Paragraphs are indented in Aldiko

jhsrennie · 10-12-2011, 06:20 AM

I'm trying to convert HTML to epub so I can read the books on my Android tablet using Aldiko. Everything converts fine, and if I read the epubs on my PC using Adobe Digital Editions everything looks fine. However when I read them with Aldiko on my tablet all the paragraphs have the first line indented.

I suspect this is a problem with Aldiko not Calibre. I used the --debug-pipeline option to save the intermediate processing, and the HTML file in the processed directory isn't indented when I view it in Internet Explorer. Also if I convert to mobi the text isn't indented in the Kindle reader.

But not every book is indented in Aldiko, so there must be something in the epub I've produced that causes Aldiko to display paragraphs with a first line indent. Has anyone come across this problem, and can anyone suggest how I can modify my source HTML or the ebook-convert options to avoid the problem.

The command I'm using is:

Code:

ebook-convert "My Book.html" .epub --authors "<author>" --title "<title>" --cover "My Book.jpg"

Thanks,

John Rennie

Later: while messing around I discovered that if I convert to mobi then convert to epub the paragraphs aren't indented. When I look at the debug-pipeline files one obvious difference is in the stylesheet and specifically that when converting from mobi to epub the .calibre2 style includes "text-indent: 0;". This isn't in the .calibre2 style when I convert from html to epub.

Maybe there is some setting in Aldiko that indents paragraphs unless the style specifically sets the indent to zero. I'll ask in the Aldiko forum. In the mean time is there an easy way I can specify a "text-indent: 0;" using an option for ebook-convert or do I need to go back and edit the source html?

theducks · 10-12-2011, 06:52 AM

(No) Indenting is not a problem, it is a preference

I believe Calibre uses the current default conversion preferences from the GUI for the conversion formats specified. So set that to your choice.

Fixing already converted book is fairly easy.
Find the style applied to the indented paragraph:

Use the Calibre ebook-viewer. Right-click on the paragraph and select inspect.
That will show the class affecting the area and the style sheet settings for that class (inc inherited).
Use Tweak-epub and a text editor to change text-indent: <your value here>

speakingtohe · 10-12-2011, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Use the Calibre ebook-viewer. Right-click on the paragraph and select inspect.

Wow didn't know about the inspect feature. How useful.

Thanks
Helen

jhsrennie · 10-12-2011, 11:21 AM

@theducks: thanks, I had guessed it was some setting in Aldiko since the epub displayed fine in Adobe Digital Editions (and in Calibre Viewer) and only Aldiko indented the paragraphs. However I can't find anywhere in Aldiko that you set the paragraph indent preferences.

Anyhow I've fixed it, in fact I've found two ways to fix it. For books where I still have the HTML I've added a <style> tag:

Code:

<html>
<head>
<style>
P { text-indent: 0; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
etc

and for books where I no longer have the HTML I just unzipped the book and edited the stylesheet.css to change the .calibre2 style to:

Code:

.calibre2 {
    display: block;
    margin-bottom: 1em;
    margin-left: 0;
    margin-right: 0;
    margin-top: 1em;
    text-indent: 0
    }

and then zipped it up again.

JR

Starson17 · 10-12-2011, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhsrennie

I can't find anywhere in Aldiko that you set the paragraph indent preferences.

Do you have Aldiko set to use Publisher formatting (In Advanced Formatting) or set to override it?

jhsrennie · 10-12-2011, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starson17

Do you have Aldiko set to use Publisher formatting (In Advanced Formatting) or set to override it?

I have Aldiko set to use publisher formatting i.e. no override. Since, in this case, I'm the publisher that should be fine!

I did try enabling the "override formatting" but this didn't seem to offer me much. In particular I couldn't see any way of setting the indent. I only have the free version of Aldiko. Maybe the Premium version offers more options.

JR

Starson17 · 10-12-2011, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhsrennie

I have Aldiko set to use publisher formatting i.e. no override. Since, in this case, I'm the publisher that should be fine!

The reason I asked is that Aldiko seems to use indent in its override, and I agree - it doesn't seem to be adjustable. OTOH, with override off it should follow the ebook defined formatting and there's no need to adjust Aldiko, since it's not using Aldiko's format settings.

Quote:

I did try enabling the "override formatting" but this didn't seem to offer me much. In particular I couldn't see any way of setting the indent.

Agreed - I think the override is hardwired to use indents without paragraph spacing rather than unindented blocks with blank lines between. I tend to prefer the indented format without any blank lines as it fits more text on a page.

10-12-2011, 06:20 AM	#1
jhsrennie Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Android	Paragraphs are indented in Aldiko I'm trying to convert HTML to epub so I can read the books on my Android tablet using Aldiko. Everything converts fine, and if I read the epubs on my PC using Adobe Digital Editions everything looks fine. However when I read them with Aldiko on my tablet all the paragraphs have the first line indented. I suspect this is a problem with Aldiko not Calibre. I used the --debug-pipeline option to save the intermediate processing, and the HTML file in the processed directory isn't indented when I view it in Internet Explorer. Also if I convert to mobi the text isn't indented in the Kindle reader. But not every book is indented in Aldiko, so there must be something in the epub I've produced that causes Aldiko to display paragraphs with a first line indent. Has anyone come across this problem, and can anyone suggest how I can modify my source HTML or the ebook-convert options to avoid the problem. The command I'm using is: Code: ebook-convert "My Book.html" .epub --authors "<author>" --title "<title>" --cover "My Book.jpg" Thanks, John Rennie Later: while messing around I discovered that if I convert to mobi then convert to epub the paragraphs aren't indented. When I look at the debug-pipeline files one obvious difference is in the stylesheet and specifically that when converting from mobi to epub the .calibre2 style includes "text-indent: 0;". This isn't in the .calibre2 style when I convert from html to epub. Maybe there is some setting in Aldiko that indents paragraphs unless the style specifically sets the indent to zero. I'll ask in the Aldiko forum. In the mean time is there an easy way I can specify a "text-indent: 0;" using an option for ebook-convert or do I need to go back and edit the source html? Last edited by jhsrennie; 10-12-2011 at 06:37 AM. Reason: More information

10-12-2011, 11:21 AM	#4
jhsrennie Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Android	@theducks: thanks, I had guessed it was some setting in Aldiko since the epub displayed fine in Adobe Digital Editions (and in Calibre Viewer) and only Aldiko indented the paragraphs. However I can't find anywhere in Aldiko that you set the paragraph indent preferences. Anyhow I've fixed it, in fact I've found two ways to fix it. For books where I still have the HTML I've added a <style> tag: Code: <html> <head> <style> P { text-indent: 0; } </style> </head> <body> etc and for books where I no longer have the HTML I just unzipped the book and edited the stylesheet.css to change the .calibre2 style to: Code: .calibre2 { display: block; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-top: 1em; text-indent: 0 } and then zipped it up again. JR

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10-12-2011, 06:52 AM	#2
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,768 Karma: 54401244 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	(No) Indenting is not a problem, it is a preference I believe Calibre uses the current default conversion preferences from the GUI for the conversion formats specified. So set that to your choice. Fixing already converted book is fairly easy. Find the style applied to the indented paragraph: Use the Calibre ebook-viewer. Right-click on the paragraph and select inspect. That will show the class affecting the area and the style sheet settings for that class (inc inherited). Use Tweak-epub and a text editor to change text-indent: <your value here>

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