Quote:
Originally Posted by caleb72
Yeah, I was thinking about this yesterday. Given that epub is basically a way of grouping HTML files and HTML is such a common syntax target for editors, combined with the fact that many text editors allow for heavy customisation including syntax highlighting, code-completion and even scripting "plug-ins" - might this be a quicker and simpler way to get a tool that might stand a little better for future development?
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Grumbles was talking about a program that zips up a folder into a valid ebook.
What he is describing basically is a simple* compiler: you create a folder with your source. You run the program against that folder (which of course must have some "main" file, so the program can actually start somewhere), and it spits out an EPUB without actually touching the folder itself.
The "compiler"-like part could come into play with the program generating the OPF and toc.nxc on the go somehow, maybe using a file that has some sort of simple layout in them, as a basis.
Basically, this is how LaTeX works. You point it to a folder/main file, and it spits out (for example) a PDF. OK, LaTeX sometimes requires multiple passes, and its a huge and complex piece of software, but the principle is the same.
My description is somewhat vague because I don't know a lot about EPUB's internals.
*Simple, as compared to a C++ compiler for example.