Forum: Author Hangout

You probably have something in your ODT file that causes the HTML export to include that crap.

I've downloaded it, and I'm using it to effectively do what Laz suggested. I take my file, then use that to strip everything EXCEPT italics and special characters out, and then put the appropriate HTML headings and fonts BACK in - and lo, I'm getting clean files.

The reason I have two versions are not technical - it's to do with my eyesight. The HTML code I use allows whatever system it's on to adjust the display to the system size, colour, and fonts. However, I prefer to read on the PC with one colour setup while on the tablet I prefer to use the inverse colour setup.

The only differences between the CSS for both versions is the choices of colour for each style. The actual code after that is exactly the same.

The SoL version is different as it has a very different CSS and the e-pub code is due to the change of some of the content.

The second thing is when you write in any word processing program you should establish styles for every type of paragraph you intend to use then use them at all times.

I know we've had part of this discussion before. I think the light is FINALLY dawning on me on how to set things up in the first place - which is what I haven't been doing - instead of expecting the software to work miracles and fix things for me when I'm done.

We'll see. The funny thing is, I know basic and some advanced coding for HTML for creating my own websites - I've done that in the past. It's this whole converting a document over that still screws me up. When you talk about writing your own scripts, that's when I go WTF?

Also, the code I was having inserted, purely at random, it seemed, was (/span). I know not to put the left and right arrows in here. The first couple of chapters were fine, then things suddenly went to hell, then things were fine, later.

I'm now 'cheating', going through each file again and gutting / changing things, then adding the individual chapters to the Sigil EPUB. It's scary, but it's actually working fairly easily, too. (That's the part that bothers me!)

When you talk about writing your own scripts, that's when I go WTF?

I use Manjaro Linux and find it quicker and easier to do some thing using a script to do the work.

Not: in the code mentioned below spaces are used to stop it being run as code within the message (I hope).

However, what the basic script does is to clean out all of the font format, margin format, and language format code as well as replace the hexadecimal colour numbers with the colour names. Examples of what is removed are: margin-bottom: 0cm; letter-spacing: normal; font-style: normal; align="justify - etc.

The other two scripts convert the standard html code into what I need to make the CSS work better. An example for the SoL script is to change the H1 to H3 and add the red colour for the text to have a red chapter heading - the actual conversion if from < h1 > to < h3 class = " c " > < span class = " red " > and the closing code for the H1 is changed to the closing for this code.

..............

The CSS works by applying a style using the code class=" xxx " and when applied to anything within a paragraph it is done as < span class = " xxx " > then closed with the < / span > command (this is the closure tab for all span commands).

When most software is converting to the xhtml used for making an epub it will create a CSS and assign 'classes' while also converting everything to suitable 'span' commands to apply the class. Thus where basic html has < b > < / b > to open and close bold for text there will be a CSS style with the format for the bold and use span commands. In my CSS I have, for bold,:

. bold {
font-weight: bold;
line-height: 1.0em;
}

then I call it with < span class = " bold " > and close it with < / span >.

...........

The down side of most software used to create an e-pub is that they will create there own classes for anything that does not already have a class assigned from the CSS. Thus if you have a paragraph simply as < p > the conversion software will assign it's own class and the will be changed to < p class = " yyy " > and the same happens for text format changes within the paragraph.

Thus your < b > and < i > commands will be assigned a class and converted to have that class applied with a < span = class " vvv " > command while the < / b > and < / i > will all be changed to < / span > and the same will happen with all of the font colour commands.

I have you email address, so if you want me to I can send you copies of what I use as the CSS and the script files. The scripts I run are for Linux but I know similar ones doing the same things can be written for use on Windows. I can also send you a copy of the basic Libre Office layout I use so you can see how I do things.

documents edited by multiple people (editors)

It's funny, but I avoid that by only sending out copies of the files. Then I make corrections to my copy myself. I've actually just now found the style section of Libre Office and I'm using it - and it's almost scary, how it's working. I'm probably like most of your authors, just sit down and type, because we're old farts. And at my age, I learned how to type on a manual typewriter - we got electrics while I was IN high school. (My graduation present WAS a very nice electric typewriter.) So I'm just hitting keys and blithely creating the story, and not giving any thought to how to make the story look right. Well, next book will be written with all of this in mind from the very beginning.

