Chapter detection in Kindle/Mobi

Scott Nielsen · 10-21-2012, 09:12 AM

Whereas my epub file has a fine-looking, working TOC and each chapter is a page break the way I want it, I can't get the chapter detection to carry through to my Kindle. On the Kindle it still looks OK with the TOC (links work) and it does page break on chapters but the Kindle itself doesn't appear to recognize the chapter breaks. By that I mean I can't go back/forward by using the four-way-controller and the location bar shows no signs of chapter breaks; it's just a smooth line. I haven't been using my Kindle for awhile but I don't recall having this problem a year or so back and the quick flipping through of chapters I remember as a very useful feature. I miss it.

I did look at the sticky and also attempted some pages from the Calibre-manual and it seems to suggest I need to manually edit my epub file and make sure I have the chapter headings correctly formatted as h1, h2 etc. Given the amount of files I'd have to manually edit (so an unlikely exercise), I just want to confirm I've gotten this right. What confuses me is that though the h1, h2 chapter headings are not used for chapter headings in the epub files I've reviewed so far, when I view the file in Sigil it does split chapters into separate html-files and I figured that would be sufficient. What is I don't understand?

I'm using version 0.9.0.

kovidgoyal · 10-21-2012, 09:14 AM

IIRC, Amazon changed the firmware on the Kindle to get rid of that feature a while ago. At least, I've never seen it on newer kindles (except in periodicals).

Scott Nielsen · 10-21-2012, 09:16 AM

Well, that would explain it! Cheers.

NiLuJe · 10-21-2012, 09:58 AM

Err, nope, it still does. The K2/3/4 just won't show markers in the progress bar for stuff that's not in the top level of the NCX, but it honors every level for the gesture/key (FW LEFT/RIGHT on the K2/3/4, Swipe DOWN/UP on the Touch. The PW killed the *gesture* (in books, not periodicals), but it still handles NCX ToCs properly).

Check that your logical TOC (NCX) matches the HTML TOC. (And/or adapt the structure detection/toc settings in the Calibre conversion settings to your code to help Calibre build it properly).

(Do you actually have a logical TOC in your book? You can check in Calibre's viewer: the button with the three horizontal blue lines: that's the logical TOC).

Scott Nielsen · 10-22-2012, 01:10 AM

Not for all of them, no, but I do have it for some.

In the case of the latter, when i try go forward nothing happens and when I try to go back it brings me back to the TOC instead of previous chapter.

Where I don't have a logical TOC, I have to manually edit the chapter headings in order to create one I take it?

NiLuJe · 10-22-2012, 05:00 AM

@Scott Nielsen: Not necessarily. Just adapt the stuff if the structure detection panel of the conversion settings to your code. (and check 'Force use of auto-generated ToC' in the ToC panel, just in case there is one in your source book, but it's just broken/empty).

If there is at least a hint of order in the code, that's probably a lot faster/easier than going through the code.

10-21-2012, 09:12 AM	#1
Scott Nielsen Groupie Posts: 155 Karma: 112134 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Kuala Lumpur Device: iPad, K3, K4, T1	Chapter detection in Kindle/Mobi Whereas my epub file has a fine-looking, working TOC and each chapter is a page break the way I want it, I can't get the chapter detection to carry through to my Kindle. On the Kindle it still looks OK with the TOC (links work) and it does page break on chapters but the Kindle itself doesn't appear to recognize the chapter breaks. By that I mean I can't go back/forward by using the four-way-controller and the location bar shows no signs of chapter breaks; it's just a smooth line. I haven't been using my Kindle for awhile but I don't recall having this problem a year or so back and the quick flipping through of chapters I remember as a very useful feature. I miss it. I did look at the sticky and also attempted some pages from the Calibre-manual and it seems to suggest I need to manually edit my epub file and make sure I have the chapter headings correctly formatted as h1, h2 etc. Given the amount of files I'd have to manually edit (so an unlikely exercise), I just want to confirm I've gotten this right. What confuses me is that though the h1, h2 chapter headings are not used for chapter headings in the epub files I've reviewed so far, when I view the file in Sigil it does split chapters into separate html-files and I figured that would be sufficient. What is I don't understand? I'm using version 0.9.0.

10-21-2012, 09:58 AM	#4
NiLuJe BLAM! Posts: 13,477 Karma: 26012494 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Paris, France Device: Kindle 2i, 3g, 4, 5w, PW, PW2, PW5; Kobo H2O, Forma, Elipsa, Sage, C2E	Err, nope, it still does. The K2/3/4 just won't show markers in the progress bar for stuff that's not in the top level of the NCX, but it honors every level for the gesture/key (FW LEFT/RIGHT on the K2/3/4, Swipe DOWN/UP on the Touch. The PW killed the gesture (in books, not periodicals), but it still handles NCX ToCs properly). Check that your logical TOC (NCX) matches the HTML TOC. (And/or adapt the structure detection/toc settings in the Calibre conversion settings to your code to help Calibre build it properly). (Do you actually have a logical TOC in your book? You can check in Calibre's viewer: the button with the three horizontal blue lines: that's the logical TOC). Last edited by NiLuJe; 10-21-2012 at 10:02 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Epub to Mobi Chapter Detection	ice2097	Calibre	4	12-29-2010 02:14 AM
Help with Chapter detection	ubergeeksov	Calibre	0	09-02-2010 04:56 AM
To MOBI, Chapter detection fails? Works for EPUB	Fmstrat	Calibre	7	08-29-2010 05:37 PM
xpath for chapter detection	romnempire	Calibre	7	07-26-2010 05:34 PM
chapter detection in any book	yuki86	Calibre	9	05-06-2009 06:54 AM

10-21-2012, 09:14 AM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	IIRC, Amazon changed the firmware on the Kindle to get rid of that feature a while ago. At least, I've never seen it on newer kindles (except in periodicals).

10-21-2012, 09:16 AM	#3
Scott Nielsen Groupie Posts: 155 Karma: 112134 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Kuala Lumpur Device: iPad, K3, K4, T1	Well, that would explain it! Cheers.

10-22-2012, 01:10 AM	#5
Scott Nielsen Groupie Posts: 155 Karma: 112134 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Kuala Lumpur Device: iPad, K3, K4, T1	Not for all of them, no, but I do have it for some. In the case of the latter, when i try go forward nothing happens and when I try to go back it brings me back to the TOC instead of previous chapter. Where I don't have a logical TOC, I have to manually edit the chapter headings in order to create one I take it?

10-22-2012, 05:00 AM	#6
NiLuJe BLAM! Posts: 13,477 Karma: 26012494 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Paris, France Device: Kindle 2i, 3g, 4, 5w, PW, PW2, PW5; Kobo H2O, Forma, Elipsa, Sage, C2E	@Scott Nielsen: Not necessarily. Just adapt the stuff if the structure detection panel of the conversion settings to your code. (and check 'Force use of auto-generated ToC' in the ToC panel, just in case there is one in your source book, but it's just broken/empty). If there is at least a hint of order in the code, that's probably a lot faster/easier than going through the code.