Another changing library question, sorry

[chilady1]

I had to re-install Windows 7 last night (long story) and subsequently re-install Calibre. My library sits with Sugar Synch and when I re-loaded Calibre and pointed it to the Sugar Synch folder where Calibre library is kept, I get the following message:

There is no existing library at C:\Users\LisaOffice\Documents\Magic Briefcase\Calibre.

Can anyone help? There are a ton of folders containing all my books. I read - if Calibre sees a library it will recognize it but for some reason, it is not recognizing this as a Calibre library. I have done nothing to the metadata file. Thanks for any responses.

[Manichean]

Are the folders Calibre library folders? And do you see the file metadata.db in the root of the library?

[chilady1]

Originally Posted by Manichean

Are the folders Calibre library folders? And do you see the file metadata.db in the root of the library?

Yes, there is a metadata.db file at the bottom of all the Calibre folders. Based on other threads I have read, I knew not to do anything with that file. As a matter of fact, I have done nothing to any of the files/folders. They are in order just like they were before the Win7 re-install.

I really thought it would be as simple as pointing to the new folder and off I go, but like I posted earlier - that was the message I received.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by chilady1

Yes, there is a metadata.db file at the bottom of all the Calibre folders. Based on other threads I have read, I knew not to do anything with that file.

That message means that there is no metadata.db file in the folder that you called your library.

To be a library folder, it must contain a metadata.db file and a folder for each set of authors. The authors folders will contain folders for each title. The title folders will contain books (.epub, .mobi, etc), possibly the cover file (cover.jpg), and possibly the metadata file (metadata.opf). There is exactly one metadata.db file in this entire folder hierarchy, the one at the top.

If your sugarsync folder doesn't look like this, then you need to look around until (I hope) you find one. Then point calibre at that.

Good luck!

[chilady1]

Thanks for the comments - I am pretty sure that the metadata.db file is in the folder that contains my Calibre library but I will double check when I get home. I knew from reading many, many posts here that the critical component to changing libraries or anything else for that matter is the metadata.db file.

Appreciate everyone's help. Will report back later after work.

[chilady1]

DUMB, DUMB, DUMB - referring to myself. So the solution: wait for it, you have to name the metadata file METADATA. Not metadata.db. Duh! As soon as I changed the name PRESTO, CHANGO - all my books. I think I knew this but forgot. All is well - so glad to be using a cloud back-up as it saved my you know what. Thanks everyone for the help (as she lets out a sigh of relief).

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by chilady1

So the solution: wait for it, you have to name the metadata file METADATA. Not metadata.db. Duh!

Interesting but not dumb. You should not have had to change it. The file is named metadata.db every place I have every used it.

[chilady1]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Interesting but not dumb. You should not have had to change it. The file is named metadata.db every place I have every used it.

Your right, but in the folder I was trying to change it to I had the name of the metadata file as metadata.db - Calibre would not see the file. As soon as I changed it to metadata sans db - the books popped right in. The db refers to the extension but I don't think Calibre looks for that as the name of the file. I could be wrong.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by chilady1

Your right, but in the folder I was trying to change it to I had the name of the metadata file as metadata.db - Calibre would not see the file. As soon as I changed it to metadata sans db - the books popped right in. The db refers to the extension but I don't think Calibre looks for that as the name of the file. I could be wrong.

You tried to import an existing Library.?
Just drop the existing Library into an empty Folder.
An existing library consists of all the Author folders AND metadata.db

Now start Calibre:
1: point the start-up Wizard to the (formerly) empty folder
2) switch libraries inside Calibre to the new folder.
Since everything is there, it should just switch.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by chilady1

Your right, but in the folder I was trying to change it to I had the name of the metadata file as metadata.db - Calibre would not see the file. As soon as I changed it to metadata sans db - the books popped right in. The db refers to the extension but I don't think Calibre looks for that as the name of the file. I could be wrong.

I'm glad you got it working.

I don't have Windows 7 but I'm guessing, like Windows XP, it has a Hide extensions for known file types option. Having this feature checked hides the extension but will still show the file type as Database File. I'm guessing at sometime you noticed the file just said metadata and you renamed it metadata.db, but the file system that was hiding the extension read it as metadata.db.db.

So when you went and removed the db from the file name the file system saw metadata.db. I always uncheck this feature because I want to actually see the extension.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

I don't have Windows 7 but I'm guessing, like Windows XP, it has a Hide extensions for known file types option. Having this feature checked hides the extension but will still show the file type as Database File.

Yes. Win7 has the option, and it behaves as you describe.

I always uncheck this feature because I want to actually see the extension.

So do I. T'is a mystery why that option is by default 'checked'. I 'support' my extended family, and have had to deal with may questions of the form "The file is named foo.doc, but it is opening with excel. Why?" Answer: because the file is really named foo.doc.xls, but you can't see that.