MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Pop-up notes for iPad

Psymon · 06-16-2014, 11:41 AM

I brought this question (or a similar question) up before here some months ago, regarding pop-up notes in epubs, and while I know that they work great on the iPad, my understanding for Kindle is that they only really work in PW -- and that latter left me feeling very discouraged, and so I basically gave up on the idea for what I wanted to do. However, I've found some renewed enthusiasm, and thought that I'd maybe give this a shot again, if only to see if there's a feasible way for me to do this for iBooks only.

To semi-reiterate what I'd mentioned in my earlier query here, many years ago I helped an English literature professor develop a website on American Transcendentalism (Emerson, Thoreau, et al.), both with the graphics/design for the site, as well as for the scripting for the "pop-up notes" that she wove into the literary texts for these authors. You can see an archived version of this site (she's since retired) and an example of what I mean re these notes here on this page, from Thoreau's "Walden"...

http://transcendentalism-legacy.tamu...hapter01a.html

There's a LOT of notes in there, and as I'm sure you can understand, if those notes didn't "pop up", but instead one was brought to the end of the document (over and over and over again), it would just be thoroughly impractical -- and hence that, since for Kindle it only works for PW, I figured I'd just stick with an iBooks version.

Oh, I should mention that I've gotten permission from that prof (Ann Woodlief) to go ahead and try to do this -- i.e. convert whatever texts I'd like that she did into ebook format -- if it's possible (and practical). I'm rather confused about how to go about creating those pop-up notes, though. I did searches on the 'net, and here in these forums, and I'm still confused! I found tutorials on how to code it, but I understand that these pop-up notes will only work in epub3?

For the previous ebooks I've created, I've been using Sigil -- I love that program! -- but I understand it can only do epub2? In that regard, I came across this work-around for doing them up in epub2, using Sigil...

http://empiricalepub.blogspot.ca/201...ith-sigil.html

...but it seems rather kludgy, and even as the author of that site says, your resulting epub file won't validate.

I'd love to do this, but just don't know how to go about it. I also have InDesign CS6 installed on my computer, too, and although I have yet to actually use it at all (for anything!), I understand that it can create ebooks with pop-up notes -- however, I've been reading here in these forums that the code that it outputs is a disaster (like so many WYSIWYG design software).

Any suggestions? I'd really love to be able to do this -- for Thoreau's "Walden", especially -- with the software and knowledge that I have...

...or, at least, the knowledge that I hope to have, with your help.

Thanks in advance!

06-16-2014, 11:41 AM	#1
Psymon Chief Bohemian Misfit Posts: 571 Karma: 462964 Join Date: May 2013 Device: iPad, ADE	Pop-up notes for iPad I brought this question (or a similar question) up before here some months ago, regarding pop-up notes in epubs, and while I know that they work great on the iPad, my understanding for Kindle is that they only really work in PW -- and that latter left me feeling very discouraged, and so I basically gave up on the idea for what I wanted to do. However, I've found some renewed enthusiasm, and thought that I'd maybe give this a shot again, if only to see if there's a feasible way for me to do this for iBooks only. To semi-reiterate what I'd mentioned in my earlier query here, many years ago I helped an English literature professor develop a website on American Transcendentalism (Emerson, Thoreau, et al.), both with the graphics/design for the site, as well as for the scripting for the "pop-up notes" that she wove into the literary texts for these authors. You can see an archived version of this site (she's since retired) and an example of what I mean re these notes here on this page, from Thoreau's "Walden"... http://transcendentalism-legacy.tamu...hapter01a.html There's a LOT of notes in there, and as I'm sure you can understand, if those notes didn't "pop up", but instead one was brought to the end of the document (over and over and over again), it would just be thoroughly impractical -- and hence that, since for Kindle it only works for PW, I figured I'd just stick with an iBooks version. Oh, I should mention that I've gotten permission from that prof (Ann Woodlief) to go ahead and try to do this -- i.e. convert whatever texts I'd like that she did into ebook format -- if it's possible (and practical). I'm rather confused about how to go about creating those pop-up notes, though. I did searches on the 'net, and here in these forums, and I'm still confused! I found tutorials on how to code it, but I understand that these pop-up notes will only work in epub3? For the previous ebooks I've created, I've been using Sigil -- I love that program! -- but I understand it can only do epub2? In that regard, I came across this work-around for doing them up in epub2, using Sigil... http://empiricalepub.blogspot.ca/201...ith-sigil.html ...but it seems rather kludgy, and even as the author of that site says, your resulting epub file won't validate. I'd love to do this, but just don't know how to go about it. I also have InDesign CS6 installed on my computer, too, and although I have yet to actually use it at all (for anything!), I understand that it can create ebooks with pop-up notes -- however, I've been reading here in these forums that the code that it outputs is a disaster (like so many WYSIWYG design software). Any suggestions? I'd really love to be able to do this -- for Thoreau's "Walden", especially -- with the software and knowledge that I have... ...or, at least, the knowledge that I hope to have, with your help. Thanks in advance!