Epub to iSilo

[patrickwest]

Folks,

Many have been delighted that the WTB&TS is now releasing some publications online at jw.org in the Epub format.

However for many with older devices there are no Epub readers. The good news is the Epubs the Society posts are not DRMed so can easily be converted to an iSilo file.

The ESD lacks a TOC so it is more work. However the September magazines already released do have Tables of content.

http://download.jw.org/files/media_m..._20110901.epub
http://download.jw.org/files/media_m..._E_201109.epub
http://download.jw.org/files/media_m..._20110915.epub
http://download.jw.org/files/media_m..._20110915.epub

All convert quickly and easily.

Download one, add the extension dot zip to the file name, epubs are zip files.
Use your unzip tool to open the epub and extract all the files to a folder on your computer. Keep the internal folder structure when unzipping.

WARNING if you don't keep the folder structure as inside the epub zip file the images and scripture links will NOT work.

Look inside the folder "OEBPS" find the first file we want
cover.xhtml
open it in a web browser, look at the url, in my case
file:///G:/epub2isilo/2011-09-01/OEBPS/cover.xhtml
Copy the URL Except for the file:/// so in this case you get
G:/epub2isilo/2011-09-01/OEBPS/cover.xhtml

Paste that in to the first source line in an iSiloX document.

Next open with the browser the file with TOC.xhtml in its name, in this case
1701_W11.TOC.xhtml
In this case the URL in firefox looks like
file:///G:/epub2isilo/2011-09-01/OEBPS/1701_W11.TOC.xhtml
again copy the URL Except for the file:/// so in this case you get
G:/epub2isilo/2011-09-01/OEBPS/1701_W11.TOC.xhtml

Paste that in to the second source line in an iSiloX document.

Next open with the browser the file with pagenav ending in xhtml as its name, in this case
pagenav16.xhtml

In this case the URL in firefox looks like
file:///G:/epub2isilo/2011-09-01/OEBPS/pagenav16.xhtml

Copy the URL Except for the file:/// so in this case you get
G:/epub2isilo/2011-09-01/OEBPS/pagenav16.xhtml

Paste it in as the third source file.

As always tell iSiloX what folder to put the new iSilo file into.

Now in the properties for the iSiloX project set links to 999 and disable offsite links.
compile.

You should now have an iSilo version of the magazine with all pictures and scriptures properly linked.

It took more time to write this post that to do it in practice.

[patrickwest]

Screenshots

Sources


Links

[shawndh]

I'm guess there are no links to the NWT where the scriptures are cited. Is there a way to make links to an existing NWT isilo file? Sounds like it would be very tedious but just wondering if there's a way to do it. Haven't messed with iSiloX much.

[patrickwest]

I'm guess there are no links to the NWT where the scriptures are cited. Is there a way to make links to an existing NWT isilo file? Sounds like it would be very tedious but just wondering if there's a way to do it. Haven't messed with iSiloX much.

The epubs posted have all the scriptures included. Indeed in many cases they have a wealth of other material included, which is why you want to set your link depth very high, like 999, and disable off site links.

Look at the September 1st issue and what was included.

The footnotes that refer to the Bible Teach book, the Epub version
INCLUDES the sections referred to, see the footnote in "Who Really
Rules the World?" for example, it links chapter 11 of the book What
Does the Bible Really Teach?


Another example the DRAW CLOSE TO GOD article "O Jehovah, . . . You
Know Me"� has a link titled SUGGESTED BIBLE READING FOR SEPTEMBER:
Psalms 119-150 which takes one to a page with Psalms 119-150 included!


The LEARN FROM GOD'S WORD article "How Can You Draw Close to God?"
includes a link to chapter 17 of this book, What Does the Bible
Really Teach?

The article "Olivétan—“The Humble Little Translator” of the French Bible" has a footnote saying For information on how the Waldenses were
absorbed by the Reformation, see The Watchtower of March 15, 2002,
pages 20-23 and the link includes the complete article ***w02 3/15
pp. 20-23 The Waldenses—From Heresy to Protestantism***

Another article, on taxes, includes links to select paragraphs of past
articles on Taxes.

[shawndh]

Oh, OK. The EPUB files already have the scriptures and additional information linked to the document. Nice! (I haven't actually used it yet)
So when you convert from EPUB to iSilo, the links still work? Nice. But I was wondering if you could link this newly created iSilo file to an existing file. Like the WTPub file for 2009 that I already have. Seems like it's possible because the Index is a separate file that links to the main part. The thought is possibly adding publications to an existing WTPub file.

