Indentation in second line

[degn]

Hi. See the red line in the attached picture. How can I make special indentation for 2. (and following) line(s) like the one shown in the picture? Also I need all the ":" (colons) to be aligned. Regards.

[retiredbiker]

Originally Posted by degn

Hi. See the red line in the attached picture. How can I make special indentation for 2. (and following) line(s) like the one shown in the picture? Also I need all the ":" (colons) to be aligned. Regards.

The second and subsequent line indentation is easily done with a hanging indent, done with a negative indent smaller than the margin. Here is one random example I often use:

.verse {
  display: block;
  font-size: 1em;
  font-style: italic;
  line-height: 1.2;
  margin-bottom: 0.1em;
  margin-left: 3em;
  margin-top: 0;
  text-align: left;
  text-indent: -2em;
}

As far as the colons being aligned, I'm afraid you're looking at doing a table, but maybe someone else knows a less tricky way. For a table to be really readable on a small-screen ereader, it has to be pretty small and simple and is difficult to construct so that it maintains coherence over a wide choice of font sizes a user might choose...at least that is my experience.

[theducks]

Someone is stuck on "exactly as a PRINTED book"

Take a Picture. That won't reflow. EVER. Won't cause problems with those pesky dots having the wrong count.

There are no PAGES in an e-book. Screens full, yes!


And the partial solution to your mess: Hanging Indent

[degn]

Thank you very much retired biker.

theducks - I don't want a result exactly as a printed book - but I want to keep some of the stunning features characterizing the original historic text (see attachment).

Regards degn

[HarryT]

This is not a question about the Calibre editor. Moved to the ePub forum.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by degn

Thank you very much retired biker.

theducks - I don't want a result exactly as a printed book - but I want to keep some of the stunning features characterizing the original historic text (see attachment).

Regards degn

The (illustrated) dropcap Doable: (keyword float: left)

Your original example was a TOC with a fill of dots to a page number. There is no 'fill' that would adjust to changing of a font size, viewing on a different screen size.
Something can be done, others....
One of the first things I did when learning EPUB style HTML, was to create a (code) sampler of looks for books (mostly for chapter titles). Turned out to be a good learning experience of what could easily be don (that survives various devices rendering). OSFN. Just ask Hitch

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by degn

Thank you very much retired biker.

theducks - I don't want a result exactly as a printed book - but I want to keep some of the stunning features characterizing the original historic text (see attachment).

Regards degn

One issue with the dropcap you showed is that every device and application are very likely to render the page slightly differently. A couple of years back, I spent too much time working with an author trying to get his dropcap images to look good on multiple devices. We finally gave up and generated multiple variations of his ebook that were optimized for different stores (Kobo, iBooks and Amazon).

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by retiredbiker

The second and subsequent line indentation is easily done with a hanging indent, done with a negative indent smaller than the margin. Here is one random example I often use:

.verse {
  display: block;
  font-size: 1em;
  font-style: italic;
  line-height: 1.2;
  margin-bottom: 0.1em;
  margin-left: 3em;
  margin-top: 0;
  text-align: left;
  text-indent: -2em;
}

As far as the colons being aligned, I'm afraid you're looking at doing a table, but maybe someone else knows a less tricky way. For a table to be really readable on a small-screen eReader, it has to be pretty small and simple and is difficult to construct so that it maintains coherence over a wide choice of font sizes a user might choose...at least that is my experience.

Nope, the only way--and even that won't work--is a table. When you create a table, in ePUB/MOBI format, the cells cheerfully resize themselves to the content. You will end up with a table that has cells sized to the longest content.

You could, possibly, create a three column table. Put content on the left, put the colons in the middle, and then the other content in the right-hand cell. But in your case, you're using a proportional font (most likely) to create the emdash, then space (which is always, always fungible, even when an nbsp) and then the colon. You're asking for migraines, and worse--it's not going to work.

Honestly, at that you might as well go for a print replica (fixed-layout in ePUB3). Why inflict that on your readers?

You talk about "stunning features," but surely, a colon is not in and of itself, stunning. That's...that's a TOC. It's functional, not stunning. You can't do the dot leaders, either--those will never work in a reflowable environment, so...why not embrace the new environment, use a suitable font, and try to make it work that way?

