A Couple of CC/Kindle Books Issues

thehawk777 · 10-05-2013, 10:58 PM

I am using Calibre Companion on a Sony table and have it set to "Scan on Connect," but it doesn't detect my Kindle books. I've got all the Kindle file types checked. Anything else I can do?
I do have some Kindle books already in CC, but I had to connect Calibre to my Kindle Touch to get them there. It would be nice if CC could just scan for them.
This brings me to the second issue i.e. launching Kindle books from CC. I moved my CC books to the "Kindle" folder. That launched Kindle when I clicked on a book, but not the book itself. I think I read in the forum that that's all you can expect. Is that the last word, or are there any other ideas out there?

DoctorOhh · 10-05-2013, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thehawk777

I am using Calibre Companion on a Sony table and have it set to "Scan on Connect," but it doesn't detect my Kindle books. I've got all the Kindle file types checked. Anything else I can do?

The scan on connect checks the folders you have configured in CC for where to place books. If you don't have CC set to send Mobi, AZW3, etc... to the proper Kindles folder then I do not think CC will scan the folder.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thehawk777

This brings me to the second issue i.e. launching Kindle books from CC. I moved my CC books to the "Kindle" folder. That launched Kindle when I clicked on a book, but not the book itself. I think I read in the forum that that's all you can expect. Is that the last word, or are there any other ideas out there?

I don't run the Kindle App, but here is the FAQ on the subject.

You will usually find the answers to your questions about CC by reviewing the Calibre Companion FAQ as directed in the help section of the App.

chaley · 10-06-2013, 02:40 AM

DoctorOhh is correct: CC will scan the configured folders. If you have a case where .mobi files in the folder CC is told to use for mobis are not being found by the scan, I would love to hear about it.

Amazon has made the scan/store process more complicated by adding a second book storage location: Android/data/com.amazon.kindle/files or some such. It isn't clear from my reading what the rules are. My tests indicate that books in the existing /kindle folder are still recognized, but others say that the books must be in the new place or the kindle app will ignore them. Another complication is that Amazon will download books to this new place even if it recognizes books in /kindle. I can change CC to permit launching the kindle app if books are in that directory just for completeness, but I hesitate because I am not sure if there will be unintended and undesired consequences.

As regards asking the kindle app to open the book: we have never found a way to do that. The best we have been able to do is what you saw, CC opens the app and then you navigate to the book. That is one reason I never use the kindle app to read. Given how easy it is to add this functionality in Android, Amazon must have specifically decided not to do it, perhaps as a way of maintaining their walled garden.

thehawk777 · 10-06-2013, 03:24 PM

Thanks, guys, for your help. I think you've answered the original two questions completely.
I had tried to change the default folder for prc files but couldn't see how to change the default for an individual file type until DoctorOhh sent the link explaining how do it.
At any rate, this has led to another problem. I have the default CC for Kindle. That's where K4A stores the .azw files. They launch the K4A app when clicked in CC. In the other folder you mention, Chaley, (.com.amazon...) the prc files are stored. CC launches them in Moon+ Reader even when I've cleared all the default reader apps in CC.

chaley · 10-06-2013, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thehawk777

At any rate, this has led to another problem. I have the default CC for Kindle. That's where K4A stores the .azw files. They launch the K4A app when clicked in CC. In the other folder you mention, Chaley, (.com.amazon...) the prc files are stored. CC launches them in Moon+ Reader even when I've cleared all the default reader apps in CC.

That happens because moon+ tells the world that it can handle PRC files, and K4A says nothing. Apparently I need to change CC to offer K4A as a possible reader for prc files in that folder. This is annoying because the amazon app won't accept them anywhere else as far as I know.

Amazon seems to try as hard as they can to screw up any third party use of their app. I am strongly tempted to write off K4A as a lost cause, but I won't because that is what Amazon wants. I personally gave up months ago, stripping DRM from my purchased books and converting them to epub so I can actually use what I buy.

thehawk777 · 10-06-2013, 08:56 PM

OK thanks for the explanation. I appreciate it.

Sabardeyn · 10-07-2013, 06:56 PM

K4A = Kindle for Apple? Kindle 4?

Sorry, I'm just not sure what you're talking about here and it sounds like a good fact to keep aware of.

thehawk777 · 10-07-2013, 08:18 PM

It's the Kindle for Android app.

chaley · 10-08-2013, 04:20 AM

@thehawk777: the next CC prerelease available in a day or 2 will support launching K4A for .prc files in Android/data/com.amazon.kindle/files. At least it does for me. The new code is rather hard to exhaustively test, and in any case it isn't clear to me what the right behavior is.

