03-18-2016, 08:35 PM | #46 |
Just a Yellow Smiley.
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03-18-2016, 08:44 PM | #47 |
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03-19-2016, 08:07 AM | #48 |
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11-23-2016, 05:57 PM | #49 |
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This is a surprisingly long thread, started quite a while back.
I'm working on a PHP-based server side epub3 reader/displayer that will show epub3 documents to visitors WITHOUT requiring the visitor to install anything or download anything. The server side administrator will have to unzip the epub3 inside the DOCUMENT_ROOT of a website. The rest will happen automagically. TOC navigation will appear as needed. Text and images will flow around it. I'm pretty close. Perhaps in another two months of part time work I'll have a freeware version to look at. I see this as a marketing tool. It will allow casual visitors to read all or perhaps a selected set of pages only. If they like what they see they can buy and download the full epub. And then view it with what ever software they choose to install. Or they can continue to read it online. As they wish. This will be particularly useful to me, as I publish lengthy how-to-do-it boat building pages on the net. epub3 format will enhance my reader's experience. ===================== I have a question. I've been poking around the net and I've been reading. Haven't found the answer yet. My TOC generation codes start by parsing the package.opf file, which is present and required for all epub3 compliant documents. However. I downloaded about two dozen public domain epub3 example documents to work with. And package.opf is sometimes found in OPF/package.opf and sometimes as EPUB/package.opf. My codes can test both paths and work with where ever package.opf is found. But something is going on I don't understand yet. I'll have to spend a few nights reading the OPF specs I guess. Help me with this if you can. Why is epub3 sometimes organized one way, and other times the other? Last edited by pittendrigh; 11-23-2016 at 06:00 PM. |
11-23-2016, 07:53 PM | #50 | |
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You should definitely read the specifications! |
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11-23-2016, 09:00 PM | #51 |
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:=))
I do tend to shoot from the hip. And I'm reasonably good at it. Always have been. Thank you. I should have figured that one out on my own. A no downloads no install first epub3 reader will be interesting. I'm having fun too. I think I've past half way on this project. I'm already displaying chaper.xhtml output. The TOC is still broken. But getting there. I spent five years working with Java xpath and XML databases (Exist, SleepyCat etc) so it is up my alley. The bibi (https://github.com/satorumurmur/bibi) ebook reader mentioned earlier is vaguely similar and interesting. With Bibi an ebook can be unzipped on the server and displayed to all without requiring the user to manually download anything and without installing software. But Bibi cannot be made to work without sending html head and body elements, so it cannot be displayed as part of a global CMS layout. It cannot be shown as the contents of a div. Not without using an IFRAME anyway. IFRAME is ok for video players but for mixed HTML output they bring too much baggage. What I'm doing is almost ready to put on sourceforge. And it will be useful. Last edited by pittendrigh; 11-25-2016 at 07:25 AM. |
11-25-2016, 08:33 AM | #52 |
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Thanks, looking forward to it.
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12-02-2016, 07:24 AM | #53 |
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Days away at this point. I can now find the package.opf dynamically and then build navigation hashes from the manifest and spine that maintain next and previous buttons (no screen swipes on desktops) and build a TOC by recursively xpathing OL lists in the nav element. And show *.xhtml output.
It's working now but too buggy to show. One more month and it will be on sourceforge. This will be a TOC and page content as the contents of any arbitrary block element in a larger Content Management System context, so the end user can read any unzipped epub3 without losing more global navigation to other pages in the surrounding website, like Home, Contact Us, Search etc. ..........I have not even started an index-like keyword search. That's a bit of a project in its own right, probably using PHP Plucene. Google Site Search isn't really an option because this system needs to be able to keep the epub pages hidden behind a form-driven password login barrier. Anyway. In a month or so from now. |
12-02-2016, 08:46 AM | #54 |
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Wrong Forum
Last edited by Apache; 12-02-2016 at 08:48 AM. Reason: Wrong Forum |
12-09-2016, 09:15 AM | #55 |
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Why is this a wrong forum?
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12-09-2016, 02:26 PM | #56 |
Readaholic
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I meant to post in a different thread. In a different section.
Apache |
12-16-2016, 09:14 AM | #57 |
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No problem. Progress is slow. 68. Had two eye surgeries this year. One more coming up. Can't stare at the computer for more than 20 minutes at a time now.
My development is way past half way. The hard part is the TOC and I have it, using a recursive read of both the manifest and the spine, building a pair of object hashes in the process. They only chore left, before RoboEpub3_1.0, is to munge the links a bit, as defined by the manifest, so they work right for main page display with my content management system. The TOC was by far the hardest part. Predicted highly beta release expected in January. If anyone is.......interested. I am. It's a fun project. I'm looking forward to using this system for my online boat building instructions. Ebooks as digital mirrors of print technology miss the best part. Books with embedded video, at least in the how-to-do-it genre, are the crest of the wave I think. ===== A later release will build an epub2 toc.ncx. Perhaps. Last edited by pittendrigh; 12-16-2016 at 09:22 AM. |
12-16-2016, 09:39 AM | #58 | |
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Not to say there's no advantage/benefit to your efforts. It's just going to have a fairly niche audience is all. I wish you the best of luck with it. |
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12-16-2016, 10:21 AM | #59 | |
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12-16-2016, 10:43 AM | #60 | |
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The future of multi-media ebooks is iOS/Android apps (with offline capabilities). Not browser-based, server-side php/asp that requires full-time connectivity. *shrug* It sounds lke a fun hobby-project, though. So like I said; I wish them luck with it. Last edited by DiapDealer; 12-16-2016 at 10:45 AM. |
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