Kindle Previewer 3.40 - 64bit, SVG text, snap-block

[jhowell]

Amazon has released version 3.40 of the Kindle Previewer. The release notes states:

New in Kindle Previewer 3.40.0:
1) Faster book open times.
2) Includes stability improvements and bug fixes.

Changes not described in the release notes include:

The Kindle Previewer is now a 64-bit application. On the PC platform it requires Windows 8.1 or later. It is no longer compatible with Windows 7.

It now supports SVG images that contain text in Enhanced Typesetting (KFX format). Previously that would block KFX conversion. Now the text is rasterized, poorly.

The "float" CSS property now supports the value "snap-block". I do not understand it fully yet, but it seems to allow improved text flow around images. More info at W3C CSS Page Floats.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Amazon has released version 3.40 of the Kindle Previewer. The release notes states:



Changes not described in the release notes include:

The Kindle Previewer is now a 64-bit application. On the PC platform it requires Windows 8.1 or later. It is no longer compatible with Windows 7.

It now supports SVG images that contain text in Enhanced Typesetting (KFX format). Previously that would block KFX conversion. Now the text is rasterized, poorly.

The "float" CSS property now supports the value "snap-block". I do not understand it fully yet, but it seems to allow improved text flow around images. More info at W3C CSS Page Floats.

Oh, Sweet Baby Jesus. I foresee headaches in my future when someone who can't spell HTML reads that!

I think I feel a migraine starting.

Hitch

[Tex2002ans]

Originally Posted by jhowell

The "float" CSS property now supports the value "snap-block". I do not understand it fully yet, but it seems to allow improved text flow around images. More info at W3C CSS Page Floats.

Also see:

https://www.pagedmedia.org/page-floats/

for some other graphics/explanations.

CSS float: snap-block looks to be similar to Prince's float: top or float: bottom.

float: top/bottom will float itself to that edge no matter what.

snap-block will approximately say:

"If it's within X distance of the top/bottom edge of the page, float to the edge. If it's in the middle of the page, don't float to top/bottom."

* * *

These types of floats are very helpful in Non-Fiction for Figures, where an image+caption should be stuck together, but location doesn't have to be smack dab in that EXACT location in the text:

Example: "See Figure 14, where the red line is nearly half the blue."

As long as Figure 14 is on the same page or close by (within a screen or two), top/middle/bottom, it doesn't matter.

Currently, if a Figure needs 1/3rd of the screen, but there's only a 25% space at the bottom of a page... the page will just have a huge blank spot. This'll make sure that 25% gap gets full of text, and the float takes up the nearest available location.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Tex2002ans

Also see:

https://www.pagedmedia.org/page-floats/

for some other graphics/explanations.

CSS float: snap-block looks to be similar to Prince's float: top or float: bottom.

float: top/bottom will float itself to that edge no matter what.

snap-block will approximately say:

"If it's within X distance of the top/bottom edge of the page, float to the edge. If it's in the middle of the page, don't float to top/bottom."

* * *

These types of floats are very helpful in Non-Fiction for Figures, where an image+caption should be stuck together, but location doesn't have to be smack dab in that EXACT location in the text:

Example: "See Figure 14, where the red line is nearly half the blue."

As long as Figure 14 is on the same page or close by (within a screen or two), top/middle/bottom, it doesn't matter.

Currently, if a Figure needs 1/3rd of the screen, but there's only a 25% space at the bottom of a page... the page will just have a huge blank spot. This'll make sure that 25% gap gets full of text, and the float takes up the nearest available location.

Hmmm...hmmm. Yup, that would be some kinda handy. If I actually believed that it was going to work. Not to be a skeptic or anything, but....I'll believe it when I see it.

Hitch

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Tex2002ans

Also see:
https://www.pagedmedia.org/page-floats/
for some other graphics/explanations.
...

Thanks for the explanation. I will have to try it out and see how it works.

[Tex2002ans]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Hmmm...hmmm. Yup, that would be some kinda handy. If I actually believed that it was going to work. Not to be a skeptic or anything, but....I'll believe it when I see it.

It has worked in Prince for years and years for converting HTML+CSS -> paged output:

https://www.princexml.com/doc/styling/#floats

(Since 2004, Prince has also been worked on by one of the co-creators of CSS... and a lot of the CSS3 Paged Media stuff is based upon Prince's groundwork.)

For more bleeding-edge info on CSS pages (even showing it off in the browser), see the ebookcraft 2019 talk, "Pagination in the Browser: Why, What, and How".

Around 37 mins, she also shows Paged.js (Pajedjs.org + their Github), where you can use some of this stuff right now.

Originally Posted by jhowell

Thanks for the explanation. I will have to try it out and see how it works.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Tex2002ans

It has worked in Prince for years and years for converting HTML+CSS -> paged output:

https://www.princexml.com/doc/styling/#floats

(Since 2004, Prince has also been worked on by one of the co-creators of CSS... and a lot of the CSS3 Paged Media stuff is based upon Prince's groundwork.)

For more bleeding-edge info on CSS pages (even showing it off in the browser), see the ebookcraft 2019 talk, "Pagination in the Browser: Why, What, and How".

Yabbut, you're talking to a woman who's still waiting on the sample CSS from the KPG of 2013 to actually work. You'll have to forgive my skepticism. CSS has been my jilting Kindle lover way, way too many times, leaving me sadly at the altar, wilting flowers in my hands.

Hitch