[GUI Plugin] Kobo Utilities

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by davidfor

After corrupting the database twice in the last week (my fault) without a recent backup the first time, I think I will add this. My thoughts are:

- Backup the database the first time the device is connected each day
- Timestamp in the form of YYYYMMDDHHSS will be added to the file name.
- The configuration will be to turn it on, where to store the backup, and how many to keep.
- Keep a minimum of two copies, but allow "manual management".
- The backup will run after the device connection jobs, but before the reading status store and the ... jobs.

How does that sound to everyone?

Sounds like sheer utter perfection. You really should go the PayPal route. I'd send you some money and I hate Paypal so much my last contribution to Kovid was through a third party I'd shipped something from Canada for.

Helen

[Cruzan80]

Hello all,

Just got a Kobo Aura (non HD) and trying to get it configured the way I want it to. Coming from an old Sony PRS 600, so a completely different OS than I am used to. I downloaded the Kobo Utilities, but cant figure out how to get some of the options working. I did figure out that on the new Aura, they call them "Collections" instead of "Shelves". Trying to get the series to show up as a listing (know I need to edit timestamps to make them show in order). Have a large amount of epubs that I am sideloading using Calibre, all of the information on there is already loaded into the normal areas. On the Sony I had, it pulled series and tags off the metadata automatically, so I am not used to setting this up.

[davidfor]

Cruzan80: I'm not sure what problems you are having with the set-up. Most of the options in the utilities plugin work by selecting a set of books, choose the options and let it go. The reading position storing does need some set-up of the custom columns. If you describe a particular problem or function you want to use, then I can help with that.

But as you mention the shelves/collections...

Kobo changed from "Shelf' to "Collection" as of firmware 2.9.0. All the devices using the current firmware use "Collection". I haven't updated the word in the plugin partly because I've been lazy, and partly because I preferred "Shelf". "Collection" is probably the better word. Also, as there are still a lot of people using the older firmware, it isn't an urgent change.

To set-up the shelves/collections from calibre, see https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=193184. The first post is a good description of how to do it. And there is lots of discussion and some interesting ideas on other shelf types in the thread.

For the series ordering, once you have collections that are named for the series, it is easy. The "Order Series Shelves" option does it automatically.

[Cruzan80]

Trying to figure out how to use the Order Series Shelves setting. I have the series already input, and set it up per your link (switching myshelves for mycollections) for a custom column. In calibre, it just lists it as Collections on the device tab.

Not exactly sure if this is the command I want. What I am trying to do is to be able to go into Collections on the device, and have it show me a list of series, then when I click on it, have them be in order (Title, Book 1 in smaller print underneath, Book 2, etc).

What I have done is taken a series that is on the device, made the collection name match the series name, but the Order Series Shelves is empty. Is it mycollections or just collections? Also, when I update the metadata via Calibre, all of the collections I have made (both in Calibre and on the device) disappear, which is making me think I have a setting mixed up someplace.

[speakingtohe]

#Cruzan80
I use the same configuration in the Kobo driver for my Sonys and my Kobos.

Worked right out of the box.

While the Kobo is not as nice as the Sonys for my particular usage, you can copy the driver configuration info from your Sony device driver to the Kobo one.

And the Kpbo does have the advantage of the utilities plugin

Helen

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Cruzan80

Trying to figure out how to use the Order Series Shelves setting. I have the series already input, and set it up per your link (switching myshelves for mycollections) for a custom column. In calibre, it just lists it as Collections on the device tab.

Not exactly sure if this is the command I want. What I am trying to do is to be able to go into Collections on the device, and have it show me a list of series, then when I click on it, have them be in order (Title, Book 1 in smaller print underneath, Book 2, etc).

What I have done is taken a series that is on the device, made the collection name match the series name, but the Order Series Shelves is empty. Is it mycollections or just collections? Also, when I update the metadata via Calibre, all of the collections I have made (both in Calibre and on the device) disappear, which is making me think I have a setting mixed up someplace.

The "Order Series Shelves" option looks for collections on the device that match the series names for the books. And the series info has to be on the device. If you look at your books on the device and they show the series name and number under the title, and these books are in a collection that uses that name, the "Order Series Shelves" option will find them.

As you are doing book and collection management in calibre, you probably want the following options set in the KoboTouch device configuration:

- In the shelf column include: series
- "Create Bookshelves": checked
- "Delete Empty Bookshelves": checked
- "Set Series information": checked

Save the configuration and then disconnect the device, and reconnect. At this point, the driver will do the shelf and series management for all the books in the calibre library that are also on the device. After this, try the "Order Series Shelves" function.

If the list is still empty, then we need to do some debugging.

[Cruzan80]

All of that was checked. Are you sure it is #mycollections, and not just #mycollection (no s) or #collections? Not sure why when I sync to Calibre, all of the user-made collections on the device disappear. The Order Series Shelves is also empty, even when I tag the series with My Collections.

Just to make sure I understand these steps, I have the books on my device (with series info underneath). I need to make a collection that is the same name as the series, include them in that collection and then run the order Series Shelves function, or the function will create the collection based on the series information? Do I need to have the series highlighted when running the function?

Speakingtohe, I no longer have my Sony (extended protection money paid for the Kobo). Is there a way I can get the configuration info off of Calibre, to set it up for the Kobo? On my Sony, the series and tags all defaulted into collections of the same name. If it makes a difference, I was running PRS plus on there.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Cruzan80

All of that was checked. Are you sure it is #mycollections, and not just #mycollection (no s) or #collections? Not sure why when I sync to Calibre, all of the user-made collections on the device disappear. The Order Series Shelves is also empty, even when I tag the series with My Collections.

