images disappearing in .ePub books

[2scre]

I noticed that when I download an .ePub file with images in it (along with text), the images would show for a while and then all the sudden after I save it in Sigil and open it some time later the images are replaced with a small light blue square with a question mark inside of it. How can I prevent this from happening?

[DNSB]

Are the images embedded in the ePub or are they links to external images ( a very bad idea but one I've seen too often).

[2scre]

An image shows up as this in code view: <p class="calibre_32"><img src="../Images/00023.jpg" class="calibre_94"/> </p>

I forgot to mention that the images eventually disappear when viewed in book mode in Sigil. (not sure if it does when moved to ebook reader app)

[KevinH]

What "book mode"?
What version of Sigil are you using?
What do you mean "eventually disappear"?

You are not by chance opening an ebook in Sigil and leaving it open for days and days on end, never closing the epub/Sigil are you? If so your computer is deleting the files out of under Sigil's tmp folder workspace. You should tell it to stop doing that, or change Sigil's tmp folder setting to someplace that is not "auto-cleaned" by your os.

The latest Sigil version has prevented this automatically by no longer using tmp.

[2scre]

I'm using 0.9.14

Yes I'm leaving it open for days on end, while saving frequently before closing. How do you tell it to stop deleting files?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by 2scre

I'm using 0.9.14

Yes I'm leaving it open for days on end, while saving frequently before closing. How do you tell it to stop deleting files?

You can't since the temp file cleanup is a function of the operating system. I would recommend updating to 1.9.30 which avoids the issue by avoiding the system temp directories.

[KevinH]

There are Windows and macOS plist settings to prevent auto "cleanup" of /tmp files by your OS. You will need to do some googling to find out how to set them.

Or update to a recent version of Sigil. The current version will not use OS tmp folder at alll by default. Older recent versions of Sigil will allow you to define your own tmp folder replacement.

Sigil 0.9.14 uses the older Qt Webkit which is now a security nightmare. It has had no security bug fixes or updates in over 5 years. I strongly suggest updating Sigil and adding PageEdit if you often work in the old BookView.

Here is a link describing some of the settings files on macOS that control this "auto cleaning stupidity".

[KevinH]

And here is a much older MR link about this problem on macOS and how to avoid it by changing plist settings.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=273999

I am sure Windows has similar settings. And on Linux you would need to examine your chron jobs.

[2scre]

Originally Posted by KevinH

And here is a much older MR link about this problem on macOS and how to avoid it by changing plist settings.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=273999

I am sure Windows has similar settings. And on Linux you would need to examine your chron jobs.

Ok I guess this is the key post in that thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...9&postcount=17

I just changed a minute ago the folder from whatever it was before to a folder of my making in my OneDrive.

[KevinH]

Not sure how much a network drive will slow Sigil down. Using a network drive location is probably not the best idea.


Also your solution still keeps a totally insecure version of Qt webkit around. Again, not the best idea.

Do what you want. But understand we cannot support that old version in any way. Especially the way you are using it.

[BetterRed]

@Kevin - AFAIK Windows 10 doesn't have an automated regular removal of temporary files feature - thankfully. There's the Disk Clean up utility. but that must be run manually, or included in a Scheduled Task.

@DNSB would know for sure.

I suspect some of the "Speed up your PC with Free Beer" tools can do it.

Devil's Advocate asks: why not create the working copy folder (e.g. Sigil-SLzSFo) in the same location as the EPUB under edit?

BR

[KevinH]

The epub reading location is not guaranteed to have write access only read access where epub is.

Newer versions of Sigil no longer have this issue so nothing needs changing anymore.

And yes there are Windows 10/11 settings that control tmp file cleanup. I ran into them when this problem started to first appear back in 2016-17 timeframe. A quick google search found something called "Storage Sense" settings on Windows and there are also other related settings:

https://pureinfotech.com/remove-temp...es-windows-10/

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@Kevin - AFAIK Windows 10 doesn't have an automated regular removal of temporary files feature - thankfully. There's the Disk Clean up utility. but that must be run manually, or included in a Scheduled Task.

@DNSB would know for sure.

The Storage Sense feature was introduced in Windows 10 v1809 so Nov. 2018.

There are also several times I've found people running utility programs that included the capability of cleaning up temp directories on an automated basis.

I don't want to think about one idiot program (BCWipe) that included the capability of wiping the free space on an SSD as part of it's cleanup. The effect on the lifetime of an SSD drive was very nasty. Take a 1TB Samsung 2.5" 860 SSD (early model with a 400TBW if I remember the spec correctly). Assuming it was never over half full and you had it set to wipe every 12 hours so rewriting ~500GB twice per day and in just over a year, the drive is being marked as bad. And no warranty since the warranty was 5 years or TBW whichever came first.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by KevinH

The epub reading location is not guaranteed to have write access only read access where epub is.

Newer versions of Sigil no longer have this issue so nothing needs changing anymore.

And yes there are Windows 10/11 settings that control tmp file cleanup. I ran into them when this problem started to first appear back in 2016-17 timeframe. A quick google search found something called "Storage Sense" settings on Windows and there are also other related settings:

https://pureinfotech.com/remove-temp...es-windows-10/

Happy to admit I was wrong.

And that I'd never heard of Storage Sense till now, which doesn't appear to be enabled by default, including on my MS Surface Go.

The only Storage feature I've ever used is Pooling, and that's still in the Control Panel->Storage spaces group - grrrh.

BR