[Conversion Plugin] KFX Input

[stefano.sb]

Hi, a question just a little bit OT but...

1) Ebook previously imported into Calbre from Kindle device (for instance using KFX Import plugin)
2) After few days the author submit to Amazon some changes of his ebook (it appears as "update avaiable" in amazon "my contents and devices")
3) This "new" version of the ebook is sinchronized into Kindle device (via Wifi)
4) Is there a way in Calibre library to know that this "new" ebook version is different/updated from the same ebook stored into Kindle device?

Thanks in advance

Stefano

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by stefano.sb

Is there a way in Calibre library to know that this "new" ebook version is different/updated from the same ebook stored into Kindle device?

Not as far as I know.

[jhowell]

Version 1.17.0 - 03 Jun 2019

Support additional KFX features. (Fixes "Unexpected Ion symbols used: $780, $782. Unexpected style definition: line-break: strict")

In addition to the webkit properties supported by Amazon also emit the equivalent standard properties when possible.

Emit an SVG image wrapper for cover pages. (Only relevant when using the command line interface or when the "Use cover from source file" conversion option is selected.)

Internal changes in preparation for the planned switch in calibre from Python 2 to Python 3.

[stefano.sb]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Not as far as I know.

Hi jhowell, I think that when an author updates his ebook the "Edition Number" is also changed. See here https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200644080

Do you know if the "Edition number" is one field in the metadata.kfx file? If so it would be possible to identify an update into ebook considering the difference between the old value and new value of "edition number" field

What do you think about that?

Thanks

Stefano

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by stefano.sb

Hi jhowell, I think that when an author updates his ebook the "Edition Number" is also changed. See here https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200644080

Do you know if the "Edition number" is one field in the metadata.kfx file? If so it would be possible to identify an update into ebook considering the difference between the old value and new value of "edition number" field

The edition number is not meant for the types of minor updates that occur for most e-books. It is a piece of metadata mostly used for reference books, such as college textbooks. New editions are often sold as separate new books, rather than provided as updates to existing books. And in any case it is not included in the metadata provided to the customer, as least not in KFX format.

Internally Amazon uses a 4-byte unique ID to distinguish between updated versions of the same book. This is part of the MOBI header in MOBI/KF8 format, but is not included in KFX. KFX has a book_id field that may serve a similar purpose, but I haven't looked into it enough to be certain.

It would be possible to detect changes to e-book files using a stored hash of the original content. That approach would be applicable to more than just Amazon.

In any case the handling of book updates is not really specific to KFX, would require significant work, and is not something that I am interested in pursuing.

[stefano.sb]

Originally Posted by jhowell

It would be possible to detect changes to e-book files using a stored hash of the original content. That approach would be applicable to more than just Amazon.

Thanks jhowell, I think that your last suggestion is the best and general way to identify every changes in the original content of ebook

Stefano

[devnull]

Hi,

I'm happy to go through 18 pages of this thread in order to learn how to convert KFX to ePUB but, according to my research until now, some people say that this is not possible anymore with the newest ebooks.

Is this correct or there IS actually a way to convert the latest KFX ebooks to ePUB? I wouldn't want to invest my time in learning something which is not possible to do at the moment.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by devnull

I'm happy to go through 18 pages of this thread in order to learn how to convert KFX to ePUB but, according to my research until now, some people say that this is not possible anymore with the newest ebooks.

First, you do not need to read the entire thread. The instructions in the first post are updated as needed.

There is no known way to remove DRM from books in KFX format that are downloaded using recent Kindle apps/firmware. That limitation prevents them from being converted. From the first post:

DRM removal for KFX format only works with books from Kindle for PC/Mac versions 1.19 through 1.24.3 and e-ink Kindle devices with firmware versions 5.6.5 through 5.10.1.3. (Older versions do not support KFX and newer versions use a new, unsupported DRM scheme.)

To answer your question, it is still possible, but only if your device is running specific, older software.

[Timboli]

Thanks for the update.

[devnull]

Originally Posted by jhowell

To answer your question, it is still possible, but only if your device is running specific, older software.

I apologize for the my lack of research, I just wasn't sure where to look, even though it was before me. :-) Thanks for your help jhowell!

[jhowell]

Version 1.17.1 - 10 Jun 2019

Fix incorrect handling of units leading to conversion failure for some books. (Fixes "TypeError(\"unsupported operand type(s) for *: 'NoneType' and 'Decimal'\",)")

[stefano.sb]

Originally Posted by jhowell

It would be possible to detect changes to e-book files using a stored hash of the original content. That approach would be applicable to more than just Amazon.

In any case the handling of book updates is not really specific to KFX, would require significant work, and is not something that I am interested in pursuing.

Hi jhowell, in a KFX ebook what are the files generally updated by an author in a new release oh his ebook? Is there an how-to that explains the kfx files structure?

Thanks

Stefano

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by stefano.sb

in a KFX ebook what are the files generally updated by an author in a new release oh his ebook?

If an author updates a book it will be reprocessed by Amazon to produce a new copy in KFX format. KFX format books are made up of multiple files. Depending on what was changed different files that make up the book may be altered.

The naming conversion used for the component files of a KFX book varies with the device/app type. For an e-ink Kindle device there is one main encrypted file with an extension of ".kfx" that holds the bulk of the content. There is also a folder with the same name as the main book file, but with an extension of ".sdr". The remaining KFX files that make up the book will be in a subfolder of the sdr folder named "assets" and its subfolders.

Originally Posted by stefano.sb

Is there an how-to that explains the kfx files structure?

Not really. Most of what I have discovered about the workings of KFX format is documented in the form of the source code of the KFX Input plugin.

There is miscellaneous information about KFX in the the MobileRead Wiki (KFX).

The KFX Format thread has a lot of what was learned about KFX over time, but it is very long with lots of irrelevant and later-corrected information.

[stefano.sb]

Originally Posted by jhowell

If an author updates a book it will be reprocessed by Amazon to produce a new copy in KFX format. KFX format books are made up of multiple files. Depending on what was changed different files that make up the book may be altered.

The naming conversion used for the component files of a KFX book varies with the device/app type. For an e-ink Kindle device there is one main encrypted file with an extension of ".kfx" that holds the bulk of the content. There is also a folder with the same name as the main book file, but with an extension of ".sdr". The remaining KFX files that make up the book will be in a subfolder of the sdr folder named "assets" and its subfolders.

Thanks! Instead... what files are normally updated by kindle device when I read an ebook in kfx format?

Stefano

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by stefano.sb

what files are normally updated by kindle device when I read an ebook in kfx format?

When you read any book on a Kindle, KFX or not, some of the files in the associated .sdr folder are updated with your progress. This is not an area I have looked into very closely so I can't tell you exactly which files.

Any files in an "assets" subfolder of the .sdr folder are not updated as you read, since those are part of the book content.