Table of Contents generated even when not needed

CheriePie · 03-06-2009, 05:31 PM

I'm converting a LIT to MOBI. A few of the files I have here already have a valid, linked Table of Contents at the beginning of the file. Yet calibre still builds one as well.

Checking preferences, I do not have the Force use of auto-generated Table of Contents box checked. And to try to get it to not be generated, I tried it both with and without the next box checked, Do not add detected chapters to the Table of Contents (no difference whether that's checked or not).

So since there's already a valid Table of Contents there, what do I have to do so that Calibre doesn't create it's own and set it as the primary.

Also, if I mouse over the Force use of auto-generated Table of Contents, the tool-tip given there runs contrary to what the setting says. So perhaps I'm not understanding that preference setting correctly. On mouse over, it says, Normally, if the source file already has a Table of Contents, it is used in preference to the autodetected one. With this option, the autodetected one is always used.

The 2 instances of autodetected that I bolded is what doesn't make sense since the autodetected one should refer to the one already existing in the file, and auto-generated should be the one that calibre creates. If I'm understanding this setting correctly, those two words in the tool tip need to be changed to auto-generated.

If that's not right, perhaps it's the other way around, and the setting should actually read [b]Force use of auto-detected Table of Contents[/b[ instead. Which is actually what I want to do... use the TOC already detected in the file.

Any help?

kovidgoyal · 03-06-2009, 05:43 PM

It should be auto-generated. And Table of Contents here refers to a table of contents in the ,etadata of the file not a table of contents embedded in the file itself.

CheriePie · 03-06-2009, 06:25 PM

Okay, so I am correct in leaving that setting unchecked then.

So now how do I tell calibre not to build an additional table of contents since the file already includes an embedded one. I'd rather not remove the XPath expression because I do want it to make the page breaks at the specified areas. (I actually tweaked that a little bit to include h3 headings, plus the words, prologue, preface, and introduction.) And if I remove that line then it won't page break at those places.

ETA - Oh nevermind, I think I may have found it. Under Number of links to add to Table of Contents, it says if I set that to 0, it'll disable it. So I'm going to try to build that way now.

CheriePie · 03-06-2009, 06:40 PM

Nope that wasn't it. All that did (setting Number of links... to 0) was make it so nothing was added to that page. BUT the supplemental Table of Contents page was still generated. And that's the one that's linked up to the Table of Contents command.

Any idea how to get around this then? I'm out of ideas...

kovidgoyal · 03-06-2009, 06:57 PM

You can't. The whole point of a table of contents command is that it links to an *identified* table of contents, which means a table of contents in the metadata. A TOC in the content is not an identified TOC. So the only way to make this work is to use the auto generated TOC, since your input file does not actually have a TOC (in the sense of an identified, i.e., machine readable one).

03-06-2009, 05:31 PM	#1
CheriePie Connoisseur Posts: 91 Karma: 6020 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Silicon Valley, CA Device: Kindle Voyage, Samsung Galaxy S23+, Galaxy Tab S6	Table of Contents generated even when not needed I'm converting a LIT to MOBI. A few of the files I have here already have a valid, linked Table of Contents at the beginning of the file. Yet calibre still builds one as well. Checking preferences, I do not have the Force use of auto-generated Table of Contents box checked. And to try to get it to not be generated, I tried it both with and without the next box checked, Do not add detected chapters to the Table of Contents (no difference whether that's checked or not). So since there's already a valid Table of Contents there, what do I have to do so that Calibre doesn't create it's own and set it as the primary. Also, if I mouse over the Force use of auto-generated Table of Contents, the tool-tip given there runs contrary to what the setting says. So perhaps I'm not understanding that preference setting correctly. On mouse over, it says, Normally, if the source file already has a Table of Contents, it is used in preference to the autodetected* one. With this option, the autodetected one is always used.* The 2 instances of autodetected that I bolded is what doesn't make sense since the autodetected one should refer to the one already existing in the file, and auto-generated should be the one that calibre creates. If I'm understanding this setting correctly, those two words in the tool tip need to be changed to auto-generated. If that's not right, perhaps it's the other way around, and the setting should actually read [b]Force use of auto-detected Table of Contents[/b[ instead. Which is actually what I want to do... use the TOC already detected in the file. Any help?

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03-06-2009, 05:43 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,299 Karma: 27111240 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	It should be auto-generated. And Table of Contents here refers to a table of contents in the ,etadata of the file not a table of contents embedded in the file itself.

03-06-2009, 06:25 PM	#3
CheriePie Connoisseur Posts: 91 Karma: 6020 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Silicon Valley, CA Device: Kindle Voyage, Samsung Galaxy S23+, Galaxy Tab S6	Okay, so I am correct in leaving that setting unchecked then. So now how do I tell calibre not to build an additional table of contents since the file already includes an embedded one. I'd rather not remove the XPath expression because I do want it to make the page breaks at the specified areas. (I actually tweaked that a little bit to include h3 headings, plus the words, prologue, preface, and introduction.) And if I remove that line then it won't page break at those places. ETA - Oh nevermind, I think I may have found it. Under Number of links to add to Table of Contents, it says if I set that to 0, it'll disable it. So I'm going to try to build that way now.

03-06-2009, 06:40 PM	#4
CheriePie Connoisseur Posts: 91 Karma: 6020 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Silicon Valley, CA Device: Kindle Voyage, Samsung Galaxy S23+, Galaxy Tab S6	Nope that wasn't it. All that did (setting Number of links... to 0) was make it so nothing was added to that page. BUT the supplemental Table of Contents page was still generated. And that's the one that's linked up to the Table of Contents command. Any idea how to get around this then? I'm out of ideas...

03-06-2009, 06:57 PM	#5
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,299 Karma: 27111240 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	You can't. The whole point of a table of contents command is that it links to an identified table of contents, which means a table of contents in the metadata. A TOC in the content is not an identified TOC. So the only way to make this work is to use the auto generated TOC, since your input file does not actually have a TOC (in the sense of an identified, i.e., machine readable one).

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