[Input Plugin] DOCX Input

[SauliusP.]

Hi Wulfgar,

Sure you can ask. Answers are simple.
1. I have a library of DOCX files and don't care about DOC.
2. DOC is a terrible binary format, and DOCX (even though complex) – just an XML pack.

Microsoft has a utility for mass conversion of DOCs to DOCXs. E.g., this article gives a short run-through:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ericwhite/ar...c-to-docx.aspx

[BetterRed]

Hi SauliusP.

I used your plug in today, there are two things I'd like to have

Small Caps support - not important, but I like to use them in document titles

This is important to me, why can't I set default settings in Preference->Conversion->Input Options,
If that's hard to do, is there some way I can do it manually - by tweaking the plugin if needs be.

I have attached images of what I always get as the default, and what I always want as the default - for 'various' reasons I always start a conversion by hitting Reset Defaults

Thanks BR

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I have attached images of what I want,

Images??? Seems like the attachments are missing.

[BetterRed]

DoctorOhh

yes - Capture what I get.jpg, and Capture what I want.jpg - I had them misnamed - you must have happened by when I was changing the names :lol:

[SauliusP.]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Hi SauliusP.

I used your plug in today, there are two things I'd like to have

Small Caps support - not important, but I like to use them in document titles

This is important to me, why can't I set default settings in Preference->Conversion->Input Options,
If that's hard to do, is there some way I can do it manually - by tweaking the plugin if needs be.

I have attached images of what I always get as the default, and what I always want as the default - for 'various' reasons I always start a conversion by hitting Reset Defaults

Thanks BR

Hello there,

I can add small caps. Somehow I think I have added support for them, but probably that's my imagination... let me check.

DOCX Input is the only external plugin of this type in Calibre's plugin ecosystem. As such, it shows some missing features. E.g. there is no way to set it's options in Preferences, like with internal plugins. It is simply loaded later. What I can do is to ask Kovid to implement such a feature and I will do this.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by SauliusP.

Hello there,

I can add small caps. Somehow I think I have added support for them, but probably that's my imagination... let me check.

DOCX Input is the only external plugin of this type in Calibre's plugin ecosystem. As such, it shows some missing features. E.g. there is no way to set it's options in Preferences, like with internal plugins. It is simply loaded later. What I can do is to ask Kovid to implement such a feature and I will do this.

Hi - thanks for getting back to me.

If it the defaults can't be easily be put into the Preferences - how about a plugin configuration dialogue, similar to what many of kiwidudes plugins have - eg Count Pages.

Actually, that would be more in keeping with the overall scheme of Calibre, in that Preferences relate to the 'core product', whilst 3rd party plug-ins have independent configuration dialogues.

Cheers BR

[SauliusP.]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

If it the defaults can't be easily be put into the Preferences - how about a plugin configuration dialogue, similar to what many of kiwidudes plugins have - eg Count Pages.

Those plugins are GUI plugin, and this one—input plugin. From programming perspective they are different beasts and configuration is also different.

Anyway, I have raised a feature request to make external plugins configurable. If anyone from Calibre team would get interested in adding it, it'll happen then.

[BetterRed]

Hi SauliusP.

You can ignore most of this - as its been overtaken by what's in the Addendum - I'm leaving it here for contextual coherence

Could you please put accelerators keys on the fields in the DOCX Input settings panel

Currently the only way I can get into it is with the mouse - a device I try to avoid.

If you can do that, then the need to integrate the PI into the Preferences Conversion settings will, for me at least, be diminished.

I've discovered that Alt/Enter on the icons on the left of the Conversion dialogue will display the relevant panel, but the only way into them is via an accelerator key. I've raised a report at launchpad asking if it can be fixed 'globally', but it may not be that easy.

Most dialogues in calibre have accelerator keys, DOCX Input is the one panel that I have to manually reset to my preferred settings every time I do a conversion so...

I would be satisfied if Use first found image as cover had one - that would give me an entry point into the panel, after that I would use Tab

I sometimes wonder if I am the only person who prefers to drive Calibre from the keyboard - I always preferred manual transmission vehicles too

Thanks BR

Addendum

Hi SauliusP. Just letting you know that I've created a 'local' version of the plugin with the initial values I want in the options. That will be OK - pending integration into preferences etc.

My discovery of the Alt/Enter key in the conversion dialogue opened up a can a worms concerning the Qt library keyboard handling After discussions with KG we both concluded (independently) that the easiest thing was for me to change the plug-in.

I'd still like small-caps tho'. Maybe when you wrote that you thought you had implemented them, you were thinking of Drop Caps, which I think are implemented.

I am able to produce much better EPUBS using your plug in than I can with RTF or Filtered HTML, the resultant HTML is MUCH easier to read & edit in Sigil. The docx files are substantially smaller, and the conversions are also about 30-40% faster.

For the record the source file I changed was docx_input.py
I changed some of the "recommended_value"s in the

    options = set([
        OptionRecommendation(name='first_cover', recommended_value=False,
            help=_('Cover from document.')),
        OptionRecommendation(name='skip_first_pg', recommended_value=False,
            help=_('Skip first page as a cover.')),
        OptionRecommendation(name='replace_bap', recommended_value=True,
            help=_('Enhance display compatibility and replace paragraph spacing before or after with empty paragraph.')),
        OptionRecommendation(name='font_embed', recommended_value=_('None'),
            level=OptionRecommendation.LOW, choices=EMBED_OPTIONS,
            help=_('Font embedding options.')),
        OptionRecommendation(name='substitute_normal_serif', recommended_value=False,
            help=_('Instead of font family for default (usually "Normal") style use "Serif". Useful for AZW3 (KF8).'))
    ])

br

[SauliusP.]

Requiem to DOCX Input.

Received a notification from Kovid, that Calibre from next version will have native DOCX support and not based on my plugin. So I am leaving this plugin as it is and will not be enhancing it in the future.

It was nice, however, to make this step first.

R.I.P. DOCX Input.

[kovidgoyal]

@SauliusP: Indeed, while the new calibre DOCX engine is not based on your plugin, the existence of your plugin did help in the creation of the engine, by showing what was possible, so thanks

[SauliusP.]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

@SauliusP: Indeed, while the new calibre DOCX engine is not based on your plugin, the existence of your plugin did help in the creation of the engine, by showing what was possible, so thanks

Welcome. Only just downloaded the trunk and new DOCX Input fails with exceptions :-D

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by SauliusP.

Welcome. Only just downloaded the trunk and new DOCX Input fails with exceptions :-D

What exceptions?

[SauliusP.]

Lets make it elsewhere: DOCX Input [Calibre Native]