[How To] Adding Links to big network files

[Marcs1102]

if you create a shortcut to a big file on another machine, you can Drag/Drop it onto your calibre library (Book is added but file is not copied, a LNK format is added with Author/Series/Title (or whatever your regexp for add books is)

why putz with it? i have libraries of zipped audio books (extension zab) on my network, but don't want to add those HUGE files to calibre, so this way it adds a line into calibre, that looks the same on the screen as other formats (.epub .mobi etc becomes a .lnk)

just a note (handy for me, or maybe an idea for others) i use (The Free) VLC Media player and have extension .ZAB set to play with vlc.. when i click on the calibre entry the audiobook is played, or i can click on it without calibre and it plays..

note two, you MUST use Drag/Drop to add the shortcut/LNK's to calibre (if you try and use 'add books' the whole big file is copied)

note three, not sure what the limit is, but i have tried it with adding 286 shortcuts/links at a time

note four, how to quickly create a shortcut/link... in FILE explorer (not IE) - right click on the file and select create shortcut, rename if needed, and then Drag/Drop to your Calibre library.... Eazy Peazy

[bigpallooka]

Dude. If this works 'as advertised' you may be my new hero (weeps silently into is hands in awe). It solves ALL the issues I had with other methods of adding audiobooks.

Now that my awe has dimmed I want to ask how big a disaster it would be if you were forced to move the files. Would you need to just delete all the .lnk in calibre (a simple process) and drag & drop again?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by bigpallooka

Dude. If this works 'as advertised' you may be my new hero (weeps silently into is hands in awe). It solves ALL the issues I had with other methods of adding audiobooks.

Now that my awe has dimmed I want to ask how big a disaster it would be if you were forced to move the files. Would you need to just delete all the .lnk in calibre (a simple process) and drag & drop again?

If you run the Distributed Link Tracking service then Windows will keep track of moved/renamed file links. Don't let the name mislead you - whilst it does work across networks, it also works locally - so its useful to have it running even on a single machine.

In my experience its not 100%, especially on XP's version of NTFS, but on Win7 it gets pretty close.

BR

[bigpallooka]

Thanks. I'll check that out. I run win 7 on all my machines including my microservers so that should help.
Regards

[Marcs1102]

Originally Posted by bigpallooka

Dude. If this works 'as advertised' you may be my new hero (weeps silently into is hands in awe). It solves ALL the issues I had with other methods of adding audiobooks.

Now that my awe has dimmed I want to ask how big a disaster it would be if you were forced to move the files. Would you need to just delete all the .lnk in calibre (a simple process) and drag & drop again?

you can do that *or* i'm an old fart and use the subst command (i substitute a drive letter for a directory on the network, move files? just change one command - ie l: is the drive letter for my links)

[Marcs1102]

haven't tried it live using the calibre server yet (from external devices on the internet) but it works from my browser on other puters on my network using the wlan (have several broken puters that i duct tape em up/add an external usb drive/make servers on my network.... my way of recycling!