Kobo Book Description Formatting

[hatuluang]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Those gaps between paragraphs are still very large. Are you happy with it like that?

If not, and you use calibre to transfer your books, this could easily be fixed with a calibre Metadata plugboard. I've attached a screenshot of what my Book Details synopsis looks like when using both patch Custom synopsis details all-in-one (no text-indent used in mine) and a Metadata plugboard for calibre comments.

If you want to pursue the plugboard option let me know.

Sure, the gaps between paragraphs still bother me, I use Calibre to organize and sideload my books, and if you could share a metadata plugboard, that would be very helpful.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by hatuluang

Sure, the gaps between paragraphs still bother me, I use Calibre to organize and sideload my books, and if you could share a metadata plugboard, that would be very helpful.

These instructions assume you don't have any existing metadata plugboards for Kobo:

1. Open calibre Preferences and select [Metadata plugboards] (3rd row)
2. Go to 'Add new plugboard' and work your way left-to-right choosing options from the drop-down menus as per attached screenshot (blue highlights).
   1. The screenshot assumes you're using the KOBOTOUCH calibre driver, but if you're actually using the KoboTouchExtended plugin choose KOBOTOUCHEXTENDED for the column labelled 'Device (choose second)'
   2. For clarity the column labelled 'Source template' contains the following text which you can copy-paste:

      program: re(field('comments'), '\n', '')

3. Once you've finished save by pressing:
   [Save plugboard] (red highlight) followed by [Apply] (green highlight)
4. I can't remember whether it's necessary to Restart calibre before a new plugboard takes effect, so it's safer if you do.

Once that's done, any new book you transfer via calibre's Send-to-device should have all its excess linefeeds removed during the send.

If you also want to correct the synopsis for all the books which are already on the Kobo then open the calibre config screen for whichever driver you're using, KOBOTOUCH or KOBOTOUCHEXTENDED (to match whatever you chose in step 2.1 above), and make sure that on the 3rd Tab ('Metadata, on device & advanced') the top checkbox (labelled 'Update metadata on the device') is CHECKED.

Once all the above is complete, the next time you USB-connect the Kobo to calibre, all the books calibre knows about will automatically have their excess linefeeds removed from the synopsis on the Book Details page.


If anything isn't clear just ask. Good luck.

[hatuluang]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Once that's done, any new book you transfer via calibre's Send-to-device should have all its excess linefeeds removed during the send.

If you also want to correct the synopsis for all the books which are already on the Kobo then open the calibre config screen for whichever driver you're using, KOBOTOUCH or KOBOTOUCHEXTENDED (to match whatever you chose in step 2.1 above), and make sure that on the 3rd Tab ('Metadata, on device & advanced') the top checkbox (labelled 'Update metadata on the device') is CHECKED.

Once all the above is complete, the next time you USB-connect the Kobo to calibre, all the books calibre knows about will automatically have their excess linefeeds removed from the synopsis on the Book Details page.


If anything isn't clear just ask. Good luck.

Thank you for sharing the metadata plugboard and how-to.
I managed to add it on KOBOTOUCHEXTENDED.
It is impressive!

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by hatuluang

Thank you for sharing the metadata plugboard and how-to.
I managed to add it on KOBOTOUCHEXTENDED.
It is impressive!

You're welcome! Yes, that looks much better

[tretneo]

I'm trying to follow the steps outlined in this thread to fix the Synopsis font size and spacing issues I'm having on my Libra 2. I've applied the Custom synopsis details all-in-one patch (code below) and added the suggested plugboard and the font size is improved but the spacing is still terrible.

nickel.yaml

Custom synopsis details all-in-one:
  - Enabled: yes
  - Description: |
      Customise synopsis body style in Book details,
        including font-size, line-height
      Add style(s) for p tags
  - FindZlib: "body[qApp_deviceIsTrilogy=true] {\n  line-height: 1.45em;" # qss/BookDetails.qss
  - ReplaceZlibGroup:
      Replacements:
        # modify <body> style, customise line-height here
        # Add style(s) for <p> tags
        - Find:    "body {\n  font-family: Georgia;\n  margin: 0px;\n  padding: 0px;\n}"
          Replace: "body {font-family:Georgia; margin:0; padding:0; line-height:1.25em;}\np {margin:0.5em 0 0 0; text-indent:0.0em;}"
        
