Why won't iBooks allow highlighting and font size changes for one particular ePUB?

wealthychef · 07-26-2017, 12:13 AM

I have an ePUB that I got from a publisher and when I view it in iBooks, the ability to highlight it or change font sizes is disabled. This is not true for other ePUBs. I'm wondering how to troubleshoot it. This forum was recommended to me as a possible avenue forward. I contacted Apple support but was hoping there might be a knowledgable person here as well.

The book was originally a Kobo book but I have converted it to plain ePUB format using a certain open source tool that I believe forum etiquette dictates I not mention. I believe that the issue lies somewhere in the CSS section of the ePUB but nothing jumps out at me. The book itself is large and copyrighted, so I cannot upload it here, but I have attached the CSS here just in case (see "pkf-css.txt".

cedhax · 07-26-2017, 01:19 AM

As you mentioned that the book was originally a Kobo book, have you tried opening it with the free Kobo iOS app, and checking if highlighting and font size change work there first?

jhowell · 07-26-2017, 08:17 AM

It is hard to tell for certain from just the CSS, but it appears that your book uses fixed layout. Fixed layout positions all of the elements exactly on the page and doesn't allow font size changes or reflow of content. Changing that into a reflowable e-book will take significant work.

HarryT · 07-26-2017, 08:25 AM

Does Kobo sell fixed-layout ePubs? I wasn't aware that they did. One tends to find them mainly in the iBook store.

salamanderjuice · 07-26-2017, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Does Kobo sell fixed-layout ePubs? I wasn't aware that they did. One tends to find them mainly in the iBook store.

Every single graphic novel is a fixed-layout ePub and they do sell those. So at least on a basic level they do.

HarryT · 07-26-2017, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

Every single graphic novel is a fixed-layout ePub and they do sell those. So at least on a basic level they do.

Thanks - I wasn't aware of that.

jswinden · 07-26-2017, 11:08 AM

I would try stripping out the CSS completely. This looks like a print publisher who tried to push that into an eBook format, probably due to ignorance of eBook formatting. Regardless, substitute an empty file for the CSS file, then all that garbage goes away. In other words, open the CSS file, delete evrything inside it, then save it. Then rebuild the ePub.

That is the easy way and will result in a more generic ePub. However, there might still be other CSS hard-coded within the ePub itself, so look for that too and delete it. Be aware though, if the publisher used DIV tags rather than H1, H2, and other divisional tags, then there can be a lot of issues. There are a lot of moron publishers out there.

HarryT · 07-26-2017, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jswinden

I would try stripping out the CSS completely. This looks like a print publisher who tried to push that into an eBook format, probably due to ignorance of eBook formatting. Regardless, substitute an empty file for the CSS file, then all that garbage goes away. In other words, open the CSS file, delete evrything inside it, then save it. Then rebuild the ePub.

That'll result in an ePub that will more than likely reference a load of non-existent class names, and hence will be invalid. That's really not a good idea.

jswinden · 07-26-2017, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

That'll result in an ePub that will more than likely reference a load of non-existent class names, and hence will be invalid. That's really not a good idea.

How so? I've done this often in the past and the ePub always was able to be compiled. I used Sigil. There are also apps that will strip out CSS that is internally resident in the HTML file(s). If a class is not defined, it should default the element to the default value. The real issue, and a royal PITA, is when the publisher uses DIV tags and P tags for chapters headings, sub headings, and pretty much everything else. In that case, it is probably more trouble than it is worth to correct that mess.

jhowell · 07-26-2017, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

That'll result in an ePub that will more than likely reference a load of non-existent class names, and hence will be invalid.

There is no rule that class names need to have CSS associated with them.

HarryT · 07-26-2017, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhowell

There is no rule that class names need to have CSS associated with them.

Doesn't the class need to exist? If not, then I withdraw my objection

.

jhowell · 07-26-2017, 02:27 PM

Class names are meant to describe what classes (logical groupings of any sort you wish to use) an HTML element belongs to. Classes do not need to be defined anywhere.

They are handy for CSS to target and associate with styles and for use in Javascript, but that need not be the case. Sometimes classes are merely semantic. For example you could mark poetry with class="poem" without associating any visible style with that class.

07-26-2017, 02:27 PM	#12
jhowell Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,498 Karma: 84420419 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Tampa Bay, Florida Device: Kindles	Class names are meant to describe what classes (logical groupings of any sort you wish to use) an HTML element belongs to. Classes do not need to be defined anywhere. They are handy for CSS to target and associate with styles and for use in Javascript, but that need not be the case. Sometimes classes are merely semantic. For example you could mark poetry with class="poem" without associating any visible style with that class. Last edited by jhowell; 07-26-2017 at 02:32 PM. Reason: typos

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07-26-2017, 01:19 AM	#2
cedhax Addict Posts: 281 Karma: 1546488 Join Date: Jan 2016 Device: ipad	As you mentioned that the book was originally a Kobo book, have you tried opening it with the free Kobo iOS app, and checking if highlighting and font size change work there first?

07-26-2017, 08:17 AM	#3
jhowell Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,498 Karma: 84420419 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Tampa Bay, Florida Device: Kindles	It is hard to tell for certain from just the CSS, but it appears that your book uses fixed layout. Fixed layout positions all of the elements exactly on the page and doesn't allow font size changes or reflow of content. Changing that into a reflowable e-book will take significant work.

07-26-2017, 08:25 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Does Kobo sell fixed-layout ePubs? I wasn't aware that they did. One tends to find them mainly in the iBook store.

07-26-2017, 11:08 AM	#7
jswinden Nameless Being	I would try stripping out the CSS completely. This looks like a print publisher who tried to push that into an eBook format, probably due to ignorance of eBook formatting. Regardless, substitute an empty file for the CSS file, then all that garbage goes away. In other words, open the CSS file, delete evrything inside it, then save it. Then rebuild the ePub. That is the easy way and will result in a more generic ePub. However, there might still be other CSS hard-coded within the ePub itself, so look for that too and delete it. Be aware though, if the publisher used DIV tags rather than H1, H2, and other divisional tags, then there can be a lot of issues. There are a lot of moron publishers out there.

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