[patrickwest]

I was wondering if you could link this newly created iSilo file to an existing file. Like the WTPub file for 2009 that I already have.

With a lot of Work you could link it to the existing stand alone Rbi8 but not to the Wtpub2009.

The WtPub folks do not release a "map" file, needed to linking, as they have stated they do NOT want folks linking to their files.

You can find a copy of the Rbi8 map at
http://www.cv8.org.uk/jw/index.html

If you decide to add a Link to the Rbi8 I suggest you do it on the included Scripture pages. Notice the format of such a page

^ Rev. 16:14-16 They are, in fact, expressions inspired by demons and perform signs, and they go forth to the kings of the entire inhabited earth, to gather them together to the war of the great day of God the Almighty. 15 “Look! I am coming as a thief. Happy is the one that stays awake and keeps his outer garments, that he may not walk naked and people look upon his shamefulness.” 16 And they gathered them together to the place that is called in Hebrew Har–Ma·ged′on.

^ Ezek. 38:22-23 And I will bring myself into judgment with him, with pestilence and with blood; and a flooding downpour and hailstones, fire and sulphur I shall rain down upon him and upon his bands and upon the many peoples that will be with him. 23 And I shall certainly magnify myself and sanctify myself and make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah.’

^ Joel 3:12-14 “Let the nations be aroused and come up to the low plain of Je·hosh′a·phat; for there I shall sit in order to judge all the nations round about. 13 “THRUST in a sickle, for harvest has grown ripe. Come, descend, for [the] winepress has become full. The press vats actually overflow; for their badness has become abundant. 14 Crowds, crowds are in the low plain of the decision, for the day of Jehovah is near in the low plain of the decision.

The scripture cites on the Extracted pages are links back to where you were, very useful in the epub on a Nook or other Epub reader. Still useful in one converted to iSilo. You could place a Rbi8 link next to each that displayed "Rbi8" and linked to it. Thus while reading the article one would follow the scripture link, see the scripture, if one wanted more context they could click on the "Rbi8" link next to the scripture.
example:

^ Joel 3:12-14 Rbi8 “Let the nations be aroused and come up to the low plain of Je·hosh′a·phat; for there I shall sit in order to judge all the nations round about. 13 “THRUST in a sickle, for harvest has grown ripe. Come, descend, for [the] winepress has become full. The press vats actually overflow; for their badness has become abundant. 14 Crowds, crowds are in the low plain of the decision, for the day of Jehovah is near in the low plain of the decision.

When using the LinkInserter Tool you would need to rename the Extracted page files from Xhtml to html then back to Xhtml after running the Link inserter Tool.

So 1705_W11.ORA-extracted.xhtml would become
1705_W11.ORA-extracted.html
Run LinkInserter
Then rename to
1705_W11.ORA-extracted.xhtml

As I said a lot of work.

[patrickwest]

I was asked in e-mail about setting the cover to be clicked to to to the table of contents.

So using still the 9/1/2011 magazine as an example, I modified the cover.xhtml file

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<title>Cover</title>
<style type="text/css"> img { max-width: 100%; text-align: center; } </style>
</head>
<body>
<p><a href="1701_W11.TOC.xhtml"><div id="cover-image">
<img src="images/W2011_E_20110901.jpg" alt="The Watchtower—2011 September 1" width="100%" />
</div></a> </p>
</body>
</html>

This when compiled by iSiloX gives one a clickable "cover to TOC" action.

[Ldimples]

Not sure if this is the place to question this but I had been getting my information from sending an email to meekspace. Did they discontinue that?

[patrickwest]

Folks,

Many have been delighted that the WTB&TS is now releasing some publications online at jw.org in the Epub format.

However for many with older devices there are no Epub readers. The good news is the Epubs the Society posts are not DRMed so can easily be converted to an iSilo file.

This just because even easier with the new version of iSiloX 6.03 "adding the ability to directly convert EPUB files".

http://www.isilox.com/index.htm

I just tried out the beta of 6.03 with the January 2012 Awake and the 2012 ESD. I set the links to 9999 and unchecked follow offsite links and each was converted quickly to iSilo pdb files.

Beautiful output.

[Vic]

Not sure if this is the place to question this but I had been getting my information from sending an email to meekspace. Did they discontinue that?

Yes, there is a new and improved way now used by MeekSpace to securely distribute iSilo files that involves Box.Net.
Go back to MeekSpace and read the instructions.