Property linear="no" on epub2

RbnJrg · 07-08-2024, 06:56 PM

Hi;

Maybe some of you had this problem and were able to solve it. For my part, I haven't been successful so far and I would like to know how those who were successful handled the issue.

It turns out that I have a couple of .xhtml files that I don't want to be seen in the epub (epub2); I want them to only be accessed through a link. I tried to achieve this via the linear="no" property in the <spine> section of the .opf file. But nothing to do; at least in ADE 2.x/3.x the .xhtml files can be accessed like any of the others. Interestingly, under epub3 everything works fine, as expected, but under epub2, nothing seems to take effect.

Thank you very much in advance for any advice that allows me to solve this problem.

JSWolf · 07-08-2024, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RbnJrg

Hi;

Maybe some of you had this problem and were able to solve it. For my part, I haven't been successful so far and I would like to know how those who were successful handled the issue.

It turns out that I have a couple of .xhtml files that I don't want to be seen in the epub (epub2); I want them to only be accessed through a link. I tried to achieve this via the linear="no" property in the <spine> section of the .opf file. But nothing to do; at least in ADE 2.x/3.x the .xhtml files can be accessed like any of the others. Interestingly, under epub3 everything works fine, as expected, but under epub2, nothing seems to take effect.

Thank you very much in advance for any advice that allows me to solve this problem.

linear="no" does not work in ADE 2/3. It's ignored. I don't know abut ADE 4.

RbnJrg · 07-08-2024, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

linear="no" does not work in ADE 2/3. It's ignored. I don't know abut ADE 4.

Ok, thank you very much! Do you know any other way to hide a .xhtml file? I don't want it to show in the epub spine. I'm speaking about epub2.

DNSB · 07-08-2024, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RbnJrg

Ok, thank you very much! Do you know any other way to hide a .xhtml file? I don't want it to show in the epub spine. I'm speaking about epub2.

The only way to hide a xhtml file in an ePub2 that I am aware of is removing it from the spine. This, of course, causes validation errors.

RbnJrg · 07-08-2024, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DNSB

The only way to hide a xhtml file in an ePub2 that I am aware of is removing it from the spine. This, of course, causes validation errors.

Thanks. I will try it; if it works, a validation error is not important to me (in this case).

Jellby · 07-09-2024, 12:43 PM

You can put it at the end of the spine. It will still appear and be counted in the total pages, but you don't need to page through it when reading.

Or you can use a KOReader, which supports linear="no" (Hide non-linear flows), if it's just for your own use.

RbnJrg · 07-09-2024, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jellby

You can put it at the end of the spine. It will still appear and be counted in the total pages, but you don't need to page through it when reading.

Or you can use a KOReader, which supports linear="no" (Hide non-linear flows), if it's just for your own use.

Hi;

I tried KOReader without success; linear="no" seems not to be supported there either. Yes, I put the .xhtml files at the end of the epub, so the reading is not disturbed. But I wanted to hide those files if had been possible. By suppressing those files inside the spine section in the .opf file, the .xhtml are not showed at all, but they can not be accessed by links to them either

KevinH · 07-09-2024, 06:39 PM

Could you make images of each extra xhtml page that could be loaded on demand? Perhaps an svg image with actual text?

And if I remember the epub2 spec had something about "xml islands" that might be a way to hide a page but still load it. Or maybe use frames or iframes in some way or the object tag to fall back to what you want?

RbnJrg · 07-09-2024, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinH

Could you make images of each extra xhtml page that could be loaded on demand? Perhaps an svg image with actual text?

Hi Kevin; how do I do that? That is, the .xhtml pages loaded on demand. I have some images (one for each .xhtml file); those images should be showed when the user do click (or tap) in a link. Of that way, I avoid blank spaces in a epub2 because instead of an image in middle of a text, I have one line of text (with the link to the image); it works as a kind of "pop up image". Those .xhtml files are at the end of the epub and I don't want to be showed, if possible.

Quote:

And if I remember the epub2 spec had something about "xml islands" that might be a way to hide a page but still load it.

Epub2 supports that? I thought that was only for IE browsers. And that works without javascript?

KevinH · 07-09-2024, 10:13 PM

No idea what they meant by "xml islands" exactly. I am just spitballing ideas here.

I am thinking of the "object" tag that can fallback to an xhtml file but won't if it current data attribute content loads. So try taking each of those xhtml files and in the body have an object tag that defaults to link to an image then in the object tag's content keep the remainder of the body which will never get loaded.

You should be able to link to those xhtml files normally but the object tag will just load the image instead.

