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Support for EPUB formatting

fung0
2012-03-20
2013-05-14
  • fung0

    fung0 - 2012-03-20

    I find a lot to like about CoolReader, including its robust internal formatting options. But I do find the program lacking in its ability to display the formats that already exist within my carefully-prepared EPUB files. For example, I always format the first paragraph in a chapter to have no indent. I occasionally add effects like small caps on the first few words, especially when I have a print original that I'm trying to duplicate. (I haven't gotten around to drop-caps yet, but I'd like to know I have the option.) I always specify the serif font family. And so on.

    Why can't CoolReader simply display my EPUB books as formatted? Other software can (with varying degrees of success), but CoolReader wants to over-ride all of the formatting in the file. It seems to me that displaying the file as written should be the default. Or at most a check-mark option. Since EPUB is based on HTML, none of this should be rocket science. My books should display at least as faithfully as the average Web page does in my browser.

    Is this something that's in CoolReader and I've missed? Or is it something that might eventually be added?

     
  • CDB

    CDB - 2012-04-15

    I'm trying to read an epub book I purchased from O'reilly publishing, and I have the same problem.  For technical books, the formatting really makes a big difference in the readability.  I'm using the Android version, and comparing Cool Reader features to all the other e-readers for Android, Cool Reader is as good as or even superior to the other readers (at least for me) except for one - formatting.  I've played with the options hoping the Cool Reader would eventually format the book as published, but to no avail.

    So, I'm stuck using another e-reader app to read this book.  Other than the formatting issue, nothing beats Cool Reader in my opinion.  But in my case, the formatting is probably my most important feature. 

    I would love for this to be fixed, Cool Reader would then be the best e-reader app on Android (at least in my humble opinion)!

     
  • Stevan White

    Stevan White - 2012-08-12

    Yes I agree.  It is a mistake to override the author's formatting.  Often they have worked hard to make it look they way they think is best.

    The reader just wants to read the book, and for that purpose might want to adjust the font size.  They *dont* want to fiddle with every possible CSS setting.  (Its OK if it is *possible* to override anything, but *normally* the document's CSS should be the default).

    I made a test suite.  Have a look:
    http://sourceforge.net/p/epub-test-suite/

     
  • Jan Czarnecki

    Jan Czarnecki - 2012-10-15

    I believe this bug may be the source of a lot of the formatting woes: https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&aid=3575505&group_id=191284&atid=936756

    I have a number of ePubs whose internal styles CoolReader seemed to be ignoring. Upon further investigation I found that they all had multiple stylesheets. If I combined all the stylesheets into one CSS file the formatting problems were solved. theskippercdb, does your O'Reilly book contain multiple stylesheets?

     
  • CDB

    CDB - 2012-10-18

    Unfortunately, the O'Reilly book I was reading appears to only have 1 CSS file. 

    I took the .epub file, opened it as a zip file, and in the OEBPS folder there is only 1 .css file.  There is also an .opf and .ncx, and 4 .otf diles, in addition to the images and .html files.  (Disclaimer: I don't pretend to understand the internal workings of the .epub format, so I hope this makes sense)

     
  • Irman Firmansyah

    hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ???????????????………..

    by: Obat Alami Glaukoma

     

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