        # customise font-size by model
        - {Find: "font-size: 34px;", Replace: "font-size:42px;"} # LibraH2O/Libra2 (Storm)

        # remove all per-model line-heights to create space for above code
        # line-height customisation is now done in the 1st Find/Replace
        ### DO NOT CHANGE OR REMOVE THESE LINES ###
        - {Find: "body[qApp_deviceIsTrilogy=true] {\n  line-height: 1.45em;\n}\n", Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[qApp_deviceIsPhoenix=true] {\n  line-height: 1.4em;\n}\n", Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[qApp_deviceIsDragon=true] {\n  line-height: 1.35em;\n}\n", Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[qApp_deviceIsStorm=true] {\n  line-height: 1.35em;\n}\n", Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[qApp_deviceIsDaylight=true] {\n  line-height: 1.35em;\n}\n", Replace: "\n"}
        
        # create even more space. 
        # If you set your Kobo to one of the following 4 Japanese/Chinese locales,
        # then comment out the line corresponding to this locale
        - {Find: "body[localeName=\"ja\"] {\n  font-family: Sans-SerifJP, sans-serif;\n  font-style: normal;\n}\n",   Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[localeName=\"zh\"] {\n  font-family: Sans-SerifZH-Simplified, sans-serif;\n  font-style: normal;\n}\n",   Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[localeName=\"zh-HK\"] {\n  font-family: Sans-SerifZH-Traditional, sans-serif;\n  font-style: normal;\n}\n",   Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[localeName=\"zh-TW\"] {\n  font-family: Sans-SerifZH-Traditional, sans-serif;\n  font-style: normal;\n}\n",   Replace: "\n"}

Here's a Comments HTML example from calibre

<div>
<p>“An impressive work of mythic magnitude that may turn out to be Stephen King’s greatest literary achievement” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), The Gunslinger is the first volume in the epic Dark Tower Series.</p>
<p>A #1 national bestseller, The Gunslinger introduces readers to one of Stephen King’s most powerful creations, Roland of Gilead: The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which mirrors our own in frightening ways, Roland tracks The Man in Black, encounters an enticing woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the boy from New York named Jake.</p>
<p>Inspired in part by the Robert Browning narrative poem, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,” The Gunslinger is “a compelling whirlpool of a story that draws one irretrievable to its center” (Milwaukee Sentinel). It is “brilliant and fresh…and will leave you panting for more” (Booklist). </p></div>

With the above in place I have large spacing before the first paragraph in the Synopsis and between each subsequent paragraph. What am I missing?

[tretneo]

Bump ^^^ any ideas or suggestions, @jackie_w?

Originally Posted by jackie_w

You're welcome! Yes, that looks much better

[m_pluto]

Originally Posted by tretneo

With the above in place I have large spacing before the first paragraph in the Synopsis and between each subsequent paragraph. What am I missing?

So for the workaround for the first space, the best I've been able to come up with that works consistently involves doing a mass search/replace in calibre for editing book data.

1. set search mode to character match
2. Select the search field to comments.
3. copy/paste the following below – for ease, include quotation marks when copying and after pasting delete them [basically what you're typing in is <div> and a paragraph space, which can be copied/pasted from the end of any paragraph]

"<div>
"

4. Set replace to be just plain <div> or leave blank to remove <div> all together, but if you do that, be sure to do a second search/replace with the closing tag </div>


Alternatively:
1. Set search mode to Regular expression
2. select search field to comments
3. type in the following

<div>\n

4. repeat step 4 from above.

I've included some screenshots that show what it should look like with a "test" line showing that the paragraph space is gone. Whichever method you use in the future, I suggest using the "save" button to save it for future searches.


Edit to add: The whole reason this is a thing is that while Calibre stores the description in html, the plist database on the kobo seems to use BOTH html AND rich text (at least to some small extent) in the description metadata, so. So, if you're having issues with random extra spaces in your description on your kobo, do a mass search/replace for a paragraph break (the regex option above is easiest), then update the metadata for all books with book descriptions on your kobo using Kobo Utility plugin. Don't ask me why it's this way, I just know that it the way it is.

