[Conversion Output] kfxgen - open-source python KFX generator

[jloutsch]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I tested the latest version on 7 books which I sent to my Paperwhite. The results looks pretty decent but then I'm doing nothing fancy in the books. One acquaintance loves the idea since he uses Linux.

Thank you for testing!

I first tested it myself with fantasy and fiction books but have switched to reading current events books with nested TOC and discovered some bugs that I spent the past few days fixing. There was also a duplicate chapter header display bug I resolved.

[tomsem]

Some styles are getting lost in the (attached and scrambled) ePub on conversion. Some images are not displaying in same size and styles in image captions are not preserved. There are probably other issues.

Is conversion of fixed layout ePub (e.g. comics) on roadmap for this plugin? I have not tried any yet. There's a pure Python project to do it https://github.com/HankunYu/kindle-c...karound-5.19.x.

Also there's one to convert PDF to functional Print Replica KFX. it would be nice to have all of these options in one place. But I don't mind using Send To Kindle for regular ePub or PDF, only issue there is file size restriction.


There appears to be no way to specify which plugin should convert to KFX; I had to uninstall KFX Output before kfxgen would work. @Jhowell is updating to have it get out of the way when Disabled.



Thanks

[jloutsch]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Some styles are getting lost in the (attached and scrambled) ePub on conversion. Some images are not displaying in same size and styles in image captions are not preserved. There are probably other issues.

Is conversion of fixed layout ePub (e.g. comics) on roadmap for this plugin? I have not tried any yet. There's a pure Python project to do it https://github.com/HankunYu/kindle-c...karound-5.19.x.

Also there's one to convert PDF to functional Print Replica KFX. it would be nice to have all of these options in one place. But I don't mind using Send To Kindle for regular ePub or PDF, only issue there is file size restriction.


There appears to be no way to specify which plugin should convert to KFX; I had to uninstall KFX Output before kfxgen would work. @Jhowell is updating to have it get out of the way when Disabled.



Thanks

I'll take the easy one first: you can only have one output plugin per format, so I had to remove jhowell's plugin to test my own.

For the epub:What is this? How did you create this epub? Is it purposely scrambled just to test embedded fonts?

I can't make out what I'm supposed to do with this epub given it reads like gibberish to even tell what's wrong to begin with - sorry but hopefully you can direct me more? The images all show 'epub' in them so I also can't make out what's wrong there.

Just for fun I converted it to KFX anyway and added it to my kindle, and it appears to render correctly textwise, both with the option to embed fonts enabled and disabled. But as I said the images all are just thumbnails of the word 'epub'. These also appear in the kindle.

[DNSB]

That is standard behaviour for the ScrambleEbook plugin. Both text and images are removed. You can still look at the CSS stylesheets and opf file.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by jloutsch

I'll take the easy one first: you can only have one output plugin per format, so I had to remove jhowell's plugin to test my own.

For the epub:What is this? How did you create this epub? Is it purposely scrambled just to test embedded fonts?

I can't make out what I'm supposed to do with this epub given it reads like gibberish to even tell what's wrong to begin with - sorry but hopefully you can direct me more? The images all show 'epub' in them so I also can't make out what's wrong there.

Just for fun I converted it to KFX anyway and added it to my kindle, and it appears to render correctly textwise, both with the option to embed fonts enabled and disabled. But as I said the images all are just thumbnails of the word 'epub'. These also appear in the kindle.

You would need to open the .ePub with some ePup app (Thorium Reader is pretty standards compliant) and compare with the KFX on some Kindle or Kindle app. Some of the images aren’t scaled properly and image captions don’t have same styles in KFX. Probably other style issues but I didn’t go through the entire book.

[jloutsch]

Originally Posted by tomsem

You would need to open the .ePub with some ePup app (Thorium Reader is pretty standards compliant) and compare with the KFX on some Kindle or Kindle app. Some of the images aren’t scaled properly and image captions don’t have same styles in KFX. Probably other style issues but I didn’t go through the entire book.

Yes I opened it in Calibre and put the converted KFX onto kindle but in the scrambled format, well, I have no idea what it SHOULD look like to make any kind of comparison or conclusions.

[jloutsch]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Good work. If you are willing to lift the no font embedding limitation I might be willing to merge your plugin into calibre, making it a builtin plugin after it has matured a bit and seen some testing via users.

Kovid, I've had some contributors recently with many children's books full of images and some comics and have worked out reported image issues.

I've been reading more non-fiction alongside fantasy, I think that this plugin is ready to be merged. I've received a request asking for merge into calibre as well.

[kovidgoyal]

OK feel free to send a PR I will review it as I find time

[watersb]

@kovidgoyal, @jloutsch. I am very thankful for a new way to generate KFX, and in particular to you, jloutsch, the documentation and notes that you have kept during the reversed engineering process.

I am new to ebook production, although I feel like I've been a keen user of ebooks at least since prc files on the Palm Pilot... The Xhtml design is familiar, but I have been at a loss to learn how a my web technique reflexes are wrong I'm not familiar with book formatting pipeline adventures. I would like to get a poem to render correctly on a single page... Good times.

I really love being able to design some test pages, convert from epub to KFX and see what happens!

[93terp]

Love this plugin! Got it to convert an EPUB to KFX. However, what's the trick to opening the KFX file in Calibre to view the formatting/conversion? I'm getting an error when I click on the KFX file type,

"calibre, version 9.13.0
ERROR: No associated program: Windows will try to open London Falling_ A Mysterious De - Patrick Radden Keefe.kfx with calibre itself resulting in a duplicate in your calibre library. You should install some program capable of viewing this file format and tell Windows to use that program to open files of this type."

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by 93terp

Love this plugin! Got it to convert an EPUB to KFX. However, what's the trick to opening the KFX file in Calibre to view the formatting/conversion? I'm getting an error when I click on the KFX file type,

"calibre, version 9.13.0
ERROR: No associated program: Windows will try to open London Falling_ A Mysterious De - Patrick Radden Keefe.kfx with calibre itself resulting in a duplicate in your calibre library. You should install some program capable of viewing this file format and tell Windows to use that program to open files of this type."

You send the file to your Kindle device or app for reading.

[93terp]

Originally Posted by DNSB

You send the file to your Kindle device or app for reading.

That worked just fine. I just always open my AZWs and EPUBs in calibre to check them before sideloading to my Kindle. First world problems

[PoP]

Originally Posted by 93terp

... what's the trick to opening the KFX file in Calibre to view the formatting/conversion? I'm getting an error when I click on the KFX file type..."

See this post from jhowell:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...33#post3288333