Generating page numbers only when tags are present?

[trekky0623]

So, I usually convert my books to AZW3 before loading them onto my Kindle. In the device settings, I can see that there is an option to generate page numbers, and options for "pagebreak" style tag-searching generation, "accurate" generation, and "fast" generation, with "pagebreak" falling back to "accurate" if it fails.

However, this isn't what I want. What I would like to have happen is, if there are explicit tags for page numbers, to generate an APNX file with page numbers. However, if there are no tags, I do not want Calibre to make fake page numbers, so that if I'm citing a book, I don't unknowingly cite page numbers that aren't real.

Is there a way to do this?

EDIT: I might be totally wrong about all of this, btw. Do AZW3 format books even use APNX files? If not, will simply turning off the page number option preserve tagged page numbers?

[eschwartz]

AZW3 uses the APNX, yes.

Unfortunately, there is no way to generate them based on tags.


If you have an Adobe Page-map or an NCX PageList then Kindlegen can generate an APNX which is stored in the *.mobi
I believe KindleUnpack knows how to extract the APNX for you.


This will require manual work.

[trekky0623]

So in device settings, I completely disabled the sending of page numbers. However, AZW3 books are still showing fake page numbers. I deleted the book's entire folder and then transferred the book through Calibre. Is there something else going on that shows those page numbers? Anyway to switch them off?

[eschwartz]

Make sure the sidecar (*.sdr/) folder is deleted from the device.

It contains the APNX (as a *.apnx file which then gets merged into the *azw3{r,f} files, or at least they disappear anyway).

You must purge all traces of the book.
If you deleted the book using calibre's Device view, that *should* happen automatically.

[kovidgoyal]

The Kindle will generate fake numbers regardless of whether an apnx file is sent or not. Sending an APNX file simply means you control the algorithm used to generate the numbers rather than relying on the Kindle's algorithm.

[eschwartz]

What numbers are you talking about?

I get "Location" numbers, which every book has -- those are based on an internal algorithm.
Only if you have an APNX do you get "pages".


Unless something has changed without me hearing about it, on the newer hardware (I have a Kindle Touch).


If the device is showing "pages" instead of "locations", everything I know so far would lead me to believe there is still an APNX somewhere....

Although personally, I find Time Left To Read the most use. Obviously, not when I need to cite something.

[trekky0623]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

The Kindle will generate fake numbers regardless of whether an apnx file is sent or not. Sending an APNX file simply means you control the algorithm used to generate the numbers rather than relying on the Kindle's algorithm.

That's unfortunate. I'd prefer not to have fake page numbers.

Is there any way to, say, tell Calibre what page number particular places are (say the beginning of chapters) and then have it extrapolate page numbers more accurately with that information?

[kovidgoyal]

That is my memory of the way the Kindle works, so maybe I am wrong and there is a way to disable page numbers, but I dont recall there being any such technique.

[eschwartz]

And once again I say, this isn't the Kindle I recognize.

IIRC pagenumbers have been supported since the Kindle Keyboard on fw3.4
And up until the Kindle Touch (my device) on fw5.3.7, it is entirely possible to have no pagenumbers. In fact, I am pretty sure I have seen them missing on other peoples' PW2s as well.
Anyway, I'd've heard if things changed.


Anyway, some screenshots.

As a fellow hater of ereaders-lying-about-having-real-pagenumbers, I am used to praising Amazon for not using them unless they actually exist.




If you are seeing "Page x of y", I really do think it must be because you did not clean out the ancillary files from your Kindle before resending the book.
Either that or double-check that the Kindle Driver setting to disable pseudo-APNX generation is actually disabled.


Quick check -- take a new book that has never been on your Kindle, send it with calibre, then find the book on your Kindle, and see if there is an APNX next to it (in the *.sdr folder).
Then and only then, unplug the Kindle and check if that book has "Page x of y" showing.

"Loc x of y" is NOT a pagenumber! It is a file offset, I'm not sure how Amazon calculates them but it is done dynamically and can pinpoint an actual sentence, not just a general page.

[trekky0623]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

And once again I say, this isn't the Kindle I recognize.

IIRC pagenumbers have been supported since the Kindle Keyboard on fw3.4
And up until the Kindle Touch (my device) on fw5.3.7, it is entirely possible to have no pagenumbers. In fact, I am pretty sure I have seen them missing on other peoples' PW2s as well.
Anyway, I'd've heard if things changed.


Anyway, some screenshots.

As a fellow hater of ereaders-lying-about-having-real-pagenumbers, I am used to praising Amazon for not using them unless they actually exist.




If you are seeing "Page x of y", I really do think it must be because you did not clean out the ancillary files from your Kindle before resending the book.
Either that or double-check that the Kindle Driver setting to disable pseudo-APNX generation is actually disabled.


Quick check -- take a new book that has never been on your Kindle, send it with calibre, then find the book on your Kindle, and see if there is an APNX next to it (in the *.sdr folder).
Then and only then, unplug the Kindle and check if that book has "Page x of y" showing.

"Loc x of y" is NOT a pagenumber! It is a file offset, I'm not sure how Amazon calculates them but it is done dynamically and can pinpoint an actual sentence, not just a general page.

Just FYI, I have a Paperwhite 1.

So I just transferred 2 books, a MOBI and a converted EPUB, to the Kindle. You are correct, there are no page numbers at all. What's more, I put the book I was having trouble with back on there, and no page numbers, so yay. So it seems you were right. I don't know what I was doing wrong the first time.

[eschwartz]

Awesome.

At least now it works.