Stop Sigil from inserting unwanted lines between paragraphs

Benasam · 03-05-2013, 12:56 PM

I've started using Sigil because my mac was inserting invisible files into ePubs that were creating problems on some platforms (iBookstore, for example).

The problems went away simply by opening the ePubs in Sigil and then saving them again.

Now, for some reason, Sigil is inserting extra lines between paragraphs. I've read some other threads, but they don't seem to solve this issue.

Originally, the codes say:

Quote:

Sample textMore sample text

But Sigil changes it to:

Quote:

Sample text
More sample text

When I use find and replace in Code View, the removed line breaks just reappear when I save.

Please help!

meme · 03-05-2013, 01:08 PM

What you seem to be referring to are the blank lines between the ... tags. These have no effect on how your book is displayed. The space between tags does not matter except for how readable your code is.

In 0.7.1 you can use Preferences->Clean Source and uncheck the Open and Save boxes and Sigil will no longer Pretty Print your source code on Open or Save.

Why iBookstore is having problems with your file is another question/forum.

Benasam · 03-05-2013, 01:14 PM

Thanks, Meme. But I can't see why else there'd be extra spaces in the saved ePub.

I'm using Sigil 6.2 (my computer isn't running ios 10.7). Any idea what else could be causing this issue?

Toxaris · 03-05-2013, 02:13 PM

It is no issue. It is not causing problems with your files, it just makes it more readable. It is correct code.

elibrarian · 03-05-2013, 03:45 PM

The culprit seems to be the style="white-space:pre-wrap". When that is set, the empty lines set by Sigil will be rendered as just that - empty lines. Remove it, and everything looks ok.

- I think ...

Regards,

Kim

brinded · 07-03-2013, 09:50 AM

Quote:

The culprit seems to be the style="white-space:pre-wrap". When that is set, the empty lines set by Sigil will be rendered as just that - empty lines. Remove it, and everything looks ok.

I'm having the same problem. I've noticed other similar posts, particularly when ePub is derived from Apple Pages/Export.

Where does this "white-space:pre-wrap" come from? Is there a way to avoid it?

thanks,

Toxaris · 07-03-2013, 01:05 PM

Probably caused by Apple Pages. Avoid it by using another program, solve it by removing it.

Hitch · 07-03-2013, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benasam

I've started using Sigil because my mac was inserting invisible files into ePubs that were creating problems on some platforms (iBookstore, for example).

The problems went away simply by opening the ePubs in Sigil and then saving them again.

Now, for some reason, Sigil is inserting extra lines between paragraphs. I've read some other threads, but they don't seem to solve this issue.

Originally, the codes say:

But Sigil changes it to:

When I use find and replace in Code View, the removed line breaks just reappear when I save.

Please help!

I have to say, I prefer the lines of whitespace for readability. I've had a number of Pages-exported ePUBs sent to me, and they are literally unreadable--not even line breaks between paragraphs, etc. Absolute garbage to try to "fix."

I'll take the lines in Sigil any day. They're harmless, AFAIK, and I've never seen an issue with them.

Hitch

tmarsh1 · 05-21-2014, 09:33 PM

Here's my experience with this frustrating bug.

Removing the white-space:pre-wrap doesn't fix things.
It appears to be random. In smaller epubs, it seems ok, but I opened a larger one (90 pages) and these extra lines appear.
It's NOT css, it's NOT Pages.
The template generating these files in Pages is exactly the same, the files both have images, tables etc. I use styles to manage line heights etc.

I had the two clean checkboxes checked (on Save) which I think is what causes it.

I use Apple Pages as it supports intra-document linking, whereas Word on Mac does not (Bookmarks are a nightmare).

I basically can't pin this down to anything. The Sigil forums simply pour scorn on Pages, but I don't think it's pages.

It seems to occur randomly. I've unchecked Tidy too. And will report back.

DiapDealer · 05-21-2014, 10:24 PM

With the exception of when the "whitespace" style attribute exists (which can be used externally, internally, or inline), blank spaces between block elements in the html code have no bearing on how that code is rendered. None. If the "whitespace" attribute doesn't exist anywhere in your css or html files, then any unwanted spacing between elements has to be the fault of some other styling (or lack thereof) present in the html or css.

If you simply prefer to have total control over the spacing/indentation of your html code for aesthetic purposes, then turn off all Clean Source settings in the preferences. If your xhtml is already well-formed and error free, it won't be altered (provided you're using one of the latest versions of Sigil).

Toxaris · 05-22-2014, 03:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmarsh1

Here's my experience with this frustrating bug.

It is NOT a bug. It is to make your code more readable. It is intentional. Something that is intentional cannot be a bug...
Empty lines in Codeview (and Pretty Print in general) will help you to read and understand the code better.

BobC · 05-22-2014, 05:50 AM

If you want to find out why you are getting the unwanted spacing have you tried opening the file with Sigil and then using "inspect element" from the context menu in book view to show just what is contributing to it ?

BobC

Hitch · 05-22-2014, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmarsh1

Here's my experience with this frustrating bug.

Removing the white-space:pre-wrap doesn't fix things.
It appears to be random. In smaller epubs, it seems ok, but I opened a larger one (90 pages) and these extra lines appear.
It's NOT css, it's NOT Pages.
The template generating these files in Pages is exactly the same, the files both have images, tables etc. I use styles to manage line heights etc.

I had the two clean checkboxes checked (on Save) which I think is what causes it.

I use Apple Pages as it supports intra-document linking, whereas Word on Mac does not (Bookmarks are a nightmare).

