† Download AbookReader freeware † Read product description † Experience live demo † Read a book online |
AbookReader software takes a webpage (written in html) and displays it like a book using Microsoft Internet Explorer browser.
You can turn the pages by clicking. You can flip through the pages by double-clicking. No vertical or horizontal scrolling.
This webpage both describes and demonstrates the AbookReader software when it is viewed from a website with AbookReader installed.
Just to get things started, try clicking on System Requirements and see what happen. You can then click again to continue.
When you are in AbookReader view, you can click on Normal View to see the non-AbookReader view in a separate browser window.
Author of a lengthy html webpage. You can provide all viewers with a pleasant reading experience using AbookReader software. There are three easy methods to make your webpage read like a book using Internet Explorer. You need not change your webpage at all.
Reader of a lengthy webpage that seems to scroll on and on. You would appreciate the ability of AbookReader to re-format the entire webpage on the fly and present it as a book with 2-page spread. If you have AbookReader software in your computer, then you can view any html page (in the same folder as the software) as though it is a book. See Method 1 on how to do it.
It requires little or zero effort to enable a webpage to be read like a book, for the author and reader. Of course, it is better that the author does the enabling because every reader gets the AbookReader view using Internet Explorer.
One of the most annoying things about viewing a lengthy webpage is the mindless scrolling with no point of reference. Granted, the purchase of a state-of-art wheel mouse and the use of keyboard PageUp or PageDown provide some relief at times; more often they become the greater annoyance as you end up spending time to locate a line position before reading can resume. Not a pleasant reading experience.
Scrolling up and down does not give you any idea where you are within the webpage. Unlike a paragraph in a printed book, a paragraph in a webpage has no location or position in the web browser so to go back to it you'd need to scroll back and forth searching the entire webpage. Not a pleasant reading experience.
And then there is the hyperlink. It is great for a portal with links everywhere to sell you stuff. But for reading a lengthy webpage, it is downright irritating. Click on one and you lose your train of thoughts. And you cannot get back easily. AbookReader provides a better way. Try it.
People have complained that they cannot assimilate information or gain insight from a webpage. This is because most webpages are designed as flashy (think flash-in-the-pan) advertisement content, not meant to duplicate the reading or learning experience you get from a book. Web browser is meant for browsing not reading.
What does it mean to read a webpage like a book? It means no visual distractions, comfortable font size and page size, 2-page spread, bookmarks (or dog-ears), pagination, flipping and other experiences we come to associate with reading a book before we got hit by triple w, the world wide web.
Here are the things that make reading such a pleasure. Flipping through the pages, going back to a page, knowing where each sentence is within a page, making dog-ears, pencil in some comments, and alternating back and forth between pages.
While there are things that cannot be replicated in software, they are more things that software can do that cannot be done in the physical world such as resizing and hyperlinking. In AbookReader software you win some, you lose some; hopefully the overall experience is a net gain.
The driving motivation is to simulate the book reading experience while viewing a lengthy webpage. It uses Internet Explorer's browser technology and the freely available Java Technology (drum rolls and applause for Sun Microsystems).
This webpage both describes and demonstrates the AbookReader software when it is viewed from a website with AbookReader installed. You are free to turn or flip the pages and come back here, much like what you would do when reading a book. You can remember this page number, go to table of contents or just flipping through the pages.
The functionalities (a technical lingo meaning capabilities which in simple English means abilities) of AbookReader software are enumerated below. Please feel free to try each described action (but remember the page number or use [back] button to come back here).
It is important to note that the page numbers are also changed as a result of dynamic resizing. Because of this, it may be wise for an author to fix an optimal size and dimension for a book by setting "resize=N" option. See AbookReader options.
To belabour this point, let say you are reading a page such as this that has a reference to Software limitations or some page number. In real world, you may be tempted to peek at the referenced page with your finger placed in current page. At which point, you may decide to jump to the referenced page or you may decide to continue with current page. When this book/webpage is powered by AbookReader, your wish will be granted by clicking on Software limitations then click again (on left or right pane).
Of course, there is no reason to use this provision normally. To experience this (when you are using AbookReader with this webpage), move the mouse to where the page number is located.
