With ePub here, do you still need RTF?

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Yes, ePub is essentially XML... however, many of the component files, such as the individual chapters, the title page, dedication page, etc, are just HTML pages within the ePub package. They can be opened and read on any browser or web page editor. I build the whole thing manually with Dreamweaver at the moment, but I hope that won't always be the case.

i've just started using Storyist again (great writing tool on the Mac, have been without it too long in Windows land) and it's the only one (so far) that produces html output that Calbire handles well. Automatically setting chapters etc as they are in Storyist. It's cut my hand editing time in half. I just open up the epub file now and do tweaks after the initial conversion from html > ePub, sometimes not even that, just a quick CSS overide

EDIT: Damn, spoke too soon. It's still a bit of mess using this method. Oh well, back to Textmate and hand coding

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

EPubs are zipped html, not hard to unzip and work with. You can copy and paste them into your app of choice.

But not always easy to reassemble into an ePUB file unless you are careful and pick a good app. If you only are fixing a few typos then you can usually get by with editing the raw file but if you convert it with some wysiwyg tool you can be in trouble.

Dale

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Yes, ePub is essentially XML... however, many of the component files, such as the individual chapters, the title page, dedication page, etc, are just HTML pages within the ePub package. They can be opened and read on any browser or web page editor. I build the whole thing manually with Dreamweaver at the moment, but I hope that won't always be the case.

The pages in the book is really XHTML, not just XML. XML would need a special definition to understand how to parse it and possibly a special tool. Just saying XML doesn't say anything about how to parse the file. XHTML is a particular implementation of XML that has been defined. The metadata is mostly XML based and you need to be very careful if you touch any of that.

ePUB needs pages that are XHTML, just sloppy old HTML with all its shortcuts won't cut it.

Dale

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

But not always easy to reassemble into an ePUB file unless you are careful and pick a good app. If you only are fixing a few typos then you can usually get by with editing the raw file but if you convert it with some wysiwyg tool you can be in trouble.

That's why I've been doing them manually in Dreamweaver... more trouble, but removes the ambiguities. It's a shame I had to abandon WinZIP and switch to WinRAR to do the packaging... that's another example of keeping multiple programs that do almost the same job, but slightly differently, a degree of additional complexity I don't need.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

The pages in the book is really XHTML, not just XML...

As you can see, I'm not the best person to ask about the differences and definitions between XML and XHTML! I'm still learning them myself.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

As you can see, I'm not the best person to ask about the differences and definitions between XML and XHTML! I'm still learning them myself.

XML is basically rules of how to define a markup language. How to create tags and attributes. How to encode data if needed, etc.

HTML is a mark up language that defines sections and formating.

XHTML is basically HTML that follows the XML rules. For example, in HTML you can have a <BR> tag. But that is not valid XML... So, in XHTML you must close the tag and use <BR />.

Not alot of difference to a person. But a huge difference to an XML parser.

BOb

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Hmm... I would have to call this poll as too close to call. There is clearly no mandate for one format over the other. Maybe things would be different if there were more ePub apps out there (for reading, or converting)...

[Andybaby]

yeah, Epub conversion isnt there yet. RTF is just easy. or a Single HTML, but alot of the tools for Epub isnt there yet.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Andybaby

yeah, Epub conversion isnt there yet. RTF is just easy. or a Single HTML, but alot of the tools for Epub isnt there yet.

The more I'm playing with it, the more I'm coming around to your way of thinking Andybaby. There's always an odd quirk or something that just doesn't fit, no matter which approach I'm using. I've shifted over to Feedbooks to produce the ePub, overall, it's actually taking a little less time.

Waiting for some one-click solution to come along and save me from my own rusty coding skills.

[ruskie]

I'm preping my poetry for ePub. Basically took what I had in xhtml, scripted through into a single file with some of my own meta data stuff in there. Then ran through tidyhtml to really clean it up. Then use calibre' html2epub tool to convert to epub. Sadly as the only app I have for checking the work is FBReader which apparently LOVES to gobble up empty lines which is just annoying I won't be releasing that anytime soon.

[smurphy]

ePub is the way to go.
I however convert all to LRF - because I like having on the Top right of my reader (Sony PRS-505) the Book Title and author.
Of course - It would be better to have the Chapter Name on the top right, but I can not have it all

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ruskie

I'm preping my poetry for ePub. Basically took what I had in xhtml, scripted through into a single file with some of my own meta data stuff in there. Then ran through tidyhtml to really clean it up. Then use calibre' html2epub tool to convert to epub. Sadly as the only app I have for checking the work is FBReader which apparently LOVES to gobble up empty lines which is just annoying I won't be releasing that anytime soon.

Why not release a sample so maybe someone can have a go at it and try to figure out what to do to get it to work with FBReader?

[ruskie]

@JSWolf
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...276#post401276

As I didn't want to hijack a thread. I just released it ;)

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Looks like ePub has pulled noticeably ahead... interesting!

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

The more I'm playing with it, the more I'm coming around to your way of thinking Andybaby. There's always an odd quirk or something that just doesn't fit, no matter which approach I'm using. I've shifted over to Feedbooks to produce the ePub, overall, it's actually taking a little less time.

Waiting for some one-click solution to come along and save me from my own rusty coding skills.

I'm creating my mobipocket books from epub books. I used my rusty batch coding skills (too lazy to use my fine-tuned coding skills) and made a batch program that lets me check my epub book and create a mobipocket book from it.

So, I'd say ePub would beat RTF any time. Much easier to maintain (somehow I never get RTF files to exactly what I want, I miss the underwater screen of WP). I am a web application developer and crazy about clean HTML files (I adore the XHTML1.1 standard).