Customized New Document

PapaKilo · 04-23-2018, 05:55 PM

Is there a way to customize what goes into the document when you click on File - New or open the program.

I sure would like to have it include the css and fonts I use on every new document when I create a new one.

Is it embedded in the code or in an included file that can be changed?

PapaKilo.

KevinH · 04-23-2018, 09:16 PM

You can load any epub file you choose that has the skeleton / features you want and then simply use save-as to your desired fire name theteby never changing the original epub file.

Turtle91 · 04-23-2018, 10:38 PM

^^^^ +1

I have set the shortcut to open my default epub that has my default files...works great!

Tex2002ans · 04-24-2018, 01:30 PM

A few months ago we also had an eerily similar discussion in the topic UUID basics & template.

Everyone chipped in their ideas/methods for template EPUBs.

Doitsu even created a rough-draft Sigil Plugin, EpubTemplate, to make it easy.

slowsmile · 04-24-2018, 10:40 PM

@PapaKilo said:
"I sure would like to have it include the css and fonts I use on every new document when I create a new one."

The above comment seems to suggests that you are not importing an epub into Sigil. Are you importing html into Sigil?

There are several Sigil plugin converters that will certainly include css and embedded fonts in the new epub. Diap's DOCXImport plugin or Doitsu's ODTImport(ODT to Epub) might fit your requirement depending on your original doctype. Another plugin you could possibly try is HTML2Epub - which automatically converts various different html doctypes to epub -- this plugin will create a css but will not import embedded fonts. You might also be interested in the TagMechanic or StyleBender plugins for Sigil. Just read the release notes. Have a look at The Sigil Plugin Index for more information. Lots of choice here.

As a last resort you could also try converting your doc to epub using Calibre. With this app, you can certainly choose to embed fonts and import styles how you like before you convert to epub. But, from an app user point of view, Calibre is a wee bit more complicated than Sigil so there will be a learning curve involved if you've never used it before.

PapaKilo · 04-25-2018, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinH

You can load any epub file you choose that has the skeleton / features you want and then simply use save-as to your desired fire name theteby never changing the original epub file.

Yeah, I'm doing that. Just lazy and sometimes I forget to Save As.

PapaKilo · 04-25-2018, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turtle91

^^^^ +1

I have set the shortcut to open my default epub that has my default files...works great!

Interesting, I'll have to try that.

PapaKilo · 04-25-2018, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tex2002ans

A few months ago we also had an eerily similar discussion in the topic UUID basics & template.

Everyone chipped in their ideas/methods for template EPUBs.

Doitsu even created a rough-draft Sigil Plugin, EpubTemplate, to make it easy.

I'll look into this one too.

PapaKilo · 04-25-2018, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowsmile

@PapaKilo said:
"I sure would like to have it include the css and fonts I use on every new document when I create a new one."

The above comment seems to suggests that you are not importing an epub into Sigil. Are you importing html into Sigil?

There are several Sigil plugin converters that will certainly include css and embedded fonts in the new epub. Diap's DOCXImport plugin or Doitsu's ODTImport(ODT to Epub) might fit your requirement depending on your original doctype. Another plugin you could possibly try is HTML2Epub - which automatically converts various different html doctypes to epub -- this plugin will create a css but will not import embedded fonts. You might also be interested in the TagMechanic or StyleBender plugins for Sigil. Just read the release notes. Have a look at The Sigil Plugin Index for more information. Lots of choice here.

As a last resort you could also try converting your doc to epub using Calibre. With this app, you can certainly choose to embed fonts and import styles how you like before you convert to epub. But, from an app user point of view, Calibre is a wee bit more complicated than Sigil so there will be a learning curve involved if you've never used it before.

I do use DocXImport when appropriate. Don't like Calibre css. then I have to go in and change all their code.

And I don't import much , if any, html if I can help it.

BetterRed · 04-25-2018, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapaKilo

[ . . . ] and sometimes I forget to Save As.

I avoid doing that by copying the template I want from my templates directory into my working directory. rename it, and then open it with Sigil. I also have my templates Read only in case I forget to do that

BR

slowsmile · 04-25-2018, 10:26 PM

@PapaKilo...Back in the early days when I uploaded epub, I used templates. First I would create a Word template for novels. Then after creating my epub for the first time as I like it I would save the epub stylesheet as my epub template. You only have to do this once. Thereafter I would create my other novels always using the same Word template and save that to html. Then I would import the html doc into Sigil, convert to epub and just swap out the stylesheet with my original epub template - and the epub would automatically be formatted exactly as I prefer it. The key to this template method is that all the style names used in the Word template must be exactly the same as in my saved epub template. So when I swapped the stylesheets there was no extra css or html formatting needed because it was already done.