[tretneo]

Originally Posted by m_pluto

So for the workaround for the first space, the best I've been able to come up with that works consistently involves doing a mass search/replace in calibre for editing book data.

1. set search mode to character match
2. Select the search field to comments.
3. copy/paste the following below – for ease, include quotation marks when copying and after pasting delete them [basically what you're typing in is <div> and a paragraph space, which can be copied/pasted from the end of any paragraph]

"<div>
"

4. Set replace to be just plain <div> or leave blank to remove <div> all together, but if you do that, be sure to do a second search/replace with the closing tag </div>


Alternatively:
1. Set search mode to Regular expression
2. select search field to comments
3. type in the following

<div>\n

4. repeat step 4 from above.

I've included some screenshots that show what it should look like with a "test" line showing that the paragraph space is gone. Whichever method you use in the future, I suggest using the "save" button to save it for future searches.

This did the trick. Thank you! Is there any way to automate this via Plugboards or some other mechanism to avoid needing to do this manually all the time?

[m_pluto]

Originally Posted by tretneo

This did the trick. Thank you! Is there any way to automate this via Plugboards or some other mechanism to avoid needing to do this manually all the time?

Not that I know of?

Also just wanna mention that if you ever open an individual book to edit the metadata you'll need to redo the steps above. It's silly, but if you wanna batch process all of your books at one time you can enter "comments:true" in the search bar and then select all that show up (it will search for any books that have text entered into their metadata, and exclude ones that are blank). I've just gotten into the habit of doing it every time I plug my kobo into my computer before I update any books/send new books to my device. It takes about 10-15 seconds to do it for me now, and it just saves me from trying to remember if I've gone back and edited any individual book's metadata.

As for books on your device already, use the Kobo Utility plugin and select "update metadata" and make sure the comments box is checked as well as any other bits of things you wanna update.

[tretneo]

Originally Posted by m_pluto

Not that I know of?

Also just wanna mention that if you ever open an individual book to edit the metadata you'll need to redo the steps above. It's silly, but if you wanna batch process all of your books at one time you can enter "comments:true" in the search bar and then select all that show up (it will search for any books that have text entered into their metadata, and exclude ones that are blank). I've just gotten into the habit of doing it every time I plug my kobo into my computer before I update any books/send new books to my device. It takes about 10-15 seconds to do it for me now, and it just saves me from trying to remember if I've gone back and edited any individual book's metadata.

As for books on your device already, use the Kobo Utility plugin and select "update metadata" and make sure the comments box is checked as well as any other bits of things you wanna update.

Thank you for all your help!

[m_pluto]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

@hatuluang,

Try the attached new beta patch instead. Put it in nickel.yaml or wherever you keep all your other customised nickel.yaml patches.

You'll need to disable both the old patches:
Custom synopsis details line spacing
Custom synopsis font size

and enable this new one:
Custom synopsis details all-in-one

Spoiler:

Custom synopsis details all-in-one:
  - Enabled: no
  - Description: |
      Customise synopsis body style in Book details,
        including font-size, line-height
      Add style(s) for p tags
  - FindZlib: "body[qApp_deviceIsTrilogy=true] {\n  line-height: 1.45em;" # qss/BookDetails.qss
  - ReplaceZlibGroup:
      Replacements:
        # modify <body> style, customise line-height here
        # Add style(s) for <p> tags
        - Find:    "body {\n  font-family: Georgia;\n  margin: 0px;\n  padding: 0px;\n}"
          Replace: "body {font-family:Georgia; margin:0; padding:0; line-height:1.3em;}\np {margin:0.5em 0 0 0; text-indent:1.5em;}"
        
        # customise font-size by model
        - {Find: "font-size: 19px;", Replace: "font-size:20px;"} # Touch/Mini (Trilogy)
        - {Find: "font-size: 23px;", Replace: "font-size:25px;"} # Glo/Aura/Aura2E/Nia (Phoenix)
        - {Find: "font-size: 29px;", Replace: "font-size:32px;"} # AuraHD/AuraH2O/AuraH2O2 (Dragon)
        - {Find: "font-size: 32px;", Replace: "font-size:35px;"} # GloHD/ClaraHD/Clara2E (Alyssum/Nova)
        - {Find: "font-size: 34px;", Replace: "font-size:37px;"} # LibraH2O/Libra2 (Storm)
        - {Find: "font-size: 37px;", Replace: "font-size:40px;"} # AuraONE/Forma/Sage/Elipsa/Elipsa2E (Daylight)

