How to break up into sections ???

katielady · 01-31-2011, 09:07 AM

Hello,

I have a .pdf file that I converted to ePub with Calibre. I started reading it on my Kobo and then decided not to continue. It has no TOC or chapters so I will have to click about 250 times to get to the end of the book to "finish" it and get it off my reading list.

I read in this forum that Sigil can "edit and break up the ePub files" so I will have chapters or a Table of Contents.

I installed Sigil and although I manage quite nicely with software programs this one has me stumped.

When I open the ePub book I get a list of .html's on the left. If I click on Insert/Chapters nothing seems to happen.

Can someone help ? Thanks !

PS I read (or tried to read) the manual. Most of it meant nothing to me.

Toxaris · 01-31-2011, 10:34 AM

Sure, it is actually quite easy. The actual result does depends on the input. Garbage in garbage out...

Anyway, the first thing you can try is bring up the TOC editor (F7). If you are lucky, your headers are present there. Then you just save and you have a TOC.
If you are not lucky, than you need to specify the headers in the html files yourself.

slick8086 · 02-02-2011, 04:05 PM

The way I do this is to use the Insert>SFG Chapter Marker everywhere I want a chapter then use Tools>Split on SGF Chapter Markers.

Once that is done I find or add "Chapter XX" or what ever text you want at the beginning of each chapter then apply "Heading 2" to that text. Then Sigil will take those to make the TOC entries.

Perkin · 02-02-2011, 04:23 PM

Start over, convert with calibre, BUT on conversion->structure detection, change the 'chapter mark' from pagebreak to none. On Epub-Output set split files to 4000
(Then the whole text will be in one file)

Load converted epub in Sigil, searching (code-view) for '<h\d', then move up a few lines, and insert a Sigil Chapter Marker where you want the split, and repeat process for rest of file. Then when done, Tools->'Split on SGF Chapter Markers'.
Job Done.

STEM · 02-03-2011, 04:00 PM

I have been tearing my hair out trying to build a meaningful TOC for this (my first) try at producing an e-book.
I can get a list of files that I have split it into by chapter, but I cannot make some sort of href or whatever to make it inter-active with the chapters by chapter title, can you help.
Thanks, Les
PS I also live in Kent (Ramsgate)

STEM · 02-03-2011, 04:02 PM

I have been tearing my hair out trying to build a meaningful TOC for this (my first) try at producing an e-book.
I can get a list of files that I have split it into by chapter, but I cannot make some sort of href or whatever to make it inter-active with the chapters by chapter title, can you help.
Thanks, Les
PS I also live in Kent (Ramsgate)
See attachment in
Go Back MobileRead Forums > E-Book Software > Sigil
Reload this Page How to break up into sections ???

DaleDe · 02-03-2011, 05:30 PM

Did you look in tools/TOC editor? Also fill in Tools/Meta editor.

A TOC is really simple if you have h2, h3, etc. statements in your chapter titles.

Hitch · 02-03-2011, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STEM

I have been tearing my hair out trying to build a meaningful TOC for this (my first) try at producing an e-book.
I can get a list of files that I have split it into by chapter, but I cannot make some sort of href or whatever to make it inter-active with the chapters by chapter title, can you help.
Thanks, Les
PS I also live in Kent (Ramsgate)
See attachment in
Go Back MobileRead Forums > E-Book Software > Sigil
Reload this Page How to break up into sections ???

DaleDe is correct, a TOC is a piece of cake in Sigil. Just wrap your chapter headers in h1-2-3 tags and Sigil will build an ncx for you...unless you mean you are trying to build an html.toc?

Hitch

Perkin · 02-03-2011, 06:25 PM

For linking the Contents entries you have already...

Open the epub in sigil, switch to CodeView
Open ABRAHAM.html (should be opened already)
For each of the 'links' surround the text with a link tag, (<a>) and use a href pointing to the file you want to link it to.
e.g.
<a href="Section0001.xhtml">Foreword</a>

Repeat for all the entries you want linked to.

Use Tools-TOC editor, to see results.

