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Guidelines for Converting XMDF to KF8
Contents
KindleGen Command
KindleGen accepts the folder containing the XMDF source file as input. KindleGen will also accept .zip files. Use the command:| kindlegen <folder name> |
| kindlegen -intermediate_only <folder name> |
The OPF file is named current_content.opf and can be found at the same location as the main.xml file.
Use the following command to generate the KF8 from OPF/HTML files:| kindlegen <OPF File> |
Source Issues
An XMDF source can have multiple issues that degrade the reading experience on Kindle. You can correct these issues to improve the reading experience. The following sections list a few of the top source issues found in our testing,
Poor Image Quality
Bad quality images will result in the cover or other image being displayed too small. To avoid this, provide good quality images. See quality requirements.
Blurred Gaiji Characters
Replace Gaiji characters with corresponding code characters or provide high quality images of at least 64 x 64 to avoid blurring.
Requirements for Gaiji image files:
- Image format: PNG (8-bit) format or JPEG format
- Size: 128 x 128 pixels or greater is recommended
TOC Entries Not Linked
All TOC items must be linked to the corresponding chapter.
Incorrect Number Orientation in TOC
Apply tate-chu-yoko style for TOC index numbers to avoid incorrect number orientation.
Correct:|
<char_id char_id = "CR0020"> <yoko>10</yoko> </char_id> CHAPTER X |
<char_id char_id = "CR0020">10</char_id> CHAPTER X |
Bold Kanji Characters
Avoid bold style for Kanji characters. This sort of styling makes the characters look blurred.
Correct:|
遺 |
| <font bold = "yes">遺</font> |
Faded Text
Leave the text color unspecified. Using light colors results in faded text. Some Kindle devices allow the reader to change the background color to black. If text is forced black, it will not be readable in this mode and the book will be suppressed.
No Space Between Images
Use line breaks (<br/>) to avoid images rendered without space.
Example:|
<object type="image/png" src="image1.png"/> <br/> <object type="image/png" src="image2.png"/> |
Images Not Shown In Separate Pages
To display images on separate pages, use separate chapters for each image.
TOC Not Shown
To ensure that the TOC is shown, include all of the important links in <special_page_link>.
Example:|
<special_page_link> <special_page title="Chapter 1">PG1111</special_page> <special_page title="Chapter 2">PG1112</special_page> ... </special_page_link> |
Large Amount of Text Is Not Centered
Do not use the valign="middle" style for large amounts of text.
Duplicate IDs
Do not use the same Flow ID/Page ID mentioned in the source. Use unique ID names.
File Path and File Name Requirements
Do not use the backward slash (\) for specifying file path; always use the forward slash (/) instead. Do not include special characters (such as !, @, #, $) in the file path or file name.
Unsupported Features
Some XMDF features are not supported in Kindle. If the file has such features, KindleGen displays an error message and fails the conversion. These are the unsupported features.|
Serial No. |
Feature |
Tag |
Example |
|
1 |
Image animations |
flip_animation |
<flip_animation renewal_time="500ms" > <flip_animation_source src="aaa9.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/> <flip_animation_source src="aaa2.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/> ... </flip_animation> |
|
2 |
Comic books |
comic_object_entry |
<parts_module> <object_table> ... <comic_object_entry src="comic9.xml" type="application/x-bvf-comic" object_id="OB0001"/> </object_table> </parts_module> |
|
3 |
Sound media |
sound_object_entry |
<parts_module> <object_table> ... <sound_object_entry src="movie9.3g2" type="video/3gpp2" object_id="OBmv00"/> </object_table> </parts_module> |
|
4 |
Movie media |
movie_object_entry |
<parts_module> <object_table> ... <movie_object_entry src="movie9.3g2" type="video/3gpp2" object_id="OBmv00"/> </object_table> </parts_module> |
|
5 |
Search pages |
search_page_object_entry |
<parts_module> <object_table> ... <search_page_object_entry src="spage9.xml" type="text/x-bvf-search-page" object_id="OBSP01" /></object_table> </parts_module> |
|
6 |
Clickable area in images |
pointer_region |
<event> <trigger> <trigger_pointer id="OB003k/CR0001" action_flag="click"> <pointer_region> <vertex position="(0,0)"/> <vertex position="(100,0)"/> <vertex position="(100,100)"/> <vertex position="(0,100)"/> </pointer_region> </trigger_pointer> </trigger> <action> <action_page_jump page_id="PG0043"/> </action> </event> |
|
7 |
Trigger action pointing to a URL with ampersand HTML entity |
action_page_jump |
<event> <trigger> <trigger_pointer id="OB0006/CR0015" action_flag="click"/> </trigger> <action> <action_page_jump book="http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?c ID=359&pID=986" book_type="text/html"/> </action> </event> |
Ignored Features
For some features that are not supported, KindleGen does not error out. Instead, KindleGen ignores them and proceeds with the conversion. These are the ignored features.|
Serial No. |
Feature |
Tag/Attribute |
Example |
|
1 |
Pronunciation |
Reading attribute |
<title reading="PI">π</title> |
|
2 |
Alternative code and set for Gaiji |
Attributes alt_set and alt_code of tag external_char |
<external_char alt_set="sh_extchars" alt_code="0x2345" alt="間"/> |
|
3 |
Permission information |
permission_info |
<permission_info> <print_permission permission="authorized"/> </permission_info> |
|
4 |
Line breaking method |
line_breaking_method |
<line_breaking_method method="word_wrap"> |
|
5 |
Play back |
action_play |
<event> <trigger> <trigger_pointer id="OB0006/CR0015" action_flag="click"/> </trigger> <action> <action_play object_id="OBkj23"/> ... </action> </event> |
|
6 |
Opacity for font, background and others |
Opacity attribute |
<font color="#FF0000" opacity="100"/> |
|
7 |
Background music |
text_default_background_music |
<text_default_attribute> <text_default_background_music src="9.mp3" type="application/x-smaf" loop="yes"/> ... </text_default_attribute> |
|
8 |
Drop cap |
drop_cap |
<p drop_cap="2">Alice was...</p> |
|
9 |
Scrolling text content |
scrolling_text |
<scrolling_text> This text will be scrolling over and over </scrolling_text> |
|
10 |
Content masking |
Mask |
<mask>42 </mask> |
|
11 |
Key entries for search |
key_entry |
<key_entry> <key_item search_word="color" table_id="ST0001"> Color </key_item> <key_item search_word="colour" table_id="ST0002"> Colour </key_item> </key_entry> |
