reordering of files in Nav panel crashes Sigil (Linux)

[C-novice]

I found that I cannot reorder the lists/chapters in the Nav panel in Linux as in Windows.

Right now I'm using Sigil 0.9.8 on PCLOS KDE5.

At times I'd like to reorder the chapters and can drag and drop them to my heart's content in Windows but when I try this in KDE5, it just leaves an empty space in place of the chapter I dragged and when I clicked where the chapter get dropped, Sigil just closed -no warning or anything.

Is it that this cannot be done in Linux or I'm just doing it incorrectly?

[DiapDealer]

I assume you mean the Book Browser widget? If so, I reorder using drag and drop all the time in Linux. Granted ... I don't use KDE (and I have absolutely no experience with PCLinuxOS), but I can assure you that it's not Linux in general that's the problem.

Are you installing from your standard software repositories, or are you using my stand-alone installer?

Does it crash every epub you try it with, or just certain ones?

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by C-novice

I found that I cannot reorder the lists/chapters in the Nav panel in Linux as in Windows.

I wasn't able to reproduce this issue on my Arch Linux machine.
In addition to DiapDealer's questions, please also answer the following questions:

1. Select Help > About. What's the version number after Loaded Qt:?

2. Does the problem occur with epub2 and/or epub3 books?

Please also install gnome-screenshot and take a screenshot that illustrates the problem.

[C-novice]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I assume you mean the Book Browser widget? If so, I reorder using drag and drop all the time in Linux. Granted ... I don't use KDE (and I have absolutely no experience with PCLinuxOS), but I can assure you that it's not Linux in general that's the problem.

Are you installing from your standard software repositories, or are you using my stand-alone installer?

Does it crash every epub you try it with, or just certain ones?

Thanks for responding
Epub 2 and yes it crashes with every instance of trying this task.
I installed from the repo and it's the Book Browser I meant, sorry.

Loaded QT = 5.9.1

I will return with a screenshot when I've set up an imugr a/c or such like.
thanks again.

[C-novice]

Originally Posted by Doitsu

I wasn't able to reproduce this issue on my Arch Linux machine.
In addition to DiapDealer's questions, please also answer the following questions:

1. Select Help > About. What's the version number after Loaded Qt:?

2. Does the problem occur with epub2 and/or epub3 books?

Please also install gnome-screenshot and take a screenshot that illustrates the problem.

Doitsu, please see response to DiapDealer's reply and thanks for responding too.

[C-novice]

Here's a screenshot now

[DiapDealer]

I set up a VM of the latest PCLinuxOS (KDE Desktop) and can reproduce the problem. Sigil hasn't closed on me yet, but it locks up tight (and I can see the empty space you refer to after the drop).

Console output at the time shows:

Trying to construct an instance of an invalid type, type id : xxxxxxx

My guess is that something in their custom Qt theme has broken something. The theme makes Sigil match the OS's overall look) We had something similar happen with installing/running plugins under KDE.

I'll have to do some digging, but that's a weird one. In the meantime, I have verified that the stand-alone installer I created for Sigil v0.9.8 on Linux works fine on that system if you want to try it. It won't look as pretty, but it does function as expected.

The thread about it can be found here.

Instead of "sudo", the command to install on your system would be something like:

su -c "./Sigil-vX.X.X-Linux-x86(_64).xz.run"

... provided you want to install Sigil system-wide (into /opt). Otherwise you can run it without "su" to install Sigil to your home directory.

In either case, I highly recommend uninstalling the current repository version of Sigil first.

There was an issue with icons disappearing when reordering files in the Book Browser (on Linux and on Windows), that was fixed shortly after the release of 0.9.8. Perhaps that same bug-fix will remedy this issue. If so, it will make it into the next release of Sigil.

[C-novice]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I set up a VM of the latest PCLinuxOS (KDE Desktop) and can reproduce the problem. Sigil hasn't closed on me yet, but it locks up tight (and I can see the empty space you refer to after the drop).

Console output at the time shows:

Trying to construct an instance of an invalid type, type id : xxxxxxx

My guess is that something in their custom Qt theme has broken something. The theme makes Sigil match the OS's overall look) We had something similar happen with installing/running plugins under KDE.

I'll have to do some digging, but that's a weird one. In the meantime, I have verified that the stand-alone installer I created for Sigil v0.9.8 on Linux works fine on that system if you want to try it. It won't look as pretty, but it does function as expected.

The thread about it can be found here.

