calibre 3.33.1 [64bit] editor preferences anomaly

[DrChiper]

Trying to change in the editor preferences, for the preview window the "style for standard text" settings does not work for any of the options "sans text", "serif text" or "mono text" in calibre 64bit.
It works in the 32bit version.
Perhaps a bug?

[DNSB]

Not much consolation for you but on my Windows 10 install, I can change editor font preferences. I closed Calibre, re-opened and the preferences were still as I set them.

[kovidgoyal]

works for me as well with calibre 64bit and I cant think of any reason it would work with 32bit but not 64bit -- it's a simple boolean setting stored ina json config file.

[DrChiper]

Strange.
I can see my selection being entered in config file "tweak_book_gui.json" for option "preview_standard_font_family":

• "preview_standard_font_family": null, for the default serif font family;
• "preview_standard_font_family": "mono", for the mono font family selection;
• "preview_standard_font_family": "sans", for the sans-serif family selection;

But despite this, the font family shown in the preview window remains "serif", which is also the default.
I can change the "font family for serif text" setting, though, which is immediately shown after pressing "ok", but that is it.

[DrChiper]

There is an option setting order difference in the 32 & 64 bit version, though (see attachments):

• For 32 bit: sans/mono/serif (top-to-bottom)
• For 64 bit: serif/mono/sans (top-to-bottom)

No idea whether this might be of influence.

[AnotherCat]

On the face of it mine also seems to have this problem but I think it is because I don't understand how the font selection for the preview window works. However, I have not spent much time trying to figure it out as the default Times Roman serif (or what looks like Times Roman serif) is just fine by me. So the following is not meant as an explanation but just as a lead in for someone to perhaps fully explain.

It seems to me that it works maybe something like this.

If there is no font-family in the books stylesheet then the font selected in the Editor's options for the preview window are used - so the selection in the Editor's preferences appear to work.

If there is a font-family: serif;, for example, in the stylesheet then the selection for serif in the Editor's preferences are used in the preview window for the serif cases in the book. So it appears to work for them.

If there is a font-family: Times New Roman, serif;, for example in the stylesheet then the style in the book is used for them in the preview window instead of the font in the Editor's preferences. Now, on first blush I assumed that whatever was set in the Editor's preferences was overriding so was what one got regardless of the book's styles, and if one has that belief then it appears that if there is a font declared in the book (even if not embedded) that the Editor's preferences are not working because the Editor's style is not being applied.

I hope that makes sense. As I said I just mean this as a lead in to someone giving a correct and clearer explanation by either rubbishing this or clarifying this. However, getting to the nub of the original question, if the OP is under the same belief that I was, then its appearing not to work is because the book they are editing has a font declared in the stylesheet and that takes priority. If there is no font-family in the stylesheet the Editor's preferences then "appear to work".

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DrChiper

There is an option setting order difference in the 32 & 64 bit version, though (see attachments):

• For 32 bit: sans/mono/serif (top-to-bottom)
• For 64 bit: serif/mono/sans (top-to-bottom)

No idea whether this might be of influence.

Even if it's not the cause of your problem, it certainly seems odd that there would be a difference in the order of widgets on a screen between 32 and 64 bit calibre.

But what's even odder is that I see sans/serif/mono (top-to-bottom) in 32, 64 and Portable editions of version 3.33.1



Weird - the 32bit and portable installs are fresh - i.e. installed today

BR

[AnotherCat]

I have Sans, Serif, Mono as the order from top to bottom too in 64 bit, Windows 10.

I wonder if it was different in older Editor versions? Or between Windows and Linux?

[theducks]

BR
What got me, was the Icons are different on Portable

[kovidgoyal]

the order being different is unrelated and an artifact of the random order of python dictionaries, I have fixed it.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

BR
What got me, was the Icons are different on Portable

My "32/64 bit installed calibre" config has Prefs->L&F->Icon theme set to classic and some icon overrides in ..\resources\images. Whereas my portable has Prefs->L&F->Icon theme set to Default icons and no overrides.

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

the order being different is unrelated and an artifact of the random order of python dictionaries, I have fixed it.

Whilst capturing the images I posted I thought I saw the order of Portable change when I stopped and restarted it. "Nah," I said to myself blinking, "I must have been imagining it."

But now I know mine eyes did in fact see the glory of a randomly ordered python dictionary I think I'll stick to the OED and Ayto's Word Origins.

BR

[DrChiper]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

[...] if the OP is under the same belief that I was, then its appearing not to work is because the book they are editing has a font declared in the stylesheet and that takes priority. If there is no font-family in the stylesheet the Editor's preferences then "appear to work".

You nailed it! In the books I tried, the CSS did define

font-family: serif;

Removing that ebook CSS definition, I could select the mono/sans options.
So the priority is:

1. CSS setting ebook
2. calibre editor setting

And I admit, that is not what I expected My expectation is more that the editor should be able to override book settings, as the editor is supposed to make change possible.

So in the end, it works as intended, but not as expected.

[kovidgoyal]

Those settings are for what fonts to use when the book does not define its own fonts, when *previewing* the book. It has nothing to do with editing it. There are identical settings present int he calibre viewer as well, that have identical effects.