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EPUBCheck · Package document (OPF)

EPUBCheck OPF-003: file missing from manifest

Updated:

EPUBCheck OPF-003 is a usage message: “Item "…" exists in the EPUB, but is not declared in the OPF manifest.” A file is in the archive but not declared in the manifest. Reading apps work from the manifest, so an undeclared file may be ignored; this is a usage note, shown only when EPUBCheck runs with -u.

The official message

Item "%1$s" exists in the EPUB, but is not declared in the OPF manifest.

Default severity
Usage. Informative only and hidden by default: it appears when EPUBCheck runs with -u (--usage). It does not make the EPUB invalid.
EPUBCheck version
5.4.0

%1$s, %2$s… are filled in with the file, value or element EPUBCheck found.

Typical causes

  • Leftover system files such as .DS_Store or Thumbs.db zipped together with the book.
  • Old images, backups or drafts that stayed in the book folder after editing.
  • A new file added to the folder without updating the manifest.

How to fix it

  1. Look at the file EPUBCheck names and decide whether the book uses it.
  2. If the book does not use it, delete it from the folder and rebuild the archive.
  3. If the book does use it, add a manifest item with a unique id, its path and its media type, for example <item id="img2" href="images/map.png" media-type="image/png"/>.

When it's not this

If the undeclared file is also referenced from the content, EPUBCheck reports RSC-008 as well, which is the one to fix first.

Terms used here

Other OPF messages

  • OPF-002 The OPF file "…" was not found in the EPUB.
  • OPF-004 Invalid prefix declaration: leading or trailing whitespace is not allowed.
  • OPF-001 There was an error when parsing the EPUB version: ….
  • OPF-005 Invalid prefix declaration: URI for prefix "…" doesn’t exist.
  • OPF-006 Invalid prefix declaration: URI "…" is not a valid URI.
  • OPF-007 Re-declaration of reserved prefix "…".

Sources

Message text and severity from EPUBCheck 5.4.0 (W3C, BSD-3-Clause). Explanation by EpubCC.

FAQ

What does EPUBCheck OPF-003 mean?

EPUBCheck OPF-003 is a usage message: “Item "…" exists in the EPUB, but is not declared in the OPF manifest.” A file is in the archive but not declared in the manifest. Reading apps work from the manifest, so an undeclared file may be ignored; this is a usage note, shown only when EPUBCheck runs with -u.

Is OPF-003 an error?

OPF-003 is reported as usage by default. Informative only and hidden by default: it appears when EPUBCheck runs with -u (--usage). It does not make the EPUB invalid.