ETA: If nothing else, I'm making shorter chapters, because I'm editing out all of those carriage returns that I automatically learned to put in while typing that aren't needed.

I sometimes wonder why so many authors use LibreOffice or MS Word for writing

There's a few reasons, one of which is us being old farts who prefer to use the capabilities of a Word Processor program over the shit we had to live with way back then when all you could type into on a computer was a plain text file. Another is some us, like me, want a finished product that is also a 'print ready' PDF file so we use a word processing program that provides that. I also prefer a word processor to a plain text program as it allows me to see what it will look like in the finished product.

I sometimes wonder why so many authors use LibreOffice or MS Word for writing

Eyesight. 20/40 uncorrected in my right eye (but I need to go in, I think it's down to 20/60), and 20/600 in my left. I regularly run my screens at 125% anyway, as well.

The other thing is that my Epilog Laser is truly WYSIWYG. So I'm MUCH more used to used Corel Draw, and simply sending the output directly to the printer.

And, of course, the other minor detail that we do happen to use our Office programs to actually write REAL paper documents, too, might have something to do with it. I frequently have to create spreadsheets to print to show clients what the best offer we've received is, or use a writer to create letters to send out.

Wouldn't a simple (HTML) editor be much more convenient as long as the usual spelling check is available?

Who wants to write in HTML? And who's likely to make an HTML coding error, me or a well-tested conversion program?

And keep in mind, if you're sending your novel to a literary agent or publisher it needs to be docx. You have more flexibility as a docx.

I don't know anything about HTML editors, but word processors have a lot of features. That's why they're word processors.

Same. I send out only copies of the files and do all editing myself. I also work in Scrivener, which only outputs to external formats when I tell it to. Internal files are (I believe) RTF, which has a lot less garbage in it.

I have not tried EPUB export, but there's reason to believe it will work fairly well, at least once I jump through some hoops once (as I did with docx output).

Fair enough. I'm not sure this would, but then I also don't feel like digging into the component files and looking...

Export the file into plain text, saved as .txt. This step gets rid of the junk, leaving only the contents.

While this process is good for many people it's a major issue for me due to the many formats I use within my story with bold, italics, centred text, indented text, and coloured text. This would all be lost in the above process and would require a lot of work to reformat as I want it.

However, for those who don't use such an extensive amount of formats would find the advice very useful.

In the for what it's worth department, I have part of the next chapter already written, for the next book. I did this procedure on that, to see what it'd do. I still got errors with Flight Crew while trying to validate it as an EPUB2. I then did an export as an EPUB3, and the basic part of Sigil validated it, but Flight Crew looked at it and puked - it only does EPUB2 documents.

I took the copy of the modified version you sent me. and ran Flight Crew with Sigil on the copy YOU sent me, it gave me multiple font errors. But your copy looked really close to the EPUB3 file that was generated. I'm now totally confused, but that's not uncommon for me at this point.

Is there a Link to the EPUB template provided by Lazeez? Or perhaps I am thinking less clearly than usual.

I recently noticed some odd effects that are afflicting my most recent chapter.

I have been using the guides in the AUthors section, but I am not aware of any "Template"?

Is there a Link to the EPUB template provided by Lazeez?

I could be wrong (I often am), but I think he saying he'll take the epub generated by Lazeez and modify it to use as a template for his future books.

There was no 'Template'.

That's correct. What I'm doing is taking the EPUB that SOL ALREADY has for the online work, and simply modifying it. I've spent quite a bit of time over the last couple of days studying it.

I have no idea HOW they work, but I'm now seeing what Ernest and Laz were talking about with CSS and Styles. This is cool, because I never knew you could do some of this stuff with HTML.

Thank you very much for the explanation.

I am far from submitting anything for EPUB.

I am still grateful to have a proofreader; eventually I will be looking for an editor. Until I at least complete the first book, another 25 chapters I estimate; I am not really even considering EPUB.

I writing Aztlan Portal as much to get feedback on my writing in general. I think I have learned quite a bit during the year I have been posting chapters.

I consulted the writing guides in the Author's section of SOL, as well as several books about self-editing, and other resources before I began putting chapters up on SOL.

The possibility of an EPUB Template is worth investigating.

I have learned several things about how to better compose chapters so they appear on SOL more like how I want them to. I have revised individuals chapters to improve them. Writing is a constant learning process.