Just to make sure I understand these steps, I have the books on my device (with series info underneath). I need to make a collection that is the same name as the series, include them in that collection and then run the order Series Shelves function, or the function will create the collection based on the series information? Do I need to have the series highlighted when running the function?

Speakingtohe, I no longer have my Sony (extended protection money paid for the Kobo). Is there a way I can get the configuration info off of Calibre, to set it up for the Kobo? On my Sony, the series and tags all defaulted into collections of the same name. If it makes a difference, I was running PRS plus on there.

I have never used the my collections although I have done things mire convoluted in my time


I have my series info in the standard calibre series field. Same with tags etc. All standard.

I configured the Kobo plugin preferences>plugins>KoboTouch... the same as my Sony.

It is very easy to test and reconfigure. Put series in the box where it says bookshelves (second text box) and connect the Kobo. Should be series collections after disconnect. Change it to authors and connect Kobo. Series gone and author collections created. Put in both and/or tags etc. and it will comply with no need to resend files.


I use plugboards on my Sony for series info appended to author_sort and they work the same on the Kobo except you had to change the sort order or each collection. Now you have the Kobo utilities that will do that for you.

There is not much difference between collection handling Sony VS Kobo. Sony is much faster if you have a lot of books.

Helen

Edit: you may have to connect/disconnect twice for some things to work.

[Cruzan80]

What I am getting is nothing in the collections. Even after I add to it, it disappears. Not sure what plugboards you are using, never had to do anything for the Sony. Not blaming Kobo, Calibre, or the plugin, just a different way of handling things. I have a feeling it is something to do with them renaming bookshelves to Collections, and me not having the naming conventions correct.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Cruzan80

What I am getting is nothing in the collections. Even after I add to it, it disappears. Not sure what plugboards you are using, never had to do anything for the Sony. Not blaming Kobo, Calibre, or the plugin, just a different way of handling things. I have a feeling it is something to do with them renaming bookshelves to Collections, and me not having the naming conventions correct.

Pretty sure not that.

Go to preferences>plugins>device interface plugins
Make sure only one kobo plugin is enabled
For simplicity make it is the Kobo Touch plugin
click customize and put series in the auto management box.
Connect Kobo
Wait till the job is done
eject and disconnect Kobo and see if you have series collections.

You do have to select the collection option from the menu but I am sure you are good with that.

If you don't have series collections click on device in toolbar with device connected and see if there is any info in the shelves column.

And occasionally Kobos can be stubborn. Or people like myself miss that one little point. But do not fear it is doable and once done easy to change and/or repeat.

Helen

[Cruzan80]

Originally Posted by Cruzan80

All of that was checked. Are you sure it is #mycollections, and not just #mycollection (no s) or #collections? Not sure why when I sync to Calibre, all of the user-made collections on the device disappear. The Order Series Shelves is also empty, even when I tag the series with My Collections.

So it turns out on the management section it should be #collections, not #mycollections. Once I changed that, it found all the collections, and I am able to renumber them using the Order Series Shelves. Just checked the device, and everything is working as it should. Thanks to all for their help.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Cruzan80

So it turns out on the management section it should be #collections, not #mycollections. Once I changed that, it found all the collections, and I am able to renumber them using the Order Series Shelves. Just checked the device, and everything is working as it should. Thanks to all for their help.

What you use for the shelf management depends on the columns in your calibre library and what you want to do. In the shelf management field, you are specifying the lookup names of the columns you want to use for shelves. For standard columns, this will be names such as "series", "tags" "authors" etc. But, for custom column, the lookup names start with a hash (#) and are whatever you called them. The example in the thread I pointed to used "#myshelves". But personally, I use "#kobobookshelves". If your columns used "#collections", then that is what you needed to use.

From the sounds of it, you have it working. But, it sounds like you are manually setting shelf names to the series name. You can do this automatically by using the column. At the moment, I use "#kobobookshelves, #readstatus, series". The first is a custom column that I enter shelf names in. The second is a custom column that has the reading status ("Finished", "Reading", "To Read") that is maintained through the Reading List plugin. The last is the series column which is a standard calibre column and when I set the metadata for the book, I make sure the series info is correct.

[Cruzan80]

Right now, to get everything working, I am having to take the series name, and make a custom tag called #collections, and name it the same as the series. Are you saying there is a way I dont have to do this?

[davidfor]

Well, that is what I said in my post. And in my post from the other day, which has the driver configuration options needed do it. And is in the thread I pointed to in my first post.

[Cruzan80]

I have read all of your posts, and tried to implement what was on the page. I was getting nothing after following those steps, until I renamed it to #collections. All of the same options were checked.

All of the information for these books is already in Calibre, so when reading the page you linked to:

Now, when you edit the metadata for a book, look for the Custom Metadata area (where it is found depends on the view you are using). In the field My Shelves type in whatever shelves you want the books to be placed.

If you do as I did and also add series to the driver options, a shelf will be created automatically for each book series, and the books added to that shelf.

implies that I need to set up the shelves first, and then it will make it for each series. Nothing about what happens if the series info is already present, besides adding to the custom "Shelves" metadata, which is what I posted I was doing.

I had it previously as #myshelves, and the collections kept disappearing off the device (when created on it) and not showing up (when created in Calibre). Also the Order series didn't work, as it was empty. After reading everything you wrote, it sounds like this is a plugin for people starting out adding to their collections, not taking an existing collection and adapting it for Kobo use.

So exactly how do I take books that already have series info, but no custom metadata, and make it so that the plugin will add it to a collection automatically, and order it correctly for the series? All of the things you said to check are, and the field reads #collections, series.