Kobo Reader Settings Tweaks

[TechniSol]

rwhe,

If it was as simple as eliminating choices to provide elegance I could have spent a lot more time sleeping than compiling, testing, repeating while coding over the years...

My general take on things is that if you provide an "idiot" mode of basic settings and a verbose set of controls at a deeper level of the interface -with a reset to normal values function, you can please just about everyone except those with unrealistic expectations.

<Begin Rant>OTOH, if I'm going to all the trouble to figure out how to allow the user to have a greater range of control, it wouldn't be a bad thing if they took a lousy thirty seconds to learn how to make use of it!</End Rant>

[rwhe]

Originally Posted by TechniSol

rwhe,

If it was as simple as eliminating choices to provide elegance I could have spent a lot more time sleeping than compiling, testing, repeating while coding over the years...

My general take on things is that if you provide an "idiot" mode of basic settings and a verbose set of controls at a deeper level of the interface -with a reset to normal values function, you can please just about everyone except those with unrealistic expectations.

I never claimed lack of choice equalled elegance, although I might argue simplicity is necessary but not sufficient for the latter.

All I've ever meant to say in this thread is that you can't please everyone, so some people are going to get left out. You might even be one!

Some people have unrealistic expectations, and it's unrealistic to expect no one will.

[davidfor]

As I have recently done some experiments and recorded the settings, I thought I would post the findings.

The font size range from 12 to 58. The default is between 22 and 25. I didn't try all the settings. I think I did the ten smallest and then a random lot in the larger sizes. Not all the numbers are there. All are the from 12 to 22. And then it skips one every few steps. From 40 to 58 I think it skips every second number.

The line spacing has the following values: 1, 1.35, 1.4, 1.6, 1.775, 1.9, 2, 2.2, 3. I have no idea why they would choose those but I haven't tried any other numbers. I thought they might change with font face or size, but they don't seem to.

The margins start with 0 and go up by 3 to 15. You can set this to any number in that range and it will be used. You might be able to set it to a larger number, but I haven't tried. And I can't see any reason to go as high as 15.

The justification is "off", "left" and "justify". "right" doesn't seem to works, but I haven't checked the styles of the book I tried to make sure that wasn't blocking it.

After a lot of playing, I find I like Georgia, font size 17, spacing of 1, margins 1 and justification off.

As an arrogant programmer (I'd like to think I am not typical, but I probably am), I have made decisions about this sort of thing plenty of times. But someone has to make the decisions. Hopefully an expert tells you what is needed. Sometimes you are the expert. Sometimes no-one has a clue so you make the decision and hope you get it right.

[murg]

Originally Posted by rwhe

Some people have unrealistic expectations, and it's unrealistic to expect no one will.

As the customer, my expectations are completely and absolutely reasonable, regardless of what they are.

[murg]

Originally Posted by davidfor

As an arrogant programmer (I'd like to think I am not typical, but I probably am), I have made decisions about this sort of thing plenty of times. But someone has to make the decisions. Hopefully an expert tells you what is needed. Sometimes you are the expert. Sometimes no-one has a clue so you make the decision and hope you get it right.

I've been finding that I really hate the 50/50 decisions, where either way of doing something is equally good (or, far too many times, equally bad).

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by murg

I've been finding that I really hate the 50/50 decisions, where either way of doing something is equally good (or, far too many times, equally bad).

In the past, I have deliberately used a very bad choice for some options. The users/tester/whoever are more likely to complain when things are way off than when they are nearly right.

[davidfor]

Another tweak for those of us dumb enough to try it. And yes, I am referring to myself.

In the config file, there are the following lines:

LastLibrarySorter_all_=sortByTitle()
LastLibrarySorter_books_=sortByTitle()
LastLibrarySorter_books_filterByBundled%28%29=sortByNewest()
LastLibrarySorter_home_=sortByHomePage()
LastLibrarySorter_home_filterByBundled%28%29=sortByHomePage()
LastLibrarySorter_shelf_filterByBookshelf%28Test%20Shelf%29=sortByTitle()

If you change the sort sequence on the library list, the value for "LastLibrarySorter_books_filterByBundled%28%29 " changes. The sort names I have seen are: sortByTitle, sortByAuthor and sortByNewest. I assume there is also sortByFileSize and sortByFileType or something similar. sortByHomePage is what is used on the home page: newest to oldest, but filter out the Finished books.