I basically can't pin this down to anything. The Sigil forums simply pour scorn on Pages, but I don't think it's pages.

It seems to occur randomly. I've unchecked Tidy too. And will report back.

Can you show us a screenshot of what you're getting? it's still not clear to me if you mean, the whitespace between lines of CODE, in Codeview, or between elements of the book (paragraphs, whatever), in the finished product. Upon what device or reader are you viewing this for inspection, and can you screenshoot us a) the problem and b) the code?

Plus, you'll need to give us the code, BOTH the HTML and the CSS, between CODE tags, thanks. (And a spoiler tag, if they are lengthy). We don't need to see all of your book; just the html for the section in which the problem is occurring and the relevant CSS.) Otherwise, we're nailing jello to the walls, here. You say this:

Quote:

Removing the white-space

re-wrap doesn't fix things.
It appears to be random. In smaller epubs, it seems ok, but I opened a larger one (90 pages) and these extra lines appear.

...but we don't have any examples to look at. I don't know what you're getting, and thus, don't know what to say. So, if you'll provide, we'll help.

Hitch

tmarsh1 · 05-23-2014, 03:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toxaris

It is NOT a bug. It is to make your code more readable. It is intentional. Something that is intentional cannot be a bug...
Empty lines in Codeview (and Pretty Print in general) will help you to read and understand the code better.

Beg to differ.
Using styles, I have para spacing (white space).
This is spacing in the WYSIWYG view. Not the code view.

I removed the pre white space wrap, fixed.
I previously tried that, and it didn't fix it.

Cheers

Toxaris · 05-23-2014, 07:55 AM

If you read my comment closely, I only talk about CODEVIEW, not BOOKVIEW.

Also the white-space:pre-wrap is something that is added by pages and can give serious issues with lines not breaking and continue off screen.

03-05-2013, 01:08 PM	#2
meme Sigil developer Posts: 1,275 Karma: 1101600 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle PW, K4 NT, K3, Kobo Touch	What you seem to be referring to are the blank lines between the <p>...</p> tags. These have no effect on how your book is displayed. The space between tags does not matter except for how readable your code is. In 0.7.1 you can use Preferences->Clean Source and uncheck the Open and Save boxes and Sigil will no longer Pretty Print your source code on Open or Save. Why iBookstore is having problems with your file is another question/forum.

05-21-2014, 09:33 PM	#9
tmarsh1 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2014 Device: Kindle	Here's my experience with this frustrating bug. Removing the white-space:pre-wrap doesn't fix things. It appears to be random. In smaller epubs, it seems ok, but I opened a larger one (90 pages) and these extra lines appear. It's NOT css, it's NOT Pages. The template generating these files in Pages is exactly the same, the files both have images, tables etc. I use styles to manage line heights etc. I had the two clean checkboxes checked (on Save) which I think is what causes it. I use Apple Pages as it supports intra-document linking, whereas Word on Mac does not (Bookmarks are a nightmare). I basically can't pin this down to anything. The Sigil forums simply pour scorn on Pages, but I don't think it's pages. It seems to occur randomly. I've unchecked Tidy too. And will report back. Last edited by Jellby; 05-22-2014 at 03:29 AM. Reason: noparse

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03-05-2013, 01:14 PM	#3
Benasam Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2013 Device: iPad	Thanks, Meme. But I can't see why else there'd be extra spaces in the saved ePub. I'm using Sigil 6.2 (my computer isn't running ios 10.7). Any idea what else could be causing this issue?

03-05-2013, 02:13 PM	#4
Toxaris Wizard Posts: 4,520 Karma: 121692313 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Heemskerk, NL Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura	It is no issue. It is not causing problems with your files, it just makes it more readable. It is correct code.

03-05-2013, 03:45 PM	#5
elibrarian Imperfect Perfectionist Posts: 464 Karma: 724664 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Ølstykke, Denmark Device: none	The culprit seems to be the style="white-space:pre-wrap". When that is set, the empty lines set by Sigil will be rendered as just that - empty lines. Remove it, and everything looks ok. - I think ... Regards, Kim

07-03-2013, 01:05 PM	#7
Toxaris Wizard Posts: 4,520 Karma: 121692313 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Heemskerk, NL Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura	Probably caused by Apple Pages. Avoid it by using another program, solve it by removing it.

05-21-2014, 10:24 PM	#10
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,548 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	With the exception of when the "whitespace" style attribute exists (which can be used externally, internally, or inline), blank spaces between block elements in the html code have no bearing on how that code is rendered. None. If the "whitespace" attribute doesn't exist anywhere in your css or html files, then any unwanted spacing between elements has to be the fault of some other styling (or lack thereof) present in the html or css. If you simply prefer to have total control over the spacing/indentation of your html code for aesthetic purposes, then turn off all Clean Source settings in the preferences. If your xhtml is already well-formed and error free, it won't be altered (provided you're using one of the latest versions of Sigil).

05-22-2014, 05:50 AM	#12
BobC Guru Posts: 691 Karma: 3026110 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Lancashire, U.K. Device: BeBook 1, BeBook Pure, Kobo Glo, (and HD),Energy Sistem EReader Pro +	If you want to find out why you are getting the unwanted spacing have you tried opening the file with Sigil and then using "inspect element" from the context menu in book view to show just what is contributing to it ? BobC

05-23-2014, 07:55 AM	#15
Toxaris Wizard Posts: 4,520 Karma: 121692313 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Heemskerk, NL Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura	If you read my comment closely, I only talk about CODEVIEW, not BOOKVIEW. Also the white-space:pre-wrap is something that is added by pages and can give serious issues with lines not breaking and continue off screen.