smashwords epub check error

[evil writer]

Hi

I got an email from Smashwords saying my epub has the following error (tried googling but didn't help):

ERROR(RSC-005): OEBPS/content.opf(57, 11): Error while parsing file: element "guide" incomplete; missing required element "reference"

Epub passes well-formed epub and flightcrew checks but I don't understand the above message.

Help much appreciated.

(in case it's useful, here is my opf file contents

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<package version="2.0" unique-identifier="BookId" xmlns="http://www.idpf.org/2007/opf">
<metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlnspf="http://www.idpf.org/2007/opf">
<dc:language>en</dc:language>
<dc:title>When You Were a Shark and Other Yarns and Briny Critters</dc:title>
<dc:creator opf:role="aut">McFarlane, Neil Roy</dc:creator>
<meta content="0.9.10" name="Sigil version"/>
<dc:date opf:event="modification" xmlnspf="http://www.idpf.org/2007/opf">2022-01-10</dc:date>
<dc:identifier id="BookId" opf:scheme="UUID">urn:uuid:a279b821-2730-407c-84e9-9e0fd65fa346</dc:identifier>
</metadata>
<manifest>
<item id="ncx" href="toc.ncx" media-type="application/x-dtbncx+xml"/>
<item id="Section0001.xhtml" href="Text/Section0001.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="Style0001.css" href="Styles/Style0001.css" media-type="text/css"/>
<item id="Section0002.xhtml" href="Text/Section0002.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="Section0003.xhtml" href="Text/Section0003.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="Section0004.xhtml" href="Text/Section0004.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="Section0005.xhtml" href="Text/Section0005.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="Section0006.xhtml" href="Text/Section0006.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="Section0007.xhtml" href="Text/Section0007.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="Section0008.xhtml" href="Text/Section0008.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="octopusb.jpg" href="Images/octopusb.jpg" media-type="image/jpeg"/>
<item id="eat_me_eel.jpg" href="Images/eat_me_eel.jpg" media-type="image/jpeg"/>
<item id="dolphinb.jpg" href="Images/dolphinb.jpg" media-type="image/jpeg"/>
<item id="crabb.jpg" href="Images/crabb.jpg" media-type="image/jpeg"/>
<item id="Section0009.xhtml" href="Text/Section0009.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="Jellyfishb.jpg" href="Images/Jellyfishb.jpg" media-type="image/jpeg"/>
<item id="racebb.jpg" href="Images/racebb.jpg" media-type="image/jpeg"/>
<item id="musket.jpg" href="Images/musket.jpg" media-type="image/jpeg"/>
<item id="lobster.jpg" href="Images/lobster.jpg" media-type="image/jpeg"/>
<item id="Section0010.xhtml" href="Text/Section0010.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="Section0011.xhtml" href="Text/Section0011.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="lhsubtitless.jpg" href="Images/lhsubtitless.jpg" media-type="image/jpeg"/>
<item id="Section0012.xhtml" href="Text/Section0012.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="Section0013.xhtml" href="Text/Section0013.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="reduced_tawk_funny.jpg" href="Images/reduced_tawk_funny.jpg" media-type="image/jpeg"/>
<item id="Section0014.xhtml" href="Text/Section0014.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>
<item id="new_month_reduced.jpg" href="Images/new_month_reduced.jpg" media-type="image/jpeg"/>
</manifest>
<spine toc="ncx">
<itemref idref="Section0010.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0011.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0003.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0004.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0007.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0002.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0001.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0006.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0005.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0008.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0009.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0012.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0013.xhtml"/>
<itemref idref="Section0014.xhtml"/>
</spine>
</package>

[Doitsu]

Most likely, your actual .opf file contains the following tags at the end:

  <guide>
  </guide>
</package>

Simply delete both guide tags. Or, open the book with Sigil, right-click the first chapter in the Book Browser and select Add semantics... > Text (text).

[Tex2002ans]

Originally Posted by evil writer

I got an email from Smashwords saying my epub has the following error (tried googling but didn't help):

ERROR(RSC-005): OEBPS/content.opf(57, 11): Error while parsing file: element "guide" incomplete; missing required element "reference"

Yep, exactly like Doitsu said, you're missing some EPUB semantics.

Although I'd recommend adding your Cover instead.

In Sigil, Tools > Add Cover.

Pick your cover image.

Sigil will create a cover HTML file for you + add the cover image into your <guide> section. This should solve your problem.

Side Note: I'd also recommend renaming your HTML files into human-readable names.

In Sigil's Book Browser, you can Right-Click the files > Rename.

Right now you have:

• Section0001.xhtml
• Section0002.xhtml
• Section0003.xhtml
• Section0004.xhtml
• [...]

But I'd recommend:

• Copyright.xhtml
• Dedication.xhtml
• Chapter01.xhtml
• Chapter02.xhtml
• Chapter03.xhtml
• Chapter04.xhtml
• [...]

In the future, if anything goes wrong, you can more easily debug exactly where an issue occurs.

Compare:

"Oh, I have an issue in Chapter 5? Great."

vs.

"Oh, I have an issue in Section0007.xhtml? I don't know what that is, and it's definitely not the 7th chapter in my book."

[evil writer]

Deleting the guide tags didn't work but adding semantics did. Thanks to both of you for your help!