Page Break vs Chapter Split

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Trane

Good to know! BTW, when I did split the book (as a trial) it renamed them all .html not .xhtml ? Of course the original file is .html. I was considering perhaps putting HTML5 content in. Can I just have Sigil convert to .xhtml or ...?

When splitting or merging, the original extension is preserved. The extension itself doesn't really matter (though EPubCheck will generate warnings for html5 with .html extension in EPUB3s). But you can rename them in one go with Sigil. Just highlight all the html files, right-click->Rename, and enter ".xhtml" (without the quotes) to rename them all to *.xhtml.

It would probably be slightly easier to rename one file to *.xhtml before splitting, but it's no great hardship to rename them all to *.xhtml in one fell swoop after splitting, either.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Trane

Referring to my wanting to put a page break in certain places:



Understood. The page breaks I would put in would be at a few sub-chapter headings, not randomly within text. The book is technical and there are one or two longer chapters. A page break at a sub-chapter would create a small break for the reader. A sort of mental period to take a breath and absorb while turning the page to see the next section.

In the end I may resort to just letting the book split there and end up with a few sub-chapter HTML files, but it's my nature to be consistent as in most cases that serves better in the long run for various and sometimes unforeseen or unanticipated reasons. Streamline is good.

Sigils TOC tool can be set to only document at or Above H# levels

so if: H1 is Title and Parts, H2 Chapters those could show and H3 on do not show if you use the H2 setting on the TOC tool

I have broken up some of Modesitt's work. He has a fondness for 150 chapters

[Trane]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

When splitting or merging, the original extension is preserved. The extension itself doesn't really matter (though EPubCheck will generate warnings for html5 with .html extension in EPUB3s). But you can rename them in one go with Sigil. Just highlight all the html files, right-click->Rename, and enter ".xhtml" (without the quotes) to rename them all to *.xhtml.

It would probably be slightly easier to rename one file to *.xhtml before splitting, but it's no great hardship to rename them all to *.xhtml in one fell swoop after splitting, either.

Excellent! Thank you so very much for all of your help. Your favorite libation on me.

[Trane]

Originally Posted by theducks

Sigils TOC tool can be set to only document at or Above H# levels

so if: H1 is Title and Parts, H2 Chapters those could show and H3 on do not show if you use the H2 setting on the TOC tool

I have broken up some of Modesitt's work. He has a fondness for 150 chapters

Really good to know. Thanks! I have not generated the TOC yet b/c I still have to insert pics and do a little more work on it (including writing title pages). But will keep this in mind for that task.

Do you have a preference for the best time to generate the TOC? I am guessing it should be one of the last things you do, or is it good to generate one earlier to use as a sort of guide to get a feel for the flow of the book? (Sometimes you can see by a TOC if info seems presented out of order, or that it might be better with a few headings changed around a bit or whatever.)

Or maybe there is a practical reason for generating the TOC at point X?

[exaltedwombat]

Originally Posted by Trane

The reason I don't want more HTML pages is b/c it's a long book and already have over 64 HTML pages when split at Chapter h1 headings. Plus it's consistent to place them at h1 and rename all the files after the chapters so I can navigate through later if I need to to look for something. I prefer not to also have subchapter HTML files. Just a personal preference for my own process.

Bad reasons! Have a new HTML file when you want a new page. Period. That's how EPUB works.

If you first set your chapter breaks, you can then do an auto-rename to Chapter_001.HTML etc. Then you have your landmarks. Within a chapter, when a HTML break is needed, don't be afraid to make it.

[JSWolf]

When a program displaying the eBook does not honor pagebreak and you mave multiple chapters in one file, then the eBook looks poorly made.

Just an aside, paragraph spaces, huge spacing for chapter headers, and really wide margins all look like a poorly made eBook.

[DiapDealer]

Let's try giving advice rather than orders. We all have what we "believe" to be "the best way" to make epubs, but the fact is ... not everyone's needs are the same. Not everyone is making an epub that absolutely MUST work on every device ever manufactured.

