Missing Container.xml File Error

jackibar · 10-21-2013, 10:29 AM

I've done several projects in older versions of Sigil but now I have the latest version and in both Nook and Apple I'm getting the error "missing container.xml file". I've looked this up and created one by hand - but where the heck do I put it?! And why isn't Sigil creating it automatically? Do I add it as a Text file or somewhere else?

Thanks so much for any help! This is stopping the whole book upload process

DiapDealer · 10-21-2013, 10:50 AM

Sigil does create the container file automatically when creating a new epub. And I can't imagine it (Sigil) allowing you to open/edit an existing epub without one. It belongs in the META-INF folder of the epub (which Sigil doesn't allow you to edit).

Are you sure you haven't manually unzipped/edited and improperly rezipped the epubs (outside of Sigil) in question before attempting to upload them? Epubs aren't just regular zipfiles with a renamed file-extension.

jackibar · 10-21-2013, 02:00 PM

No, what I did was to open the file originally as an html file, along with the toc.ncx and content.opf file - all were used to create a Kindle version of the ebook. I opened within Sigil and then ran the FlightCrew validator (which it passed) and then "Saved"... What can I do now to fix this?!

DiapDealer · 10-21-2013, 02:16 PM

I don't quite follow what you mean by "along with the toc.ncx and content.opf file". You can certainly open/import an html file in Sigil, but it won't "bring along" any ncx or opf file with it. You then Save it as an ePub file and then upload that epub file.

Perhaps you're under the impression that you're simply editing the original html file (and the ncx/opf) with Sigil and saving them again to be used in something else?

jackibar · 10-21-2013, 02:38 PM

Sorry for the confusion - the toc.ncx and content.opf files were used in the Kindle version. It was just the html book file that was brought into Sigil.

jackibar · 10-21-2013, 05:11 PM

So how do I fix this?!

DiapDealer · 10-21-2013, 05:48 PM

I'm honestly at a loss. You can't create/save an ePub in Sigil without it having the container.xml file in its proper place. You just can't do it. That's why I'm trying to verify that you're uploading the actual EPUB file to Nook et al, and not the original html file or something else.

jackibar · 10-21-2013, 07:05 PM

its definitely the epub file. I also unzipped it and there is no META-INF folder at all...

JSWolf · 10-21-2013, 07:13 PM

Sigil WILL NOT save an ePub without the META-INF directory and the file container.xml. I took an ePub, delete META-INF, loaded it into Sigil and saved the ePub. META-INF an container.xml were both recreated. Not having META-INF is something you've done after saving in Sigil.

Just load this ePub into Sigil and save it back out and it will be fixed.

jackibar · 10-22-2013, 09:15 AM

Simply "saving" (which I've been doing all along while working on the book) did not create the META-INF folder. However, I just closed the file and then re-opened the epub and saved and then it took care of it...

Is it possible this occurred because I chose File>OPEN>html file instead of originally creating a NEW file and then "adding" the html file to the Text files area? Just trying to figure out how this happened so it doesn't happen again!

Thanks for your help!

DiapDealer · 10-22-2013, 10:42 AM

I don't know what happened, to tell the truth. I've tried saving an epub every which way from sunday and I can't get Sigil to save one without the META-INF.

Perhaps if you had the Clean Source settings all turned off and you ignored all errors when opening/saving, but even then I don't think it would happen. And such a malformed epub would certainly never pass the internal Flight Crew validation even if it did happen. I got nothin'.

Glad you got it fixed, though.

Notjohn · 06-01-2017, 11:08 AM

Fascinating. This just happened to me! I Googled the term and found this thread. I did just what Jackibar said: saved the Sigil file, closed it, and opened it again. The error was fixed.

SigilBear · 06-11-2017, 08:36 PM

Wish I had seen this thread before I started another on the same topic.

I don't know what precipitated my container.xml error message, but it was a pain in the butt trying to figure it out. I then discovered that none of my working epubs have such a file.

So I created a new epub and imported all my files from the original epub EXCEPT the container.xml or container.xhtml file I had just created. It now works fine.

DiapDealer · 06-11-2017, 08:51 PM

Something doesn't add up. Sigil can't save an epub without a container.xml file being created (if one is not already present). Something else has to be going on, here.

I don't know where these epubs without container files or META-INF folders are coming from, but it's not Sigil. Sigil can't create (or save) an epub without that file/folder structure.

KevinH · 06-11-2017, 10:18 PM

Agreed - It almost sounds like people are looking at the version of the ebook inside of Sigil's temp folder or some sub-directory inside an already unzipped epub. This may or may not have all of the pieces but any save of the epub by Sigil will create all of the necessary pieces, META-INF, etc

That or someone is using an output plugin without all of the pieces right.

