Creating ePub eBooks

HelpSmith allows you to compile your help project as an eBook in the cross-platform ePub format.

Compile an ePub eBook

1.On the Project tab, in the Project group, click Compile.

2.In the Compile Project dialog, in the Output Format box, select ePub eBook.

3.If necessary, select build tags and other options that you want to apply to this compilation.

4.Click OK.

Remark: You can also access the Compile Project dialog by pressing F9.

Quick Compilation with the Previous Options

You can skip the Compile Project dialog and apply the previously used options including the build tags that were selected for this output help format:

1.On the Project tab, in the Project group, click the lower half of the Compile button.

2.In the popup menu, under Quick Compilation, click ePub eBook.

Batch Compilation Mode

If necessary, you can use the batch compilation mode that allows you to compile documentation in multiple output formats or to generate different versions of the same help file (by using build tags) with a single click. You can visit this topic for more details on how to add a new compilation task.

ePub Output Directory

When you compile an ePub file, you can use the default output directory or specify a custom location of your ebook.

By default, HelpSmith puts the compiled ePub file to the same directory where your project file is located. If your help project has never been saved, HelpSmith will use your Windows "My Documents" folder as the default output directory.

Distributing an ePub eBook

The output ePub file is the only file that you need in order to distribute the compiled ebook.

Applications for Reading ePub eBooks

There is a variety of applications used for reading ePub eBooks available for desktop and mobile platforms. On Windows, you can test your ePub eBooks using Adobe Digital Editions or another ePub viewer application that you prefer.

Customizing an ePub eBook

For an ePub eBook, you can specify the title, Book ID, ISBN, URI and other parameters. Also, you can customize the cover page and the Table of Contents page by modifying the default style settings or by providing a custom HTML layout used for the page generation.

You can find more details on customizing an ePub eBook at the topics below:

•General Options

•Cover Page

•Contents

•URL Pages