You do not need to read an EPUB OPF file as one intimidating block of XML. Divide it into three questions. Metadata asks, “What book is this?” The manifest asks, “What resources are in the package?” The spine asks, “In what default order are they read?” This separation keeps a bibliographic typo from becoming confused with a missing chapter.
Compare metadata with the publication card
Read title, author, language, publisher, identifier, and modification information against the approved source card. If the publication uses a series and volume value, reconcile those too. Do not count chapters during this step; chapter presence belongs to the resource and order checks.
A correct title cannot compensate for a wrong language, and a plausible file name cannot prove the author field. Resolve each value by meaning rather than by visual similarity.
Treat the manifest as a cargo list
The manifest declares XHTML content, styles, navigation, NCX when present, and packaged images. If the source book uses two figures, their corresponding resources should be available to the package. An unused file sitting in the project folder does not necessarily belong in the manifest.
A declaration also needs a real target. A manifest item that points to an absent file still produces a broken resource. Compare listed locations with package contents when diagnosing a blank image.
Read the spine as the reader's default route
If the intended path is title, navigation, chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, and colophon, inspect the spine in that sequence. Chapter three might be present in the manifest and still be absent from ordinary page progression if it is not referenced by the spine.
The EPUB 3.3 Recommendation defines the manifest as resource inventory and the spine as default reading order. Those are standard EPUB concepts, not Rune Studio inventions.
Connect Rune Studio inputs to the three OPF roles
Series Information and Metadata in Rune Studio's EPUB wizard supply publication values. File Selection and Chapter Order supply source inclusion, navigation choices, and sequence. Review and Export lets you read the planned values before the EPUB is created in the workspace's EPUB folder.
In a three-chapter inspection, the manifest contained content, stylesheet, navigation, NCX, title, and colophon resources. The six-item spine ran through title, nav, three chapters, and colophon. The selected series title and volume number 2 were also present, and the local structural result was valid. This was a static package check, not a retailer-display test.
Let the symptom choose the section
Wrong author: inspect metadata. Blank illustration: inspect its manifest declaration and actual file. Skipped chapter: inspect the spine. Avoid editing all three areas in response to one symptom; changing a correct section can introduce a second defect.
The goal is not memorizing XML element names. It is being able to explain the book's identity, cargo, and route. That model works for an EPUB created by many tools. Rune Studio-specific generation remains bounded by its current Mac feature description.
