Author's Update! While this series of tutorials was created in 2005. and Sigil has new releases since then, feedback from you is positive that the tutorials still work and are relevant. Sigil has removed Book View (see the description for a new tutorial about using their Page Edit editor) and the interface looks a little different, but the core features and concept remain. I'll continue to support these tutorials until you tell me they are done. Cheers!
Stephen, I want to thank you for creating a template for Sigil. The document and your tutorials have saved me considerable time in creating an ebook for Kindle. I also want to thank you for answering my questions off-line.
Hi, Steven. This is an off topic question, but from what I see Amazon recommends that images be uploaded in the highest quality possible. When it converts the file to .mobi; the images are compressed by Amazon. I'm just wondering what your opinion on images is. Especially, when it comes to digital and print versions. Do you compress your images? The book I'm currently working on will have many images, so I'm trying to figure out what the best action to take is. Even if I cut back on how many images that I use in this book; I will probably still end up with more than 100 (Mainly screenshots of notepad++ and a web browser). P.S. Do you use two different manuscripts for e-Book and print-on-demand versions of your books? I have recently decided to make some of my better selling e-Books available in print. The issue that I have is alignment. After uploading my manuscript, everything is "justified", and I need much of the book to be left aligned. This is the most important reason that I want to write my books in pure HTML and CSS. Besides alignment issues, there are many more styling options available to me this way. Anyhow, I've asked enough, LOL. Thanks for your time, Jason
Sorry, I'm late replying to you Jason. The following is offered as a guide: In 2015, I made an pictorial eBook 'Pigs Might Fly' for a charity, containing 23 full-size images. The images are 786px wide x 1042px high and 0.5MB and in Photoshop, Saved for Web - JPG High quality (60%) and optimized. The eBook size is 9MB. JPG is a compressed image format that is popular for Internet and eBook purposes. It is not so great for print, but can be used. High-quality print files (photographs, artwork) are TIF and TGA, which are uncompressed, and popular is PDF (general printing), which is a compressed format. Compression is a process that averages-out color information. If you have a 1MB image file and compress it to 0.5MB then something must be lost. For example, we take an image containing 600 pixels, each a different red, and apply compression. The 600 are analyzed and let's say 200 are identified as being 'similar' reds. Then, all 200 are converted into the same red, which means only 1 red pixel is required to 'reference' the other 199. This means the reader (device, browser) has 199 less pixels to deal with and the file size is reduced. If more compression was applied then, perhaps, 300 reds may be identified as similar ...
Hello Stephen, When such an error appears (This page contains the following errors: error on line 1 at column 3: xmlParsePI : no target name Below is a rendering of the page up to the first error.) What is exactly the issue? Line 1 should the code line, but what about column 3 where are the columns? Thanks Medo
@@MedoHamdani Cool. Be aware that 'conversion' may include text formatting, adding complexity to your ePub file. One of the tutorials looks into this when copy/paste text from your Word document into Sigil.
Hi Stephen, In the new version 2.0 the book view is not there and could not bring to the ribbon menu. Also would like to know if you have any tutorial to Right to Left languages. Thanks
Hello Learn with Medo. Book view is no longer part of Sigil. I have a video with information about this change and 'Page Edit.' ua-cam.com/video/WvCEF3PmdlI/v-deo.html
And there is a setting you can explore adding to your CSS file to direct the reader to align text RTL. For example, in an individual paragraph Your text or globally in your ePub CSS file, body { dir: rtl; } will apply RTL to all text. In addition, here's a recent discussion on RTL with Sigil www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330356
I just downloaded Sigil, but I have a very basic editor. A lot of the buttons and menus are missing. For example, the special character button, and all of your right side menus. Looking through the top menu in the editor; I can't even add these things. I also see that you have a plug-ins tab. P.S. Any suggestions?
There isn't even a button for adding a link. I don't have an issue writing all of the HTML and CSS as I have a lot of experience, but I'm not sure why all of these options are missing.
