[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Chris Jones

Now something interesting: I vaguely remembered that among a host of formats Kobo devices also support plain (non-epub'd..) HTML. I proceeded to run a test transferring one the html files in my ../OEBPS/Text directory to the Glo'… and the properties you recommended are recognized: the text is formatted exactly as it is in Chrome/Readium… etc.

Rather surprising that Kobo's software should be able to handle the rendering correctly with a single html file and be unable to do likewise when the exact same file is packaged as an epub don't you think…?

The problem is that epubs are handled by the RMSDK. If that doesn't support something, then Kobo can't support it. Their kepub format is renderer is based ACCESS NetFront (though it might be Readium now), so it supports whatever that does. I have attached a screenshot taken on my Kobo Glo of the sample that I thought was posted in this thread converted to kepub. I don't know what is used for the HTML, but they use Webkit for the browser, so that's probably what being used.

As an aside I remember someone in this thread wrote that he got this (?) to work after converting the epub to the kepub format. I tried likewise both by doing an EPUB->KEPUB conversion in Calibre and installing a Koboextended (?) plugin that does this automatically when you transfer the files to the device but I was never able to display the files on the Kobo… Caused the device to go blank and display a line of squares and presumably reboot…

Is the book big or have a big ToC? If so, you probably hit a problem with the first time you open a larger or more complicated kepub. Usually they open OK after the restart.

Anyway… when I am done proofreading the epub I will just need to find some way to package the 30+ html files and the stylesheets in such a way that I can transfer everything to the Kobo device without too many headaches AND obviously without re-packaging everything to the .epub format. This would amount to using the Kobo's e-reading software as if it were a web browser… so to speak. I was thinking of perhaps creating an extra html file containing a simplified TOC with links to the different chapters of the book. Not ideal… but I can't think of a better way at this point.

Difficult to tell how I could best handle such an weird concept in a convenient way… I systematically use Calibre to manage my ~12,000 ebooks collection and would basically need to have the book contents in "plain html" form as a single separate entry in the Calibre library alongside the .epub version… be able to transfer it to the Kobo device just like any epub… and naturally have the Kobo device be able to manage it correctly… in other words open it for reading… create an entry for it in the "My Books" list so I can find it… NOT have to deal with 30+ different entries in my Kobo device's library… etc.

I don't know if that will work on the device. I don't know if a link to another HTML file will open the file. But, I don't remember anyone say it does or doesn't work. But, as stated above, the kepub will probably open the second time you try, so this shouldn't really be needed.