impserve: user-created plugins and requests....

[nrapallo]

In the thread impserve: serving content and accessing the internet for the 1200/1150, you will find the ebookutils software package created by ashkulz. The latest plugins can also be found here.

Therein, you will find the impserve python script and/or windows program that will allow your EBW11500 (or REB1200) to interact with your local hard disk (for local .imp content transfers) and the internet (for surfing and downloading .imp/.prc/.pdb/.pdf/.djvu/.lit natively i.e. directly onto your reader).

Impserve's usefulness can be extended by user-supplied 'plugins' which are written in python (and yes, its easier to change someone's else code than write your own). Once completed and tested, the plugin could be permanently placed in the plugin directory of the impserve install directory and then be available for each invocation of the impserve program.

Along with the initial plugins provided by ashkulz, I have been able to write several more plugins (that can now be used with either device 1200/1150), namely:

1. AdjustSmallestFont.py - Forces smallest font to use (first user-supplied impserve plugin)
   
   
2. PrcConverter.py - Converts any nonDRM'ed .mobi/.prc/.pdb compatible (non-Huff-dic encoded) ebook directly into .imp and downloads it onto your reader. At the same time, it stores a copy of the .imp ebook in your (first) local bookshelf. Once done, just tap your 'Bookshelf' and find it! Hint: look at the dos window opened by impserve for more information about Category, Title and Author actually used by the .imp ebook.
   
   
3. PdfConverter.py - Converts any nonDRM'ed .pdf ebook directly into .imp and downloads it onto your reader. At the same time, it stores a copy of the .imp ebook in your (first) local bookshelf. If it takes too long i.e. file size is too big, it may abort. New all-in-one design; now defaults to landscape mode (just set OPTION to your choice's name).
   
   
4. DjvuConverter.py - Converts any .djvu ebook directly into .imp and downloads it onto your reader. At the same time, it stores a copy of the .imp ebook in your (first) local bookshelf. These can be huge files and most will fail! New all-in-one design; now defaults to landscape mode (just set OPTION to your choice's name).
   
   
5. LitConverter.py - Converts any MS Reader .lit ebook directly into .imp and downloads it onto your reader. At the same time, it stores a copy of the .imp ebook in your (first) local bookshelf. These usually convert quite well and fast!
   
   
6. AdjustImageSize.py - Converts any large images (bigger than 128x128) down to 128x128 and converts them to lesser colored images! The final image can be in OPTION Orig format or replaced by a 256-color GIF, 256-color PNG, 16-color GIF, 16-color PNG, B&W, Box, or blank Dot image so as to reduce the memory "strain" on the device. New all-in-one design; now defaults to Orig (just set OPTION to your choice's name). Useful primarily for the EBW1150!
   
   
7. ImpSaver.py - Allows any .imp ebooks downloaded directly onto your reader WHILE SURFING THE INTERNET (from impserve) to now also be stored in your (first) local bookshelf.

Notes:
For item 2 above, Mobi2IMP 9.4 must be installed; (for how to install this software, see https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22178).

For items 3-4 above, PDFRead 1.8 must be installed; (for how to install this software, see https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21906).

For item 5 above, Lit2sb must be installed; (for how to install this software, see https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20592). Must make the .lit default association to be Lit2sb.exe and edit (the plugin) to match your Lit2sb "home" directory PATH for this to work!

For item 6 above, PIL (Python Image Library) needs to be installed, see http://www.pythonware.com/products/pil/ to install.

When you want to use a plugin, copy it to the plugins directory within the impserve src directory. When not in use, place it in a plugins-disabled directory or its original directory.

Have any ideas for plugins? want to write one and share?

Have fun and show them all what this little LCD device can do!

Revision History

initial release - (Sept 6, 2008) Initial combined offering
release 2 - (Sept 8, 2008) Added AdjustImageSize
release 3 - (Sept 18, 2008) Added LitConverter, ImpSaver; plugins now usuable on any device (1200/1150)
release 4 - (Sept 21, 2008) re-vamped plugins to use all-in-one design; PrcConverter.py now downloads from munseys.com!
release 5 - (Sept 27, 2008) re-vamped plugins to skip unwanted Content-Types, use local temp directory and no longer need any external .bat files (now incorporated within)!

p.s. you only need the latest release. (Now includes sample content/index.html and content/next.html)

Enjoy!
Nick Rapallo
(nrapallo)

[nrapallo]

For those users that have not yet tried using impserve, let me tell you what a typical session may be like.

First and foremost, run the impserve program (double-click impserve.py or impserve.exe to accept the defaults) and turn on your reader.

Next (always) tap your Online Bookshelf icon to initalize the communications and retrieve your local content library booklist.

