added epub, now wanted to get metdata

salines · 11-23-2011, 02:03 AM

I added a bunch of epubs to calibre. Now I wanted the metadata from within the epubs also in calibre.
How can I do this?

itimpi · 11-23-2011, 02:24 AM

Normally when you add an ePub to Calibre it WILL use the metadata from the file unless you tell it not to do so. What makes you think the metadata in the ePub is different to what Calibre is showing?

The other way around is more common in that metadata updated in Calibre has not yet been updated in the ePub. Calibre normally only updates ePub metadata inside the ePub file if the file is exported or a conversion to ePub is run.

salines · 11-23-2011, 02:36 AM

You are right - I configured Calibre not to add the books with metadata - only filename.
That's because often the metadata eg title within epubs are set wrong. So if I add an epub and pdf I will often get 2 books (not merged).

So I decided to add booky only with filename "metadata".

And now I want to extract the description (if exists) from these epubs to calibre.

Is there a way to extract some (not all) metadata from epubs and update calibre-db?

DoctorOhh · 11-23-2011, 03:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salines

And now I want to extract the description (if exists) from these epubs to calibre.

Is there a way to extract some (not all) metadata from epubs and update calibre-db?

You can't be selective, but what metadata you can get is available one book at a time via the Edit Metadata window. Select a book, open the edit metadata window, select the format then click on the I icon to Set metadata for book from selected format. See attached.

salines · 11-23-2011, 04:05 AM

Thanks dwanthny.
That worked.

But I don't want to get the whole metadata, because sometimes there is really bad data inside....
I set the data manually for a lot of books and I don't want to add eg genres from epub-metadata to the book-metadata of calibre.
Same to author or title field.

It would be great to configure that function like the metadata download plugins, you know.
If it is configurable it would be also possible to do bulk metadata change.

What do you think, is it possible to add a feature request? (Don't know where...)

theducks · 11-23-2011, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salines

Thanks dwanthny.
That worked.

But I don't want to get the whole metadata, because sometimes there is really bad data inside....
I set the data manually for a lot of books and I don't want to add eg genres from epub-metadata to the book-metadata of calibre.
Same to author or title field.

It would be great to configure that function like the metadata download plugins, you know.
If it is configurable it would be also possible to do bulk metadata change.

What do you think, is it possible to add a feature request? (Don't know where...)

The reverse of what you asked.
Read about Fix EPUB plugin (the Calibre.Plugins section of MR) so that the book gets Fixed once you have good metadata

salines · 11-23-2011, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

The reverse of what you asked.
Read about Fix EPUB plugin (the Calibre.Plugins section of MR) so that the book gets Fixed once you have good metadata

You are right, maybe this is better... I will try this.

I only wanted to avoid to download eg the description/comment of books if there is a description inside an epub.
Second is that I'm not English so it's sometimes hard to get/download a good comment/description.

theducks · 11-23-2011, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salines

You are right, maybe this is better... I will try this.

I only wanted to avoid to download eg the description/comment of books if there is a description inside an epub.
Second is that I'm not English so it's sometimes hard to get/download a good comment/description.

I only speak English.
Sometimes it is hard to get/download a good comment/description.

That is why I do each Metadata search by Hand and hit "Cancel" if what I get is worse

You can also customize Each source to what item of the available metadata types are used.
Do look at all the setting options in Preferences: Sharing: Metadata download.

BTW I like the Idea of having the some of same options when importing a new book

Some internal tag lists are excessively bloated

salines · 11-23-2011, 09:52 AM

You're right sometimes inside epub and outside (metadata download) metadata are "not fine".

kiwidude · 11-23-2011, 10:28 AM

This all sounds similar to a request I have mumbled about here a few times about not wanting to get the "date added" from the ebook metadata when adding to the library. To which Kovid's response was that he wanted to implement a more general solution allowing the user to configure which things should be imported. So it is a "known request" in that regard, but AFAIK not something high on Kovid's priority list unfortunately at the moment.

capnm · 11-23-2011, 12:22 PM

And I mumbled once about wanting an easy way to retrieve information from the metadata in the epub ....