My first test:

Tell CC to put .prc files in Android/data/com.amazon.kindle/files
Send a .prc from calibre. It arrives in Android/...
Try to read that book. CC proposes K4A as well as several other readers I have installed.
Launch K4A and download a purchased book. It appears in the Android/... folder.
Connect CC to calibre. If CC's scan for new books is on (it is by default) then that newly downloaded (and probably DRM infested) book will be added to CC and sent to calibre for analysis.

Next test: the same as above but using /kindle instead of /Android/... . The first three tests work with that folder. The last two do not work, of course, because K4A is putting the books in a place that CC isn't using.

thehawk777 · 10-08-2013, 08:49 AM

Great. That was fast. I'll look forward to trying it when the prerelease is available. Thanks a lot.

10-05-2013, 10:58 PM	#1
thehawk777 Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Sony tablet, Kindle Touch	A Couple of CC/Kindle Books Issues I am using Calibre Companion on a Sony table and have it set to "Scan on Connect," but it doesn't detect my Kindle books. I've got all the Kindle file types checked. Anything else I can do? I do have some Kindle books already in CC, but I had to connect Calibre to my Kindle Touch to get them there. It would be nice if CC could just scan for them. This brings me to the second issue i.e. launching Kindle books from CC. I moved my CC books to the "Kindle" folder. That launched Kindle when I clicked on a book, but not the book itself. I think I read in the forum that that's all you can expect. Is that the last word, or are there any other ideas out there? Last edited by thehawk777; 10-05-2013 at 11:01 PM.

10-08-2013, 04:20 AM	#9
chaley Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,741 Karma: 6997045 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Notts, England Device: Kobo Libra 2	@thehawk777: the next CC prerelease available in a day or 2 will support launching K4A for .prc files in Android/data/com.amazon.kindle/files. At least it does for me. The new code is rather hard to exhaustively test, and in any case it isn't clear to me what the right behavior is. My first test: Tell CC to put .prc files in Android/data/com.amazon.kindle/files Send a .prc from calibre. It arrives in Android/... Try to read that book. CC proposes K4A as well as several other readers I have installed. Launch K4A and download a purchased book. It appears in the Android/... folder. Connect CC to calibre. If CC's scan for new books is on (it is by default) then that newly downloaded (and probably DRM infested) book will be added to CC and sent to calibre for analysis. Next test: the same as above but using /kindle instead of /Android/... . The first three tests work with that folder. The last two do not work, of course, because K4A is putting the books in a place that CC isn't using.

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10-06-2013, 02:40 AM	#3
chaley Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,741 Karma: 6997045 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Notts, England Device: Kobo Libra 2	DoctorOhh is correct: CC will scan the configured folders. If you have a case where .mobi files in the folder CC is told to use for mobis are not being found by the scan, I would love to hear about it. Amazon has made the scan/store process more complicated by adding a second book storage location: Android/data/com.amazon.kindle/files or some such. It isn't clear from my reading what the rules are. My tests indicate that books in the existing /kindle folder are still recognized, but others say that the books must be in the new place or the kindle app will ignore them. Another complication is that Amazon will download books to this new place even if it recognizes books in /kindle. I can change CC to permit launching the kindle app if books are in that directory just for completeness, but I hesitate because I am not sure if there will be unintended and undesired consequences. As regards asking the kindle app to open the book: we have never found a way to do that. The best we have been able to do is what you saw, CC opens the app and then you navigate to the book. That is one reason I never use the kindle app to read. Given how easy it is to add this functionality in Android, Amazon must have specifically decided not to do it, perhaps as a way of maintaining their walled garden.

10-06-2013, 03:24 PM	#4
thehawk777 Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Sony tablet, Kindle Touch	Thanks, guys, for your help. I think you've answered the original two questions completely. I had tried to change the default folder for prc files but couldn't see how to change the default for an individual file type until DoctorOhh sent the link explaining how do it. At any rate, this has led to another problem. I have the default CC for Kindle. That's where K4A stores the .azw files. They launch the K4A app when clicked in CC. In the other folder you mention, Chaley, (.com.amazon...) the prc files are stored. CC launches them in Moon+ Reader even when I've cleared all the default reader apps in CC.

10-06-2013, 08:56 PM	#6
thehawk777 Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Sony tablet, Kindle Touch	OK thanks for the explanation. I appreciate it.

10-07-2013, 06:56 PM	#7
Sabardeyn Guru Posts: 644 Karma: 1242364 Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Right Coast Device: PC (Calibre), Nexus 7 2013 (Moon+ Pro), HTC HD2/Leo (Freda)	K4A = Kindle for Apple? Kindle 4? Sorry, I'm just not sure what you're talking about here and it sounds like a good fact to keep aware of.

10-07-2013, 08:18 PM	#8
thehawk777 Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Sony tablet, Kindle Touch	It's the Kindle for Android app.

10-08-2013, 08:49 AM	#10
thehawk777 Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Sony tablet, Kindle Touch	Great. That was fast. I'll look forward to trying it when the prerelease is available. Thanks a lot.

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