Convert EPUB to WIKI

Why Convert EPUB to WIKI?

Converting EPUB e-books to MediaWiki format is essential for organizations and teams who want to transform published content into collaborative, editable wiki pages. While EPUB is designed for reading, MediaWiki format enables multiple people to edit, update, and maintain content collectively in a wiki environment.

MediaWiki is the software that powers Wikipedia and thousands of other wikis worldwide. By converting EPUB books to wiki format, you can create internal knowledge bases, documentation wikis, or collaborative reference materials. This is particularly valuable for companies wanting to turn training manuals, handbooks, or technical books into living documents that teams can continuously improve.

The wiki format excels at hyperlinking and cross-referencing. Unlike EPUB which is linear, wiki pages can link to each other freely, creating a web of interconnected knowledge. Categories help organize content, templates enable reuse of common elements, and the revision history tracks all changes - making wikis perfect for evolving documentation.

The conversion process transforms EPUB structure into MediaWiki markup: chapters become wiki pages, headings use wiki heading syntax (= through ======), and formatting converts to wiki markup ('''bold''', ''italic''). Links, lists, tables, and images are converted to their wiki equivalents, creating content ready to paste into MediaWiki installations.

Key Benefits of Converting EPUB to MediaWiki:

• Collaborative Editing: Multiple users can edit and improve content
• Version History: Track all changes and revert if needed
• Hyperlinks: Create interconnected web of knowledge
• Categories: Organize content with category system
• Templates: Reuse common elements and formatting
• Search: Powerful built-in search across all pages
• Living Documents: Content evolves with team knowledge

Practical Examples

Example 1: Chapter to Wiki Page

Input EPUB content (chapter1.xhtml):

<h1>Getting Started with Python</h1>
<p>Python is a <strong>high-level programming language</strong>
known for its <em>simplicity</em>.</p>
<h2>Installation</h2>
<p>Download from the official website.</p>

Output MediaWiki markup:

= Getting Started with Python =

Python is a '''high-level programming language'''
known for its ''simplicity''.

== Installation ==

Download from the official website.

Example 2: Lists and Links

Input EPUB with lists:

<h2>Features</h2>
<ul>
  <li>Simple syntax</li>
  <li>Large standard library</li>
  <li>Cross-platform</li>
</ul>
<p>Visit <a href="https://python.org">Python.org</a></p>

Output wiki markup:

== Features ==

* Simple syntax
* Large standard library
* Cross-platform

Visit [https://python.org Python.org]

Example 3: Tables

Input EPUB table:

<table>
  <tr><th>Version</th><th>Released</th></tr>
  <tr><td>Python 2.7</td><td>2010</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Python 3.9</td><td>2020</td></tr>
</table>

Output wiki table:

{| class="wikitable"
! Version !! Released
|-
| Python 2.7 || 2010
|-
| Python 3.9 || 2020
|}

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is MediaWiki format?

A: MediaWiki is the markup language used by Wikipedia and thousands of other wikis. It's a plain text format with special syntax for formatting ('''bold''', ''italic''), links ([[Page Name]]), lists, tables, and more. Files typically use .wiki or .mediawiki extensions.

Q: Can I use the converted content directly on Wikipedia?

A: The format is compatible with Wikipedia's MediaWiki software, but Wikipedia has strict content policies. You can't simply copy book content to Wikipedia - it must meet notability guidelines, be properly sourced, and you must have rights to the content. The conversion is better suited for internal wikis or wikis where you have permission to post the content.

Q: What happens to images in the EPUB?

A: Image references are converted to MediaWiki image syntax ([[File:image.png]]). However, the actual image files need to be uploaded separately to your wiki. The conversion creates the proper markup, but you'll need to extract images from the EPUB and upload them to your MediaWiki installation.

Q: Will the table of contents be preserved?

A: The EPUB table of contents structure is converted to wiki pages with headings. MediaWiki can automatically generate a TOC from headings using __TOC__ or the wiki will create one automatically. Each chapter may become a separate wiki page, with links between them.

Q: What wiki software can use this format?

A: MediaWiki format is primarily used by MediaWiki software (Wikipedia's platform). It also works with some other wiki engines that support MediaWiki syntax. For other wikis like Confluence or DokuWiki, you may need additional conversion since they use different markup languages.

Q: How do I handle book chapters in a wiki?

A: Common approaches: (1) Create one page per chapter with links between them, (2) Create a single long page with section headings, (3) Use a main "book" page with transclusion to pull in chapter pages, or (4) Use wiki categories to group all pages from the same book. Choice depends on your wiki size and navigation preferences.

Q: Can I convert wiki format back to EPUB?

A: Yes, tools like Pandoc can convert MediaWiki to EPUB. This enables a workflow where you maintain content in a wiki (collaborative editing, version control) and periodically export to EPUB for distribution. However, wiki-specific features like templates and categories may not convert perfectly.

Q: What about footnotes and references?

A: MediaWiki has a robust reference system using <ref> tags. Footnotes from EPUB can be converted to wiki references, which appear at the bottom of the page in a "References" section when you add <references/>. This is similar to how Wikipedia handles citations and footnotes.