Convert to mobi results in incorrect Chapter Heading

[Solo1959]

I re-installed Calibre on my new computer and I am having a problem with Chapter numbering inside mobi ebooks. It is possible that I fixed something many years ago on my old computer that I need to fix again on this computer. If anyone can advise, I would appreciate your help.

When I convert any document - docx, odt, epub, azw3, txt - to mobi format my chapter headings in the book will display with a leading number:
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2

When I convert to any other format, the chapter numbers will display correctly without the leading number:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2

There is nothing different in the conversion screen [Metadata, Look & Feel, Heuristic processing, etc.]

I can't figure out how to prevent the leading numbers from the Chapter heading. As i wrote, this did not happen on my old computer, but it is happening every time on this new machine. That leads me to believe that I set something incorrectly.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[BetterRed]

I get the impression you didn't use the How do I move my calibre data from one computer to another? process. Which moves your libraries and settings .

If it's not too late, you might want to make use of it.

BR

[theducks]

That looks like someone used a LI and Ordered List, in the original instead of UNORDERED (and no mark).
Calibre conversions can look for strings to Create Chapter Headings.


Found in Conversion: Structure detection

//*[((name()='h1' or name()='h2') and re:test(., '\s*((chapter|book|section|part)\s+)|((prolog|prologue|epilogue)(\s+|$))', 'i')) or @class = 'chapter']

[Solo1959]

Thank you both for your replies.

Better Red:
I don't think that's the problem. All my existing books are fine. It's only books that I'm only now converting.

theducks:
My setting is exactly the one that you offered, it is also the default automatic one when installing calibre.

I really don't understand what is happening. I can right now the way things are convert from: txt, epub, mobi, docx, odt to epub or azw3 with no problems.

But from any format: mobi, epub, txt, docx, odt, if I convert to mobi, I get the leading number before the chapter. It is ONLY when I convert to mobi and it is always when I convert to mobi.

This suggests to me that there is a mobi output setting someplace that controls the bulleted numbering before the chapter. But I can't find any such setting.

I'll keep trying things. If I find a solution I'll post it here. I just figured someone else must have had this happen before. Thank you all for your help.

[kovidgoyal]

convert to azw3 instead of mobi and you should be fine. MOBI has very primitve markup so if your chapter headins are in the form of lists, the list number will show up in MOBI but not in more advanced formats that can suppress displaying the numbers in lists.

[kovidgoyal]

Most likely the setting you had changes was under MOBI Output to produce joint or new style MOBI files. which include the azw3 version inside them.

[Solo1959]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Most likely the setting you had changes was under MOBI Output to produce joint or new style MOBI files. which include the azw3 version inside them.

Thank you, Kovid.

I'm past trying to fix it.

I know, I know. azw3. I hear you all the time. And, you know what, it does work. And that is how I will do it from now on.

My reason for mobi was it is easy to make one mobi and everybody can use it - Kindle or tablet with most ebook readers. It does mean an extra step saving as both azw3 and epub, but whatever works, that's what I'll have to do.

They already did fix mobi and they call it azw3 so not much chance of getting people to work on mobi.

I thank you.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Solo1959

Thank you both for your replies.

Better Red:
I don't think that's the problem. All my existing books are fine. It's only books that I'm only now converting.

If you had used Export/Import as documented in the link I posted you would have kept all your preference settings as well as your books, then your conversion would have worked as it had in the past. See https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=313547

If push came to shove I could buy/download all my books again, but I can't buy or download the time to re-establish what I have in calibre's preference settings

[Solo1959]

Originally Posted by theducks

That looks like someone used a LI and Ordered List, in the original instead of UNORDERED (and no mark).
Calibre conversions can look for strings to Create Chapter Headings.


Found in Conversion: Structure detection

//*[((name()='h1' or name()='h2') and re:test(., '\s*((chapter|book|section|part)\s+)|((prolog|prologue|epilogue)(\s+|$))', 'i')) or @class = 'chapter']

Just for giggles I took a "bad" mobi file and converted that back to epub to maybe see if there was something in it that might be helpful.

