Wikipedia to Ebook

Gideon · 02-26-2009, 10:42 PM

So I've needed to familiarize myself briefly with a few topics lately and wikipedia is perfect for the job of "the basics" (and please, no arguments about it as a source, etc.)

I have a kindle, so of course I can use the whispernet, but it really kind of bites and Sprint is unreliable where i live. So I'd like to setup some "packets" of wikipedia articles that are in decent condition for use as an ebook.

Now, I can go to print mode, copy+paste, delete a lot, etc. and then send it to my Kindle but it takes a lot of time. I was wondering if there was anything automated or at least a bit streamlined.

It does seem the german version of wikipedia has such a thing. But it's not available for the english version yet.

pilotbob · 02-26-2009, 10:43 PM

Download the Wikipedia CD?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...ia-CD/Download

I have no idea what format it is.. I assume HTML?

BOb

DaleDe · 02-27-2009, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Download the Wikipedia CD?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...ia-CD/Download

I have no idea what format it is.. I assume HTML?

BOb

Why would you assume that? I would think it was in wiki format since all modern browsers can read it just fine.

Dale

pilotbob · 02-27-2009, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Why would you assume that? I would think it was in wiki format since all modern browsers can read it just fine.

Dale

Is wiki a format?

BOb

HarryT · 02-27-2009, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Is wiki a format?

BOb

Not really. It's XML.

DaleDe · 02-27-2009, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Is wiki a format?

BOb

Certainly it has its own format although it can use some HTML statements. Have you looked at the source on our wiki?

It is certainly not XML.

It claims to be based on email but I find that to be not very convincing. It has special interpretations of lots of coding but has most things that are in HTML and will even accept lots of HTML constructs to allow importing but the native language is quite different.

Dale

HarryT · 02-27-2009, 12:23 PM

I stand corrected - I thought that it was XML-based. Thanks for putting me right!

pilotbob · 02-27-2009, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Certainly it has its own format although it can use some HTML statements. Have you looked at the source on our wiki?

I just looked at it. It sure as heck is (x)HTML with heavy use of stylesheets for layout. (Which I am pretty sure most readers won't support very well.)

Basically, it HAS to be HTML for a browser to render it. Unless it uses flash or java of course.

BOb

DaleDe · 02-27-2009, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I just looked at it. It sure as heck is (x)HTML with heavy use of stylesheets for layout. (Which I am pretty sure most readers won't support very well.)

Basically, it HAS to be HTML for a browser to render it. Unless it uses flash or java of course.

BOb

What page did you look at? The home page has some fancy html like constructs as I said. Take a look at the help page or most of the standard pages. There is on extensions on the files. It has a special rendering engine. There is no elements as defined in html, no head, no body. heading elements are defined as something like ==head== which has no form in html (equivalent <h2>head</h2>).

This forum is rendered in my browser as well but it is not html either so the claim that it has be html is incorrect. The rendering engine converts on the fly.

Dale

DaleDe · 02-27-2009, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I just looked at it. It sure as heck is (x)HTML with heavy use of stylesheets for layout. (Which I am pretty sure most readers won't support very well.)

Basically, it HAS to be HTML for a browser to render it. Unless it uses flash or java of course.

BOb

It is rendered as xhtml somewhere along the line but the source language is not html. If you edit a wiki page it does not use html but if you look at a source page using view source in the browser it is rendered as xhtml. It begins with
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en" dir="ltr">

so you are correct in that it must be rendered as html.

Dale

pilotbob · 02-27-2009, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

so you are correct in that it must be rendered as html.

Dale

Right, so this is what I am saying. I am "assuming" of course that the Wikipedia CD is the rendered output. Because I am sure they aren't shipping a web server engine which is what does all the transforms and such.

I am very much doubting that the Wikipedia CD is all the source files. But, it could of course be.

BOb

GntlmnBndt · 02-27-2009, 02:13 PM

I don't know how many remember one of the older ebook formats called TomeRaider, not much for general reading really, but it was particularly useful for browsing and searching large reference texts -- I used it on my Psion quite a bit, which should tell you how old it is.

Well, it is still around, and one of the uses these days is condensed versions of large web sites for offline access, such as IMDB. They have a Wikipedia file, but it is just the abstracts with links to the full articles (download link).

While they still support the older and more limited handhelds (they still list EPOC as supported!), they have also announced forth-coming versions for Android and iPhone, though I never have much faith in such announcements until they at least produce a beta.

Anyway, that is the only 'ebook' or offline version of Wikipedia that I know of, aside from the CD mentioned.