So, if you want to sort the library in the same way as the home page, make the following change:

LastLibrarySorter_books_filterByBundled%28%29=sortByHomePage()

Unfortunately, it isn't on the sort menu, so you lose it when you change to a different sort.

[mutant_matt]

Davidfor, very interesting, thanks.

I don't suppose we could use a setting in this area to do something like, make the last book that was being read (that isn't complete), always the "Large" one on the home page? (so that, after loading more than 5 new books, you don't loose the book off the home page, you are currently reading? )

[EldRick]

As I have recently done some experiments and recorded the settings, I thought I would post the findings.

Good experimentation - thanks.

What I'm interested in is 1-point font size changes in the 23 to 27 range, where they start skipping sizes. I also use left margin 2 and right margin 1, neither of which seems to be accessible from the slider.

I think perhaps I'm maligning the coder, while the values may well have been made by some marketing of management person with limited technical understanding, like many product managers I've known. If so, please accept my apologies, programmer.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by EldRick

Good experimentation - thanks.

What I'm interested in is 1-point font size changes in the 23 to 27 range, where they start skipping sizes. I also use left margin 2 and right margin 1, neither of which seems to be accessible from the slider.

I haven't played much with the font sizes, but I think any integer in the range will be accepted.

Personally, I do this in the database rather than the configuration file. That way I get per book settings. The differences between epubs and kepubs mean that I would have to adjust things each time I changed types. Though I normally read epubs, I have bought a few books from Kobo recently and am trying the kepub version.

[EldRick]

"I think any integer in the range will be accepted."

Yep.

[davidfor]

How big did you go?

Does anyone know if the upper and lower margins in the mini can be adjusted by editing the reader.conf file? My lower margin is way too big. I see settings for left and right but not top or bottom.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by davidfor

The font size range from 12 to 58. The default is between 22 and 25. I didn't try all the settings. I think I did the ten smallest and then a random lot in the larger sizes. Not all the numbers are there. All are the from 12 to 22. And then it skips one every few steps. From 40 to 58 I think it skips every second number.

For my own interest I decided to fill in the gaps in the Glo (fw 2.1.5) font-size details, so I may as well post them here to save anyone else the tedium (and rather a lot of crashes). The 24 values are:-
12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58

This has helped me understand why I'm struggling to get my 'perfect size' with some fonts, which go from 'a bit too small' to 'too large' in one step. It appears my ideal font-size is around 28-30, depending which font family is chosen. I find it odd that the granularity in the mid-range (28-44) is 4 (pts?) per click whilst it is only 2 at the top end.

Originally Posted by davidfor

The line spacing has the following values: 1, 1.35, 1.4, 1.6, 1.775, 1.9, 2, 2.2, 3. I have no idea why they would choose those but I haven't tried any other numbers. I thought they might change with font face or size, but they don't seem to.

When I looked at line-height on the Glo I had a different minimum value to you, namely:
1.3, 1.35, 1.4, 1.6, 1.775, 1.9, 2.0, 2.2, 3.0
1.3 is a bit big for my tastes, for most fonts. I wonder how many people choose a line-height of 2+?

Originally Posted by davidfor

The margins start with 0 and go up by 3 to 15. You can set this to any number in that range and it will be used. You might be able to set it to a larger number, but I haven't tried. And I can't see any reason to go as high as 15.

I agree, 15 does seem way too high, I'd prefer settings 0-5 with 1pt granularity or even 0-10 with 2pt granularity.

Originally Posted by davidfor

After a lot of playing, I find I like Georgia, font size 17...

Sigh... I wish I could read that small

[EldRick]

Definitely a lot of poorly-chosen and arbitrary choices there - certainly no-one will ever use a line-spacing of 1.6+, IMHO, likewise margins greater than 5.

And I'd sure like to see 23 and 27 for font size options, while they could ditch the sizes over 48 or so - you would get about half a sentence per page with the largest sizes.

Now if someone would just locate the tables where the values are stored, and develop a patch program, I'd be Real Happy...