Long Thin Rectangle with Question Mark

enuddleyarbl · 07-11-2015, 02:17 PM

In several Kindle ebooks I've bought on Amazon, when I copy them to my Calibre library and then put them back on my Kindle, many of the images (I think they're things like maps or little graphic images at the start of chapters) get replaced by long, thin rectangles with a tiny question mark inside. I'm having that issue right now with a newly released Kindle book that I just bought. It downloads from Amazon as an AZW3, I add some metadata in Calibre, convert it to an AZW3 simply so I can mildly adjust the fonts and hyphenate the book.

I thought I'd read something here about fixing this by downloading the file again from Amazon via "Manage Your Content and Devices." But, when I do that, there's no change. Unfortunately, I can't find that thread. Any ideas why this is happening and what I might do to stop it?

cybmole · 07-12-2015, 12:44 AM

solvable but needs some detective work.
. what is the exact sequence of operations you use e.g. is it amazon into Kindle for PC, then into calibre then into ( which?) editor.... are any plug-ins involved, what conversions are you running, or tweaks....

you need to inspect the book at every step to determine when the images are going missing, if indeed we are dealing with missing images,; your " control document" is a copy downloaded direct from amazon to kindle so you can see what is in the original, when read on that same device.

then check the original in K for PC, before it reaches calibre.. check the version in calibre before you edit it.....

i suspect a conversion setting needs tweaking.

can you post a code view snippet for one of those rectangles, from the editor, so we can see if the code is referencing a missing file.

enuddleyarbl · 07-12-2015, 11:49 AM

The issue appears immediately after importing the book from my Kindle into Calibre. On my Kindle, a freshly downloaded-from-Amazon copy of the book looks fine. When I import it into Calibre by hooking my Kindle up with Calibre open, going to the Device from the top bar, right-clicking on the book and saying Add Books to Library, then View the file, the images are gone (except for the cover) and replaced with boxes with question marks in them (see below). The only plugins I've got installed are DeDRM to do its unmentionable thing and Hyphenate This. One DeDRM would have been active on the book by this point.

Here are a few screenshots of what the freshly added book looks like:

The question mark here is supposed to be a sort of Penguin Random House logo:

[Images violate Posting Guidelines for size - MODERATOR]

The one here is supposed to be a map:

[Images violate Posting Guidelines for size - MODERATOR]
The one here is supposed to be some kind of squiggly icon at the top of the page:

[Images violate Posting Guidelines for size - MODERATOR]

And, if I understand what you want, this is what shows up when I select one of the "images" in the Viewer and tell it to Inspect:

Code:

<img class="w100" alt="" src="../images/00007.unknown" calibre_f3fa75ca98eb4413a4ee413f20f60226="0" style="-webkit-column-break-inside: avoid;">

I assume since the word "unknown" is in there, something is not coming across when the book is imported.

enuddleyarbl · 07-12-2015, 12:08 PM

I looked at the folder the download from Amazon added to my Kindle for the book. The largest file in there (which I assume is the actual text of the book) is an AZW6 file (not AZW3). Using AZW6 for a Search here, I managed to find the thread I reference earlier:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...highlight=azw6

The response there was that AZW6 files are not supported in Calibre (and to try re-downloading the book from Manage Your Content and Devices). Since I only seem to be able to get an AZW6, am I SOL?

cybmole · 07-12-2015, 01:09 PM

azw6 is new to me !. may need more brains on the case !

but what happens if you install kindle for PC and downlaod a copy form amzon into that. are the images still visible at that stage?

and in tha calibre editor, you should be able to view a list of all the images found withitn the book + their fiels names

and my last test of the day. if you configure calibre to use an external viewer ( kindle for PC) to view azw books,. then you can open the "within calibre library" copy in kinde viewer. which may add a clue.

