To Markdown
Shell Function
mobi.convert_mobi_to_markdown() {
# Check for the existence of a .mobi file argument
if [ -z "$1" ]; then
throw "Usage: convert_mobi_to_markdown <file.mobi>"
fi
MOBI_FILE="$1"
BASE_NAME="${MOBI_FILE%.*}"
install_if_missing calibre ebook-convert
install_if_missing pandoc
# Convert .mobi to ePub
echo "Converting .mobi to ePub..."
eai ebook-convert "$MOBI_FILE" "${BASE_NAME}.epub"
# Convert ePub to Markdown
echo "Converting ePub to Markdown..."
eai pandoc -s "${BASE_NAME}.epub" -o "${BASE_NAME}.md"
echo "Conversion complete: ${BASE_NAME}.md"
}
Instructions
Transferring .mobi
files to Markdown format via command-line tools on macOS can be a multi-step process, as there's no direct .mobi
to Markdown converter. However, you can achieve this by first converting the .mobi
file to a more common intermediary format (like HTML or ePub), and then from that format to Markdown. Here's a high-level approach using command-line tools available for macOS:
Step 1: Convert .mobi
to HTML or ePub
First, you'll need to convert the .mobi
file to an intermediary format. Calibre is a powerful, free, open-source eBook management software that can handle a wide range of eBook formats, including .mobi
, ePub, and HTML. While Calibre itself is a GUI application, it comes with a command-line tool called ebook-convert
that can perform conversions.
-
Install Calibre: If you haven't already, you can install Calibre on macOS using Homebrew:
brew install calibre
-
Convert
.mobi
to ePub or HTML: Use theebook-convert
command to convert your.mobi
file. ePub might be a better intermediary for complex eBooks with lots of formatting, but HTML is simpler for text-centric documents.ebook-convert input.mobi output.epub # or output.html
Step 2: Convert HTML or ePub to Markdown
After converting your .mobi
file to an intermediary format, the next step is to convert it to Markdown. Pandoc is a versatile document converter that can convert between numerous markup formats, including from HTML or ePub to Markdown.
-
Install Pandoc: If you don't have Pandoc, install it via Homebrew:
brew install pandoc
-
Convert to Markdown:
- If you converted your
.mobi
file to HTML:pandoc -s input.html -o output.md
- If you converted your
.mobi
file to ePub:pandoc -s input.epub -t markdown -o output.md
- If you converted your
This process should handle basic conversion to Markdown, but be aware that complex formatting in the original .mobi
file may not translate perfectly to Markdown due to the differences in format capabilities. Additionally, if the .mobi
file is protected by DRM, you'll need to remove the DRM before conversion, which can be a legal gray area depending on your jurisdiction and the intended use of the file.
For advanced formatting or if you encounter issues with the conversion, you might need to manually edit the Markdown file or use additional conversion options in Pandoc to better preserve the original formatting.
Backlinks