This epub was a docx file created in Kubuntu 18.04 using LibreOffice 6 marking "Chapter 1" as Heading 1, and the docx converted to a mobi using Calibre 3.35 and then that mobi converted to an epub.

---------
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<head>
<title>TEST</title>
<link href="stylesheet.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
<link href="page_styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
</head>

<body class="calibre">

<ol class="calibre_">

<li value="1" class="calibre_1"><span class="calibre1"><span class="bold"><span class="calibre_2">Chapter 1</span></span></span></li>

</ol>

<p class="calibre_3"><span class="calibre_2">Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.</span></p>
---------

So yes, you were correct. LI and OL are there. Don't know how or why, but that is what it shows.

I'm moving on to azw3.

Thank you for your help.

[Solo1959]

I think I found the problem ... Not a solution, but a direction for someone to look in.

I noticed the problem with the Chapter Headings ever since I got my new computer. New Computer ... that was the key to the issue.

My new computer uses LibreOffice 6, my old computer used LibreOffice 5. I had no problem with my old computer, only with my new one. The only difference I can see is the newer version of LibreOffice.

There would appear to be a new "feature" added to .docx documents written in LibreOffice 6 that makes the Chapter headings have the bulleted numbers when converted by Calibre.

I read a lot of the documentation, but I don't see anything listed that might make this happen, but the problem is definately a LibreOffice 6 problem. I downloaded WPS Office for Linux and all of the .docx documents convert properly.

The problem is with .docx documents. Even if I "Save As" .odt, I get the same problem _IF_ I started with a .docx. If I create a new .odt file that does not get the bulleted Chapter Headings. Only if at some point the LibreOffice 6 document was ever a docx file.

I hope that this informations helps someone. And mostly I hope that it helps people know I'm not imagining things. :-)

[BetterRed]

@Solo1959 - could you post a DOCX saved from XPS Office, and a corresponding DOCX saved from Libre Office 6, and, if you can, one saved from Word 2007 or later.

BR

[Solo1959]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@Solo1959 - could you post a DOCX saved from XPS Office, and a corresponding DOCX saved from Libre Office 6, and, if you can, one saved from Word 2007 or later.

BR

I took the exact same file from www.gutenberg.org/. I saved it in one file as LibreOffice 6 .docx, and in another file from WPS Writer also in .docx format. I converted them both to mobi format using the exact same Calibre setting.

As you can see, the LO6 file shows the bulleted chapter headings but the WPS Writer does not.

I did not have this problem with LibreOffice 5 so the only thing that appears different to me is the new version of LO.

Weird, right?

[BetterRed]

@Solo1959 - The two DOCXs have a totally different set of styles (styles come from the template attached to a document), here is what each has for Heading 1, I've highlighted the probable source of the numbers in LO6.



BR

[Solo1959]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@Solo1959 - The two DOCXs have a totally different set of styles (styles come from the template attached to a document), here is what each has for Heading 1, I've highlighted the probable source of the numbers in LO6.

BR

Spoke too soon [see below]. As I use it I see that's not the solution. But It's definately the thing to work on. I thank you again and I do know where to look. But I think you did get it right exactly. I just need to play with it. Thank you again
-----------------------------------



OK ... OK ... You fixed it for me.

I know for a fact that this was a new 'default' setting in LibreOffice 6 because I didn't have the problem with the older version. And it's not anything I would have looked for or changed.

So, in the left corner of the menu bar, I selected "Heading 1" Click the arrow, clicked through the tabs until I saw one titled "Outline & Numbering"

One of the boxes was ticked, the one that said "Include this paragraph in line numbering"

I unclicked it, tested again, and it works like a charm.

Thank you so much for your help. This has really been bugging me.

Now that I have used WPS Writer, I notice it is MUCH faster that LO. But LO has so many more features. But the frustration over this simple setting was intense.

Thank you again

[BetterRed]

Most of the 'problems' people have with Word, or reverse engineered versions thereof, are caused by not appreciating the purpose, importance, and usage of Styles. A document's template is equivalent to a motor vehicle's drive train.

BR