For the built-in table of contents....
In each of the Section####.xhtml files, wherever you want a linked heading,
Surround the text with heading tags (<h#> , where #= heading type 1-6)
e.g.
In Section0001.xhtml, surround 'Foreword' with a <h> tag - say you wanted a level 2 heading

<h2>Foreword</h2>

Repeat in other files as needed

BMaloney · 02-11-2011, 09:51 PM

Perkin, I don't even know you, but I LOVE YOU!!!!

I have been at the seemingly impossible task of introducing basic TOC metadata into an ePub for well over a week now. I've pulled out lots of hair, but no TOC.

Then the magic words: "switch to code view." It might be that I'm a bit slow, but it never dawned on me that the h-tags need to be typed in code view. This is also partly because you can type "normal" text in either view and it doesn't matter. I had <h2> and </h2> characters everywhere but in the right place!

Anyway, thanks a million Perkin for taking the time to write it out so clearly for people like me!

Perkin · 02-12-2011, 12:55 AM

You're welcome, glad I could help.

BMaloney · 02-12-2011, 09:03 PM

You sure did. My enthusiastic thank-you was a clear sign of how hard I was working at finding a solution!

Now these long documents no longer pose any serious challenges. On the contrary, they cry out with possibility. It makes me a bit giddy, thinking about how I could be my own publisher, controlling every aspect of the e-book!

Sigil's really great, actually. It's not only powerful but almost educational: you learn about how the files and programs are structured by using it.

And when you are so nice explaining how it works, it's even great for karma!

leo315 · 02-16-2011, 08:22 PM

I might be helpful to think a little outside the box. Which I just learned to appreciate:

A tutorial to rename the .epub to .zip and extract all content html and jpeg from a epub, with the possibility to split, rearrange, edit the ebook content.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/19268...e-html-editor/

Valloric · 02-17-2011, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leo315

A tutorial to rename the .epub to .zip and extract all content html and jpeg from a epub, with the possibility to split, rearrange, edit the ebook content.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/19268...e-html-editor/

And that tutorial is terrible. You can't just zip up the contents of an epub and expect it to become a valid epub file. It's more complicated than that. The "mimetype" file needs to be the first file in the zip archive, and it needs to be stored uncompressed.

Luckily, Sigil can open those "epub files" created by simply zipping up a folder, and saving them again stores the mimetype correctly.

BMaloney · 02-18-2011, 05:01 PM

I trust the karma!

01-31-2011, 09:07 AM	#1
katielady Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: kobo	How to break up into sections ??? Hello, I have a .pdf file that I converted to ePub with Calibre. I started reading it on my Kobo and then decided not to continue. It has no TOC or chapters so I will have to click about 250 times to get to the end of the book to "finish" it and get it off my reading list. I read in this forum that Sigil can "edit and break up the ePub files" so I will have chapters or a Table of Contents. I installed Sigil and although I manage quite nicely with software programs this one has me stumped. When I open the ePub book I get a list of .html's on the left. If I click on Insert/Chapters nothing seems to happen. Can someone help ? Thanks ! PS I read (or tried to read) the manual. Most of it meant nothing to me.

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01-31-2011, 10:34 AM	#2
Toxaris Wizard Posts: 4,520 Karma: 121692313 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Heemskerk, NL Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura	Sure, it is actually quite easy. The actual result does depends on the input. Garbage in garbage out... Anyway, the first thing you can try is bring up the TOC editor (F7). If you are lucky, your headers are present there. Then you just save and you have a TOC. If you are not lucky, than you need to specify the headers in the html files yourself.

02-02-2011, 04:05 PM	#3
slick8086 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Sony Touch	The way I do this is to use the Insert>SFG Chapter Marker everywhere I want a chapter then use Tools>Split on SGF Chapter Markers. Once that is done I find or add "Chapter XX" or what ever text you want at the beginning of each chapter then apply "Heading 2" to that text. Then Sigil will take those to make the TOC entries.

