[Tex2002ans]

Originally Posted by DaveLessnau

I then went through the files and changed the classes bit by bit. At the end, I was back down to my standard set of classes (and it looks fine). At that point, I had to wonder if I would have just been better off mass deleting all of their classes and just applying my own to the bits and pieces that needed additional formatting.

I described my "clean up very dirty documents" methods in extreme detail:

• 2021: "Adding a limited Automate Feature To Sigil" (Post #92+)

It works by:

• Multiple rounds of Calibre EPUB->EPUB conversions
  
  • while stripping down more and more of the "useless" CSS.
• Using Diap's Editing Toolbag
  
  • Convert <span class="calibre123"> -> <i>.
    
  • + Remove lots of the superfluous <span>s.
    

* * *

Great news though!

More advanced cleanup tools WILL BE coming to Sigil soon!

After describing my methods in that late-2021 topic, for months, the stuff was nibbling away at me, so I consolidated my decade of ebook-conversion knowledge and proposed ideas to KevinH.

Here's 2 of the advanced tools that are being worked on:

• CSS Consolidator
  
  • Or "CSSToolbox", or whatever the official name is going to be.
• Advanced (List-based) Search/Replace
  
  • Similar to current Spellcheck Lists (Tools > Spellcheck > Spellcheck).

See this post where I describe some of the use-cases in extreme detail:

• 2021: "Possible To-Do List for Future Sigil Releases Post Sigil 1.8" (Post #2)

CSSToolbox

This will allow you to find/detect—and merge—exact/similar classes together:

Spoiler:

Before

<p>An <span class="normal">example</span>
where <span class="class98">there</span>
are <span class="class99">similar</span>
and <span class="class100">classes</span>.</p>

CSS:

.normal {
	font-size: 1em;
}

[...]

.class98 {
	font-size: 1em;
}

.class99 {
	font-size: 1.1em;
}

.class100 {
	font-size: 1em;
	color: black;
}

After

<p>An <span class="normal">example</span>
where <span class="normal">there</span>
are <span class="normal">similar</span>
and <span class="normal">classes</span>.</p>

CSS:

.normal {
	font-size: 1em;
}

Right now, "Remove Unused CSS" only works on CSS that isn't used at all.

This will allow you to take the next step:

• Merging multiple CSS classes that are "the same" or "pretty close" to each other.
• Taking that fantastic "Right-Click > Rename class" trick, and handling multiple of those for you.
  
  • 4 different classes into a "normal" class? Just check the boxes, and they'll all be renamed/merged together fine.
    
  • Right now, you have to do them one-by-one, and you can easily make mistakes.
    

Side Note: And the Calibre EPUB->EPUB method changes almost everything into "calibre###" classes. This method will keep names in tact.

* * *

Advanced Find/Replace (List-based)

This will allow you to:

• Use Regex.
• Search/sort through results like Tools > Spellcheck.

Spoiler:

Like this regex could "find all Dialogue Tags within a fiction book" + replace with "said":

Find: ,” \b(Alex|Bob|Joanne|Suzie|s*he|they)\b (\w+)
Replace: ,” \1 said
Filter:

Found              | Replace        |  Hits
___________________|________________|______
,” Alex opined     | ,” Alex said   |    10
,” Suzie accused   | ,” Suzie said  |     9
,” Joanne agreed   | ,” Joanne said |     4
,” Alex explained  | ,” Alex said   |     2
,” Alex ejaculated | ,” Alex said   |     1
,” she beseeched   | ,” she said    |     1

Then you could filter the list. Like only searching for "Alex":

Filter: Alex

Found              | Replace        |  Hits
___________________|________________|______
,” Alex opined     | ,” Alex said   |    10
,” Alex explained  | ,” Alex said   |     2
,” Alex ejaculated | ,” Alex said   |     1

And you could selectively apply Find/Replace ONLY on specific rows:

Found              | Replace        |  Hits
___________________|________________|______
,” Alex opined     |                |    10
,” Alex explained  |                |     2
,” Alex ejaculated | ,” Alex said   |     1

or sort the columns:

v Found            | Replace        |  Hits
___________________|________________|______
,” Alex ejaculated | ,” Alex said   |     1
,” Alex explained  |                |     2
,” Alex opined     |                |    10

and/or you could double-click on a row, and jump to its exact location in the EPUB (like Spellcheck Lists!).

This will allow you to visually see all before/after changes in a single menu, and you could selectively apply.

* * *

These tools will greatly speed up all sorts of workflows.

And who knows what other tricks and methods we'll come up with after people begin messing around with it.