        # remove all per-model line-heights to create space for above code
        # line-height customisation is now done in the 1st Find/Replace
        ### DO NOT CHANGE OR REMOVE THESE LINES ###
        - {Find: "body[qApp_deviceIsTrilogy=true] {\n  line-height: 1.45em;\n}\n", Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[qApp_deviceIsPhoenix=true] {\n  line-height: 1.4em;\n}\n", Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[qApp_deviceIsDragon=true] {\n  line-height: 1.35em;\n}\n", Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[qApp_deviceIsStorm=true] {\n  line-height: 1.35em;\n}\n", Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[qApp_deviceIsDaylight=true] {\n  line-height: 1.35em;\n}\n", Replace: "\n"}
        
        # create even more space. 
        # If you set your Kobo to one of the following 4 Japanese/Chinese locales,
        # then comment out the line corresponding to this locale
        - {Find: "body[localeName=\"ja\"] {\n  font-family: Sans-SerifJP, sans-serif;\n  font-style: normal;\n}\n",   Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[localeName=\"zh\"] {\n  font-family: Sans-SerifZH-Simplified, sans-serif;\n  font-style: normal;\n}\n",   Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[localeName=\"zh-HK\"] {\n  font-family: Sans-SerifZH-Traditional, sans-serif;\n  font-style: normal;\n}\n",   Replace: "\n"}
        - {Find: "body[localeName=\"zh-TW\"] {\n  font-family: Sans-SerifZH-Traditional, sans-serif;\n  font-style: normal;\n}\n",   Replace: "\n"}

• line-height is now customised in the 1st Find/Replace. This value is no longer model-specific.
• font-size is still model-specific and is customised in the relevant line in the second block of Find/Replaces.
• the rest of the patch code exists to clear enough space so that kobopatch.bat (or kobopatch.sh) doesn't fail. If you never set your Kobo to use any of the Japanese or Chinese locales then you don't need to change anything in this code.

Zombifying this thread, as it seems better to stick with this rather than start a new one.

Is there anyway the patch quoted here can be made to use with a libra color? If I try to use it I get the following error when trying to run the patch

Error: could not apply patch "Custom synopsis details all-in-one": line 38: inst 4: ReplaceZlib: find string not found in stream (body{font-family:Georgia;margin:0px;padding:0px;})
Error: could not apply patches: error applying patch file 'src/nickel.yaml': could not apply patch "Custom synopsis details all-in-one": line 38: inst 4: ReplaceZlib: find string not found in stream (body{font-family:Georgia;margin:0px;padding:0px;})

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by m_pluto

Zombifying this thread, as it seems better to stick with this rather than start a new one.

Is there anyway the patch quoted here can be made to use with a libra color?

Yes. The all-in-one 'unofficial' patch in post #27 is only suitable for fw <= 4.38.xxxxx.

For all the 2024 Kobo devices, running fw 4.39.xxxxx or 4.40.xxxxx or 4.41.xxxxx, then a simple edit should suffice, namely:
- wherever post #27 currently has the string Georgia change it to DefaultSerif (case-sensitive)


A bit of background info ... Kobo removed both of the old system GUI fonts, Georgia and Avenir, in fw 4.39, instead using fonts 'Rakuten Serif' and 'Rakuten Sans', respectively. But rather than naming them explicitly with the Rakuten font names the fw refers to them more generically as DefaultSerif and DefaultSans

I suppose it may make changing system fonts behind-the-scenes easier for Kobo in the long run.

Other 'official' patches were similarly affected. I posted updates here but many may have missed it.

[AsherMaximum]

If you use Calibre-Web for syncing, you can remove the extra newlines that Calibre has before you send the description/comments to Kobo, rather than using a plugboard every time you update them in Calibre desktop:

https://github.com/AsherMaximum/cali...c70fe584d51c5f