[franzvomsee]

Hello all,
Most of you may know WhatsApp, a multi platform chat program for smartphones. One option is to have group chats, where all members see all messages and objects posted. I have two groupchats going since 2011. One is with my best friends, the other one with my family.

WhatsApp has a function to export the group chat messages as a txt file.

I have done the job once and converted one years group chat log into an ebook with MS Word and Calibre. It is quite a repetitive job to do the formatting. Overall, the result is nice and it is fun to read through old conversations on your favourite ebook reader. I manually imported some of the sent pictures and location links as well.

My questions
Is Calibre the right platform to write a program for converting the text file (sample below) into an ebook?
Would this be a plugin?
What libraries/functions could be used to make conversion easy?

I am an old fashioned programmer from the 80s and might take up the battle to learn python or whatever is required.

Formatting job would be:
* Date/time stamp in different font, smaller
* New Page or other separator after day change
* Take care of some special characters/emoticons
* Sorting by date/time stamp (older log files sometimes are sorted by newest first)
* optional/later: Insert pictures found in a folder tree automatically (probably semi-automatic with confirmation)

Sample txt start
19. Sep. 2014 21:08 - Ken: Tomorrow midday..?
19. Sep. 2014 21:10 - Mark: How about around 15.00h. We're shopping and then watching the parade in the morning. Meeting Max for lunch. Got some time in the afternoon
19. Sep. 2014 21:39 - Ken: Ok 15:00.. meeting Tom..and Wil from Perth
Sometime in the afternoon
19. Sep. 2014 21:40 - Mark: Ok we'll come to yours at 15.00h
20. Sep. 2014 14:18 - Mark: Are you home now??
20. Sep. 2014 20:18 - Ken: What time you going to sub?
20. Sep. 2014 20:18 - Charles: Right now. Just leaving home
20. Sep. 2014 20:22 - Ken: We are in Fraunhofer. .
20. Sep. 2014 20:22 - Ken: Will come over when we have. eaten.
20. Sep. 2014 20:43 - Charles: Say hello to the rude waiters
Sample txt end