stylesheet.CSS anyone?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

I'm not sure,
You could link the hyperlink to the TOC, or Index file (even to an external http link).
Then again, you could do that in css as well, I guess... Any heading <H1> to <H4> reverts back to the index or some part of the book...
Different scenario, when every heading links to different places. Then individual links are necessary, in which the heading will be underlined.

Having headers linked to an internal ToC is poor coding. There is no need for that as Kindle and ePub Readers have an easy way to get to the ToC. On Kindles and Kobos you can get to the ToC in 3 taps of the screen. No need to make your eBooks look ugly with underlines for each header.

[dgatwood]

I generally recommend using a visually distinct font for headings. In particular, using a sans serif font for headings in conjunction with a serif main body font tends to make the distinction between normal text and headings very obvious even if the font sizes are similar. You could also move to a condensed font for smaller headings, allowing you to have less of a vertical size difference than you would otherwise need.

[Turtle91]

just FYI... hyperlinks can be styled in css too. They don't have to be blue and underlined...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

just FYI... hyperlinks can be styled in css too. They don't have to be blue and underlined...

But if you have the header some style that shows it's a link, then it looks ugly. You need to show that a link is a link and chapter headers that are links are ugly and obsolete as well.

[phillipgessert]

It sorta does weird things to my head to imagine any sort of header linking you AWAY from the content that directly follows it.

[doubleshuffle]

Originally Posted by phillipgessert

It sorta does weird things to my head to imagine any sort of header linking you AWAY from the content that directly follows it.

I think it's OK to use headers as backlinks to a TOC, especially if you have an omnibus edition with more than one level of TOCs.

[ProDigit]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Having headers linked to an internal ToC is poor coding. There is no need for that as Kindle and ePub Readers have an easy way to get to the ToC. On Kindles and Kobos you can get to the ToC in 3 taps of the screen. No need to make your eBooks look ugly with underlines for each header.

That would be your 'opinion'. Notice 'opinion'.
There are no such rules in this kind of thing.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

Different scenario, when every heading links to different places. Then individual links are necessary, in which the heading will be underlined.

You are mixing up the display attributes with the logical attributes again. Although the default style for a link is usually that it is underlined, it could be something else.

If you want a link on a heading, put a link on the heading.
If you want headings underlined, define that in the CSS.

It really does make life a lot easier when you separate the structure from the display attributes. Especially if anything needs to be changed later.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

If you want a link on a heading, put a link on the heading.
If you want headings underlined, define that in the CSS.

Exactly, that's the essential point you have to learn. Use each element for what it's intended, and you'll have a clean, valid, no-surprises, easy-to-maintain code. Don't rely on side effects or common defaults, and define explicitly what you think is important.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by phillipgessert

It sorta does weird things to my head to imagine any sort of header linking you AWAY from the content that directly follows it.

The headers would just be plain text. No links to anything.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

I think it's OK to use headers as backlinks to a TOC, especially if you have an omnibus edition with more than one level of TOCs.

I think it's poor style to do so. It makes the headers blue (color screen) and underlined. There's no reason for this these days. You can get to the ToC in 3 presses. besides, anything used to show that a chaoter heading is a link is going to look ugly.

[doubleshuffle]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I think it's poor style to do so. It makes the headers blue (color screen) and underlined.

No, it doesn't when I do it.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There's no reason for this these days. You can get to the ToC in 3 presses.

And yet there are always people using old hardware and/or subpar software.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

besides, anything used to show that a chaoter heading is a link is going to look ugly.

Nope. I make my links simply grey. I've seen quite a few books where that is deliberately used as a design element for headers.

[phillipgessert]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

I think it's OK to use headers as backlinks to a TOC, especially if you have an omnibus edition with more than one level of TOCs.

Having the backlink seems cool, but I'm not so sure about using the chapter heading for it. It seems like link text ought to describe your destination. I think for an omnibus, I might place a single link at the end of each volume that reads "Back to Contents" or something.

On the other hand I do like how your method doesn't call much extra attention to itself, whereas descriptive links would constantly remind people they're reading a book on a gadget. But then on the other, other hand, if it draws too little attention to itself, it won't be recognizable as a link.

[JSWolf]

Any Reader using RMDSK can access the ToC easily. That includes the 505, and the ePub fitted 500. Kindles always were able to access the ToC easily. So what Readers cannot access the ToC easily?

[ProDigit]

They might be able to access TOC, but with a link you can redirect to the Index,
which, in cases of a lot of links, or certain structures, could be more useful than a TOC, or have better layout.