Jason, its possible that the software has not installed correctly or the install file is corrupt. Go to the official latest release page; scroll to the bottom and download either the Windows or Macintosh installer. Here's the URL for version 0.9.7 github.com/Sigil-Ebook/Sigil/releases/tag/0.9.7 (I'd recommend uninstalling before you install the new).
Just downloaded it. The newest version does not look like this. It opens to code view as default and the "page view" and "code view" buttons are missing now, so I don't know how to get it out of HTML view. Help?
Hi, I can't open my file in the book view, since the options I have at the top is slightly different. So it's all in html form. Can I do something about this? Thanks
Oli, Sigil removed book view a while ago now. I made a video which shows their new 'Page Edit.' Check it out here: ua-cam.com/video/WvCEF3PmdlI/v-deo.html Good luck.
Sigil doesn't have a tool for inserting tables, though if eBook readers support this functionality then it is possible to manually code a HTML table using the Code View tab. A better way to handle this is to create the data in a spreadsheet or other software and take a screen shot to use as an image in Sigil. This HTML table generator will give the basic code to copy/paste into Sigil; there are many others. htmltablegenerator.com/
In Sigil's top menu, click on Tools and select Add Cover. You can select an image and a new page will be created. To have some text above the image, click on Code View and add a title directly under the tag e.g.Your Book Title There's a good coverage of editing the code throughout the video series.
Author's Update! While this series of tutorials was created in 2005. and Sigil has new releases since then, feedback from you is positive that the tutorials still work and are relevant. Sigil has removed Book View (see the description for a new tutorial about using their Page Edit editor) and the interface looks a little different, but the core features and concept remain. I'll continue to support these tutorials until you tell me they are done. Cheers!
Stephen, I want to thank you for creating a template for Sigil. The document and your tutorials have saved me considerable time in creating an ebook for Kindle. I also want to thank you for answering my questions off-line.
Thanks for the tutorial. Your voice strikes me, as there is so much vocal depth in it.
Nicely done. Very smooth presentation and oration. Bravo! :)
great video series, really useful and well explicated, thank you so much
Thanks for your feedback.
Really great help actually ! ;)
Thanks, mate
Hi, Steven. This is an off topic question, but from what I see Amazon recommends that images be uploaded in the highest quality possible. When it converts the file to .mobi; the images are compressed by Amazon. I'm just wondering what your opinion on images is. Especially, when it comes to digital and print versions. Do you compress your images? The book I'm currently working on will have many images, so I'm trying to figure out what the best action to take is. Even if I cut back on how many images that I use in this book; I will probably still end up with more than 100 (Mainly screenshots of notepad++ and a web browser).
P.S. Do you use two different manuscripts for e-Book and print-on-demand versions of your books? I have recently decided to make some of my better selling e-Books available in print. The issue that I have is alignment. After uploading my manuscript, everything is "justified", and I need much of the book to be left aligned. This is the most important reason that I want to write my books in pure HTML and CSS. Besides alignment issues, there are many more styling options available to me this way. Anyhow, I've asked enough, LOL. Thanks for your time, Jason
Sorry, I'm late replying to you Jason. The following is offered as a guide:
In 2015, I made an pictorial eBook 'Pigs Might Fly' for a charity, containing 23 full-size images. The images are 786px wide x 1042px high and 0.5MB and in Photoshop, Saved for Web - JPG High quality (60%) and optimized. The eBook size is 9MB.
JPG is a compressed image format that is popular for Internet and eBook purposes. It is not so great for print, but can be used. High-quality print files (photographs, artwork) are TIF and TGA, which are uncompressed, and popular is PDF (general printing), which is a compressed format.
Compression is a process that averages-out color information. If you have a 1MB image file and compress it to 0.5MB then something must be lost. For example, we take an image containing 600 pixels, each a different red, and apply compression. The 600 are analyzed and let's say 200 are identified as being 'similar' reds. Then, all 200 are converted into the same red, which means only 1 red pixel is required to 'reference' the other 199. This means the reader (device, browser) has 199 less pixels to deal with and the file size is reduced. If more compression was applied then, perhaps, 300 reds may be identified as similar ...