To start surfing the internet, tap your menu button (little ebook guy at the top left) and select the Bookstore icon.

If you use the content index.html page I supplied here, then you can google for any term using the search box and the reader's on-screen keyboard to enter any text. Once done, tap the (google) search button and google will return the results.

Usually this page will have words down the left side and that's it! BUT it's not....

Using your page button, advance one screen forward and viola, google results galore! Just click a link to surf the internet. You may notice that often the text runs off the screen to the right. We'll that's just (bad) fixed width coding done by many websites. There is a plugin available which will help get more text crammed onto the screen (using the smallest font), but it won't make this problem go away, unfortunately.

A word of caution, though. The EBW1150 is very memory-constrained and cannot surf to too many pages with large images; it will eventually crash. You will then have to wait 10-15 sec. until the 'reset' button appears and then hold that button for 3-5 sec. until the reader resets! In extreme cases, you might have to use the reset hole on the back of the reader, under the SM flap. I hope not!

PDA-friendly pages work best as do the www.mobileread.mobi site, the upload ebook forums here, the Munsey's Mobile site http://www.munseys.com/joomla or the Feedbooks' Mobile page http://www.feedbooks.com/mobile/list/books ! To return to a previous page, tap the menu button and tap the Directory icon; in essence, this simulates the 'back' buttton on a browser (for now, max. cached sites is 10). To start over and clear the cached websites, just tap the Online Bookshelf icon, then the Bookstore icon and then quickly the Directory icon (just ignore the last page shown again; that's a hardware/firmware issue).

There are many Mobileread links on that content index.html page that you should surf to. Also, there is a reference at the bottom to 'next'; this is where you placed your own personal links (entered in next.html in the content directory). Experiment and explore what works and what doesn't. Consider sharing your story...

If you see a .imp ebook that you like here, then just click it's link and in seconds it's being downloaded onto your reader. You'll have to find it in your eBookshelf first and then open it as you would for any other ebook on your reader. (TODO: allow a copy to be placed in your local content 'shelf' directory!)

Or if you see a .prc ebook that you like, then just click it and within a minute it's downloaded onto your reader. (Requires a plugin)

Or if you see a .pdf ebook that you like, then just click it and in several minutes it's downloaded onto your reader. (Requires a plugin)

You get the idea!

Now what also can be done is to download a .imp that has links to the internet within it and then you may be able to access those links while reading. I say may because this part relies on the original links being capatible with impserve and the reader's firmware. If you need assistance here, just request help in this thread!

[nrapallo]

Originally Posted by nrapallo

A word of caution, though. The EBW1150 is very memory-constrained and cannot surf to too many pages with large images; it will eventually crash. You will then have to wait 10-15 sec. until the 'reset' button appears and then hold that button for 3-5 sec. until the reader resets! In extreme cases, you might have to use the reset hole on the back of the reader, under the SM flap. I hope not!

To help the EBW1150 cope when surfing the internet and encountering LARGE images, you can use ONE of the AdjustImageSize plugins I provide.

The plugin mainly converts any large (bigger than 128x128) images down to 128x128 and converts them to lesser colored images! The final image can be in the Orig format or replaced by a 256-color GIF, 256-color PNG, 16-color GIF, 16-color PNG, or B&W image so as to reduce the memory "strain" on the device. Useful primarily for the EBW1150!

Oh, yeah, you only need one of the various AdjustImageSize plugins provided; experiement and pick the best one.

The REB1200 need not use these plugins, but they are available for use thereon, if you so choose.

Note: PIL (Python Image Library) needs to be installed, see http://www.pythonware.com/products/pil/ to install.

Added this plugin (in it's various forms) to release 2 of my plugins available in post #1 above.

[nrapallo]

Impserve plugins Release 3 has now been added to post #1 above. It capitalizes on the greater ebook reader detection and other changes first seen in impserve v0.6.

Note: To effectively use these plugins, you must have Mobi2IMP 9.4, PDFRead 1.8 and Lit2sb installed (which any serious REB1200/EBW1150 power user probably already has!)

Try them for a test run and tell me what you think of these plugins. Useful?

[ashkulz]

Nick: can you upload the plugins as .py files directly on to the plugins page? Once you try to edit the page, it will also give you the option to attach files. Feel free to add any explanation below the list or any other documentation fixes.

[nrapallo]

Originally Posted by ashkulz

Nick: can you upload the plugins as .py files directly on to the plugins page? Once you try to edit the page, it will also give you the option to attach files. Feel free to add any explanation below the list or any other documentation fixes.

Done! For the latest version of my plugins, you may also check plugins page!

[nrapallo]

Impserve plugins Release 4 has now been added to post #1 above. I've re-vamp the plugins to accomodate an all-in-one design; just set OPTION to your choice's name in certain plugins (edit it with any text editor).

