I find that when purchasing ebooks from Amazon and downloading an azw3 file it is not that uncommon for the file to have a table of contents with all the links pointing to, usually, the beginning of the book or a point in the first couple of pages. Despite this, chapter links seem to function as intended on the actual Kindle device or application. I haven't yet looked into why this is the case. However, because it is, the invalid TOC probably does not cause problems for most people. I first noted it when trying to read a file converted to epub in Moon Reader some time ago. Moon Reader seems to use these links in its normal operation, and so will usually refuse to go past the first few pages. Also, in the Calibre viewer application, the links in the TOC of course all jump to the incorrect location(s). It is likely, though I have not tested, that other non-Amazon devices and applications will suffer the same problems with the TOC links.
What I have established so far is that the particular problem lies with the azw3 files. It is not peculiar to a particular download method nor it would seem to the presence or otherwise of DRM. I have examined a number of books with the problem by downloading the file to a computer and importing to Calibre, and by importing to Calibre directly from the device. I have also copied a file without drm from the Kindle and opened it directly with the Calibre viewer, and the problem is present in all versions.
What I am currently doing is opening all azw3 files in Calibre viewer before any format conversions etc. to verify that the TOC does not suffer from this problem. On a small sample so far I would estimate about 1 in 10 books is affected. On these books I have been using the Calibre TOC editor to either automatically generate a new TOC if possible, or in other cases, manually correct the links.
I have only just looked at the problem, and if I do look into it further will post again on the topic. In the meantime, has anyone else come across this problem?
What I have established so far is that the particular problem lies with the azw3 files. It is not peculiar to a particular download method nor it would seem to the presence or otherwise of DRM. I have examined a number of books with the problem by downloading the file to a computer and importing to Calibre, and by importing to Calibre directly from the device. I have also copied a file without drm from the Kindle and opened it directly with the Calibre viewer, and the problem is present in all versions.
What I am currently doing is opening all azw3 files in Calibre viewer before any format conversions etc. to verify that the TOC does not suffer from this problem. On a small sample so far I would estimate about 1 in 10 books is affected. On these books I have been using the Calibre TOC editor to either automatically generate a new TOC if possible, or in other cases, manually correct the links.
I have only just looked at the problem, and if I do look into it further will post again on the topic. In the meantime, has anyone else come across this problem?