eBook Formatting in Sigil

[BeckyEbook]

@DiapDealer. Relax, just @The_book might not have noticed the correct repository: https://github.com/Sigil-Ebook/sigil-user-guide

[DiapDealer]

Even if that's case, the gist of their complaint will still be true: every little change will require updating the repo.

[The_book]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

The guide IS in its own independent repository. And yes... that's how version tracking works. Every commit--regardless if it's big or small--needs to be pushed to github if it is to be made available for others to use and/or contribute to.

Whether you think it is good idea or not is irrelevant. That's how just how it is it is. Major props to those who have made an effort to contribute to the guide, but it just doesn't really matter how we ultimately make it available. Easy or hard, people (except the handful I previously praised) won't contribute. They'd much rather complain about it being out of date (or hard to contribute to) than actually knuckling down and helping bring it up to date. *shrug*

But it HAS to be in a git repository. Otherwise we'd have to read the whole guide each and every time someone made a small change just to make sure they didn't inadvertently break something somewhere else. The github repo allows us to see exactly the change that's being proposed (at the code-level) at a glance before signing off on it.

The alternative is to have multiple people making multiple changes to multiple copies of the same epub that we then have to figure out how to integrate without losing anything (and without wasting hours of time that could be better spent actually working on Sigil). No thanks.

In this case, you can make the decompressed ePub file in git repo. Easier to change, smaller to git clone.

[KevinH]

Did you even look at the link that BeckyEbook posted? Sigil's user guide is stored in uncompressed form (as a folder in the src directory in a git repo). She pointed you right to it.

I pointed the OP to an epub version stored in Sigil's docs folder, not the git repo we use for updating the epub

Originally Posted by The_book

In this case, you can make the decompressed ePub file in git repo. Easier to change, smaller to git clone.

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by The_book

In this case, you can make the decompressed ePub file in git repo. Easier to change, smaller to git clone.

You're looking at the wrong git repo. The one that BeckyEbook linked to contains the ePub source files.

Originally Posted by BeckyEbook

@DiapDealer. Relax, just @The_book might not have noticed the correct repository: https://github.com/Sigil-Ebook/sigil-user-guide

[The_book]

Originally Posted by KevinH

Did you even look at the link that BeckyEbook posted? Sigil's user guide is stored in uncompressed form (as a folder in the src directory in a git repo). She pointed you right to it.

I pointed the OP to an epub version stored in Sigil's docs folder, not the git repo we use for updating the epub

Yes I don't because I DO know there is the epub file in Sigil git repo at https://github.com/Sigil-Ebook/Sigil...019.09.03.epub .And it do cost me more time to clone Sigil. So I remember this when the user guide epub is mentioned.

[DiapDealer]

Even if you wanted to download the guide from the Sigil source, you don't need to clone the entire Sigil repo to get it.

[KevinH]

Yes, notice the link I posted for the OP shows a Download button. No need to use a local git client or repo checkout at all. That is why I posted it for him/her.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by KevinH

Yes, notice the link I posted for the OP shows a Download button. No need to use a local git client or repo checkout at all. That is why I posted it for him/her.

Yep. The only reason one needs to clone anything (RE the User Guide) is if someone wants to contribute something to it. The OP was looking for guidance only, and you rightfully gave them one of two links to be able to download the latest version. I'm not exactly sure what prompted the whole "epubs shouldn't be stored in a github repo" sidetrack to be honest. I guess @The_book was truly under the impression that cloning a github repo (or pulling the changes) was the only way to get the latest User Guide. That wasn't true even if they knew nothing about the Guide's own dedicated repository with its releases. *shrug*

[FDPuthuff]

Originally Posted by exaltedwombat

'How do I do this in Sigil' is perfectly legitimately answered by 'Well, Sigil' might not be the best tool.'

Next question?

My Apologies. My response was fueled by short shortsightedness and post surgery medications. I'm here to learn and build relationships. I'll do better.

I am still happy I chose the Zen book to begin my education about formatting. As it is, so far, Zen is the only resource I have found that starts at the very beginning and walks through the entire process. I did realize it is six plus years old and I had an idea that some of its 'rules' may no longer be relevant.

So, as I read through the rest of the comments, I believe I am picking up a trend of getting the Word doc properly formatted and then 'exporting' out to an EPUB format. Correct?

[exaltedwombat]

Yup. And if you follow the rules and don't attempt to make an epub jump through design hoops inappropriate to its nature, you'll find the job remarkably easy!

What you SHOULDN'T do is prepare PDF files with all the niceties of layout appropriate to a printed edition and THEN think about the eBook.

(Though I can make money untangling that particular bag of worms, so sure, do it that way and send me the job!)

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by exaltedwombat

Yup. And if you follow the rules and don't attempt to make an epub jump through design hoops inappropriate to its nature, you'll find the job remarkably easy!

What you SHOULDN'T do is prepare PDF files with all the niceties of layout appropriate to a printed edition and THEN think about the eBook.

(Though I can make money untangling that particular bag of worms, so sure, do it that way and send me the job!)

Hey, dude! LOL. Better you than I. ;-) (Although, we finally had to change our policy against any fixer-uppers; the number of them we are receiving, particularly for print, is mind-blowing.)

Hitch

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by FDPuthuff

I believe I am picking up a trend of getting the Word doc properly formatted and then 'exporting' out to an EPUB format. Correct?

Yes - with the caveat of: 'properly formatted' means using Styles rather than in-line styllng, and no repeated tabs, spaces or new lines for horizontal and vertical spacing.

There are numerous threads in the Workshop and ePUB forums on alternate ways to get an ePUB from a DOCX.

BR

[FDPuthuff]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

There are numerous threads in the Workshop and ePUB forums on alternate ways to get an ePUB from a DOCX.

BR

I will check those threads out.

Also, has there been anything published that is more recent and updated as far as what works now vs. five or six years ago. How to set up Word, etc...?

[exaltedwombat]

There's nothing to set up in Word really. Just use it correctly. The main mistake newbies make is to ignore paragraph styles. If your title is given Title style, your chapter headers Heading 1 style etc. conversion to EPUB will be very easy!

You can even use advanced Word features like making a Table of Contents, Index, Footnotes... Save a DOCX, drop it into Calibre for conversion, you may have a very nice surprise! (Other conversion methods are available, and have their disciples. I don't know how well they deal with the advanced stuff.)

The thing is, in Word don't try to be clever. Use the Word functions 'by the book', all will be good.

The Guido book seems to be obsessed with cheating the system. You really don't need to. Just use it!