[GUI Plugin] Modify ePub

[jackie_w]

Ah well thanks for the discussion. Trying to steer the 'least worst compromise' course to cover all one's devices is getting harder every year. Perhaps I should just buy less often... but where would be the fun in that! Life was so much simpler when everyone only owned one reading device.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by kiwidude

Not resizing at all is not a "solution" - it solves neither of the two reasons which I clearly stated as to why calibre resizes images. Not resizing is a possible "option" I may consider one day but it is not a "solution" to anything.

Isn't "not resizing" the cover already an option? I thought if you chose tablet as your output profile before using this plugin then the cover would not be resized. Am I wrong?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Isn't "not resizing" the cover already an option? I thought if you chose tablet as your output profile before using this plugin then the cover would not be resized. Am I wrong?

But there's no reason we should have to change the output device just to add in a cover. That would mean changing the output profile twice just to not have the cover resized.

[DoctorOhh]

It sounds like you're saying I am right and selecting tablet profile will prevent cover resizing using this plugin.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But there's no reason we should have to change the output device just to add in a cover.

According to you there is a reason, because you don't want your covers resized. Calibre provides a method to accommodate you, use the option or don't use it, the option is still there.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That would mean changing the output profile twice just to not have the cover resized.

This is the modify epub plugin thread, if you want to add or update a bunch of covers using this plugin you change the profile once, update your bunch of books and perform your add covers action. Then if you like you change the profile back. Don't expect me to cry for you over this one extra step.

If you want to provide input on the bigger calibre picture, do it in another thread.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

It sounds like you're saying I am right a selecting tablet profile will prevent cover resizing using this plugin.



According to you there is a reason, because you don't want your covers resized. Calibre provides a method to accommodate you, use the option or don't use it, the option is still there.



This is the modify epub plugin thread, if you want to add or update a bunch of covers using this plugin you change the profile once, update your bunch of books and perform your add covers action. Then if you like you change it back. Don't expect me to cry for you over this one extra step.

If you want to provide input on the bigger calibre picture, do it in another thread.

All we need is an option to resize or not to resize the cover and problem solved.

Actually, it's two extra steps. One step to change the output profile and another step to put it back.

[PeterT]

I start to think someone should learn how to program and make his own plugins...

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

All we need is an option to resize or not to resize the cover and problem solved.

Actually, it's two extra steps. One step to change the output profile and another step to put it back.

No it is one step - change your output profile to Tabklet and never change it back. The Tablet profile is for people who do not want images resized. It has *no other purpose* - it is nothing to do with whatever devices you have attached. If you try to "change back" to whatever device you have as your current output profile, then the next time you do a conversion it is going to resize to those device dimensions.

[Themus]

I love this pluggin, but I have noticed since a recent update that my covers get resized smaller than when I originally had them in Calibre. Indeed, if I go back and do a full convert, the cover is the correct size. Just using Modify ePub and the cover is smaller width width in particular. This is the thumbnail that I see in Aldiko.

It used not to do that; but I have found to get the covers now to fit Aldiko's display properly {without a white border on the left and right side} I either have to go back to the original cover and re-import it into Calibre, or reconvert it in Calibre. Using Modify ePub shrinks it.

Is there a setting I need to change?

Thanks!

[kiwidude]

Modify ePub does *exactly* the same as calibre does when converting when it comes to sizing covers. I would suggest you have been fiddling with your calibre defaults, and the reason why you see a difference is because you are testing it on a book with a saved profile with your old settings on it.

If you are talking about white space left/right then that sounds like you have been changing your "preserve cover aspect ratio" setting in Preferences -> Output Options -> EPUB Output. The only other sizing setting relevant to covers is mentioned above of the default device you have configured, which is in Preferences -> Common Options -> Page Setup.

[InspiredLife]

G'Day Kiwidude… Another kiwi here…
Thanks for this great plugin.
I wanted to ask if there was any way you could modify the plugin such that the "INSERT OR REPLACE COVER" command would structure the cover metadata tag in such a way that it is compatible with The Nook Touch.
As you probably know, the Nook Touch has a bug whereby the cover tag must be in the following format:
<meta name="cover" content="cover-image"/>

If it is in this format:
<meta content="cover-image" name="cover"/>

... it will not display that cover image.
This issue is describe in many places online, but here's a link to one:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/calibre/+bug/916638

The fix offered by Calibre is to recreate the EPUB file. The alternative is to open the file in Sigil and then save it, and Sigil has been set to put the tag in the correct order for Nook Touch.

What would be great is if I could just click "Insert or Replace Cover" in your Modify Epub plugin, and then the existing image would be reinserted and the cover meta tag structured the way Nook Touch likes it.

Either that, or there could just be a new option entirely called something like "Fix Nook Touch cover issue"

Is this something you could do?

With thanks,

Jonathan

PS. Another alternative would be to include a feature for "fixing" this Nook Touch issue in your Quality Check plugin.

[kiwidude]

@InspiredLife - this plugin already does this when you use Insert/Replace cover.

[InspiredLife]

Originally Posted by kiwidude

@InspiredLife - this plugin already does this when you use Insert/Replace cover.

Thanks Kiwidude,
That's odd…. I just tried that on about 8 books that showed with no covers.
I removed the books from the Nook and then transferred them back on again. But the covers still wouldn't show.
I tried it a few times, also unplugging the Nook in between (to get it to refresh internally). I eventually did a EPUB to EPUB conversion.

Is there something I might have missed?

[kiwidude]

I don't have a Nook so I have no idea about its limitations beyond what you mention above. But if you use Tweak ePub to look at the ePub after using Modify ePub you can see in the OPF file that the attribute gets changed.

[Cdesja5]

Is it possible to add a "modify date format"? French speakers (and there may be others) use the DD/MM/YYYY and there is no quick or easy way to change this on multiple books that I know of?

[kiwidude]

@Cdesja5 - it doesn't sound like something appropriate for this plugin and it isn't clear what "date" you are talking about. Do you mean book metadata (like published date), or do you mean the metadata jacket html page that you can optionally insert? If you mean the former, IIRC calibre writes in UTC format which is universally handled and I doubt Kovid would want to offer a change, it should be whatever reading device you have that handles that.

If you mean the latter (a jacket page) then again it isn't the responsibility of this plugin. You might be able to customise the date format by customising the jacket template file, which there are instructions for on the forum if you do a search. Either way it isn't something that belongs in this plugin - the plugin calls calibre code to apply metadata/insert jackets, so if you want that data different it is calibre code that needs to be changed.