Sigil to Kindlegen -- No Table of Contents

[Bas]

Many thanks again - I did put the book through notepad as recommended by smashworks before putting it on Sigil.
I'v now run it through the threepress.org epubcheck and also transferred it to Calibre - all ok including the TOC.
All I think I need to do is link the index of contents to each html section as kindly described by TheDucks. I'm just a bit nervous about meddling with the CSS.toc but needs must.
Couldn't have got this far as a computer ignoramus without all your help.

[Fabe]

I ran into the same issue. I read thru this forum. So I am asking if the folowing procedure is correct:

1. Create an epub file in Sigil.
2. Open it in Calibre.
3. Convert it to mobi.
4. Upload the new mobi file to Amazon instead of uploading the original epub file.
5. The Amazon book will have a table of contents.

True? Thanks - Fabe

P.S.

I followed these steps and viewed the result in Kindle Preview. The result is a TOC list. Nothing is nested or indented. It's just a straight list of contents LoC!

[Bas]

Many thanks again - I did run my original document through notepad and I'v now run it ok through threepress epub check plus Calibre where it loads ok including TOC.
I think all I need to do now is make the links between the index menu plus html pages using the info kindly supplied by theducks.
I'm a bit nervous of touching the CSS.toc but needs must.
I wouldn't have been able to get this far without all your help. Thanks

Apols - thought it didn't go

[Whackatagin]

Fabe, True. If you have a working toc in your mobi file after Calibre conversion it will remain intact after KDP conversion. It is what you might have heard referred to as an "inline TOC".

BAZ, my old matey, I'm not entirely sure what you mean by linking your index to html sections? If its already passed muster, you should be about done. Either way, if your nervous always use a copy of your file to "play" with things. In fact you should always do that anyway. Just "save as" and add 01, 02, 03 etc to your files as you go. It will save you a lot of time trying to figure out what you've boo-booed.

[Whackatagin]

Oh, sorry Fabe, missed the ps at the end.

To create second level entries you should highlight the point in the book (Subchapter or whatever) and select "H2" from the small drop down at the top left of sigil screen. When you go back into generate TOC it will show as second level to the previous "H1". Although, if you regenerate your TOC you will lose any edits you made to the ncx file. i.e. Changing "Chapter One" to "Chapter 1: It was Just The Beginning". You will need to manually re-enter this change. A pain, but only 5-10 mins work, IF you have actually changed or want to change the TOC entries.

Clear as mud?

[Fabe]

Originally Posted by Whackatagin

Clear as mud?

The muddy part is this: I have 15 books in a series, 650 chapters, and 950 sub-sections. They are epub clean and look great. Go through and manually reset headings for Amazon? I don't think so.

Any alternativers? Thanks. - Fabe

[Whackatagin]

Putting in "H2" tag manually is really the only option. You can't do a find and replace or it will change all the first level TOC entries to second level as well.

Hit the generate TOC button and have a look. What's ticked is in your TOC. Clicking "Cancel" will get you back out without making any changes. It displays in a route tree format like windows explorer. Your sub headings MIGHT already be "H2", then it is just a caase of checking and unchecking the boxes as required.

I think you might have to put on a pot of coffee and roll your sleves up my friend

[Fabe]

Originally Posted by Whackatagin

Put on a pot of coffee and roll your sleves up my friend.

That's how I got here in the first place! My inclination is not to make the ToC fix at all.

One last question. In the real world of Kindle, not Kindle Previewer, do users have access to the NCX view as they do in Previewer?

Thanks. - Fabe

[Whackatagin]

No, only the inline toc you see in previewer

[Bas]

Hi Whackatagin In the Amazon Kindle Publishing guidelines it says that you must have an NCX plus (Guideline 2) "Publishers must place an html page with table of contents at the beginning of the book so that users can easily jump to given locations (typically to a given chapter)
Also it says that you need to declare the NCX in the manifest.
When I put my book on Kindle preview the NCX shows and works ok so I imagine I'v satisfied the last rule but when I click the Table of Contents button it says"Your book is missing a table of contents which allows easy access."
So I'm thinking that it means I need to link each indexed menu item to the appropriate chapter?

[Whackatagin]

Hi Baz,

If you created your TOC in Sigil and convertedvia Calibre then the inline TOC will do just that. Open your mobi in previewer and double click on a TOC item, does it jump to the right chapter? If the answer is yes, then your fine. Calibre does a good job with TOCs. Kovid is a clever guy.

[Bas]

Yes when I click the NCX and get up the menu and click it does jump ok but when I click the button next to it it says I'm missing a table of contents.
Don't you have to have a TOC table of contents plus hypelinking the index at the beginning of the book? A lot of books have that.

[Whackatagin]

You should have an inline toc?

Let's back track.

Do you still ahve the origional epub you converted from? If yes open it in Sigil, save as and give it a new name. i.e. add 01 or test to the file name.

Switch to Table of contents in the bottom left corner of your screen and hit generat Toc form headings. Make sure all the items you that you want in your toc are checked. When all looks good, hit "OK". That will generate a well structured TOC in your NCX.

Import your epub back into Calibre, watch you don't mix it up with the origional/previous one. Click convert idividually. Top left dropdown is epub, top right is mobi.

In "look & Feel" set left align.
In "Page Setup" top window "Kindle" Bottom Window "Default Input"
In "Mobi Output" select the second box, "Put TOC at start"

Don't fiddle with the "Table of Contents" screen, let calibre sus it out itself.

Run Conversion and try the previewer or upload to your kindle. Don't bother with the NCX view in previewer, just the TOC button beside it. It should work fine.

I'll be hanging about, let me know how you get on buddy.

[Whackatagin]

My typing/spelling sucks

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Fabe

One last question. In the real world of Kindle, not Kindle Previewer, do users have access to the NCX view as they do in Previewer?

Thanks. - Fabe

They can't see the NCX view in the real world of Kindle, but they can certainly make use of it. Bumping the left/right arrow buttons (or the joy-pad) will move them to the previous/next entry in the ncx file, but they won't see that view or the NCX hierarchy anywhere (except represented as dots on the reading progress bar).