The Bandit

Sweetpea · 02-27-2009, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

What page did you look at? The home page has some fancy html like constructs as I said. Take a look at the help page or most of the standard pages. There is on extensions on the files. It has a special rendering engine. There is no elements as defined in html, no head, no body. heading elements are defined as something like ==head== which has no form in html (equivalent <h2>head</h2>).

This forum is rendered in my browser as well but it is not html either so the claim that it has be html is incorrect. The rendering engine converts on the fly.

Dale

Mediawiki is server software. Which means the "elements" get translated on the server into HTML, which your browser can read.

In Mediawiki, you can use ==head==, or you can use <h2>head</h2>. Both will work. So, is wiki code HTML or a custom format? It is both! Wiki language is just like any other server language (and it's fun to play with!), in that respect.

If you would save the pages, you don't save the server code, you save the generated code, aka the HTML pages.

pilotbob · 02-27-2009, 11:32 PM

OK, I downloaded the Wiki CD. It's 400MB. It comes with a viewer called "Kwix".

All the articles on the CD/DVD are in .html files. And I can view them with firefox. However, there is no .html default or index page. There is a .index file and a .map file which I assume this Kwix can read.

I am going to zip up the html folder then add it as a book in calibre and see what it makes of it.

BOb

pilotbob · 02-27-2009, 11:39 PM

Well... that didn't go too well. Calibre must not be traversing into folders to create a zip with html files in it, into a book. I converted the .zip in calire to mobi... and I seem to have got the list of contirbutors.

So, this is probably doable. Someone is going to have to write something that can maybe traverse all the source files and put them into a flat file... then maybe claibre can do something with it.

I think this could be done and put into a .mobi book. I just don't have the energy to do it right now.

BOb

02-26-2009, 10:42 PM	#1
Gideon Wearer of Pants Posts: 1,050 Karma: 7634 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Norman, OK Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone	Wikipedia to Ebook So I've needed to familiarize myself briefly with a few topics lately and wikipedia is perfect for the job of "the basics" (and please, no arguments about it as a source, etc.) I have a kindle, so of course I can use the whispernet, but it really kind of bites and Sprint is unreliable where i live. So I'd like to setup some "packets" of wikipedia articles that are in decent condition for use as an ebook. Now, I can go to print mode, copy+paste, delete a lot, etc. and then send it to my Kindle but it takes a lot of time. I was wondering if there was anything automated or at least a bit streamlined. It does seem the german version of wikipedia has such a thing. But it's not available for the english version yet.

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02-26-2009, 10:43 PM	#2
pilotbob Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,832 Karma: 11844413 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tampa, FL USA Device: Kindle Touch	Download the Wikipedia CD? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...ia-CD/Download I have no idea what format it is.. I assume HTML? BOb

02-27-2009, 12:23 PM	#7
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I stand corrected - I thought that it was XML-based. Thanks for putting me right!

02-27-2009, 02:13 PM	#12
GntlmnBndt Zealot Posts: 135 Karma: 142 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: iPod Touch, iPad	I don't know how many remember one of the older ebook formats called TomeRaider, not much for general reading really, but it was particularly useful for browsing and searching large reference texts -- I used it on my Psion quite a bit, which should tell you how old it is. Well, it is still around, and one of the uses these days is condensed versions of large web sites for offline access, such as IMDB. They have a Wikipedia file, but it is just the abstracts with links to the full articles (download link). While they still support the older and more limited handhelds (they still list EPOC as supported!), they have also announced forth-coming versions for Android and iPhone, though I never have much faith in such announcements until they at least produce a beta. Anyway, that is the only 'ebook' or offline version of Wikipedia that I know of, aside from the CD mentioned. The Bandit

02-27-2009, 11:32 PM	#14
pilotbob Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,832 Karma: 11844413 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tampa, FL USA Device: Kindle Touch	OK, I downloaded the Wiki CD. It's 400MB. It comes with a viewer called "Kwix". All the articles on the CD/DVD are in .html files. And I can view them with firefox. However, there is no .html default or index page. There is a .index file and a .map file which I assume this Kwix can read. I am going to zip up the html folder then add it as a book in calibre and see what it makes of it. BOb

02-27-2009, 11:39 PM	#15
pilotbob Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,832 Karma: 11844413 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tampa, FL USA Device: Kindle Touch	Well... that didn't go too well. Calibre must not be traversing into folders to create a zip with html files in it, into a book. I converted the .zip in calire to mobi... and I seem to have got the list of contirbutors. So, this is probably doable. Someone is going to have to write something that can maybe traverse all the source files and put them into a flat file... then maybe claibre can do something with it. I think this could be done and put into a .mobi book. I just don't have the energy to do it right now. BOb

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