Sigil-0.9.5 Released

[bookman156]

So it does. I knew it was a stupid question...

[KevinH]

I didn't know about it until I had to update the Sigil code related to it. I simply just edited the opf and never used the Add Semantics menus, so I never knew it toggled. Sigil just has so many tools and features that very few people are familiar with them all.
KevinH

[DiapDealer]

"Right-click on everything you see," is my motto.

[exaltedwombat]

It actually WOULD be good to have the check marks back in the Semantics menu...

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by exaltedwombat

It actually WOULD be good to have the check marks back in the Semantics menu...

In case you haven't noticed, it's a dialog box now and not a context menu any more. There's no place for a check mark to go. Hence the tooltip/lack of tooltip instead.

Eventually, we plan to add a new dockable widget that will display spine entries and any of their associated properties like semantics, and/or epub3 manifest properties, etc, that users can use to easily see/edit these properties. We're just not there yet.

[GrannyGrump]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I was mainly thinking of front and back matter - renaming files to HalfTitle, Acknowledgements, Preface, Colophon, Foreword, References, Notes, Maps etc etc is tedious - easier to give them a Semantic tag
BR

Just browsing thru the thread and this caught my eye. Something to try that can eliminate a lot of heartache/burn:

I keep an empty "boiler-plate" epub, with every possible type of blank xhtml file already included, with its identifying name. such as: halftitle.xhtml, appendix.xhtml, foreword.xhtml, preface.xhtml, etc, etc, and with appropriate semantics already applied. I also almost always use the same name for stylesheets, so those links are pretty static. Then just paste in the desired marked-up text, including stylesheet links (usually created in notepad++) into the appropriate file.

Delete the files that aren't needed for that particular book. Whammo --- Now I can use my tedium quota for other things, like creating cross-linked footnotes, etc.

Of course, I am only a hobbyist, I don't know if this would be viable in a production environment.

[Turtle91]

I'm similar...with standard css which I use when "cleaning". Then modify any specific styling as necessary. The only other difference is that I save the template files as individual htmls in my epub folder on my hard drive. That way I import a project at one time, then import individual template files as needed. 6 to one, half-dozen to another.

[exaltedwombat]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

In case you haven't noticed, it's a dialog box now and not a context menu any more. There's no place for a check mark to go. Hence the tooltip/lack of tooltip instead.

Eventually, we plan to add a new dockable widget that will display spine entries and any of their associated properties like semantics, and/or epub3 manifest properties, etc, that users can use to easily see/edit these properties. We're just not there yet.

Well, yes, I had noticed the change. That was what I was questioning, and mildly complaining about! How is this new way an improvement?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by exaltedwombat

Well, yes, I had noticed the change. That was what I was questioning, and mildly complaining about! How is this new way an improvement?

This new way was a necessary change to accomodate the more expansive set of EPUB3 semantics, which would result in a ridiculously huge and unwieldy context menu had we stayed with the old method. We didn't change it just to change it. Some may not like it, so we plan to offer an alternative method of viewing/changing semantics (and other file properties). Hopefully one method or the other will satisfy everyone. If not, patches to Sigil's source (so long as they accomodate both EPUB2 and EPUB3) will always be welcomed and considered.

[exaltedwombat]

I wonder how long it will be before we can dare to publish in EPUB3? :-)

Maybe there's a way, when setting a semantic, to display any already-active one? It would be rather useful.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by exaltedwombat

I wonder how long it will be before we can dare to publish in EPUB3? :-)

I buy EPUB3s from commercial sellers all the time. Kobo, Google, Nook all sell them, and Kindlegen accepts them as input. People seem to be under the misconception that EPUB3s must be multi-media-laden and that current readers are unable to render them.

[KevinH]

Since you have to have your mouse over the file you want to add a semantic too, you can easily see whether it has a semantic set or not ... since your are mousing over it at exactly that time. BTW: this is not a change in the sense Sigil showing semantic properties on mouseover was already part of the code.

Alternatively, simply open the opf tab and look at the guide and you can see everything set. You do not have to edit inside the opf tab if you are afraid to change things there but you can easily view the opf with no fear.

So you already have two methods to see and set guide semantics already. A third will come later.

That said, we will not go back to the absurdly long list of menu items used previously, and generate an even longer list for epub3. Besides being too long, the old approach did not allow the definition to go along with the name as we do now. And many of those terms will be unknown to many users making the current dialog approach a big improvement in my opinion.

And of course, stick with an earlier version of Sigil if you do not like the changes as even more epub3 support is coming to Sigil as some ebooks producers really do want epub3 versions as indicated by the significant increase in Sigil downloads per version we are seeing.

KevinH

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by exaltedwombat

Maybe there's a way, when setting a semantic, to display any already-active one? It would be rather useful.

Are you, perhaps, choosing to ignore my (repeated) statement that we're planning to introduce a new dockable widget that will let you quickly see/edit/set a file's properties (including semantics)?

[exaltedwombat]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Are you, perhaps, choosing to ignore my (repeated) statement that we're planning to introduce a new dockable widget that will let you quickly see/edit/set a file's properties (including semantics)?

No. Just wondering why you withdrew the old, more useful one before the new one was ready. But no biggie.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by exaltedwombat

No. Just wondering why you withdrew the old, more useful one before the new one was ready. But no biggie.

Oh, well done on that passive-agressive dig. Bravo.

We "withdrew" nothing. We "changed" it to move forward (while losing none of the previous functionality), and will flesh out more features related to it as time permits. You know ... standard development stuff. No biggie.