But I am not sure that it will do what you want, but it might be worth playing around with.

JSWolf · 07-10-2024, 06:27 AM

The idea of putting those HTML files at the end is a good idea. To go with that, make one HTML file that says to stop reading here and put that before the ones at the end you don't want to read in order.

Jellby · 07-10-2024, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RbnJrg

I tried KOReader without success; linear="no" seems not to be supported there either.

Did you enable "Hide non-linear flows"? It has worked for me so far, hiding pages of foot-/endnotes for example. (Disclaimer: It was I who did the initial implementation of the feature.)

RbnJrg · 07-13-2024, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jellby

Did you enable "Hide non-linear flows"? It has worked for me so far, hiding pages of foot-/endnotes for example. (Disclaimer: It was I who did the initial implementation of the feature.)

Sorry for the delay, but just now I read your post. The feature works PARTIALLY; I have many xhtml files (all of them at the end of the epub) with the property "linear=no"; KOReader doesnt show them in the normal flow, but, for example,when I access the first of those files by a link, then I CAN NAVIGATE for the rest of the following files with the property "linear=no"; KOReader forgets that those files must remain hidden.

Jellby · 07-13-2024, 02:58 PM

If I remember correctly, all consecutive non-linear files are considered as belonging to the same "hidden flow", but non-consecutive files are separate. Try inserting a linear dummy file between every non-linear file (or whenever you want to break navigation). It's not ideal, but maybe better than nothing.

RbnJrg · 07-14-2024, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jellby

If I remember correctly, all consecutive non-linear files are considered as belonging to the same "hidden flow", but non-consecutive files are separate. Try inserting a linear dummy file between every non-linear file (or whenever you want to break navigation). It's not ideal, but maybe better than nothing.

Ok, I will try that

07-08-2024, 06:56 PM	#1
RbnJrg Wizard Posts: 1,611 Karma: 8399999 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Rosario - Santa Fe - Argentina Device: Kindle 4 NT	Property linear="no" on epub2 Hi; Maybe some of you had this problem and were able to solve it. For my part, I haven't been successful so far and I would like to know how those who were successful handled the issue. It turns out that I have a couple of .xhtml files that I don't want to be seen in the epub (epub2); I want them to only be accessed through a link. I tried to achieve this via the linear="no" property in the <spine> section of the .opf file. But nothing to do; at least in ADE 2.x/3.x the .xhtml files can be accessed like any of the others. Interestingly, under epub3 everything works fine, as expected, but under epub2, nothing seems to take effect. Thank you very much in advance for any advice that allows me to solve this problem.

07-09-2024, 06:39 PM	#8
KevinH Sigil Developer Posts: 8,251 Karma: 5568412 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: many	Could you make images of each extra xhtml page that could be loaded on demand? Perhaps an svg image with actual text? And if I remember the epub2 spec had something about "xml islands" that might be a way to hide a page but still load it. Or maybe use frames or iframes in some way or the object tag to fall back to what you want? Last edited by KevinH; 07-09-2024 at 06:46 PM.

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07-09-2024, 12:43 PM	#6
Jellby frumious Bandersnatch Posts: 7,539 Karma: 19001081 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spaniard in Sweden Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura	You can put it at the end of the spine. It will still appear and be counted in the total pages, but you don't need to page through it when reading. Or you can use a KOReader, which supports linear="no" (Hide non-linear flows), if it's just for your own use.

07-09-2024, 10:13 PM	#10
KevinH Sigil Developer Posts: 8,251 Karma: 5568412 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: many	No idea what they meant by "xml islands" exactly. I am just spitballing ideas here. I am thinking of the "object" tag that can fallback to an xhtml file but won't if it current data attribute content loads. So try taking each of those xhtml files and in the body have an object tag that defaults to link to an image then in the object tag's content keep the remainder of the body which will never get loaded. You should be able to link to those xhtml files normally but the object tag will just load the image instead. But I am not sure that it will do what you want, but it might be worth playing around with.

07-10-2024, 06:27 AM	#11
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 77,021 Karma: 138588794 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	The idea of putting those HTML files at the end is a good idea. To go with that, make one HTML file that says to stop reading here and put that before the ones at the end you don't want to read in order.

07-13-2024, 02:58 PM	#14
Jellby frumious Bandersnatch Posts: 7,539 Karma: 19001081 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spaniard in Sweden Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura	If I remember correctly, all consecutive non-linear files are considered as belonging to the same "hidden flow", but non-consecutive files are separate. Try inserting a linear dummy file between every non-linear file (or whenever you want to break navigation). It's not ideal, but maybe better than nothing.