Links disappear during transfer from EPUB to MOBI

[goatmop]

Greetings!

I'm struggling to understand why my links are not surviving the conversion process. They look and work great in EPUB format (using Sigil), but when I convert to MOBI, the links appear in the text as merely underlined text.

This is the code I am using:

In text: <a href="/Notes.xhtml#fn014" id="fn014marker">[4]</a>

In end notes: <a href="/Section0001.xhtml#fn014marker" id="fn014">4.</a>

As a side note, I tried converting my EPUB to PRC using Zamzar, but they rejected the file twice. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

[wallcraft]

Try starting with "./" or remove the "/" completely, e.g. "Notes.xhtml#fn014".

[goatmop]

Worked great, except now my mind has exploded.

To test your ideas, I changed the first four links in my book, the first two using the "./" method, and the second two abandoning the "/" completely. All four links worked, but now, all the rest of the links in the book work, too. Any ideas why that is?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Just confused.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by goatmop

Worked great, except now my mind has exploded.

To test your ideas, I changed the first four links in my book, the first two using the "./" method, and the second two abandoning the "/" completely. All four links worked, but now, all the rest of the links in the book work, too. Any ideas why that is?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Just confused.

standard file system notation:

/ = always start at the ROOT of the file system (C:/ )
./ = starting at current directory
(no slash) = relative to here (very similar to the above, but there may be some odd exceptions)

[goatmop]

So I've been thinking about this whole mess again, and I can't help but wonder if the problem lies in me using two different computers, which could very easily have two different versions of Calibre installed on them.

I'm not sure adding the "." is what fixed my problem, because while my original source code for the links in my EPUB was posted above, Calibre changed them, too. So instead of this:
<a href="/Notes.xhtml#fn014" id="fn014marker">[4]</a>

I had this:
<a href="../Text/Notes.xhtml#fn014" id="fn014marker">[4]</a>

I have not been able to check both computers, but the version that didn't work is Calibre 0.8.8, running on Ubuntu.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by goatmop

So I've been thinking about this whole mess again, and I can't help but wonder if the problem lies in me using two different computers, which could very easily have two different versions of Calibre installed on them.

I'm not sure adding the "." is what fixed my problem, because while my original source code for the links in my EPUB was posted above, Calibre changed them, too. So instead of this:
<a href="/Notes.xhtml#fn014" id="fn014marker">[4]</a>

I had this:
<a href="../Text/Notes.xhtml#fn014" id="fn014marker">[4]</a>

I have not been able to check both computers, but the version that didn't work is Calibre 0.8.8, running on Ubuntu.

The second is normal Sigil breakout.
../ says back ONE level (the EPUB container level) where you will see a folder called 'Text'
./ is a *nux notation for the current folder
EPUBS never want a simple leadind slash. That would refer to something in the file system OUTSIDE of the book

[goatmop]

Makes sense. I'm honestly not sure what ended up happening, but I think when I tried converting my EPUB to MOBI the first time, I failed to include the "./" so while the link worked while in Sigil, it didn't transfer. But, when the links all got converted to the normal Sigil breakout, that file transferred to MOBI just fine.

And for the record, I checked the computers. They all run Calibre 0.8.8, so that could not have been the issue (just answered my own question...).

Thanks to both!

[theducks]

Originally Posted by goatmop

Makes sense. I'm honestly not sure what ended up happening, but I think when I tried converting my EPUB to MOBI the first time, I failed to include the "./" so while the link worked while in Sigil, it didn't transfer. But, when the links all got converted to the normal Sigil breakout, that file transferred to MOBI just fine.

And for the record, I checked the computers. They all run Calibre 0.8.8, so that could not have been the issue (just answered my own question...).

Thanks to both!

8.8 is 29 revisions down. Are you sure nothing has come along to tempt you to upgrade