[GUI Plugin] Modify ePub

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by kiwidude

The remove non dc: metadata option will remove all the calibre specific metadata cruft along with any from other tools like Sigil. As stated elsewhere in this thread it is almost mutually exclusive with the update metadata option, since the latter always runs last. But as you say it does no harm for most users, it is only those who are submitting their books for publication and get blocked by tools those sites have to reject epubs with cruft in them that will care.

Actually, don't remove the Sigil line in the OPF. It's nice to know what program what used to edit the ePub. The rest of the Calibre OPF additions can go.

Not sure what you mean by the second comment. Do you mean why update the internal ePub opf file when calibres library has an opf file too? If so the answer is that if you open the book using calibres viewer, it only uses what is internal to the ePub. So the title, author in the window title and opening cover might not match what your library have displayed in calibre. So people who actually read their books on the computer using the calibre viewer, or who do direct things with the calibre file system (which we know they shouldn't but people still do) rather than using calibres export features have a way of getting the ePub internally correct without having to do an ePub -> conversion.

I mean, why have Calibre modify the ePub's OPF when there is a Calibre OPF that can be used for that. The stuff Calibre puts in is only valid for use with Calibre. So really, it belongs in the other OPF. Not the ePub's.

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Actually, don't remove the Sigil line in the OPF. It's nice to know what program what used to edit the ePub. The rest of the Calibre OPF additions can go.

there is no granularity with the remove option, just like there is no granularity with the websites that reject epubs with this data in it. If you want control like that then you would tweak ePub it.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I mean, why have Calibre modify the ePub's OPF when there is a Calibre OPF that can be used for that. The stuff Calibre puts in is only valid for use with Calibre. So really, it belongs in the other OPF. Not the ePub's.

Right, for which I gave the answer above - any tools that you open the ePub with use the internal data, nothing uses calibres opf file except calibre when restoring a library or adding books. And not all of the data updated is calibre specific. For instance the title and author fields. Or the cover. Like I said the net effect is no different to exporting from calibre.

Now arguably someone might want an option to do an update metadata which only does non calibre specific stuff and does not insert all the junk like custom column data. However the calibre code offers no such granularity, which would mean I have to replicate it into this plugin and maintain it. Which I can't be bothered with, since few people on this earth are bothered by metadata cruft, and those that are can choose either not to use the Update metadata option, or can do a Remove non dc: metadata pass after it.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The stuff Calibre puts in is only valid for use with Calibre. So really, it belongs in the other OPF. Not the ePub's.

I don't believe this is true. I've used both Mantano and Coolreader apps on my Android phone. Both of them understand the Series and series_index fields, which I believe are Calibre-specific opf metadata fields.

[theducks]

I see no problem with leaving properly formatted Sigil or Calibre Metadata.
An argument could be made that removing this after using the program to create or modify the book, is similar to removing the copyright/branding in the source code of the program. The program is just signing its work.

[jackie_w]

There are definitely certain calibre metadata items I'd prefer not to have transferred to my epubs, namely some of my custom columns, but I don't know whether that could be done by a plugin or whether it would need to be in main calibre. Perhaps a checkbox for each custom column. Just an idea, but I don't know how many people would be bothered to use it.

[kiwidude]

Changes in this release:

• Fix for remove unused images to better handle image paths with spaces

[kiwidude]

Changes in this release:

• Fix for remove unused images to better handle image paths with other characters like commas

[kiwidude]

Changes in this release:

• Fix for remove unused images to check encrypted and unencrypted names, skip DRM ebooks
• When using the Remove xpgt files and links option, remove trailing whitespace after the removed <link>
• When no epubs are modified, ensure the log detail is available to review

[davidfor]

Kiwidude,

With all the changes you have been making recently, it has prompted me to ask for something that has been in my mind for a while...

Something I frequently do with epubs I download from a couple of site is to replace the CSS file with my version of it. I can do this via "Tweak ePub" or Sigil, but as I simply want to replace the existing file with one I prepared earlier, it seems like something that Modify ePub could do.

The changes that would be needed are:

- Option to say to replace the CSS file
- Someway to specify the CSS file - a field plus a filepicker or a prompt when pressing OK.
- Storing the options and file name for the next time

The only other question would be what to do if there are multiple CSS files in the ePub. Does it replace based on name, first, all or none of them. Or prompt to pick which one to replace. Replacing the same named one is the safest, but if there is only one, replacing its contents is not unreasonable.

Any chance of this? Anyone else want it?

[theducks]

Kiwidude

removing xpgt files and links (using the PI) leaves the manifest entry which then fails 'missing manifest files'

Manifest file missing from ePub:  OEBPS/page-template.xpgt

[kiwidude]

... and wait for it...

That's what happens when you don't work on a plugin for a long time and resort to copy/pasting from the first other "delete" example you find in your code... which in this case would have been the "Remove *unmanifested* files" which simply ensures the file doesn't get zipped back up again...

Remove unused images will probably have the same issue. I'll push up a new version shortly. At least you have a function in the plugin to complete the job in a second pass in the meantime...

Edit: Remove unused images is fine, it appears only the xpgt files function was affected.

[kiwidude]

Changes in this release:

• Fix for Remove xpgt files and links to remove the xpgt file from the manifest
• When performing any Modify action, update the last_modified column in calibre for the book.

Thanks to theducks for finding the oversight in the "Remove xpgt file" feature. If you have used that feature (it was only added a few days ago) then there is a simple fix for the books that would be affected as mentioned above. In Quality Check run the "Check manifest files missing" check and it will tell you which books have entries in the OPF manifest for which the physical files do not exist in the ePub. Then in this Modify ePub plugin for those books, use the "Remove missing file entries from manifest" option.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Kiwidude,

With all the changes you have been making recently, it has prompted me to ask for something that has been in my mind for a while...

Something I frequently do with epubs I download from a couple of site is to replace the CSS file with my version of it. I can do this via "Tweak ePub" or Sigil, but as I simply want to replace the existing file with one I prepared earlier, it seems like something that Modify ePub could do.

The changes that would be needed are:

- Option to say to replace the CSS file
- Someway to specify the CSS file - a field plus a filepicker or a prompt when pressing OK.
- Storing the options and file name for the next time

The only other question would be what to do if there are multiple CSS files in the ePub. Does it replace based on name, first, all or none of them. Or prompt to pick which one to replace. Replacing the same named one is the safest, but if there is only one, replacing its contents is not unreasonable.

Any chance of this? Anyone else want it?

But what happens when your custom CSS is missing the classes needed or your same named classes are different enough?

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But what happens when your custom CSS is missing the classes needed or your same named classes are different enough?

Bad things. But...

In the cases I am doing this, the epubs are coming from a couple of different sites. Each site uses the same CSS for all their epubs. What I have done is take a copy of of the CSS file and made some minor changes. Now, each time I download a new epub from the sites, I replace the CSS file with mine.

Having an option in Modify ePub to do this is safe.

[kiwidude]

@davidfor - I'm afraid that functionality is just way too niche to consider for this plugin. There is such a small range of use cases where it would work. I would suggest the majority of users get their ebooks from a wide range of sources/publishers, which makes it impossible to do such a substitution without doing irreperable harm to the ebook.

I think you would be better off having a bespoke plugin that does specifically just this function. Or possibly even having it as a Sigil plugin (though this is not possible yet, but might be one day if it ever gets a plugin API).