Abstract: A content processing application that implements a method for displaying characters at least a threshold distance apart. The method receives two consecutive characters. The method automatically identifies a distance between the two consecutive characters and moves at least one of the two consecutive characters to adjust the distance between the two consecutive characters to a threshold distance apart.

Abstract: An electronic device displays text of an electronic document on a display; displays an insertion marker at a first position in the text of the electronic document; detects a first horizontal gesture on a touch-sensitive surface; in response to a determination that the first horizontal gesture satisfies a first set of one or more predefined conditions: translates the electronic document on the display in accordance with a direction of the first horizontal gesture, and maintains the insertion marker at the first position in the text; and, in response to a determination that the first horizontal gesture satisfies a second set of one or more predefined conditions, moves the insertion marker by one character in the text from the first position to a second position in the text in accordance with the direction of the first horizontal gesture.

Abstract: Embodiments of a method for providing documents, which may be performed by a system, are described. During operation, the system determines presentation information for content in a first document. Note that the content may include characters, and that the presentation information may specify relative positions of the characters in a framework of the first document. Then, the system generates a second document that includes the presentation information. Next, the system outputs a third document that includes the characters in the first document, where the characters can be presented in the framework based solely on the third document using an interpreter program.

Abstract: An electronic device displays at least a portion of an electronic document with a predefined page layout at a first magnification level on a display; detects a first input indicating a first insertion point in the document, where the first insertion point is proximate to a first portion of text in the document; and in response to detecting the first input: selects a second magnification level different from the first magnification level, where the second magnification level is selected so as to display the first portion of text at a target text display size, and, while maintaining the predefined page layout of the document, displays, at the second magnification level, a portion of the document that includes the first portion of text.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a system for interacting with a web browser. During operation, the system establishes a network connection with the web browser from a portable electronic device. Next, the system provides data to the web browser using a web server on the portable electronic device. Finally, the system sends a set of control instructions from the web server to the web browser, wherein the control instructions direct the web browser to obtain and display the data.

Abstract: An electronic device displays text of an electronic document on a display; displays an insertion marker at a first position in the text of the electronic document; detects a first horizontal gesture on a touch-sensitive surface; in response to a determination that the first horizontal gesture satisfies a first set of one or more predefined conditions: translates the electronic document on the display in accordance with a direction of the first horizontal gesture, and maintains the insertion marker at the first position in the text; and, in response to a determination that the first horizontal gesture satisfies a second set of one or more predefined conditions, moves the insertion marker by one character in the text from the first position to a second position in the text in accordance with the direction of the first horizontal gesture.

Abstract: A method and system for extending characters. The method automatically identifies sections of a character to elongate and sections of the character to not elongate. The method moves the sections of the character that are not to be elongated and elongates the sections that are to be elongated. The sections to be elongated are those sections of the character that are parallel to an axis for extending the character.

Abstract: Embodiments of a method for modifying a document, which may be performed by a system, are described. During operation, the system receives a selection of a subset of content in a first document. Note that the subset of the content may include one or more objects, and the selection may specify one or more positions of the one or more objects in the first document. Then, the system receives additional content associated with the selected subset. Next, the system generates a second document that includes the one or more positions associated with the subset of the content and the additional content.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a system for interacting with a web browser. During operation, the system establishes a network connection with the web browser from a portable electronic device. Next, the system provides data to the web browser using a web server on the portable electronic device. Finally, the system sends a set of control instructions from the web server to the web browser, wherein the control instructions direct the web browser to obtain and display the data.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a system for displaying text on a display screen. During operation, the system obtains the text as a composite bitmap image along with a set of word positions associated with words in the composite bitmap image. Next, the system divides the composite bitmap image into a set of individual bitmap images based on the word positions and layout information associated with the text. Finally, the system displays the individual bitmap images on the display screen using the layout information.

Abstract: An electronic device displays at least a portion of an electronic document with a predefined page layout at a first magnification level on a display; detects a first input indicating a first insertion point in the document, where the first insertion point is proximate to a first portion of text in the document; and in response to detecting the first input: selects a second magnification level different from the first magnification level, where the second magnification level is selected so as to display the first portion of text at a target text display size, and, while maintaining the predefined page layout of the document, displays, at the second magnification level, a portion of the document that includes the first portion of text.