By all means, mention that all devices/apps may not honor the page-break-(before|after) css attribute, but let's not tell someone they should "never, ever do it that way." People learn by doing, not by having anonymous internet personalities say things like; "No! Bad epub maker! Bad! No!"

@Trane: Try the css "soft" page-breaks yourself. See how they work and how you do it. Then decide if using it is worth the risk of it being ignored on some devices or not. You're under no obligation to make the world's most compliant, universally-rendered epub on the planet.

[exaltedwombat]

Originally Posted by Trane

Good to know! BTW, when I did split the book (as a trial) it renamed them all .html not .xhtml ? Of course the original file is .html. I was considering perhaps putting HTML5 content in. Can I just have Sigil convert to .xhtml or ...?

Don't worry whether the files are called HTML or XHTML.

But remember an eBook is not a web site. You have to stick to the subset of HTML commands that are compatible with EPUB.

If you try anything you're not sure about, run EpubCheck and FlightCrew. Also check your EPUB in Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) on your computer and preferably also on a real eBook reader.

[JSWolf]

I don't recommend using FlightCrew as it's not as comprehensive as epubcheck.

[DiapDealer]

Getting far off track, now.

[exaltedwombat]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I don't recommend using FlightCrew as it's not as comprehensive as epubcheck.

Use them both. Sometimes one gives a more helpful error reference than the other.

[Trane]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Let's try giving advice rather than orders. We all have what we "believe" to be "the best way" to make epubs, but the fact is ... not everyone's needs are the same. Not everyone is making an epub that absolutely MUST work on every device ever manufactured.

By all means, mention that all devices/apps may not honor the page-break-(before|after) css attribute, but let's not tell someone they should "never, ever do it that way." People learn by doing, not by having anonymous internet personalities say things like; "No! Bad epub maker! Bad! No!"

@Trane: Try the css "soft" page-breaks yourself. See how they work and how you do it. Then decide if using it is worth the risk of it being ignored on some devices or not. You're under no obligation to make the world's most compliant, universally-rendered epub on the planet.

Thanks DiapDealer. I didn't respond to the previous replies b/c I already stated earlier in this thread I would likely go with the split afterall. So the 'paddling' was a non-sequitur. I also never indicated I was planning on using wide margins or excessive spacing, but lurkers might benefit from that advice.

It's good to know about the CSS soft page-breaks whether I use them or not. I'll see how many I need to do, and how critical they are, and let the combo of that weigh into the final decision.

Thanks again for all your help. For everyone's help. Much appreciated.

[Trane]

Originally Posted by exaltedwombat

If you try anything you're not sure about, run EpubCheck and FlightCrew.

Good to know, thanks.

Also check your EPUB in Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) on your computer and preferably also on a real eBook reader.

Yes, planned on that of course. Can't send a car out without a test drive on several different roads. Don't want a wheel falling off on the customer.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Trane

Really good to know. Thanks! I have not generated the TOC yet b/c I still have to insert pics and do a little more work on it (including writing title pages). But will keep this in mind for that task.

Do you have a preference for the best time to generate the TOC? I am guessing it should be one of the last things you do, or is it good to generate one earlier to use as a sort of guide to get a feel for the flow of the book? (Sometimes you can see by a TOC if info seems presented out of order, or that it might be better with a few headings changed around a bit or whatever.)

Or maybe there is a practical reason for generating the TOC at point X?

As many times as you want. It replaces the Previous NCX.
You might see problems early: Missing chapter (entry), wrong level.

The HTML contents (tool) creates from the NCX, so I wait till the end for that

[exaltedwombat]

Originally Posted by Trane

Do you have a preference for the best time to generate the TOC? I am guessing it should be one of the last things you do, or is it good to generate one earlier to use as a sort of guide to get a feel for the flow of the book? (Sometimes you can see by a TOC if info seems presented out of order, or that it might be better with a few headings changed around a bit or whatever.)

This sounds a bit like you're WRITING the book directly into an EPUB editor? Well... OK....