[Feature Request] quality ePub export: Was [Feature Request] python binding

[Steve Litt]

On Thu, 29 May 2014 14:36:29 -0500
Alex Vergara Gil a...@cphr.edu.cu wrote:

 Hello Lyxers
 
 I wonder why LyX is not available to process little pieces of python
 code within its own framework, like ipython notebook for instance??
 This feature allows us to have beautiful graphics such the one
 produced by matplotlib package. I know there already exists a similar
 binding for R through knitr module, so why not a binding for python
 too??
 
 Is there a way, like modules or whatever, to achieve the same
 functionality or at least some basic functionality of ipython
 notebook within LyX??

Oh, if we're going consider requests for difficult additions to handle a
small subset of needs like beautiful graphics, how about filling the
GAPING HOLE that there's no practical way to export to ePub, without
massive human intervention and end-user programming? None of LyX's HTML
and xHtml exports are remotely suitable for flowing-text eBook
production, especially because different people have different ideas of
how eBooks should be built.

Personally, I think the easiest way forward on this is to take the
current half XML half something else native format, and make it well
formed XML. No doing favors of renaming graphics files with arbitrary
numbers, no doing favors of making obvious hierarchy into div, just
make the native format XML and let anyone with Python and lxml.etree
have his way with the native LyX file.

I know that two years ago I railed against XML native format, but
parsers have gotten better, and right now we have the human
unreadability of XML, combined with the unparsability of a more TeX
like language. Well formed XML can only be an improvement.

If well formed XML native format is not practical in the near future,
perhaps somebody could make a program that exports the current native
format into well-formed XML, once again without renumbering, throwing
away structure, etc. Basically, just pass the environments through: No
need to map Part to h1, once it's XML, we can trivially do that
ourselves, the way we want to. Given that most eBooks don't do a lot of
bibliography stuff, you could even have an initial version that has
hooks for the bibliography stuff but doesn't actually do it. Put in the
bibliographies next time. If it's not perfect with math, that's fine: I
can't think of anything more frustrating than trying to read a math
book on a small device.

Because of LyX's inability to author flowing text eBooks in any
reasonable way, I haven't used LyX in 9 months: I'm authoring with
Bluefish now. Slow, difficult, crashy, but at least my source document
can produce both print, PDF and ePub.

Maybe it's just me, but if there's one feature LyX should really have
in 2014, I think that one feature is a reasonable export mechanism to
something that can be turned into ePub, without undoing all the BS the
current LyX (x)Html converters throw into the export.

Mark my words: Within two years, beautiful graphics won't matter one
bit if the document can't be read on a small device.

Thanks,

SteveT

Steve Litt*  http://www.troubleshooters.com/
Troubleshooting Training  *  Human Performance

[Feature Request] quality ePub export: Was [Feature Request] python binding

[Steve Litt]

On Thu, 29 May 2014 14:36:29 -0500
Alex Vergara Gil a...@cphr.edu.cu wrote:

 Hello Lyxers
 
 I wonder why LyX is not available to process little pieces of python
 code within its own framework, like ipython notebook for instance??
 This feature allows us to have beautiful graphics such the one
 produced by matplotlib package. I know there already exists a similar
 binding for R through knitr module, so why not a binding for python
 too??
 
 Is there a way, like modules or whatever, to achieve the same
 functionality or at least some basic functionality of ipython
 notebook within LyX??

Oh, if we're going consider requests for difficult additions to handle a
small subset of needs like beautiful graphics, how about filling the
GAPING HOLE that there's no practical way to export to ePub, without
massive human intervention and end-user programming? None of LyX's HTML
and xHtml exports are remotely suitable for flowing-text eBook
production, especially because different people have different ideas of
how eBooks should be built.

Personally, I think the easiest way forward on this is to take the
current half XML half something else native format, and make it well
formed XML. No doing favors of renaming graphics files with arbitrary
numbers, no doing favors of making obvious hierarchy into div, just
make the native format XML and let anyone with Python and lxml.etree
have his way with the native LyX file.