Abstract: A content presentations editing application for editing a structured electronic document that includes mathematical objects is provided. The content presentation editing application selects a portion of the document, the selected portion including at least one mathematical object. The content presentation editing application centers the selected portion of the document by identifying an alignment symbol in the mathematical object and aligning the mathematical object to a particular position in the document at the identified alignment symbol. To align the mathematical object, some embodiments move the mathematical object such that the alignment symbol is at the center of the page. For mathematical objects that are located within cells of a table, the center alignment operation moves each mathematical object in the table such that the identified alignment symbol aligns with the center of the table column that contains the mathematical object.

Abstract: A content processing application that implements a method for displaying characters at least a threshold distance apart. The method receives two consecutive characters. The method automatically identifies a distance between the two consecutive characters and moves at least one of the two consecutive characters to adjust the distance between the two consecutive characters to a threshold distance apart.

Abstract: A method and system for extending characters. The method automatically identifies sections of a character to elongate and sections of the character to not elongate. The method moves the sections of the character that are not to be elongated and elongates the sections that are to be elongated. The sections to be elongated are those sections of the character that are parallel to an axis for extending the character.

Abstract: Some embodiments described herein provide a content publishing tool that includes a versioning tool for specifying whether a document is a new document or an updated version of a document that has been published with the content distribution system. The versioning tool of some embodiments includes a field to input version information, such as version number, issue number, and edition information. In some embodiments, the versioning tool identifies documents that the user previously published with a content distribution system, and presents the documents in a list. The application's user can then choose, from the list, a published document that is being updated.

Abstract: A system for authoring, publishing, and distribution of electronic documents is provided. The system includes a content authoring and publishing application to author and publish electronic documents, a content distribution system to distribute electronic documents, and a set of user devices that include digital content viewing applications that are used to read the electronic documents. The content authoring and publishing application is used to author and publish high-resolution versions of electronic documents. The high-resolution version of each document is associated with a set of annotations for each high-resolution image in the document. The annotations allow an electronic document thinning tool in the content distribution system to create a low-resolution version of each image and generate a low-resolution version of the electronic document without receiving low-resolution images from the author of the document.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a non-transitory machine-readable medium that stores a document authoring application which when executed by at least one processing unit provides a graphical user interface (“GUI”) for the document authoring application. The GUI includes a display area for displaying a document being authored. The GUI also includes a document authoring tool for adding to the document a floatable content control. The floatable content control includes (1) a content display area for displaying content specified for the floatable content control and (2) a selectable user interface item (UI) that when selected causes the document authoring application to display the content display area. The floatable content control for display by a document viewing application such that the document viewing application displays the specified content through the content display area when the document viewing application receives a selection of the UI item.

Abstract: Some embodiments described herein provide a content publishing tool that includes a document-sampling tool for generating a sample document from a full-length document. In some embodiments, the document-sampling tool allows a publisher to identify a section of a document and generate a sample document that includes a selection of pages from that section. The sample document may be generated using a predefined percentage of the pages of the section up to a maximum of a predefined number of pages. The heuristics of the sample generation may also specify that the sample document include a minimum of some number of pages.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a content processing application with a novel annotation migration operation that allows the application to automatically migrate annotations from a first version of content such as a document to a second version of the content. Examples of such annotations include user-specified notes, highlights, bookmarks, and/or other annotations. The content processing application examines different sets of content segments in the second version to identify a particular set of content segments that matches a first set of content segments in the first version associated with a particular annotation. Upon identifying a matching particular set of content segments, the content processing application associates the particular annotation with the particular set of content segments in the second version. The content processing application can then provide a presentation of the second version with the particular annotation for the matching particular set of content segments.

Abstract: A system is configured to generate renditions of an electronic book. Different renditions of the electronic book contain the same collection of assets with at least one asset being a different quality. When the electronic book is requested by a client device, links to different renditions of the electronic book are provided. The client device can select a link and a rendition of the electronic book can be delivered to the client device.