Build PDF version

[wenkokke]

The current build script no longer builds the PDF. However, it should be easy to adapt the task that builds the EPUB into a task that generates one massive LaTeX file, using the old LaTeX template.

[anadon]

The solution here might also serve as a solution to #720

[dimpase]

If this is done, it should be easy to host the resulting pdf.

I'm actually surprised that the html build is not going this route - using htlatex as the last step, TeX->html.

[wenkokke]

There's no LaTeX in the book source, so what good would that do?

[dimpase]

Well, could you (in the past?) generate such a TeX file? (perhaps I don't understand what "old LaTeX template" is)

[wenkokke]

We compiled to LaTeX in the past, using a LaTeX template (a la Pandoc). However, the primary format of PLFA is HTML. LaTeX is secondary. Therefore, generating the HTML via htlatex would be suboptimal.

[dimpase]

TeX does a very good job of typesetting; besides, PDF may be used as (or converted to) an epub (which would alleviate the issue of epub breaking now and then)

[wenkokke]

Please elaborate on the methods for converting PDFs to accessible EPUBs, and what the advantages are over compiling from HTML to EPUB (which is also HTML).

[dimpase]

I don't know much about accessible epubs.

But currently if your devices (e.g. they only do Google's Play Books stuff) won't take your epub, you're SOL. If a PDF was available, it would be helpful.
In particular as Google's Play Books accepts PDFs, and converts them to epubs (or one can just use a PDF reader).

[wenkokke]

I don't know much about accessible epubs.

But currently if your devices (e.g. they only do Google's Play Books stuff) won't take your epub, you're SOL. If a PDF was available, it would be helpful. In particular as Google's Play Books accepts PDFs, and converts them to epubs (or one can just use a PDF reader).

Converting PDF to EPUB is a terribly lossy operation.

You're free to resurrect the code that once built the PDF version; it's still in the Git history. That is the purpose of this issue page.