In terms of BFLS, Boxed letters, you're also going to have headaches with those, as Ducky and DNSB have told you. All you need is someone to change the font size--or change the font, or be using a device that doesn't display embedded fonts, and VOILA!, your careful work is all undone, and the boxed-letter is floating around above the paragraph someplace.

There are ways to embrace content. Ask Granny Grump, who's around here someplace. Channel the look and feel, but don't slavishly try to replicate the looks that you simply cannot do. The kluges that you come up with will negatively affect your readers, which you don't want. I am really not trying to dissuade you--I'm just trying to save you many, many hours of work and experimentation that are going to end up not working, when push comes to shove. It's like your other post--justified content, with the last widowed line centered. Oy! That will never work, not today.

Believe me when I tell you, been there, done that and I always end up rueing the work.

Hitch

[RbnJrg]

Originally Posted by degn

Hi. See the red line in the attached picture. How can I make special indentation for 2. (and following) line(s) like the one shown in the picture? Also I need all the ":" (colons) to be aligned. Regards.

I arrived late to this thread If you want that effect for epub2, only with tables. If you want that effect for epub3 and/or for Kindle (.kf8/.azw3) it's possible whitout tables, only with pure css. So, where you want to reproduce that effect?

[GrannyGrump]

Of course, the first thing to ask --- are you doing this for your own personal reading? Or are you producing a book to distribute to other people?

There are things you can do to make it look exactly as you wish if you only have to set it up for your own device/software. But other people won't be using your device or software, and as everybody here is warning you, things can go very wrong. You can test this yourself just by changing font sizes in your own reader, and see what happens.


ps--@TheDucks --- OSFN ??? One Size Fits Nobody?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by RbnJrg

I arrived late to this thread If you want that effect for epub2, only with tables. If you want that effect for epub3 and/or for Kindle (.kf8/.azw3) it's possible whitout tables, only with pure css. So, where you want to reproduce that effect?

Ruben, disclaimer please? Don't forget to warn the poster that your solutions won't work in a variety of Kindles, thanks. Sorry to be pedantic, but...99x out of 100, when people ask for MOBI or "Kindle" solutions, they intend to sell the book. He hasn't said that yet, of course, but...just in case!

Originally Posted by GrannyGrump

ps--@TheDucks --- OSFN ??? One Size Fits Nobody?

Thanks, Granny--I was wondering that my own dang self.

Hitch

[RbnJrg]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Ruben, disclaimer please? Don't forget to warn the poster that your solutions won't work in a variety of Kindles, thanks. Sorry to be pedantic, but...99x out of 100, when people ask for MOBI or "Kindle" solutions, they intend to sell the book. He hasn't said that yet, of course, but...just in case!

Hitch

Yes Hitch, you're right. But if you re-read again what I wrote, you'll see that I say the following:

If you want that effect for epub3 and/or for Kindle (.kf8/.azw3) it's possible whitout tables, only with pure css.

As you see, I don't refering to .mobi, just .kf8/.azw3. And you are not pedantic at all and your aclarations are very welcome; people who is not very acustomed with ebook formats can perfectly confuse .mobi with .kf8/.azw3. So, your aclaration is valid.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by RbnJrg

Yes Hitch, you're right. But if you re-read again what I wrote, you'll see that I say the following:



As you see, I don't refering to .mobi, just .kf8/.azw3. And you are not pedantic at all and your aclarations are very welcome; people who is not very acustomed with ebook formats can perfectly confuse .mobi with .kf8/.azw3. So, your aclaration is valid.

Oh, I know. I'm not saying you didn't. But...how many people, other than we who are geeky about this stuff, would have made the distinction, by reading that? Hell, how many people know what KF7/KF8 even MEANS? That's the ONLY reason I brought it up. You know I love ya and have mad respect for your HTML/CSS eBook-fu.

Hitch

[RbnJrg]

Originally Posted by Hitch

You know I love ya and have mad respect for your HTML/CSS eBook-fu.

Hitch

Many thanks Hitch. That means a lot coming from someone like you, that really is an expert.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by GrannyGrump

ps--@TheDucks --- OSFN ??? One Size Fits Nobody?

or None