Version 1.3.0 has been released. Now with more fun
- Added option to never delete or overwrite selected Kindle collections with Calibre data
- Added option to keep existing Kindle-only collections (those not updated by Calibre)
- Added option to ignore prefix when checking if a match to Calibre collection
- Added option to display a detailed report after running to show before/after changes
- Added ability to preview collections without saving to Kindle (that's the fun bit )
- Added check for first time use to force user to see Customize window
- Added check for Automatic management setting
- Changed case-sensitive to global option to avoid confusion
- Changed prefix patterns to keep trailing/leading spaces
- Removed Dictionary references since new keep Kindle-only will do similar function
See the first post for updated information, images, and the zip file.
If you have used Version 1.2, the per-column case-sensitive option has changed to a general case-sensitive option so recheck your settings. With a new general never delete/overwrite pattern having the option per column was confusing. The dictionary setting has also been removed since it wasn't flexible enough and would always need constant updates. The never overwrite/delete patterns can serve the same function.
I used to use the debug facility to see the collection changes, but of course that's not the easiest thing to read for most people. So I created a report to show exactly what is on your Kindle and what changed. And I added a Preview option to show the same report but without saving the collections to your Kindle - it makes it a lot easier to trust and see what's happening without restarting your Kindle every time. No updates are made to the Kindle files when Preview is used (although customizations are saved in order to allow it to preview your current customizations). Now it can be run safely to tryout the plugin (see the images attached to the first post). And I make sure you use the Customization option at least once before allowing you to generate collections so that you know the option is available.
The option to never overwrite or delete Kindle collections with Calibre data is implemented basically using an ignore all pattern matching. Its not really necessary since we have the per column ignore, but I added it just to be extra clear. I figured it was safer to have a separate entry to avoid putting special collections you want to keep in the wrong column and having them deleted or forgetting to check the keep kindle-only collections.
I could have done away with the per column ignore settings, but they seemed useful too since they are controlling something slightly different (what collections to create versus what collections to not overwrite). I could have used a checklist, but unlike the column selection you would have to scroll through a lot and probably miss things. Technically the keep Kindle-only checkbox isn't needed if you use the patterns - but I like it there in case a pattern is forgotten or you just want a simple approach of keeping only collections not updated by Calibre. If it needs adjustments let me know.
Sorting on the Kindle is still something odd - the report may not always match the sorting the Kindle does since it ignores certain characters (depending on if they are followed by a space or not for some), ignores 'a' and 'the' at the start.
Enjoy.