Bulk metadata download

anthony.burton4 · 02-06-2013, 09:26 PM

In calibre I can either go into the edit metadata screen for a book and download metadata & covers in there - I can then do nothing else with calibre for a period of time while it searches.
Alternatively I can bulk download metadata, but then I get no chance to eyeball it (unless I've missed something), which risks getting the wrong book matched.

Is it possible, and if not could i request/suggest am enhancement to allow:

1) Non-modal edit metadata screens so that you can edit the data for multiple books concurrently.
OR
2) A change to the metadata download tool that performs the search in the background, but then gives you the opportunity to review the data downloaded and apply it or not.

Thanks for your consideration.

Tony

kovidgoyal · 02-06-2013, 10:46 PM

A single metadata download has to happen in two stages, the first stage identify and then the second stage download the covers based on the identify results. On my, rather slow internet connection, neither stage takes more than four seconds. I dont think making it background-able is useful given that you would have to be switching contexts every few seconds. You will find the cognitive overhead will swamp any efficiency gains.

As for bulk download and then review, I can see how that might be useful, but it isn't worth the effort, to me at least, but, patches are welcome.

anthony.burton4 · 02-07-2013, 06:42 AM

Thankyou for the swift response.

After reading that yours worked in 4 secs, I looked into configuring my metadata download and experimented with the providers I had selected.

Removing ISBNDB took my download time for the first stage from ~30 secs to around 3 secs which is MUCH better.

02-06-2013, 09:26 PM	#1
anthony.burton4 Connoisseur Posts: 64 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: iPhone	Bulk metadata download In calibre I can either go into the edit metadata screen for a book and download metadata & covers in there - I can then do nothing else with calibre for a period of time while it searches. Alternatively I can bulk download metadata, but then I get no chance to eyeball it (unless I've missed something), which risks getting the wrong book matched. Is it possible, and if not could i request/suggest am enhancement to allow: 1) Non-modal edit metadata screens so that you can edit the data for multiple books concurrently. OR 2) A change to the metadata download tool that performs the search in the background, but then gives you the opportunity to review the data downloaded and apply it or not. Thanks for your consideration. Tony

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Split Bulk Metadata download job size	scruffy	Library Management	16	03-01-2016 11:46 PM
series_index gets reset to [1] using "edit metadata in bulk, basic metadata"	Boekenworm	Library Management	4	11-25-2013 06:51 PM
Bulk Metadata Download Problem	sweetevilbunies	Library Management	6	07-04-2011 10:39 PM
Bulk metadata download incoherent	madeinlisboa	Calibre	6	06-24-2011 01:18 PM
Bulk Metadata Download	iain_benson	Calibre	1	09-29-2009 11:42 AM

02-06-2013, 10:46 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	A single metadata download has to happen in two stages, the first stage identify and then the second stage download the covers based on the identify results. On my, rather slow internet connection, neither stage takes more than four seconds. I dont think making it background-able is useful given that you would have to be switching contexts every few seconds. You will find the cognitive overhead will swamp any efficiency gains. As for bulk download and then review, I can see how that might be useful, but it isn't worth the effort, to me at least, but, patches are welcome.

02-07-2013, 06:42 AM	#3
anthony.burton4 Connoisseur Posts: 64 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: iPhone	Thankyou for the swift response. After reading that yours worked in 4 secs, I looked into configuring my metadata download and experimented with the providers I had selected. Removing ISBNDB took my download time for the first stage from ~30 secs to around 3 secs which is MUCH better.

Advert