02-02-2011, 04:23 PM	#4
Perkin Guru Posts: 655 Karma: 64171 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Kent, England, Sol 3, ZZ9 plural Z Alpha Device: Sony PRS-300, Kobo Aura HD, iPad (Marvin)	Start over, convert with calibre, BUT on conversion->structure detection, change the 'chapter mark' from pagebreak to none. On Epub-Output set split files to 4000 (Then the whole text will be in one file) Load converted epub in Sigil, searching (code-view) for '<h\d', then move up a few lines, and insert a Sigil Chapter Marker where you want the split, and repeat process for rest of file. Then when done, Tools->'Split on SGF Chapter Markers'. Job Done.

02-03-2011, 04:02 PM	#6
STEM Prospective publisher Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: UK Device: none	I have been tearing my hair out trying to build a meaningful TOC for this (my first) try at producing an e-book. I can get a list of files that I have split it into by chapter, but I cannot make some sort of href or whatever to make it inter-active with the chapters by chapter title, can you help. Thanks, Les PS I also live in Kent (Ramsgate) See attachment in Go Back MobileRead Forums > E-Book Software > Sigil Reload this Page How to break up into sections ???

02-03-2011, 05:30 PM	#7
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	Did you look in tools/TOC editor? Also fill in Tools/Meta editor. A TOC is really simple if you have h2, h3, etc. statements in your chapter titles.

02-03-2011, 06:25 PM	#9
Perkin Guru Posts: 655 Karma: 64171 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Kent, England, Sol 3, ZZ9 plural Z Alpha Device: Sony PRS-300, Kobo Aura HD, iPad (Marvin)	For linking the Contents entries you have already... Open the epub in sigil, switch to CodeView Open ABRAHAM.html (should be opened already) For each of the 'links' surround the text with a link tag, (<a>) and use a href pointing to the file you want to link it to. e.g. <a href="Section0001.xhtml">Foreword</a> Repeat for all the entries you want linked to. Use Tools-TOC editor, to see results. For the built-in table of contents.... In each of the Section####.xhtml files, wherever you want a linked heading, Surround the text with heading tags (<h#> , where #= heading type 1-6) e.g. In Section0001.xhtml, surround 'Foreword' with a <h> tag - say you wanted a level 2 heading <h2>Foreword</h2> Repeat in other files as needed

02-11-2011, 09:51 PM	#10
BMaloney Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 126 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: PRS-650	Perkin, I don't even know you, but I LOVE YOU!!!! I have been at the seemingly impossible task of introducing basic TOC metadata into an ePub for well over a week now. I've pulled out lots of hair, but no TOC. Then the magic words: "switch to code view." It might be that I'm a bit slow, but it never dawned on me that the h-tags need to be typed in code view. This is also partly because you can type "normal" text in either view and it doesn't matter. I had <h2> and </h2> characters everywhere but in the right place! Anyway, thanks a million Perkin for taking the time to write it out so clearly for people like me!

02-12-2011, 12:55 AM	#11
Perkin Guru Posts: 655 Karma: 64171 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Kent, England, Sol 3, ZZ9 plural Z Alpha Device: Sony PRS-300, Kobo Aura HD, iPad (Marvin)	You're welcome, glad I could help.

02-12-2011, 09:03 PM	#12
BMaloney Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 126 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: PRS-650	You sure did. My enthusiastic thank-you was a clear sign of how hard I was working at finding a solution! Now these long documents no longer pose any serious challenges. On the contrary, they cry out with possibility. It makes me a bit giddy, thinking about how I could be my own publisher, controlling every aspect of the e-book! Sigil's really great, actually. It's not only powerful but almost educational: you learn about how the files and programs are structured by using it. And when you are so nice explaining how it works, it's even great for karma!

02-16-2011, 08:22 PM	#13
leo315 Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Entourage Edge	I might be helpful to think a little outside the box. Which I just learned to appreciate: A tutorial to rename the .epub to .zip and extract all content html and jpeg from a epub, with the possibility to split, rearrange, edit the ebook content. http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/19268...e-html-editor/

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02-18-2011, 05:01 PM	#15
BMaloney Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 126 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: PRS-650	I trust the karma!