IO will grab the free sample & see what I experience... arrives as azw in mu documents/my kindle content...so after acknowledgements I see 3 maps then PART 1, in the kindle reader. imports to calibre as azw3. and all looks good in calibre editor. I see the 3 maps, I don't see unknown appended to image files names.

so if you take the full book though that route ; A -> K for PC -> calibre you should be good to go. It s a workaround rather than an explanation, but that's all I can offer up. my workflow with bought books FWIW is to always go via K for PC .
the code that I see in calibre editor for the maps page is

Code:

<head>
  <title>Queen of Fire</title>
  <link href="../styles/0001.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
  <link href="../styles/0002.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>
</head>

<body id="5N3C0-406cc321359c43ba99b906274ab2e86c">

  <div class="cover">

    <img src="../images/00001.jpeg" alt="cover missing"/>

  </div>

  <div class="cover">

    <img src="../images/00002.jpeg" alt="cover missing"/>

  </div>

  <div class="cover">

    <img src="../images/00003.jpeg" alt="cover missing"/>

  </div>

</body>

</html>

theducks · 07-12-2015, 02:15 PM

Note that the image tag shows filename.unknown

unknown is not a valid EPUB extension (for anything, let alone an img file)

cybmole · 07-12-2015, 02:43 PM

I tried to find the same sample on my fire tablet, to see if it was azw6, but amazon so obfuscates where it stores books on tablet , I gave up.
I know that sideloads are fine if placed in books folder but that is not where amazon puts samples.

enuddleyarbl · 07-12-2015, 02:53 PM

I'm going to try various downloading options. I've got several older Kindles here. Maybe one of them is old enough that Amazon isn't updating the firmware and it can't handle AZW6. Perhaps downloading to one of those will give me an AZW3. I'll also check the Kindle for PC route, here.

As far as the unknown extension, I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment. About all I know is I put the electrons in here, and a different set of electrons come out there. If some of them want to be unknown, well, that's just part of the magic that Calibre does.

theducks · 07-12-2015, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveLessnau

I'm going to try various downloading options. I've got several older Kindles here. Maybe one of them is old enough that Amazon isn't updating the firmware and it can't handle AZW6. Perhaps downloading to one of those will give me an AZW3. I'll also check the Kindle for PC route, here.

As far as the unknown extension, I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment. About all I know is I put the electrons in here, and a different set of electrons come out there. If some of them want to be unknown, well, that's just part of the magic that Calibre does.

The referenced thread says Calibre does not support AZW6, so it may be substituting .unknown for an image it can't decode (just because it sys JPG does not mean it is a standard jpg

cybmole · 07-12-2015, 03:16 PM

See my posted code. I got jpeg
Not jpg, for what it is worth.
Go via kindle for pc, instead.
that does not support azw6, it seems, so it gets sent a standard file that calibre imports ok.
does azw4 / 5 also exist ?

enuddleyarbl · 07-12-2015, 03:49 PM

Looks like I'm in (semi) luck. The older Kindle Touch I use as an archival backup gets an AZW3 version of this book from Amazon and those images import just fine into Calibre. I'll only have to change my initial download Kindle to the Touch instead of my Paperwhite and I should be OK. I hope Kovid can add support for AZW6 sometime soon.

EDIT: I'm also pretty surprised that the Kindle for PC application hasn't been updated to want the latest file format. I'd have thought updating an application would be easier than producing new firmware updates for slightly older Kindle Paperwhites.

jhowell · 07-12-2015, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveLessnau

I looked at the folder the download from Amazon added to my Kindle for the book. The largest file in there (which I assume is the actual text of the book) is an AZW6 file (not AZW3). Using AZW6 for a Search here, I managed to find the thread I reference earlier:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...highlight=azw6

The response there was that AZW6 files are not supported in Calibre (and to try re-downloading the book from Manage Your Content and Devices). Since I only seem to be able to get an AZW6, am I SOL?

I suspect that you didn't properly understand and follow Kovid's advice in the thread that you linked.

I have several purchased books from Amazon that download to my PW2 as azw6 files, but if I use the Manage Your Content and Devices page and select the Download & transfer via USB option for those books it downloads an azw3 file to my PC, which imports correctly into calibre.

enuddleyarbl · 07-12-2015, 11:05 PM

OK. I'll look into that, too. I just assumed he meant go there and tell it to re-download to the Kindle.

cybmole · 07-13-2015, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveLessnau

OK. I'll look into that, too. I just assumed he meant go there and tell it to re-download to the Kindle.