AbookReader v1.2 freeware is available with no time limit. Please read the restrictions before downloading. Your agreement to the restrictions is implied when you download.
AbookReader freeware consists of all the files in AbookReaderFree.zip. To use the software, you need to copy these files to a destination folder. There is nothing to "install" as nothing will be written to the Windows registry, desktop, startup menu or hidden places. No, none of those dreaded stuff would happen. If you decide never to use AbookReader, just delete all the copied files from the destination folder, but why bother?
Restrictions. The restrictions are simple. Do not modify the contents of AbookReader.jar in any way. Do not change the contents of AbookReader.htm. You may however change the looks and applet options.
You are welcomed to redistribute the zip file as is without modifications. You may also distribute additional image files and instructions to customize the look as long as the zip file is unchanged.
Assume that the webpage in your computer and your website are: d:/web1/telltaleheart.htm and http://www.isp.com/web1/telltaleheart.htm respectively. Assume that AbookReader software is copied into each folder (See instructions in Download). There are 3 ways to enable your webpage to be read like a book.
This is your choice if you want all webpage in the folder to have same look. It requires no modifications on your part as an author, but the reader must enter the cumbersome URL search string: ?htmlFile=whatever.htm.
This is your choice if you want the reader to avoid the cumbersome URL search string, by your addition of 1 line to the webpage in question. The drawback is that it cannot be viewed as a normal webpage anymore (unless you delete AbookReader software from the folder).
Method 3 is your choice if you want to use a book image and other options different than those used in AbookReader.htm.
All three methods can be used in any webpage as a hyperlink such as
telltaleheart Method 1,
telltaleheart Method 2 or
telltaleheart Method 3.
There are three ways to specify the options you want when you access or link to a webpage.
In each of the methods above, you must provide the exact name of an available option and an acceptable value.
Name | Value |
---|---|
htmlFile | telltaleheart.htm,book2.htm,.. |
Npane | 2(default) or 1 |
windowW | max(default),800,950,.. (in px) |
windowH | max(default),600,700,.. (in px) |
bookH | 400,450,.. (in px) |
fontSize | 22,16,30,.. (in px) |
fontFamily | 'Arial,Times New Roman','Verdana',.. |
resize | Y(default) or N |
runningTitle | my book's title |
bookImage | mybookimage.gif |
You can change a webpage's background graphics and color of left, middle and right pane as well as page number display style. You may do that for use in your webpage and you may distribute the change as long as AbookReaderFree.zip remain unchanged.
First make a backup copy of the file AbookReader.css so that if things got messed up you can restore the original. All the permitted changes are to this single file only. It helps if you know the syntax of stylesheet, but it is not required.
If you use AbookReader on your website you should register as soon as possible to get the latest update. Benefits are:
The registration fee includes a license key for one webfolder.
Before making payment, please download and use the freeware on a few webpages to ensure that it works in your environments. See also System Requirements.
Payment is accepted from most credit cards through trusted ClickBank with money back guarantee.
Money Back Guarantee: If you are not completely satisfied with AbookReader software, for any reason within 90 days, we will refund the full amount. Guaranteed. Refund instructions are in the download page.
In extreme situations, you can also obtain refund when you file a complaint with ClickBank or your credit card company, just as in any regular credit card transaction.
The following enhancements will be available soon.
AbookReader software is designed for the purpose of reading a lengthy webpage as though it is a book. Suitable contents are books, manuscripts, magazines, articles, faq's, manuals and other similar content transcribed into html pages that are meant to be read (not browsed). Conversely, flashy web advertisement pages are not suitable.
In these limiting cases, you may not want to use AbookReader.
There is only one bona fide requirement, namely Internet Explorer v5.0 and better. Others are
We thank you for using AbookReader to enhance the reading experience of your webpage visitors. If you have deployed AbookReader in your website, we would be delighted to include it in the AbookReader showcase. Please send your webpage URL, title, author and an 80x50 image file.
We value your comments, suggestions, experiences, tips, enquiries and bug reports. Your time will be much appreciated.
showcase submission | showcase@abookreader.com |
sales and refund | sales@abookreader.com |
suggestions,bug,.. | development@abookreader.com |
business,affiliation,.. | Christine Springfield, General Manager |