Convert FB2 to YML

Why Convert FB2 to YAML?

Converting FB2 ebooks to YAML format is useful when you need to extract structured data from ebook files for processing, analysis, or integration with other systems. YAML's human-readable format makes it ideal for data exchange, configuration management, and programmatic access to ebook metadata and content.

FB2 (FictionBook 2) is an XML-based ebook format extremely popular in Russia and Eastern Europe. While excellent for storing and reading fiction, FB2's verbose XML structure can be challenging to work with programmatically. YAML provides a cleaner, more concise alternative that's easier to read and parse.

YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) is a data serialization language designed to be human-friendly and easy to read. It's widely used in DevOps, configuration management, and data exchange. By converting FB2 to YAML, you can easily access book metadata, extract content, integrate with automation tools, or transform the data for use in web applications and APIs.

Key Benefits of Converting FB2 to YAML:

• Clean Syntax: Minimal punctuation and indentation-based structure
• Data Extraction: Easy access to metadata and content
• Language Support: Libraries available for all major languages
• Configuration: Use as config files for ebook processing tools
• API Integration: Perfect for REST APIs and web services
• Human-Readable: Edit and review data easily
• Version Control: Track changes in Git effectively

Practical Examples

Example 1: Metadata Extraction

Input FB2 file (book.fb2):

<title-info>
  <book-title>The Great Adventure</book-title>
  <author>
    <first-name>John</first-name>
    <last-name>Smith</last-name>
  </author>
  <genre>science_fiction</genre>
  <date>2024</date>
</title-info>

Output YAML file (book.yml):

metadata:
  title: "The Great Adventure"
  author:
    first_name: "John"
    last_name: "Smith"
  genre: "science_fiction"
  date: 2024

Example 2: Content Structure

Input FB2 chapters:

<section>
  <title>Chapter 1</title>
  <p>First paragraph.</p>
  <p>Second paragraph.</p>
</section>
<section>
  <title>Chapter 2</title>
  <p>Another chapter.</p>
</section>

Output YAML structure:

chapters:
  - title: "Chapter 1"
    paragraphs:
      - "First paragraph."
      - "Second paragraph."
  - title: "Chapter 2"
    paragraphs:
      - "Another chapter."

Example 3: Complete Book Structure

Output YAML with full structure:

book:
  metadata:
    title: "Science Fiction Novel"
    author: "Jane Doe"
    language: "en"
    year: 2024
  annotation: |
    This is a multi-line annotation
    that describes the book content.
  chapters:
    - title: "Introduction"
      content: "Opening text..."
    - title: "Chapter 1"
      content: "Story begins..."
  tags:
    - science_fiction
    - adventure
    - space

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is FB2 format?

A: FB2 (FictionBook 2) is an XML-based ebook format created in Russia in 2004. It's designed for storing fiction with rich metadata including author info, genres, cover images, and structured content. FB2 is extremely popular in Eastern Europe and CIS countries.

Q: What is YAML?

A: YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) is a human-readable data serialization format created in 2001. It's widely used for configuration files (Docker, Kubernetes), CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions), and data exchange. YAML uses indentation and minimal punctuation for clean, readable syntax.

Q: Will book structure be preserved?

A: Yes! The conversion preserves the hierarchical structure of your FB2 book. Chapters, sections, metadata, and content are organized into YAML's nested structure using lists and key-value pairs, making it easy to navigate and process programmatically.

Q: What happens to images in FB2?

A: FB2 images are typically stored as Base64-encoded data. During YAML conversion, image data can be included as Base64 strings in the YAML structure or referenced as external files, depending on the conversion settings. YAML itself doesn't handle binary data natively.

Q: Can I use YAML output in my application?

A: Absolutely! YAML has excellent library support across all major programming languages (Python: PyYAML, JavaScript: js-yaml, Ruby: Psych, Go: gopkg.in/yaml, etc.). You can easily parse the YAML output and use it in web apps, APIs, or data processing pipelines.

Q: How do I work with YAML files?

A: YAML files are plain text and can be edited in any text editor. Popular choices include VS Code, Sublime Text, Atom, or even Notepad++. Many editors provide YAML syntax highlighting and validation. For programmatic access, use language-specific YAML libraries.

Q: Is YAML better than JSON or XML?

A: Each has strengths. YAML is more human-readable than JSON or XML, supports comments, and has cleaner syntax. JSON is better for APIs and JavaScript. XML is better for complex documents with validation. Choose based on your use case - YAML excels for configuration and human-editable data.

Q: Can I convert YAML back to FB2?

A: Converting back requires custom scripting since YAML is a data format while FB2 is a document format. You'd need to parse the YAML structure and generate FB2 XML with proper tags and schema. Tools like Python with PyYAML and xml.etree can help with this process.