Some new features arriving in 0.7.3

[chaley]

This is a partial list of the features coming in 0.7.3, probably this weekend:

1) The user interface has been improved. Calibre better adapts to wide and narrow screens. The cover browser has been improved in all of visual appeal, performance and usability. The 3 icons to open and close the tags browser etc are smaller and positioned to take up less screen real estate. Cover thumbnails in the information pane arrive using animation. The search bar changes color to indicate whether a search has been performed with the current contents.

2) Average rating information. Calibre computes the average rating of books matched by items in the tag browser categories author, series, publisher, tags, and the custom fields. The average rating is indicated by changing the coloring of the icon in the browser, and via a tool tip. It uses the standard rating column. Books with a rating of zero are not counted. You can sort items in the tag browser by name, popularity, or average rating.

Coloring the icons is on by default so people discover it exists. If you don't want it, turn it off in Preferences -> Interface.

3) The ability to delete books from the attached device directly from the main library view. You select some number of books, then either right-click and navigate to Remove Books -> Remove matching books from device, or select the pull-down on the remove icon and select Remove matching books. You will be presented with a list of books on the device (and its cards) that match books in the selection. Clear the checkbox for any book you want to keep, press OK, and voila, the books are removed from the device.

Calibre will put on the list all the various copies of the book it can find. The list will show all the formats, the copies on the cards as well as in main memory, and the multiple copies sitting around after a change of save path.

The on-device indication must be true for a book to find matches. Calibre ignores any selected books that don't match a book on the device.

4) A 'Manage authors' editor has been provided that facilitates making wholesale corrections to authors. You see a table of authors, along with their sort values (see #5 below). Make any changes you wish. The changes are written to the database when you press OK, and (of course) forgotten if you press Cancel. (Publishers, series, tags, and custom fields had an editor in 0.7.2.)

5) Authors now have their own sort value. It is used to sort authors in the tags browser and content server, and to build a book's author sort string when necessary. The default for the sort value is built as today. You can change it by right-clicking on the authors category in the tag browser, selecting Manage authors, and then making the changes you wish.

6) Support for new devices have been added, the kindle driver displays collections (but they aren't editable), the iPad and Boox drivers have been improved, and several recipes were added.

[Worldwalker]

I would really like some way to swap the epub author and author_sort fields when transferring books. The Sony readers (or at least the 505) don't respect author_sort, so Isaac Asimov is sorted under I no matter what author_sort says. Options I can think of include everything from changing the data on the fly during the transfer to a bulk edit "swap author and author_sort" option, which one would then swap back afterward.

Y'know, it's sad that we have to ask volunteer developers of free software for workarounds to a problem that exists because a multi-billion-dollar global corporation can't seem to get it right.

[GRiker]

iPad users: I've revised the overview at the head of Calibre 0.7 + iPad: Start here to be current with the 0.7.3 release. Please post any iPad-related issues in that thread.

As soon as the next version of iBooks is released, I'll be working on adding PDF and iPhone support. I'm going to need the USB fingerprint of an iPhone 4 when they become available for any motivated early adopters.

G

[theducks]

Originally Posted by chaley

This is a partial list of the features coming in 0.7.3, probably this weekend:

Simply Amazing

to the Calibre crew for all their efforts

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

I would really like some way to swap the epub author and author_sort fields when transferring books. The Sony readers (or at least the 505) don't respect author_sort, so Isaac Asimov is sorted under I no matter what author_sort says.

That is a good idea.

Kovid approved (and debugged) a change I made to the Sony driver, so it will be in 0.7.3. There is a new customization option 'Use author sort for author'. If you check it, then the author sort field is stored in the Sony metadata database as author. That will make the 'by author' list sort properly. The option is off by default.

This change does not affect collections, assuming you make collections for authors.

[Bob Butler]

Originally Posted by chaley

3) The ability to delete books from the attached device directly from the main library view.

Fantastic! Any plans for the opposite (an easy way to add to library for items on the device but not in the library)?

[Worldwalker]

Now I'm going to be checking every 10 minutes to see when 0.7.3 is up!

In my big list of "reasons I want to slap the Sony developers with a large trout", that author_sort issue is definitely in the top three. It's not the worst thing they did, but it's definitely the most intrusive; it annoys me nearly every time I use my 505.

My collections are genre/subject-based, so I'm okay there.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Bob Butler

Fantastic! Any plans for the opposite (an easy way to add to library for items on the device but not in the library)?

That is on my list. Unfortunately it keeps moving down because I don't have a personal use for it.

[WayneD]

Originally Posted by chaley

The 3 icons to open and close the tags browser etc are smaller and positioned to take up less screen real estate.

I'd like to suggest something related to this -- it would be really nice there was an option to put these right-aligned icons up in the top toolbar, so the end result would be the normal toolbar items on the left, and these new items on the right.

I think the recent UI improvements in calibre have been very well done. I'm enjoying all the new optional panes, the more succinct output in the book-info area, its newly clickable links (for book formats and file browsing), etc. There's some great stuff going on!

..wayne..

[kovidgoyal]

@WayneD: That would mean that unless the calibre window is very wide (or you have made the toolbar icons small), these icons will be hidden

[Worldwalker]

With the growing popularity of wide-screen monitors, "unless the calibre window is very wide" might not be so unlikely. I'll probably have one myself in a month or so, NewEgg sales willing.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

With the growing popularity of wide-screen monitors, "unless the calibre window is very wide" might not be so unlikely. I'll probably have one myself in a month or so, NewEgg sales willing.

You'll love having a wide-screen monitor. I got a 22" and now wish I had gotten a 24". 24" seems to be the sweet spot for displaying 8 1/2" x 11" full sized on screen in Word, etc. (useful when doing layout). Make sure it's high def otherwise everything will look a bit fuzzy.

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

With the growing popularity of wide-screen monitors, "unless the calibre window is very wide" might not be so unlikely.

Interesting, would you use calibre maximized on a widescreen monitor?

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Interesting, would you use calibre maximized on a widescreen monitor?

In its current version I find myself using it maximized. I don't think this was ever the case before 0.7.x. I only shrink it when I want to drag and drop books to the GUI.

I'm waiting for 0.7.3 to see if my ratings in the tag browser work as expected. Currently they're a little screwed up. More to follow after 0.7.3 comes out.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Interesting, would you use calibre maximized on a widescreen monitor?

I do, on a 23" 16/1 aspect ratio HD. I detest horizontal scrolling so, as far as I'm concerned, maximized is the only way to fly with calibre.

When using Word or Finale Allegro (my music notation program), I can have two pages side by side (I have to slightly reduce them since it's only a 23"). Or I can run a window with a page from both programs side by side.

I frequently do have multiple windows opened depending on what I'm doing. I installed AeroSnap so it's easy to put two windows side by side. Sometimes I'll have three windows; one occupying the right half of the screen and two, one above the other, on the left half. It's almost like having multiple monitors. Some day, I would like to have a 24" monitor and a 24" TV (that I can use as a monitor when not watching TV) setting together on my desk (I multi-task or run multiple apps to accomplish a task).

I'm spoiled. Even my little net book screen has a wide screen aspect ratio. I'll never be without a wide screen monitor.