PapaKilo · 04-25-2018, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I avoid doing that by copying the template I want from my templates directory into my working directory. rename it, and then open it with Sigil. I also have my templates Read only in case I forget to do that

BR

Good thought! Sometimes I wonder why I don't think of this stuff myself. Oh well, over the hill I guess.

Maui · 04-26-2018, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapaKilo

Yeah, I'm doing that. Just lazy and sometimes I forget to Save As.

make the template read only.

JustinThought · 04-26-2018, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turtle91

^^^^ +1

I have set the shortcut to open my default epub that has my default files...works great!

Another way that works for me is, I have a folder set that contains my CSS, all the font files I'll be using, and even several pages that are standard between epubs (i.e., the cover page and often the title page as well as the first chapter). Then, open a new, blank document, click the add files button (+), import all the files, and you have a new, custom epub. Also, that way I can have one folder for, say, Heinlein, and another for Koontz, and each has their own individual formats and fonts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapaKilo

Yeah, I'm doing that. Just lazy and sometimes I forget to Save As.

Me too. So set the attributes on your template file to read-only. Then you'll get that scary but harmless error message "...Sigil may have to close" when you try to save.

Notjohn · 04-30-2018, 10:24 AM

Many thanks for this thread!

04-23-2018, 05:55 PM	#1
PapaKilo Connoisseur Posts: 66 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2012 Device: Android, kindle	Customized New Document Is there a way to customize what goes into the document when you click on File - New or open the program. I sure would like to have it include the css and fonts I use on every new document when I create a new one. Is it embedded in the code or in an included file that can be changed? PapaKilo.

04-24-2018, 10:40 PM	#5
slowsmile Witchman Posts: 628 Karma: 788808 Join Date: May 2013 Location: Philippines Device: Android S5	@PapaKilo said: "I sure would like to have it include the css and fonts I use on every new document when I create a new one." The above comment seems to suggests that you are not importing an epub into Sigil. Are you importing html into Sigil? There are several Sigil plugin converters that will certainly include css and embedded fonts in the new epub. Diap's *DOCXImport* plugin or Doitsu's ODTImport(ODT to Epub) might fit your requirement depending on your original doctype. Another plugin you could possibly try is *HTML2Epub* - which automatically converts various different html doctypes to epub -- this plugin will create a css but will not import embedded fonts. You might also be interested in the TagMechanic or StyleBender plugins for Sigil. Just read the release notes. Have a look at The Sigil Plugin Index for more information. Lots of choice here. As a last resort you could also try converting your doc to epub using Calibre. With this app, you can certainly choose to embed fonts and import styles how you like before you convert to epub. But, from an app user point of view, Calibre is a wee bit more complicated than Sigil so there will be a learning curve involved if you've never used it before. Last edited by slowsmile; 04-24-2018 at 11:08 PM.

04-25-2018, 10:26 PM	#11
slowsmile Witchman Posts: 628 Karma: 788808 Join Date: May 2013 Location: Philippines Device: Android S5	@PapaKilo...Back in the early days when I uploaded epub, I used templates. First I would create a Word template for novels. Then after creating my epub for the first time as I like it I would save the epub stylesheet as my epub template. You only have to do this once. Thereafter I would create my other novels always using the same Word template and save that to html. Then I would import the html doc into Sigil, convert to epub and just swap out the stylesheet with my original epub template - and the epub would automatically be formatted exactly as I prefer it. The key to this template method is that all the style names used in the Word template must be exactly the same as in my saved epub template. So when I swapped the stylesheets there was no extra css or html formatting needed because it was already done. Last edited by slowsmile; 04-25-2018 at 10:46 PM.

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04-23-2018, 09:16 PM	#2
KevinH Sigil Developer Posts: 7,633 Karma: 5433388 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: many	You can load any epub file you choose that has the skeleton / features you want and then simply use save-as to your desired fire name theteby never changing the original epub file.

04-23-2018, 10:38 PM	#3
Turtle91 A Hairy Wizard Posts: 3,093 Karma: 18727053 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Charleston, SC today Device: iPhone 11/X/6/iPad 1,2,Air & Air Pro/Surface Pro/Kindle PW & Fire	^^^^ +1 I have set the shortcut to open my default epub that has my default files...works great!

04-24-2018, 01:30 PM	#4
Tex2002ans Wizard Posts: 2,297 Karma: 12126329 Join Date: Jul 2012 Device: Kobo Forma, Nook	A few months ago we also had an eerily similar discussion in the topic UUID basics & template. Everyone chipped in their ideas/methods for template EPUBs. Doitsu even created a rough-draft Sigil Plugin, EpubTemplate, to make it easy.

04-30-2018, 10:24 AM	#15
Notjohn mostly an observer Posts: 1,515 Karma: 987654 Join Date: Dec 2012 Device: Kindle	Many thanks for this thread!