Two tedious workarounds I use occasionally:

To just look at the metadata, open the book viewer, the "i" button displays the metadata from inside the epub --- but you can't select & copy

To grab a piece of it:
As dwanthny described -- set metadata for book from selected format in the Edit Metadata window -- then select the desired comment/whatever, copy to clipboard, click "cancel", re-open the edit window, paste, save.

Too tedious to use often, but does the trick.

kovidgoyal · 11-23-2011, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwidude

So it is a "known request" in that regard, but AFAIK not something high on Kovid's priority list unfortunately at the moment.

It definitely isn't, patches are most welcome

salines · 11-24-2011, 01:28 AM

I tried yesterday but it isn't working for me: book by book metadata isn't a workflow for hundreds of books.
What I need is a bulk operation.

add books by filename
Define which metdata should come from the epubs/books metadata. (This doesn't work.)
Then I could define which metadata should be downloaded. (This is very good!)

11-23-2011, 02:03 AM	#1
salines Zealot Posts: 127 Karma: 744 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Sony PRS-T1	added epub, now wanted to get metdata I added a bunch of epubs to calibre. Now I wanted the metadata from within the epubs also in calibre. How can I do this?

11-23-2011, 02:24 AM	#2
itimpi Wizard Posts: 4,552 Karma: 950151 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Sony PRS-950, iphone/ipad (Marvin/iBooks/QuickReader)	Normally when you add an ePub to Calibre it WILL use the metadata from the file unless you tell it not to do so. What makes you think the metadata in the ePub is different to what Calibre is showing? The other way around is more common in that metadata updated in Calibre has not yet been updated in the ePub. Calibre normally only updates ePub metadata inside the ePub file if the file is exported or a conversion to ePub is run. Last edited by itimpi; 11-23-2011 at 02:27 AM.

11-24-2011, 01:28 AM	#13
salines Zealot Posts: 127 Karma: 744 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Sony PRS-T1	I tried yesterday but it isn't working for me: book by book metadata isn't a workflow for hundreds of books. What I need is a bulk operation. add books by filename Define which metdata should come from the epubs/books metadata. (This doesn't work.) Then I could define which metadata should be downloaded. (This is very good!)

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11-23-2011, 02:36 AM	#3
salines Zealot Posts: 127 Karma: 744 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Sony PRS-T1	You are right - I configured Calibre not to add the books with metadata - only filename. That's because often the metadata eg title within epubs are set wrong. So if I add an epub and pdf I will often get 2 books (not merged). So I decided to add booky only with filename "metadata". And now I want to extract the description (if exists) from these epubs to calibre. Is there a way to extract some (not all) metadata from epubs and update calibre-db?

11-23-2011, 04:05 AM	#5
salines Zealot Posts: 127 Karma: 744 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Sony PRS-T1	Thanks dwanthny. That worked. But I don't want to get the whole metadata, because sometimes there is really bad data inside.... I set the data manually for a lot of books and I don't want to add eg genres from epub-metadata to the book-metadata of calibre. Same to author or title field. It would be great to configure that function like the metadata download plugins, you know. If it is configurable it would be also possible to do bulk metadata change. What do you think, is it possible to add a feature request? (Don't know where...)

11-23-2011, 09:52 AM	#9
salines Zealot Posts: 127 Karma: 744 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Sony PRS-T1	You're right sometimes inside epub and outside (metadata download) metadata are "not fine".

11-23-2011, 10:28 AM	#10
kiwidude Calibre Plugins Developer Posts: 4,637 Karma: 2162064 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Oasis	This all sounds similar to a request I have mumbled about here a few times about not wanting to get the "date added" from the ebook metadata when adding to the library. To which Kovid's response was that he wanted to implement a more general solution allowing the user to configure which things should be imported. So it is a "known request" in that regard, but AFAIK not something high on Kovid's priority list unfortunately at the moment.

11-23-2011, 12:22 PM	#11
capnm Groupie Posts: 156 Karma: 10001 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: sony	And I mumbled once about wanting an easy way to retrieve information from the metadata in the epub .... Two tedious workarounds I use occasionally: To just look at the metadata, open the book viewer, the "i" button displays the metadata from inside the epub --- but you can't select & copy To grab a piece of it: As dwanthny described -- set metadata for book from selected format in the Edit Metadata window -- then select the desired comment/whatever, copy to clipboard, click "cancel", re-open the edit window, paste, save. Too tedious to use often, but does the trick.

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