Is there any reason why you don't want to use Kindle for PC desktop program , and then import or auto -add from its documents folder to calibre. I'd argue that is slicker that going the manage content... download and transfer via USB route, and I have demonstrated that it works for the book in question. There is no config of alf's tools needed for that route.

enuddleyarbl · 07-13-2015, 10:54 AM

I've nothing against any of these solutions and appreciate all the alternatives (as will others who find this thread with the same problem). Why do I currently prefer using my older Kindle vs Kindle for PC? Simply because I already have that Kindle Touch in my "Calibre-ation" process, so I don't have to re-think it (just a slight change to the order I do things).

07-11-2015, 02:17 PM	#1
enuddleyarbl Guru Posts: 776 Karma: 1538394 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: Kobo Forma	Long Thin Rectangle with Question Mark In several Kindle ebooks I've bought on Amazon, when I copy them to my Calibre library and then put them back on my Kindle, many of the images (I think they're things like maps or little graphic images at the start of chapters) get replaced by long, thin rectangles with a tiny question mark inside. I'm having that issue right now with a newly released Kindle book that I just bought. It downloads from Amazon as an AZW3, I add some metadata in Calibre, convert it to an AZW3 simply so I can mildly adjust the fonts and hyphenate the book. I thought I'd read something here about fixing this by downloading the file again from Amazon via "Manage Your Content and Devices." But, when I do that, there's no change. Unfortunately, I can't find that thread. Any ideas why this is happening and what I might do to stop it?

07-12-2015, 11:49 AM	#3
enuddleyarbl Guru Posts: 776 Karma: 1538394 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: Kobo Forma	The issue appears immediately after importing the book from my Kindle into Calibre. On my Kindle, a freshly downloaded-from-Amazon copy of the book looks fine. When I import it into Calibre by hooking my Kindle up with Calibre open, going to the Device from the top bar, right-clicking on the book and saying Add Books to Library, then View the file, the images are gone (except for the cover) and replaced with boxes with question marks in them (see below). The only plugins I've got installed are DeDRM to do its unmentionable thing and Hyphenate This. One DeDRM would have been active on the book by this point. Here are a few screenshots of what the freshly added book looks like: The question mark here is supposed to be a sort of Penguin Random House logo: [Images violate Posting Guidelines for size - MODERATOR] The one here is supposed to be a map: [Images violate Posting Guidelines for size - MODERATOR] The one here is supposed to be some kind of squiggly icon at the top of the page: [Images violate Posting Guidelines for size - MODERATOR] And, if I understand what you want, this is what shows up when I select one of the "images" in the Viewer and tell it to Inspect: Code: <img class="w100" alt="" src="../images/00007.unknown" calibre_f3fa75ca98eb4413a4ee413f20f60226="0" style="-webkit-column-break-inside: avoid;"> I assume since the word "unknown" is in there, something is not coming across when the book is imported. Last edited by Dr. Drib; 07-18-2015 at 05:40 PM.

07-12-2015, 01:09 PM	#5
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	azw6 is new to me !. may need more brains on the case ! but what happens if you install kindle for PC and downlaod a copy form amzon into that. are the images still visible at that stage? and in tha calibre editor, you should be able to view a list of all the images found withitn the book + their fiels names and my last test of the day. if you configure calibre to use an external viewer ( kindle for PC) to view azw books,. then you can open the "within calibre library" copy in kinde viewer. which may add a clue. IO will grab the free sample & see what I experience... arrives as azw in mu documents/my kindle content...so after acknowledgements I see 3 maps then PART 1, in the kindle reader. imports to calibre as azw3. and all looks good in calibre editor. I see the 3 maps, I don't see unknown appended to image files names. so if you take the full book though that route ; A -> K for PC -> calibre you should be good to go. It s a workaround rather than an explanation, but that's all I can offer up. my workflow with bought books FWIW is to always go via K for PC . the code that I see in calibre editor for the maps page is Code: <head> <title>Queen of Fire</title> <link href="../styles/0001.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/> <link href="../styles/0002.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/> </head> <body id="5N3C0-406cc321359c43ba99b906274ab2e86c"> <div class="cover"> <img src="../images/00001.jpeg" alt="cover missing"/> </div> <div class="cover"> <img src="../images/00002.jpeg" alt="cover missing"/> </div> <div class="cover"> <img src="../images/00003.jpeg" alt="cover missing"/> </div> </body> </html> Last edited by cybmole; 07-12-2015 at 01:12 PM.

