Conversion ePub to Mobi uses content ToC

KegNot · 11-02-2013, 01:22 PM

I have two EPUB books that have a perfect metadata TOC ánd a content ToC. When converting these books to MOBI, calibre keeps using the content ToC, even if the "Force use of auto-generated Table of Contents" option is set.

The only way I found to force calibre to use the metadata ToC is by removing the content ToC from the EPUB. I used Sigil for that.
No problem anymore, now that I know the behavior and have a workaround. But it not as described in the Calibre manual: "When the input document has a Table of Contents in its metadata, calibre will just use that."

I couldn't find anything about a content ToC having precedence over a MetaData ToC, so I decided to post.

I'm prepared to report this as a bug, if it is a bug. Then I will include one of the books in the calibre bug tracker.

kovidgoyal · 11-02-2013, 10:46 PM

calibre will only use a content toc is no metadata toc is present.

KegNot · 11-03-2013, 03:32 AM

Well, Sigil shows a ToC in the toc.ncx file. And I was changing the toc with h1, h2 and h3 headers. After "Generate Table of Contents..." I saw my changes in the toc in Sigil and in the epub, when viewing it in Calibre. Of course the changes were not showing in the content toc. Still the content toc kept showing in the mobi conversion. So my conclusion is that the conversion used the content toc in stead of the metadata toc.
Want me to enter a bug report and upload the original ebook?

kovidgoyal · 11-03-2013, 03:52 AM

If the epub you are converting has a guide entry pointing to a toc, then the MOBI format will use that guide entry as the toc, as the MOBI format has no metadata ToC. If you want to use a metadata toc ona kindle, convert to azw3.

http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq....-in-mobi-files

KegNot · 11-03-2013, 05:12 AM

Ah. So it's not a conversion issue but a MOBI-reader "feature". There is no guide entry but the MOBI-reader just seems to take the first page of hyperlinks and uses it as ToC...
The conversion log shows "Reading TOC from NCX...", so it sure uses the metadata ToC.

Ok. Thanks for your explanations. I'll just delete the content ToC's from now on. They confuse things and are not necessary. Something you already suggested in the FAQ: "Finally, I encourage you to ditch the content TOC and only have a metadata TOC in your ebooks."

Great! Mystery solved. Case closed.

11-02-2013, 01:22 PM	#1
KegNot Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands Device: Kindle 3 Keyboard Wifi	Conversion ePub to Mobi uses content ToC I have two EPUB books that have a perfect metadata TOC ánd a content ToC. When converting these books to MOBI, calibre keeps using the content ToC, even if the "Force use of auto-generated Table of Contents" option is set. The only way I found to force calibre to use the metadata ToC is by removing the content ToC from the EPUB. I used Sigil for that. No problem anymore, now that I know the behavior and have a workaround. But it not as described in the Calibre manual: "When the input document has a Table of Contents in its metadata, calibre will just use that." I couldn't find anything about a content ToC having precedence over a MetaData ToC, so I decided to post. I'm prepared to report this as a bug, if it is a bug. Then I will include one of the books in the calibre bug tracker.

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11-02-2013, 10:46 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,198 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	calibre will only use a content toc is no metadata toc is present.

11-03-2013, 03:32 AM	#3
KegNot Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands Device: Kindle 3 Keyboard Wifi	Well, Sigil shows a ToC in the toc.ncx file. And I was changing the toc with h1, h2 and h3 headers. After "Generate Table of Contents..." I saw my changes in the toc in Sigil and in the epub, when viewing it in Calibre. Of course the changes were not showing in the content toc. Still the content toc kept showing in the mobi conversion. So my conclusion is that the conversion used the content toc in stead of the metadata toc. Want me to enter a bug report and upload the original ebook?

11-03-2013, 03:52 AM	#4
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,198 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	If the epub you are converting has a guide entry pointing to a toc, then the MOBI format will use that guide entry as the toc, as the MOBI format has no metadata ToC. If you want to use a metadata toc ona kindle, convert to azw3. http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq....-in-mobi-files

11-03-2013, 05:12 AM	#5
KegNot Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands Device: Kindle 3 Keyboard Wifi	Ah. So it's not a conversion issue but a MOBI-reader "feature". There is no guide entry but the MOBI-reader just seems to take the first page of hyperlinks and uses it as ToC... The conversion log shows "Reading TOC from NCX...", so it sure uses the metadata ToC. Ok. Thanks for your explanations. I'll just delete the content ToC's from now on. They confuse things and are not necessary. Something you already suggested in the FAQ: "Finally, I encourage you to ditch the content TOC and only have a metadata TOC in your ebooks." Great! Mystery solved. Case closed.

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