. And it works ok, except it didn't bring any of my premade styles across into the CSS file.

Thanks to a Luke's tip I'm using some custom style for my epubs.
You can easily force W2E to export custom styles of your choice, just go into the macro (tools-macro-organize), then in traverse sheet, where you can find the list of all supported styles, like this:

		Case "Title" , "title" 
			sStr = "<p class=""title"">" & sStr & "</p>"

you can add your own styles, like MyOwnStyle:

		Case "MyOwnStyle" , "MyOwnStyle" 
			sStr = "<p class=""MyOwnStyle"">" & sStr & "</p>"

after that add the style in the css sheet and you're good.

Just remember that after each upgrade you have to redo the stuff.

[PeterMzizi]

Originally Posted by eBookLuke

Do you think that the correct place for the topics regarding W2E can be
eBook Software section of Mobileread?
Luke

Sounds like an ideal place.
Great this is now on the OOo repository site, should get more exposure there I should think

[CazMar]

Originally Posted by eBookLuke

Hi all,

W2E .....

Do you think that the correct place for the topics regarding W2E can be
eBook Software section of Mobileread?

If you think so, and moderators agree, I kindly ask to moderators to create a topic for Writer2ePub in the eBook Software section

Thanks to all, and Happy Christmas!

Luke

Yes, a special topic would be a good idea - that way any feedback or new ideas are in one place.
And a happy Christmas to you, Luke.

[Ken Irving]

I'm with those who think a separate topic in ebook software on this would be a good idea. This is major stuff, and people who are using other tools (and may not use Openoffice and friends) should be aware of it.

[gertblij]

Downloaded OOo Writer today with Epub extension.

Works fine on small odt file, but on large file, with pictures, epub conversion bombs out with "Basic run time error. Object variable not set".

OK button clears Macro screen, but then OOo Writer completely frozen. Need to kill it using End Process in System Explorer. UGLY!!!

Any suggestions?

[eBookLuke]

Originally Posted by gertblij

Downloaded OOo Writer today with Epub extension.

Works fine on small odt file, but on large file, with pictures, epub conversion bombs out with "Basic run time error. Object variable not set".

OK button clears Macro screen, but then OOo Writer completely frozen. Need to kill it using End Process in System Explorer. UGLY!!!

Any suggestions?

Hi,

the problem maybe the presence in the file of some unsupported (at the moment) "blobs". For instance, frames can cause a similar hang as you describe.

The freeze of OOo is only apparent. The only frozen object in this case is the document window that ends with "_W2E". Just close it BY OOo MENU (not by window button) and all other feature of OOo are enabled.

To help me to better understand the cause of the crash, please send me the original file to writer2epub[at]gmail.com

I will try to solve the crash in the next version.

Thank for your feedback

Luke