07-12-2015, 03:49 PM	#11
enuddleyarbl Guru Posts: 776 Karma: 1538394 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: Kobo Forma	Looks like I'm in (semi) luck. The older Kindle Touch I use as an archival backup gets an AZW3 version of this book from Amazon and those images import just fine into Calibre. I'll only have to change my initial download Kindle to the Touch instead of my Paperwhite and I should be OK. I hope Kovid can add support for AZW6 sometime soon. EDIT: I'm also pretty surprised that the Kindle for PC application hasn't been updated to want the latest file format. I'd have thought updating an application would be easier than producing new firmware updates for slightly older Kindle Paperwhites. Last edited by enuddleyarbl; 07-12-2015 at 04:08 PM.

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07-12-2015, 12:44 AM	#2
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	solvable but needs some detective work. . what is the exact sequence of operations you use e.g. is it amazon into Kindle for PC, then into calibre then into ( which?) editor.... are any plug-ins involved, what conversions are you running, or tweaks.... you need to inspect the book at every step to determine when the images are going missing, if indeed we are dealing with missing images,; your " control document" is a copy downloaded direct from amazon to kindle so you can see what is in the original, when read on that same device. then check the original in K for PC, before it reaches calibre.. check the version in calibre before you edit it..... i suspect a conversion setting needs tweaking. can you post a code view snippet for one of those rectangles, from the editor, so we can see if the code is referencing a missing file.

07-12-2015, 12:08 PM	#4
enuddleyarbl Guru Posts: 776 Karma: 1538394 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: Kobo Forma	I looked at the folder the download from Amazon added to my Kindle for the book. The largest file in there (which I assume is the actual text of the book) is an AZW6 file (not AZW3). Using AZW6 for a Search here, I managed to find the thread I reference earlier: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...highlight=azw6 The response there was that AZW6 files are not supported in Calibre (and to try re-downloading the book from Manage Your Content and Devices). Since I only seem to be able to get an AZW6, am I SOL?

07-12-2015, 02:15 PM	#6
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 31,062 Karma: 60358908 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	Note that the image tag shows filename.unknown unknown is not a valid EPUB extension (for anything, let alone an img file)

07-12-2015, 02:43 PM	#7
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	I tried to find the same sample on my fire tablet, to see if it was azw6, but amazon so obfuscates where it stores books on tablet , I gave up. I know that sideloads are fine if placed in books folder but that is not where amazon puts samples.

07-12-2015, 02:53 PM	#8
enuddleyarbl Guru Posts: 776 Karma: 1538394 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: Kobo Forma	I'm going to try various downloading options. I've got several older Kindles here. Maybe one of them is old enough that Amazon isn't updating the firmware and it can't handle AZW6. Perhaps downloading to one of those will give me an AZW3. I'll also check the Kindle for PC route, here. As far as the unknown extension, I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment. About all I know is I put the electrons in here, and a different set of electrons come out there. If some of them want to be unknown, well, that's just part of the magic that Calibre does.

07-12-2015, 03:16 PM	#10
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	See my posted code. I got jpeg Not jpg, for what it is worth. Go via kindle for pc, instead. that does not support azw6, it seems, so it gets sent a standard file that calibre imports ok. does azw4 / 5 also exist ?

07-12-2015, 11:05 PM	#13
enuddleyarbl Guru Posts: 776 Karma: 1538394 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: Kobo Forma	OK. I'll look into that, too. I just assumed he meant go there and tell it to re-download to the Kindle.

07-13-2015, 10:54 AM	#15
enuddleyarbl Guru Posts: 776 Karma: 1538394 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: Kobo Forma	I've nothing against any of these solutions and appreciate all the alternatives (as will others who find this thread with the same problem). Why do I currently prefer using my older Kindle vs Kindle for PC? Simply because I already have that Kindle Touch in my "Calibre-ation" process, so I don't have to re-think it (just a slight change to the order I do things).