(README update)

[fanfix.git] / README.md

# Fanfix

Fanfix is a small Java program that can download stories from some supported websites and render them offline.

(If you are interested in the recent changes, please check the [Changelog](changelog.md) -- note that starting from version 1.4.0, the changelog is checked at startup (unless the option is disabled))

![Main GUI](screenshots/fanfix-1.3.2.png?raw=true "Main GUI")

It will convert from a (supported) URL to an .epub file for stories or a .cbz file for comics (a few other output types are also available, like Plain Text, LaTeX, HTML...).

To help organize your stories, it can also work as a local library.

In this mode, you can:
- Import a story from its URL (or just from a file)
- Export a story to a file (in any of the supported output types)
- Display a story from the local library in text format in the console
- Display a story from the local library graphically **by calling a native program to handle it** (though Fanfix can automatically process it into HTML so any browser can open it)

## Supported websites

Currently, the following websites are supported:
- http://FimFiction.net/: fan fictions devoted to the My Little Pony show
- http://Fanfiction.net/: fan fictions of many, many different universes, from TV shows to novels to games
- http://mangafox.me/: a well filled repository of mangas, or, as their website states: most popular manga scanlations read online for free at mangafox, as well as a close-knit community to chat and make friends
- https://e621.net/: a Furry website supporting comics, including MLP
- https://sofurry.com/: same thing, but story-oriented

## A note about file support

We support a few file types for local story conversion (both as input and as output):
- epub: .epub files created by this program (we do not support "all" .epub files, at least for now)
- text: local stories encoded in plain text format, with a few specific rules:
  - the title must be on the first line
  - the author (preceded by nothing, ```by ``` or ```©```) must be on the second line, possibly with the publication date in parenthesis (i.e., ```By Unknown (3rd October 1998)```)
  - chapters must be declared with ```Chapter x``` or ```Chapter x: NAME OF THE CHAPTER```, where ```x``` is the chapter number
  - a description of the story must be given as chapter number 0
  - a cover image may be present with the same filename as the story, but a .png, .jpeg or .jpg extension
- info_text: contains the same information as the text format, but with a companion .info file to store some metadata (the .info file is supposed to be created by Fanfix or compatible with it)
- cbz: .cbz (collection of images) files, preferably created with Fanfix (but any .cbz file is supported, though without most of Fanfix metadata, obviously)
- html: HTML files that you can open with any browser; note that it will create a directory structure with ```index.html``` being the file you need to open (or select if you want to convert it into something else) -- we only support importing HTML files created by Fanfix or compatible

## Supported platforms

Any platform with at lest Java 1.6 on it should be ok.

It has been tested on Linux, MacOS X and Windows for now, but feel free to inform me if you try it on another system.

If you have any problems to compile it with a supported Java version (1.5 won't work, but you may try to cross-compile; 1.6 and 1.8 have been tested and work), please contact me.

## Usage

You can start the program in GUI mode (as in the screenshot on top):
- ```java -jar fanfix.jar```


The following arguments are also allowed:
- ```--import [URL]```: import the story at URL into the local library
- ```--export [id] [output_type] [target]```: export the story denoted by ID to the target file
- ```--convert [URL] [output_type] [target] (+info)```: convert the story at URL into target, and force-add the .info and cover if +info is passed
- ```--read [id] ([chapter number])```: read the given story denoted by ID from the library
- ```--read-url [URL] ([chapter number])```: convert on the fly and read the story denoted by ID, without saving it
- ```--list```: list the stories present in the library and their associated IDs
- ```--set-reader [reader type]```: set the reader type to CLI or LOCAL for this command (must be the first option)
- ```--help```: display the available options

### Environment variables

Some environment variables are recognized by the program:
- ```LANG=en```: force the language to English (the only one for now...)
- ```CONFIG_DIR=$HOME/.fanfix```: use the given directory as a config directory (and copy the default configuration if needed)
- ```NOUTF=1```: try to fallback to non-unicode values when possible (can have an impact on the resulting files, not only on user messages)
- ```DEBUG=1```: force the ```DEBUG=true``` option of the configuration file (to show more information on errors)

## Compilation

```./configure.sh && make```

You can also import the java sources into, say, [Eclipse](https://eclipse.org/), and create a runnable JAR file from there.

There are some unit tests you can run, too:

```./configure.sh && make build test run-test```

### Dependant libraries (included)

- libs/nikiroo-utils-sources.jar: some shared utility functions I also use elsewhere
- [libs/unbescape-sources.jar](https://github.com/unbescape/unbescape): a nice library to escape/unescape a lot of text formats; I only use it for HTML

Nothing else but Java 1.6+.

Note that calling ```make libs``` will export the libraries into the src/ directory.

## TODO

Currently missing, but either in progress or planned:
- [ ] Support new websites
  - [x] YiffStar
  - [ ] [Two Kinds](http://twokinds.keenspot.com/)
  - [ ] [Slightly damned](http://www.sdamned.com/)
  - [ ] Others? Any ideas?
- [ ] A GUI (work in progress)
  - [x] Make one
  - [x] Make it run when no args passed
  - [x] Fix the UI, it is ugly
  - [x] Work on the UI thread is BAD
  - [x] Allow export
  - [x] Allow delete/refresh
  - [x] Show a list of types
    - [x] ..in the menu
    - [x] ..as a screen view
  - [ ] options screen
- [ ] A TUI reader
- [ ] Check if it can work on Android
  - [x] First checks: it should work, but with changes
  - [ ] Adapt work on images :(
  - [ ] Partial/Conditional compilation
  - [ ] APK export
- [ ] Translations
  - [x] i18n system in place
  - [x] Make use of it
  - [ ] Use it for all user output
  - [ ] French translation
- [x] Allow lauching a custom application instead of Desktop.start
- [x] Install a mechanism to handle stories import/export progress update
  - [x] Progress system
  - [x] in support classes (import)
  - [x] in output classes (export)
  - [x] CLI usage of such
  - [x] GUI usage of such
- [x] Version
  - [x] Use a version number
  - [x] Show it in UI
  - [x] A check-update feature