10-21-2013, 10:29 AM	#1
jackibar Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 12 Join Date: May 2010 Device: iPhone apps	Missing Container.xml File Error I've done several projects in older versions of Sigil but now I have the latest version and in both Nook and Apple I'm getting the error "missing container.xml file". I've looked this up and created one by hand - but where the heck do I put it?! And why isn't Sigil creating it automatically? Do I add it as a Text file or somewhere else? Thanks so much for any help! This is stopping the whole book upload process

06-11-2017, 10:18 PM	#15
KevinH Sigil Developer Posts: 8,491 Karma: 5703586 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: many	Agreed - It almost sounds like people are looking at the version of the ebook inside of Sigil's temp folder or some sub-directory inside an already unzipped epub. This may or may not have all of the pieces but any save of the epub by Sigil will create all of the necessary pieces, META-INF, etc That or someone is using an output plugin without all of the pieces right. Last edited by KevinH; 06-11-2017 at 10:43 PM.

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10-21-2013, 10:50 AM	#2
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,371 Karma: 203720150 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	Sigil does create the container file automatically when creating a new epub. And I can't imagine it (Sigil) allowing you to open/edit an existing epub without one. It belongs in the META-INF folder of the epub (which Sigil doesn't allow you to edit). Are you sure you haven't manually unzipped/edited and improperly rezipped the epubs (outside of Sigil) in question before attempting to upload them? Epubs aren't just regular zipfiles with a renamed file-extension.

10-21-2013, 02:00 PM	#3
jackibar Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 12 Join Date: May 2010 Device: iPhone apps	No, what I did was to open the file originally as an html file, along with the toc.ncx and content.opf file - all were used to create a Kindle version of the ebook. I opened within Sigil and then ran the FlightCrew validator (which it passed) and then "Saved"... What can I do now to fix this?!

10-21-2013, 02:16 PM	#4
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,371 Karma: 203720150 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I don't quite follow what you mean by "along with the toc.ncx and content.opf file". You can certainly open/import an html file in Sigil, but it won't "bring along" any ncx or opf file with it. You then Save it as an ePub file and then upload that epub file. Perhaps you're under the impression that you're simply editing the original html file (and the ncx/opf) with Sigil and saving them again to be used in something else?

10-21-2013, 02:38 PM	#5
jackibar Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 12 Join Date: May 2010 Device: iPhone apps	Sorry for the confusion - the toc.ncx and content.opf files were used in the Kindle version. It was just the html book file that was brought into Sigil.

10-21-2013, 05:11 PM	#6
jackibar Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 12 Join Date: May 2010 Device: iPhone apps	So how do I fix this?!

10-21-2013, 05:48 PM	#7
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,371 Karma: 203720150 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I'm honestly at a loss. You can't create/save an ePub in Sigil without it having the container.xml file in its proper place. You just can't do it. That's why I'm trying to verify that you're uploading the actual EPUB file to Nook et al, and not the original html file or something else.

10-21-2013, 07:05 PM	#8
jackibar Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 12 Join Date: May 2010 Device: iPhone apps	its definitely the epub file. I also unzipped it and there is no META-INF folder at all...

10-21-2013, 07:13 PM	#9
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,206 Karma: 145458580 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Sigil WILL NOT save an ePub without the META-INF directory and the file container.xml. I took an ePub, delete META-INF, loaded it into Sigil and saved the ePub. META-INF an container.xml were both recreated. Not having META-INF is something you've done after saving in Sigil. Just load this ePub into Sigil and save it back out and it will be fixed.

10-22-2013, 09:15 AM	#10
jackibar Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 12 Join Date: May 2010 Device: iPhone apps	Simply "saving" (which I've been doing all along while working on the book) did not create the META-INF folder. However, I just closed the file and then re-opened the epub and saved and then it took care of it... Is it possible this occurred because I chose File>OPEN>html file instead of originally creating a NEW file and then "adding" the html file to the Text files area? Just trying to figure out how this happened so it doesn't happen again! Thanks for your help!

10-22-2013, 10:42 AM	#11
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,371 Karma: 203720150 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I don't know what happened, to tell the truth. I've tried saving an epub every which way from sunday and I can't get Sigil to save one without the META-INF. Perhaps if you had the Clean Source settings all turned off and you ignored all errors when opening/saving, but even then I don't think it would happen. And such a malformed epub would certainly never pass the internal Flight Crew validation even if it did happen. I got nothin'. Glad you got it fixed, though.

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06-01-2017, 11:08 AM	#12
Notjohn mostly an observer Posts: 1,518 Karma: 987654 Join Date: Dec 2012 Device: Kindle	Fascinating. This just happened to me! I Googled the term and found this thread. I did just what Jackibar said: saved the Sigil file, closed it, and opened it again. The error was fixed.

06-11-2017, 08:36 PM	#13
SigilBear Banned Posts: 244 Karma: 2112680 Join Date: Jan 2017 Device: iBooks	Wish I had seen this thread before I started another on the same topic. I don't know what precipitated my container.xml error message, but it was a pain in the butt trying to figure it out. I then discovered that none of my working epubs have such a file. So I created a new epub and imported all my files from the original epub EXCEPT the container.xml or container.xhtml file I had just created. It now works fine.

06-11-2017, 08:51 PM	#14
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,371 Karma: 203720150 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	Something doesn't add up. Sigil can't save an epub without a container.xml file being created (if one is not already present). Something else has to be going on, here. I don't know where these epubs without container files or META-INF folders are coming from, but it's not Sigil. Sigil can't create (or save) an epub without that file/folder structure.