Instead of "sudo", the command to install on your system would be something like:

su -c "./Sigil-vX.X.X-Linux-x86(_64).xz.run"

... provided you want to install Sigil system-wide (into /opt). Otherwise you can run it without "su" to install Sigil to your home directory.

In either case, I highly recommend uninstalling the current repository version of Sigil first.

There was an issue with icons disappearing when reordering files in the Book Browser (on Linux and on Windows), that was fixed shortly after the release of 0.9.8. Perhaps that same bug-fix will remedy this issue. If so, it will make it into the next release of Sigil.

Thanks again DiapDealer. Either way, there may be a solution. So thanks.

[Banjo]

Sorry to wake up such an old thread, but I am seeing this on my Mageia 6 system. Let me know if this should be in a new thread.

The problem is that Sigil crashes when I attempt to reorder the chapter files. After moving the file, the tree in the Book Browser is weird. if I right click on the empty space, Sigil crashes.

I have attached screenshots of the GUI to show what the Book Browser looks like before I moved Chapter 2 up above the index and after I moved it. I have also attached a very small epub book that I use to cause the crash. I simply move Chapter 2 from below the Index to above it.

After attempting to move the Chapter 2 file, Sigil crashes when I right click on the blank space to open a context menu. This happens on the 0.9.8 version installed from the Mageia repos. It also happens on a 0.9.10 version that I built from source.

Here is the system information for the Mageia 6 computer

System:    Host: mageia6 Kernel: 4.14.70-desktop-2.mga6 x86_64 (64 bit) Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.12.2                        
Distro: Mageia 6 mga6
Qt 5.9.4

Interesting enough, this problem does not show up on my Mint system with Sigil version 0.9.5

System:    Host: LinuxMain Kernel: 4.4.0-137-generic x86_64 (64 bit) Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.8.9
Distro: Linux Mint 18.1 Serena
Qt 5.6.1

It could be a difference in Plasma 5, a difference in Qt, or a difference in Sigil version. I don't know.

Not being able to reorder the chapters is kind of a serious flaw. I can change the order by unzipping the epub file and editing the content.opf file, but that is a pain.

Trying to trouble shoot this, I ran my 0.9.10 version in gdb and did a backtrace after it crashed. I don't know if this is of any help, but here is the top of the stack at the crash. No debug info compiled in, so it is probably of marginal use.

(gdb) bt
#0  0x0000000000767110 in OPFModel::GetResourceType(QStandardItem const*) ()
#1  0x000000000075fc5b in BookBrowser::SuccessfullySetupContextMenu(QPoint const&) ()
#2  0x00000000007603f1 in BookBrowser::OpenContextMenu(QPoint const&) ()
#3  0x000000000077d2b5 in BookBrowser::qt_static_metacall(QObject*, QMetaObject::Call, int, void**) ()
#4  0x00007ffff346e939 in QMetaObject::activate(QObject*, int, int, void**) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Core.so.5
#5  0x00007ffff6bc2115 in QWidget::customContextMenuRequested(QPoint const&) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Widgets.so.5
#6  0x00007ffff6bdb70d in QWidget::event(QEvent*) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Widgets.so.5
#7  0x00007ffff6c7eb2e in QFrame::event(QEvent*) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Widgets.so.5
#8  0x00007ffff6dda09c in QAbstractItemView::viewportEvent(QEvent*) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Widgets.so.5
#9  0x00007ffff6e3ed9c in QTreeView::viewportEvent(QEvent*) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Widgets.so.5
#10 0x00007ffff3443a02 in QCoreApplicationPrivate::sendThroughObjectEventFilters(QObject*, QEvent*) ()
    at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Core.so.5
#11 0x00007ffff6b9e4f5 in QApplicationPrivate::notify_helper(QObject*, QEvent*) ()
    at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Widgets.so.5
#12 0x00007ffff6ba71c2 in QApplication::notify(QObject*, QEvent*) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Widgets.so.5
#13 0x00007ffff3443c68 in QCoreApplication::notifyInternal2(QObject*, QEvent*) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Core.so.5
#14 0x00007ffff6bf41ed in QWidgetWindow::handleMouseEvent(QMouseEvent*) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Widgets.so.5
#15 0x00007ffff6bf69db in QWidgetWindow::event(QEvent*) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Widgets.so.5
#16 0x00007ffff6b9e51c in QApplicationPrivate::notify_helper(QObject*, QEvent*) ()
    at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Widgets.so.5
#17 0x00007ffff6ba59c7 in QApplication::notify(QObject*, QEvent*) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Widgets.so.5
#18 0x00007ffff3443c68 in QCoreApplication::notifyInternal2(QObject*, QEvent*) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Core.so.5
#19 0x00007ffff3807b5b in QGuiApplicationPrivate::processMouseEvent(QWindowSystemInterfacePrivate::MouseEvent*) ()
    at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Gui.so.5
#20 0x00007ffff3809945 in QGuiApplicationPrivate::processWindowSystemEvent(QWindowSystemInterfacePrivate::WindowSystemEvent*) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Gui.so.5
#21 0x00007ffff37e4e7b in QWindowSystemInterface::sendWindowSystemEvents(QFlags<QEventLoop::ProcessEventsFlag>) ()
    at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Gui.so.5
#22 0x00007fffe60e5a10 in userEventSourceDispatch(_GSource*, int (*)(void*), void*) ()
    at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5XcbQpa.so.5
#23 0x00007fffedbc8b32 in g_main_context_dispatch () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libglib-2.0.so.0
#24 0x00007fffedbc8e88 in g_main_context_iterate.isra () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libglib-2.0.so.0
#25 0x00007fffedbc8f2c in g_main_context_iteration () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libglib-2.0.so.0
#26 0x00007ffff3496776 in QEventDispatcherGlib::processEvents(QFlags<QEventLoop::ProcessEventsFlag>) ()
    at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Core.so.5
#27 0x00007ffff3441e0a in QEventLoop::exec(QFlags<QEventLoop::ProcessEventsFlag>) () at /usr/lib64/qt5/../libQt5Core.so.5

