Xplains in epub

[Peter Muckle]

Hi Tim,

I'm having trouble with xplains in epubs, since upgrading from 7 I think. They are not showing, and when I look at the epub in calibre, there are no html or js files in the 'miscellaneous' section, as were created using an earlier version of H&M. Also, looking at the page html, there is some code missing from the new output, for example this is missing:

Code: Select all

<div class="helpxplain" style="width:100%;height:auto" data-url="./xplain/guide-to-templates.html" data-lightbox="true" data-aspect="168.42" data-title="Guide to Templates" data-load="view" data-playbutton="true" data-playafter="6.00"></div></div>

Using H&M version 8.2.1

How to I make sure that xplains are included in the epub please?

Thanks

Peter

[Tim Green]

Hi Peter,

ePub is a static format designed for display on e-ink e-book readers. They have very primitive HTML support, equivalent to HTML standards from around ten years ago or more. Only Apple iBooks has some support for video, and even there you can't support the complex HTML5 and CSS3 animations and rendering required for HelpXplain infographics. Other readers will not even support video.

If you want HelpXplain presentations ePub is not the format you need to be using. You need to use WebHelp or eWriter.

[Peter Muckle]

Hi Tim,

But I have xplains and html5 quizzes running fine using Lithium reader for Android, with epubs made earlier this year, using an older version of H&M. I appreciate that Lithium is the only Android reader that does this, but that is OK as it does work fully. The xplains just pop up and play.

The lastest version of H&M doesn't produce the same epub output as the earlier version, instead of including the xplains as html (as viewed in Calibre editor) there is just a png.

I use Ewriter for offline Windows users, but have a strong demand for offline content viewed on a mobile, and epub/Lithium was doing everything I needed, but this has changed since v8. I'm not sure if I have forgotton to do something, am missing a setting, or if the output/export has changed to exclude xplains?

Thanks

Peter

[Tim Green]

The lastest version of H&M doesn't produce the same epub output as the earlier version, instead of including the xplains as html (as viewed in Calibre editor) there is just a png.

This hasn't changed since HM7. Perhaps you are remembering using eWriter, not ePub. The problem with adding live Xplains to ePub is that it would probably elminate compatibility with ePub 2.0. We're looking into it but it may not be practicable. ePub really isn't a dynamic format...

[Peter Muckle]

I'm currently looking at a working xplain (on Android) on an epub I created last year in H&M 7, so it is not a memory issue...H&M can definitely produce epubs with working xplains. And a working javascript quiz.

If nothing has changed since H&M7, I'm starting to wonder if it is something to do with the settings on my laptop (outside of H&M), as the epubs with working xplains were made last year on a different PC.

[Tim Green]

I'm currently looking at a working xplain (on Android) on an epub I created last year in H&M 7, so it is not a memory issue...

Please mail the ePub to support AT ec-software.com (replace the AT with @) so that we can confirm this. We can't produce anything like that...