help...

[hedda62]

Can anyone interpret this error message from the EPUB validator?

"could not parse tmp_9f528c285543e76fb2aa6c86a5253ee3_KqSZ1G.ch.fixed.fc.tidied.stylehacked.xfixed_split_036.html: duplicate id: Frame1"

It's from the EPUB version of Time Goes By (derived from a Word file), and will prevent it from being sold at iTunes and other retailers. There's nothing apparently wrong with the readability of the file (either EPUB or Word), navigation from the hyperlinked TOC works perfectly in both, and there are no frames (by Word's definition, anyway) in the document. I thought I'd found the problem - Word having inserted some additional brackets similar to those that mark bookmarks when it put portions on the clipboard as I uploaded them to my website - but when I took them out and re-uploaded to Smashwords, I got the same error.

Any help would be appreciated greatly. I may repost after the holiday if I don't get any answers, because some of the American portion of my flist is probably out fighting weather on roads and in airports today. It's snowing here, but we aren't leaving until very early tomorrow morning, so I hope all will go well.

Also, in short, oh hell Ferguson, ow wrenched my back but hope it'll be better soon, and wow, what is POI trying to do to us? That was a painful episode.

And happy birthday, penwiper26!

Comments

[isis]

I don't know offhand, but are you using Sigil to edit the epub? It might show problem stuff, anyway. If you don't have it, it's a free program and I'm pretty sure you can get it from sourceforge.

[hedda62]

I'm really preferring to edit at the Word level, since that's the format Smashwords wants me to upload in, and they don't distinguish between output formats - if you have a problem with the epub, they won't send to other vendors either. But I can look into it as a way to find the source problem.

[isis]

Yeah, I meant as a diagnostic tool - it's not something you use to create an epub, but you can use it to edit/examine your epub files to see if anything looks wonky.

[hedda62]

The problem being that I have to know what I'm looking for, most likely. Well, I'll give it a try after the holiday weekend.

[mmegaera]

I had something similar happen a few books ago, and, while I don't parse the error message (or remember the exact one I had), you might want to check your header and footer for random tabs showing up out of nowhere, even if you've never opened them in the document in question. I had two tabs in my header (that I had never put anything into in the first place) that held up my ability to get premium distribution whilst I tore my hair out until someone told me to check for random tabs in odd places (you'll need to use the View whatever it is that shows tabs as little arrows to see them and delete them -- I can't remember what the specific choice is because I just leave that option on all the time now). HTH.

[hedda62]

I did eliminate all the tabs in the file during the first edit, and searching for them now turns up nothing. Is there any different method for looking for them in the headers and footers? (And no, I didn't use them at all for this file, just for the CreateSpace one.)

[mmegaera]

Did you actually open the headers and footers? They weren't visible in my manuscript until I opened them.

Other than that, no, I'm afraid I have no other suggestion besides contacting Smashwords and asking for help. I've had fair luck doing that in the past.

[hedda62]

I'll try that when I get back from the Thanksgiving trip. *sigh*

[hedda62]

I think I've fixed it! Not tabs in the headers but empty page number slots in the footers - I finally noticed that the epub download had an errant page number on the final page, and remembered your suggestion and checked the Word file which had [PAGE] in each footer for no sensible reason. So thank you!! Still waiting on Smashwords for the final check, but I vetted the epub and it's passed, so hopefully...

[mmegaera]

Woo-hoo!!! I'm so glad.