How to move toc go the beginning of epub file

[IanSR]

Hello
I am having difficulty uploading an ePub file to Smashwords.
I use Coffeecup HTML editor and Calibre x64
Every time I upload the file to Smashwords that has been generated using Calibre, I get the message
"Please move the Table of Contents to the front of the book."

I have moved the HTML code to the front of the book just before the Title page and still I get the message.
When I view the ePub using Adobe Digital editions the clickable TOC is at the front of the book before the Title page.

Can anyone help.

Kind regards

[DaleDe]

This is certainly not the place for this question. This forum is about uploads and dowloads of eBooks to this site. I have moved the thread.

[Adjust]

Originally Posted by IanSR

Hello
I am having difficulty uploading an ePub file to Smashwords.
I use Coffeecup HTML editor and Calibre x64
Every time I upload the file to Smashwords that has been generated using Calibre, I get the message
"Please move the Table of Contents to the front of the book."

I have moved the HTML code to the front of the book just before the Title page and still I get the message.
When I view the ePub using Adobe Digital editions the clickable TOC is at the front of the book before the Title page.

Can anyone help.

Kind regards

When moving the epub element there are 2 places you need to change.

Firstly move the code which relates to the TOC in the TOC.NCX file to be in the correct order.

Then you also need to fix the playorder numbering so it's concurrent

Then in your content.opf file to need to change the order in the "Spine" section.

I'd also add this code in the content.opf file
Between the spine section and the close package </package>

PHP Code:

  </spine>
<guide>
<reference type="toc" title="Table of Contents" href="whateveryoucalledyourTOCfile.xhtml"/>
</guide>
</package> 


[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Adjust

When moving the epub element there are 2 places you need to change.

Firstly move the code which relates to the TOC in the TOC.NCX file to be in the correct order.

Then you also need to fix the playorder numbering so it's concurrent

Then in your content.opf file to need to change the order in the "Spine" section.

I'd also add this code in the content.opf file
Between the spine section and the close package </package>

PHP Code:

  </spine>
<guide>
<reference type="toc" title="Table of Contents" href="whateveryoucalledyourTOCfile.xhtml"/>
</guide>
</package> 


Please, in the NCX if there is an entry to an inline ToC, please remove it. It's not needed. You are already at the ePub's ToC.

[Adjust]

Unless you have a TOC inside the job, like a detailed TOC

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Adjust

Unless you have a TOC inside the job, like a detailed TOC

I've never seen an internal ToC that was detailed enough to warrant a contents link in the ncx. Besides, once you are at the ncx, you have a ToC in front of you. Even if the internal ToC is detailed, you won't be jumping to it but using the ncx.

[Adjust]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've never seen an internal ToC that was detailed enough to warrant a contents link in the ncx. Besides, once you are at the ncx, you have a ToC in front of you. Even if the internal ToC is detailed, you won't be jumping to it but using the ncx.

Agreed... Although some might argue it's for muti purpose epub ready for mobi conversion

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Adjust

Agreed... Although some might argue it's for muti purpose epub ready for mobi conversion

You still don't need the contents link in the ncx as Kindlegen totally ignores the contents link when making the Mobi.

[Toxaris]

If he wants an additional TOC, he wants an additional TOC. Don't force your ideas on others. You can suggest, but do not force please.

I would suggest not using Calibre for the ePUB conversion. It is a great library management tool, but a mediocre conversion tool. It generates ugly code that easily can go wrong. A lot of the good ePUB makers are using Sigil to create ePUB.

[Adjust]

I use InDesign for mine... as it's the main production tool

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

If he wants an additional TOC, he wants an additional TOC. Don't force your ideas on others. You can suggest, but do not force please.

You totally misread. I wasn't suggesting dumping the internal ToC but suggesting dumping an entry in the NCX ToC that references the internal ToC. That way we don't have a contents entry in the ToC when we are already at the ToC.

[Jellby]

But what if the internal ToC has some additional information (chapter summaries, illustrations, original dates and authors, etc.), why deny the user the chance of going directly to this "extended" ToC from the simple NCX ToC?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Jellby

But what if the internal ToC has some additional information (chapter summaries, illustrations, original dates and authors, etc.), why deny the user the chance of going directly to this "extended" ToC from the simple NCX ToC?

I have yet to see such an extended ToC. Can you show me an ePub that has such? And if it has such, leave in the contents link. But in most cases, it won't so take out the contents link.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Jellby

But what if the internal ToC has some additional information (chapter summaries, illustrations, original dates and authors, etc.), why deny the user the chance of going directly to this "extended" ToC from the simple NCX ToC?

I do have some of this in my inline TOC's that were taken from some books where I tried to match the book content. However it is usually only a page away from the Cover and the cover is usually a choice in the ncx so it is really easy to find.

Dale

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've never seen an internal ToC that was detailed enough to warrant a contents link in the ncx. Besides, once you are at the ncx, you have a ToC in front of you. Even if the internal ToC is detailed, you won't be jumping to it but using the ncx.

A ToC with chapter summaries: The American Claimant
A ToC with dates, and an alternate ToC with different ordering: Savage Stories of Conan

whether or not a reader might be interested in jumping to one of these from somewhere else in the book, that's not for me to decide
I guess that's more likely to happen in non-fiction (or rather non-narrative) works, though.