Re: [NTG-context] EPUB woes

Keith, Maybe you should explore an XML format that can be transformed directly to epub. You'd also be able to write a style sheet with ConTeXt that would out put a PDF as well. I think TEI-Lite is a good starting point. Since you can make your own commands in ConTeXt, it will never be able to intelligently map all commands on to simple HTML. On Mon, Nov 18, 2013 at 10:12 AM, Keith J. Schultz wrote:

Am 18.11.2013 um 16:33 schrieb Hans Hagen :

On 11/18/2013 4:11 PM, Keith J. Schultz wrote:

Hi Hans,

Am 18.11.2013 um 13:21 schrieb Hans Hagen :

On 11/18/2013 10:00 AM, Keith J. Schultz wrote:

2) Now, what a EPub-READER must implement to handle is very little. There are HARDLY ANY provisions that a certified EPuB-READER has to implement any particular engine or features therein to display/render the information contain in the EPub-file/wrapper.

right, and I'm not going to waste time on it till i have a decent ebook reader that behaves well

The point you are missing is that the ereaders are behaving well. They are following the epub standard, and that to the letter of the standard. The problem is that the standard does not enforce any particular implementation. If you look at the slow progress of the standard that actually requires a full implementation of the HTML5 standard. That wait will very long.

sure, and every time i see an epub novel i realize that for something like that one really can stick to rather dumb html ... the point is that one cannot expect context to output simple everywhere accepted html from complex rendered input ...

I agree fully. But, Since there are those that wish to produce epubs aka ebooks, they should not be doing complex layout. One can always go from simple to complicated in needed, if there were commands dedicated to epub/ebooks/html. As I had pointed out in my last post below.

Furthermore, ereaders are made by companies more interested in profits than spending a few Euros more to put decent HTML engines into their readers. Why they do not do that is beyond me!

3. Modify the way in which ConTeXt generates the XML files. Ideally, I should be able to write something like

Would be nice if there where commands in ConTeXt or a module for defining what should go into the CSS and a mode "epub" where the ConTeXt commands are converted to suitible HTML5 structures that are suitiable for most ereaders. Features: 1) margins in percentages 2) font sizes based on em 3) a new file for every chapter optional for sections user defined Just a few. Lots more can be found in any decent documentation on writing ebooks.

context outputs xml and as a bonus provides a css too ... one can always convert that xml to his/her ebooks liking .. maybe at some point the mtx-epub script will do that

I always to like to look at programming as modular and would think that a epub/ebook module would be nice that maps there are commands for layingout ebooks. these commands can then be mapped back to standard context commands.

in that case code in xml and either processit by context or transform it into something ebooks can render

For some interested in producing a epub then can use the conventions for producing ebooks and ConTeXt can provide the math conversions to regular page dimensions used in PDFs for proofing or creating a printed version. It would also make the creation of EPubs from ConTeXt a simple parsing exercise.

so far i had no projects where epub was needes so it has a low priority and i still read paper books (or when i would have ebooks i wouldn't need to render them) ... pdfs views quite well on e.g. nexus 7 devices and i assume the upcoming sony high res ebook will also do pdf well

Well I did start the discussion. Just offer my 2 Euro cents worth. Especially, since it comes up every now and then. Furthermore, I there was a simple way to create epubs/books with ConTeXt more would use this feature. I have used up enough of or time.

regards Keith.

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