Search and Replace not being done

PandaPuddle · 01-26-2019, 04:29 AM

I went so far as to copy and use the very first line in the pdf to replace it with some obvious text, but even that didn't work. I am aware of the way to write these, I wanted to remove the page numbers, "1 | 200" so \d+ \| \d+ was used, and replace was left blank. I have tested multiple formats and opened each one to verify nothing changed, it is really getting on my nerves. Am I missing a "run replace then convert" sort of step? I'm almost certain it should do it while converting it. While I'm asking, will this still work when converting multiple files at once if the page number format is the same for all of them?

kovidgoyal · 01-26-2019, 09:31 PM

Make sure you are running up to date versions of calibre, which autoreplace non-breaking spaces in the PDF with spaces, which is likely what is tripping up your search expression.

retiredbiker · 01-27-2019, 11:44 AM

I usually fix these in the editor, but after reading this post I tripped across a similar one yesterday so I tried it in the conversion. (It had "title / #" and "# / author" on alternate pages.) I got exactly the same result...no replacement in the conversion, even though the test found them just fine - using 3.38.1. After conversion, in the editor, I used exactly the same regex strings, and it worked perfectly. There were no non-breaking spaces in the page headers after conversion, although there were a few in the main text. So it looks like there may be still something going on.

kovidgoyal · 01-28-2019, 01:03 AM

then open a bug report and attach the file alongwith the search expression used.

retiredbiker · 01-28-2019, 11:08 AM

I went to replicate the problem for a bug report, and had a thought along the way. Instead of just using space characters in the search string, I tried \s+, and it worked beautifully.

Code:

title\s+/\s+\d+
\d+\s+/\s+author

is what was needed.

I noticed in the book text that there were a LOT of extra spaces coming across, sometimes inside words, sometimes between words. So I guess that is in the pdf text layer.

jbacelar · 01-28-2019, 05:13 PM

I have been doing conversion tests with several pdf to epub, with Calibre 3.38.1 (64 bit), and I have verified that non-breaking spaces are not replaced to spaces.

kovidgoyal · 01-28-2019, 11:11 PM

yeah sorry I mi-remembered, it is nto that it replaces non-breaking spaces with spaces, but that it replaces the use of an HTML entity to encode non-breaking spaces, which allows S&R to work

jbacelar · 01-29-2019, 12:34 AM

OK. S works, but for R to work it's necessary to use \s

01-26-2019, 04:29 AM	#1
PandaPuddle Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2019 Device: Kindle gen3	Search and Replace not being done I went so far as to copy and use the very first line in the pdf to replace it with some obvious text, but even that didn't work. I am aware of the way to write these, I wanted to remove the page numbers, "1 \| 200" so \d+ \\| \d+ was used, and replace was left blank. I have tested multiple formats and opened each one to verify nothing changed, it is really getting on my nerves. Am I missing a "run replace then convert" sort of step? I'm almost certain it should do it while converting it. While I'm asking, will this still work when converting multiple files at once if the page number format is the same for all of them?

01-28-2019, 11:08 AM	#5
retiredbiker Addict Posts: 387 Karma: 1638210 Join Date: May 2013 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kindle KB, Oasis, Pop_Os!, Jutoh, Kobo Forma	It does work I went to replicate the problem for a bug report, and had a thought along the way. Instead of just using space characters in the search string, I tried \s+, and it worked beautifully. Code: title\s+/\s+\d+ \d+\s+/\s+author is what was needed. I noticed in the book text that there were a LOT of extra spaces coming across, sometimes inside words, sometimes between words. So I guess that is in the pdf text layer.

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01-26-2019, 09:31 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,860 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Make sure you are running up to date versions of calibre, which autoreplace non-breaking spaces in the PDF with spaces, which is likely what is tripping up your search expression.

01-27-2019, 11:44 AM	#3
retiredbiker Addict Posts: 387 Karma: 1638210 Join Date: May 2013 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kindle KB, Oasis, Pop_Os!, Jutoh, Kobo Forma	I usually fix these in the editor, but after reading this post I tripped across a similar one yesterday so I tried it in the conversion. (It had "title / #" and "# / author" on alternate pages.) I got exactly the same result...no replacement in the conversion, even though the test found them just fine - using 3.38.1. After conversion, in the editor, I used exactly the same regex strings, and it worked perfectly. There were no non-breaking spaces in the page headers after conversion, although there were a few in the main text. So it looks like there may be still something going on.

01-28-2019, 01:03 AM	#4
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,860 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	then open a bug report and attach the file alongwith the search expression used.

01-28-2019, 05:13 PM	#6
jbacelar Interested in the matter Posts: 421 Karma: 426094 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Spain, south coast Device: Pocketbook InkPad 3	I have been doing conversion tests with several pdf to epub, with Calibre 3.38.1 (64 bit), and I have verified that non-breaking spaces are not replaced to spaces.

01-28-2019, 11:11 PM	#7
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,860 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	yeah sorry I mi-remembered, it is nto that it replaces non-breaking spaces with spaces, but that it replaces the use of an HTML entity to encode non-breaking spaces, which allows S&R to work

01-29-2019, 12:34 AM	#8
jbacelar Interested in the matter Posts: 421 Karma: 426094 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Spain, south coast Device: Pocketbook InkPad 3	OK. S works, but for R to work it's necessary to use \s