I know that two years ago I railed against XML native format, but
parsers have gotten better, and right now we have the human
unreadability of XML, combined with the unparsability of a more TeX
like language. Well formed XML can only be an improvement.

If well formed XML native format is not practical in the near future,
perhaps somebody could make a program that exports the current native
format into well-formed XML, once again without renumbering, throwing
away structure, etc. Basically, just pass the environments through: No
need to map Part to h1, once it's XML, we can trivially do that
ourselves, the way we want to. Given that most eBooks don't do a lot of
bibliography stuff, you could even have an initial version that has
hooks for the bibliography stuff but doesn't actually do it. Put in the
bibliographies next time. If it's not perfect with math, that's fine: I
can't think of anything more frustrating than trying to read a math
book on a small device.

Because of LyX's inability to author flowing text eBooks in any
reasonable way, I haven't used LyX in 9 months: I'm authoring with
Bluefish now. Slow, difficult, crashy, but at least my source document
can produce both print, PDF and ePub.

Maybe it's just me, but if there's one feature LyX should really have
in 2014, I think that one feature is a reasonable export mechanism to
something that can be turned into ePub, without undoing all the BS the
current LyX (x)Html converters throw into the export.

Mark my words: Within two years, beautiful graphics won't matter one
bit if the document can't be read on a small device.

Thanks,

SteveT

Steve Litt*  http://www.troubleshooters.com/
Troubleshooting Training  *  Human Performance

[Feature Request] quality ePub export: Was [Feature Request] python binding

[Steve Litt]

On Thu, 29 May 2014 14:36:29 -0500
"Alex Vergara Gil"  wrote:

> Hello Lyxers
> 
> I wonder why LyX is not available to process little pieces of python
> code within its own framework, like ipython notebook for instance??
> This feature allows us to have beautiful graphics such the one
> produced by matplotlib package. I know there already exists a similar
> binding for R through knitr module, so why not a binding for python
> too??
> 
> Is there a way, like modules or whatever, to achieve the same
> functionality or at least some basic functionality of ipython
> notebook within LyX??

Oh, if we're going consider requests for difficult additions to handle a
small subset of needs like beautiful graphics, how about filling the
GAPING HOLE that there's no practical way to export to ePub, without
massive human intervention and end-user programming? None of LyX's HTML
and xHtml exports are remotely suitable for flowing-text eBook
production, especially because different people have different ideas of
how eBooks should be built.

Personally, I think the easiest way forward on this is to take the
current half XML half something else native format, and make it well
formed XML. No doing favors of renaming graphics files with arbitrary
numbers, no doing favors of making obvious hierarchy into , just
make the native format XML and let anyone with Python and lxml.etree
have his way with the native LyX file.

I know that two years ago I railed against XML native format, but
parsers have gotten better, and right now we have the human
unreadability of XML, combined with the unparsability of a more TeX
like language. Well formed XML can only be an improvement.

If well formed XML native format is not practical in the near future,
perhaps somebody could make a program that exports the current native
format into well-formed XML, once again without renumbering, throwing
away structure, etc. Basically, just pass the environments through: No
need to map Part to , once it's XML, we can trivially do that
ourselves, the way we want to. Given that most eBooks don't do a lot of
bibliography stuff, you could even have an initial version that has
hooks for the bibliography stuff but doesn't actually do it. Put in the
bibliographies next time. If it's not perfect with math, that's fine: I
can't think of anything more frustrating than trying to read a math
book on a small device.

Because of LyX's inability to author flowing text eBooks in any
reasonable way, I haven't used LyX in 9 months: I'm authoring with
Bluefish now. Slow, difficult, crashy, but at least my source document
can produce both print, PDF and ePub.

Maybe it's just me, but if there's one feature LyX should really have
in 2014, I think that one feature is a reasonable export mechanism to
something that can be turned into ePub, without undoing all the BS the
current LyX (x)Html converters throw into the export.

Mark my words: Within two years, beautiful graphics won't matter one
bit if the document can't be read on a small device.

Thanks,

SteveT

Steve Litt*  http://www.troubleshooters.com/
Troubleshooting Training  *  Human Performance