Hello Stephen,
When such an error appears
(This page contains the following errors:
error on line 1 at column 3: xmlParsePI : no target name
Below is a rendering of the page up to the first error.)
What is exactly the issue?
Line 1 should the code line, but what about column 3 where are the columns?
Thanks
Medo
The issue was
The 3rd space after
@@MedoHamdani Right. So, columns refer to vertical 'columns' of text. With a row and a column reference you can pinpoint the error.
@@StephenOutram BTW, there is a software that can simplify the process by editing the text in Word then the software will convert it into ePub format.
@@MedoHamdani Cool. Be aware that 'conversion' may include text formatting, adding complexity to your ePub file. One of the tutorials looks into this when copy/paste text from your Word document into Sigil.
Hi Stephen,
In the new version 2.0 the book view is not there and could not bring to the ribbon menu. Also would like to know if you have any tutorial to Right to Left languages. Thanks
Hello Learn with Medo. Book view is no longer part of Sigil. I have a video with information about this change and 'Page Edit.' ua-cam.com/video/WvCEF3PmdlI/v-deo.html
RTL languages. My reply to Sameer in this video, ua-cam.com/video/WvCEF3PmdlI/v-deo.html may help with adding a RTL font in your ePub file.
And there is a setting you can explore adding to your CSS file to direct the reader to align text RTL. For example, in an individual paragraph Your text or globally in your ePub CSS file, body { dir: rtl; } will apply RTL to all text. In addition, here's a recent discussion on RTL with Sigil www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330356
@@StephenOutram Thanks much :)
thank u so much!
God is so difficult I just downloaded the last version and I dont know how to separte chapters, anyway thanks for sharing! A big hug from Spain.
I just downloaded Sigil, but I have a very basic editor. A lot of the buttons and menus are missing. For example, the special character button, and all of your right side menus. Looking through the top menu in the editor; I can't even add these things. I also see that you have a plug-ins tab. P.S. Any suggestions?
There isn't even a button for adding a link. I don't have an issue writing all of the HTML and CSS as I have a lot of experience, but I'm not sure why all of these options are missing.
Jason, its possible that the software has not installed correctly or the install file is corrupt. Go to the official latest release page; scroll to the bottom and download either the Windows or Macintosh installer. Here's the URL for version 0.9.7 github.com/Sigil-Ebook/Sigil/releases/tag/0.9.7 (I'd recommend uninstalling before you install the new).
Thanks, Stephen. It's all fixed now. I appreciate your help.
there is no icon for book view?
where to find it?
See the new video about Page Edit. Here, ua-cam.com/video/WvCEF3PmdlI/v-deo.html
Just downloaded it. The newest version does not look like this. It opens to code view as default and the "page view" and "code view" buttons are missing now, so I don't know how to get it out of HTML view. Help?
Robert, I added a new video that shows Sigil's new editor 'Page Edit.' Here, ua-cam.com/video/WvCEF3PmdlI/v-deo.html
Hi, I can't open my file in the book view, since the options I have at the top is slightly different.
So it's all in html form.
Can I do something about this?
Thanks
Oli, Sigil removed book view a while ago now. I made a video which shows their new 'Page Edit.' Check it out here: ua-cam.com/video/WvCEF3PmdlI/v-deo.html Good luck.
Hello! Is there a way to insert tables with data on Sigil? please help!
Sigil doesn't have a tool for inserting tables, though if eBook readers support this functionality then it is possible to manually code a HTML table using the Code View tab. A better way to handle this is to create the data in a spreadsheet or other software and take a screen shot to use as an image in Sigil.
This HTML table generator will give the basic code to copy/paste into Sigil; there are many others. htmltablegenerator.com/
Stephen Outram
Thank you so much!
how do i add ebook cover on the epub?
please help a brother out thank you
yeah? - the name it just says no data... how do you make it so the name comes up on the top?
In Sigil's top menu, click on Tools and select Add Cover. You can select an image and a new page will be created. To have some text above the image, click on Code View and add a title directly under the tag e.g.Your Book Title
There's a good coverage of editing the code throughout the video series.
Just...take this off maybe? I mean...if you are still around why not make a new one? Oh lord...