No more swapping in and out of the plugins directory; just leave them there and edit the ones that alow different processing choices to be made i.e. ones with OPTION.

Note: You should restart impserve after editing plugins (.py) so as to ensure the revised copy is loaded into impserve and available to you!

[ashkulz]

Please note that the impserve plugins page is the place you should look for the latest plugins

[GeneS]

Ashish or Nick:

Just a quick, I hope, question regarding the use of the bookshelf in ebookutils.
How does one set the application up to use a default bookshelf in a directory other than impserve\shelf?
I can manage to access and load imp files from my bookshelf by calling impserve.exe in a batch file, substituting my preferred directory for "shelf." That does not work however with conversions using Nick's conversion plugins. The download is converted, but then summarily dumped in the impserve directory (not even on "shelf") -- an error message is created indicating that it can't find the directory I use for my bookshelf. In my case, I'm using \ebook-readers\ebookwise).
Thanks
Gene

[nrapallo]

Originally Posted by GeneS

Ashish or Nick:

Just a quick, I hope, question regarding the use of the bookshelf in ebookutils.
How does one set the application up to use a default bookshelf in a directory other than impserve\shelf?
I can manage to access and load imp files from my bookshelf by calling impserve.exe in a batch file, substituting my preferred directory for "shelf." That does not work however with conversions using Nick's conversion plugins. The download is converted, but then summarily dumped in the impserve directory (not even on "shelf") -- an error message is created indicating that it can't find the directory I use for my bookshelf. In my case, I'm using \ebook-readers\ebookwise).
Thanks
Gene

Sorry, it looks like the plugin is not written to accomodate this yet. I had assumed (yeah, I know, wrong thing to do) that it would be in the impserve directory. I'll see what I can do, later today, to fix this. In the time being, its works in the impserve directory...

[GeneS]

Originally Posted by nrapallo

Sorry, it looks like the plugin is not written to accomodate this yet. I had assumed (yeah, I know, wrong thing to do) that it would be in the impserve directory. I'll see what I can do, later today, to fix this. In the time being, its works in the impserve directory...

Thanks, Nick.
It does work very well. I thought maybe I had missed something in the threads

[ashkulz]

Nick: can you incorporate the tutorial directly in the wiki (maybe as a "Tutorial" section or in existing sections)? Most of the info is already there, but the first instruction (the 127.0.0.1 thing) is not ideal: You can just double-click on the EXE to accept the defaults [which is more ideal for beginners]. I've taken up your other suggestions for making things simpler -- the URL bar in the default homepage is my own idea, though

[nrapallo]

Originally Posted by ashkulz

Nick: can you incorporate the tutorial directly in the wiki (maybe as a "Tutorial" section or in existing sections)? Most of the info is already there, but the first instruction (the 127.0.0.1 thing) is not ideal: You can just double-click on the EXE to accept the defaults [which is more ideal for beginners]. I've taken up your other suggestions for making things simpler -- the URL bar in the default homepage is my own idea, though

I'll check it out and see what I can come up with..... boohhaahahahaa

[nrapallo]

Originally Posted by GeneS

Thanks, Nick.
It does work very well. I thought maybe I had missed something in the threads

If you were using, say, the PrcConverter.py, then you could try replacing lines 88-89:

        path, shelf = os.path.split(impserve.config.shelf_dirs[0])
        shutil.move(fname+ext, shelf+'/impserve-'+fname+ext)

with

        shelf = impserve.config.shelf_dirs[0]
        shutil.copy(fname+ext, shelf+'/impserve-'+fname+ext)
        os.remove(fname+ext)

If you're adventurous and don't want to wait until later, that is. Though, I have to be honest, I haven't tested this so be careful, very careful, ..... Boo!...did I get you?

[GeneS]

Originally Posted by nrapallo

If you were using, say, the PrcConverter.py, then you could try replacing lines 88-89:

        path, shelf = os.path.split(impserve.config.shelf_dirs[0])
        shutil.move(fname+ext, shelf+'/impserve-'+fname+ext)

with

        shelf = impserve.config.shelf_dirs[0]
        shutil.copy(fname+ext, shelf+'/impserve-'+fname+ext)
        os.remove(fname+ext)

If you're adventurous and don't want to wait until later, that is. Tough, I have to be honest, I haven't tested this so be careful, very careful, ..... Boo!...did I get you?

Nick,
All I can say is Maahhhhhhvelous, simply Maahhhhhvelous! I managed to overcome my fears, stepped out in the face of unknown danger, and ..... IT WORKED!! That lets me keep my carefully orchestrated file structure and still use the converter -- at least with mobi conversions. Now on to checking out .lit and .pdf

Thanks again.