Creating a ToC in a Kindle .AZW eBook that has none

[XRaySpeX]

My Kindle eBook has chapter headings like:
Chapter I

- AT MAYTREE COTTAGE

The equivalent HTML seems to be :
<p class="calibre_12"><font size="4"><span class="bold">Chapter I</span></font></p><p class="calibre_12">- AT MAYTREE COTTAGE</p>

How would I create a ToC like:
Chapter I - AT MAYTREE COTTAGE

using the Convert Books ToC function?

I can already create the ToC just with:
Chapter I
with the ToC function by just leaving its XPath Expressions as the default blank.

[theducks]

I use the TOC tool in the Editor (or main Calibre toolbar )
But that is some ugly code (

<p class="calibre_12"><font size="4"><span class="bold">Chapter I</span></font></p><p class="calibre_12">- AT MAYTREE COTTAGE</p>

)

font sizing should be done in the CSS. <h tags are bold by default

First step is to 'pretty' the code using the flower icon (main toolbar) in the editor so any pattern match has a better chance


Personally, I would code this as:

<h3 class="chapno">Chapter I&nbsp<br />- AT MAYTREE COTTAGE</h3>

This creates a 2 line Visual, but shows up in the TOC as a single entry

where .chapno in the CSS would control the style
line-height: 2 ; spreads the lines further apart

I think this EDITOR REGEX search may work. (Replace and Search, NEVER all)

Find <p class="calibre_12"><font size="4"><span class="bold">(Chapter .+?)</span></font></p><p class="calibre_12">(- .+?)</p>

Replace <h3 class="chapno">\1&nbsp<br />\2</h3>

[XRaySpeX]

Thanks, but I didn't follow much of that. I a newbie in this. That code might be ugly but it's what's in the file. It's a given.

The Calibre editor works only on EPUB & AWZ3 files only. Are you suggesting I 1st convert my AWZ file to those & then search & replace the heading lines from 1 code to another?

Is there no way to convert my file directly & combine the 2 heading lines into 1 in a ToC or even to have them as a 2 level ToC?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by XRaySpeX

Thanks, but I didn't follow much of that. I a newbie in this. That code might be ugly but it's what's in the file. It's a given.

The Calibre editor works only on EPUB & AWZ3 files only. Are you suggesting I 1st convert my AWZ file to those & then search & replace the heading lines from 1 code to another?

Is there no way to convert my file directly & combine the 2 heading lines into 1 in a ToC or even to have them as a 2 level ToC?

Have you tried opening the AZW file with the editor? (I have none, so I don't know if it works)

AFAIK there is no way to convert-combine.
The only things obvious I saw that makes that code a chapter title is the word Chapter and a font-size tag

So, I would convert to AZW3 and then work on it.

BTW here is a snippet of code I use to search for Roman numeral chapter numbers ( stand alone. you will need to add pieces to match your specific code)

<p class="\w">([CLXVI]{1,7})</p>

[XRaySpeX]

Originally Posted by theducks

Have you tried opening the AZW file with the editor? (I have none, so I don't know if it works)

Yes & it objects:

calibre, version 3.32.0
ERROR: Cannot edit book: The book must be in the EPUB or AZW3 formats to edit.

First convert the book to one of these formats.

Originally Posted by theducks

The only things obvious I saw that makes that code a chapter title is the word Chapter and a font-size tag

That's not the problem. The Calibre Converter already recognises that code as a Chapter as I said in my OP. It is just that I want to include the chapter title on the following line alongside the Chapter # in the ToC.

If you're going to edit that file the simplest edit would be to merge the 2 heading lines into 1 & then the "Chapter # - Title" would come out in the wash in the ToC.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by XRaySpeX

Yes & it objects:
That's not the problem. The Calibre Converter already recognises that code as a Chapter as I said in my OP. It is just that I want to include the chapter title on the following line alongside the Chapter # in the ToC.

If you're going to edit that file the simplest edit would be to merge the 2 heading lines into 1 & then the "Chapter # - Title" would come out in the wash in the ToC.

That is what the code in post 2 did
It also included making it an H tag, so the TOC tool (and it does need to be redone after the change) will find by Headers

[XRaySpeX]

What exactly does <br /> do? I know <br> inserts a single line break. What's the difference?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by XRaySpeX

What exactly does <br /> do? I know <br> inserts a single line break. What's the difference?

<br /> (<hr />) is the proper form of a self closing tag
<br> </br> is the other form (a tag pair) and

[XRaySpeX]

I've given up on what I set out to do. From day 1 I was able to produce a full ToC with just the Chapter nos from my .AZW using the Calibre Converter with default settings. But after spending some days on this & trying everything I could see I got no futher forward. It's a crazy program!

1. I soon discovered that the Converter contains a Search & Replace (S&R) function. So there was no need to use the Editor. But even using that did not replace with the desired code.
   
   For example, your <h3> replacement ended up as:
   
   <p class="calibre_36"><font size="4"><span class="bold">(Chapter .+?)&nbsp</span></font><br/><font size="4"><span class="bold">(- .+?)</span></font></p>
   
   Also whatever S&R I did the ToC ended up as as empty ToC with just its heading "Table of Contents".
   
2. As I said I was able to produce a full ToC with just the Chapter nos from my .AZW containing the code:
   
   <p class="calibre_12"><font size="4"><span class="bold">(Chapter .+?)</span></font></p><p class="calibre_12">(- .+?)</p>
   
   using only default settings but when I attempted to merge the 2 lines Chapter & Title into 1 by S&Ring the above into:
   
   <p class="calibre_12"><font size="4"><span class="bold">\1&nbsp\2</span></font></p>
   
   I ended up with a .MOBI file contaning the code:
   
   <p class="calibre_14"><font size="4"><span class="bold">(Chapter .+?)&nbsp(-.+?)</span></font></p>
   
   but still with an empty ToC. Then when I tried to use the Converter on that .MOBI using only default settings I still ended up with an empty ToC.
   
   How can the Converter produce different results when using only default settings on 2 seemingly similar codes:
   
   <p class="calibre_12"><font size="4"><span class="bold">(Chapter .+?)</span></font></p><p class="calibre_12">(- .+?)</p>
   vs.
   <p class="calibre_14"><font size="4"><span class="bold">(Chapter .+?)&nbsp(-.+?)</span></font></p>
   
   ? It doesn't make sense!
   
3. Perhaps the ToC tool needs some manual assistance? Can you suggest a ToC XPath expression to id:
   
   <p class="calibre_14"><font size="4"><span class="bold">(Chapter .+?)&nbsp(-.+?)</span></font></p>
   
   as a Chapter heading?

I've learnt a lot about the Calibre Converter in the last few days thanks to you but it seems I might never put it into use. Thanks