Banjo
(_)=='=~

[DiapDealer]

I've honestly about given up trying to account for all the tweaking, injecting, and general tomfoolery that Plasma/KDE does with their platform Qt5 (via themes and plugins and such). But some things to try might be:

1) From your screenshots, I see the icons are disappearing in the Book Browser Treeview after dragging files. We've very, very, very recently pushed a fix related to disappearing icons and other file-reordering issues. You could try cloning the Sigil github repo and building the very latest master branch.

2) Install my stand-alone version of 0.9.9 (sticky thread above). It doesn't use all the whistles and bells that the platform plugin tries to add to Qt apps on KDE/Plasma. In fact, it doesn't use the platform's Qt5 at all.

3) Turn off the single-click-to-open "feature" in the system mouse settings. Single-click-to-open plays havoc with file selection in Sigil's Book View in general.

3) Launch Sigil with the command:

ssh -X localhost sigil

to avoid as much interaction with KDE as possible. If Sigil functions properly that way, the KDE Qt platform plugin is likely the issue.

[Banjo]

DiapDealer,

Thanks for the ideas. I agree that Plasma 5 is a maze of twisty passages filled with bloat. I am kinda stuck with it because others on this computer are used to it.

The first thing I do when I install a new KDE is to change to the normal double-click for opening things, so I doubt that is the problem.

I will take a look at your suggestions. I am not hooked into git here so that one will take me some time to figure out. The 0.9.10 that I built came from the download.

I will try to isolate the problem better through elimination. If I find anything conclusive I will post it.

Thanks
Banjo
(_)=='=~

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by Banjo

Not being able to reorder the chapters is kind of a serious flaw. I can change the order by unzipping the epub file and editing the content.opf file, but that is a pain.

You don't have to unzip the epub to reorder the chapters. Simply rearrange the items in the spine section of content.opf, save the epub and re-open it. For example:

change:

  <spine toc="ncx">
    <itemref idref="TOC.xhtml"/>
    <itemref idref="Chapter1.xhtml"/>
    <itemref idref="Index.xhtml"/>
    <itemref idref="Chapter2.xhtml"/>
  </spine>

to:

  <spine toc="ncx">
    <itemref idref="TOC.xhtml"/>
    <itemref idref="Chapter1.xhtml"/>
    <itemref idref="Chapter2.xhtml"/>
    <itemref idref="Index.xhtml"/>
  </spine>

[DiapDealer]

Also keep in mind that you don't have to clone the repo with git to get the latest source. The same button on github that allows you to copy the clone url will allow you to download a zip.

[DiapDealer]

The more I think about it, the more hope I have the recent fix Kevin pushed will help with this issue. Time will tell I guess. If I have time, I'll set up a new KDE/Plasma VM to test.

[Banjo]

Originally Posted by Doitsu

You don't have to unzip the epub to reorder the chapters. Simply rearrange the items in the spine section of content.opf, save the epub and re-open it.

Oops. I didn't notice it there. I am still getting used to the editor.

Great stuff.