How to use the command ebook-convert (with examples)
The ebook-convert command is a part of the Calibre e-book library tool and can be used to convert e-books between common formats such as PDF, EPUB, and MOBI. It provides a flexible way to convert e-books while also allowing customization options for including a table of contents, title, and author information.
Use case 1: Convert an e-book into another format
Code:
ebook-convert path/to/input_file output_file
Motivation:
One common use case for the ebook-convert command is to convert an e-book from one format to another. For example, if you have an EPUB file and you want to convert it to PDF, you can use this command.
Explanation:
path/to/input_file: This argument specifies the path to the input file, which is the e-book you want to convert.output_file: This argument specifies the name and format of the output file. For example, if you want the output file to be called “output.pdf”, you would specify “output.pdf” as the argument.
Example output:
After running the command ebook-convert book.epub book.pdf, the EPUB file “book.epub” will be converted to a PDF file named “book.pdf”.
Use case 2: Convert Markdown or HTML to e-book with TOC, title and author
Code:
ebook-convert path/to/input_file output_file --level1-toc="//h:h1" --level2-toc="//h:h2" --level3-toc="//h:h3" --title=title --authors=author
Motivation:
Another use case for the ebook-convert command is to convert Markdown or HTML files to an e-book format. This is useful when you want to create an e-book from your Markdown or HTML documents while also including a table of contents, title, and author information in the final e-book.
Explanation:
path/to/input_file: This argument specifies the path to the Markdown or HTML file you want to convert.output_file: This argument specifies the name and format of the output file, similar to the previous use case.--level1-toc="//h:h1" --level2-toc="//h:h2" --level3-toc="//h:h3": These arguments define the heading levels to include in the table of contents (TOC) of the output e-book. In this example, it includes<h1>,<h2>, and<h3>elements as TOC levels.--title=title: This argument specifies the title of the e-book.--authors=author: This argument specifies the author(s) of the e-book.
Example output:
After executing the command ebook-convert book.md book.epub --level1-toc="//h:h1" --level2-toc="//h:h2" --level3-toc="//h:h3" --title=MyBook --authors=John Doe, the Markdown file “book.md” will be converted to an EPUB file named “book.epub” with a table of contents, title “MyBook”, and author “John Doe”.
Conclusion:
The ebook-convert command is a powerful tool for converting e-books between different formats. It allows for customization options such as including a table of contents, title, and author information. With these examples, you can convert e-books and Markdown/HTML files to your desired formats while keeping them structured and organized.
