Books aren't sent to the specified directory (Android)

[Crular]

I have a small problem. I try to send books from my Calibre library to my Android phone (Samsung Galaxy S2). I specified in the device plugin to use subdirectories and entered the already on the device existing directory called "eBooks" into the list of the plugin settings.

But the files are always sent to the main directory of my external sdcard (external is ok, was set to default by me in Calibre). Does anyone have an idea what it is I am doing wrong and how to solve this issue?

PS:
I also would like to put specific genres in subdirs. Could someone point me in the right direction how to manage that (through metatags maybe)? Is there somewhere a guide how to do that?

PPS:
By using the user defined usb driver it works, books are stored in the specified directory. Any idea how I can manage that while using the normal android plugin?

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Crular

I have a small problem. I try to send books from my Calibre library to my Android phone (Samsung Galaxy S2). I specified in the device plugin to use subdirectories and entered the already on the device existing directory called "eBooks" into the list of the plugin settings.

I'm curious, did you create a "eBooks" directory on your card?

[Crular]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

I'm curious, did you create a "eBooks" directory on your card?

Yes, I did create that directory.

[chaley]

The android driver will use the first existing directory on the list. Did you put 'eBooks' at the beginning? You might consider erasing the other entries, unless they are useful to you in some way.

[Crular]

Originally Posted by chaley

The android driver will use the first existing directory on the list. Did you put 'eBooks' at the beginning? You might consider erasing the other entries, unless they are useful to you in some way.

Yes, I put it first. the others won't help either. Using the generic driver works though.

[xmodder]

Hi to everybody

Not trying to hijack this post, but as I found it searching for a solution to my problem and it is the same this post is about, and as this post seems to not have been closed, I though I can "refresh" it instead of opening a new thread.

I'm new to Calibre and I must say that I'm impressed about the functionallity and usefullness of this application. I am facing some minor issues while I'm getting to know and (somehow) master the application. One of the issues is exactly the same that the original poster reported on this tread.

I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Tab (Android 2.2, aka "Froyo") and it is recognized by Calibre, no problem there. The Galaxy Tab has an internal memory of around 12 GB that is used as an SD card, and also it has inserted a real external 32 GB SD card. Calibre recognizes both memory devices, the internal one as "Main memory" and the external one as "Card A".

The issue I am experiencing is that, no matter what I write on the directory list to use on the configuratin for the Android plugin (or driver), Calibre always create ebook directory entries on the root of the external SD card. Of course, when I tell Calibre to write to that card. If using the internal card, or "Main memory" everything works fine and ebook directories are created under the first directory found on the directory list specified for the Android plugin configuration.

To clarify things:
1) The Android plugin is configured to use the following directory list: eBooks
2) There is an eBooks folder on the SD cards, both on the internal and on the external.
3) When I send ebooks to "Main memory" (internal SD card) directories for ebooks are created under folder eBooks in internal SD card, as expected.
4) When I send ebooks to "Card A" (external SD card) directories for ebooks are created at root level on external SD card. Nothing is created under eBooks folder on external SD card.

I have read also another post with a reply to something similar to this from kovidgoyal:

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

the reason there is subdirectory setting for the main memory is that programs running on the device often require books to be in a particular directory. there is no such restriction for books on the card, so there is no directory specification for them.

I understand what he means, but I don't understand why this has to be a restriction for using directories on external SD card. If I send some hundred ebooks to external SD on the Galaxy Tab, it is a mess to have that hundreds of directories at root level on that card. I want to have them into my ebooks folder, so I dont have to scroll throug hundreds of entries long directroy list at root level when searching for other things not ebook related on my external SD card.

On another reading from Kovid Goyal words, it seems that it can be interpreted that the directory list field on Android plugin affects only at the behavior of that plugin when using the main memory:

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

... the reason there is subdirectory setting for the main memory ...

but that the directory list configured on the plugin is not used when writting to external SD, so the plugin ALWAYS uses root as the starting point :

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

... there is no such restriction for books on the card, so there is no directory specification for them ...

So, my question is: Is it posible or not to use different directories on external SD cards for Android devices? If it is possible, how can I get this done? If it is not possible, can you add this functionality, the same as it is working for the internal SD card (main memory)?

Thanks and best regards.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by xmodder

The issue I am experiencing is that, no matter what I write on the directory list to use on the configuratin for the Android plugin (or driver), Calibre always create ebook directory entries on the root of the external SD card.

If you always write to the same root folder (eBooks), then a work around might be to specify no target directories to send to and add "eBooks/" to the start of the Save template. I have not tested this, but it should do what you want. At a minimum, it will get your ebooks out of the external sdcard root directory.

[xmodder]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

If you always write to the same root folder (eBooks), then a work around might be to specify no target directories to send to and add "eBooks/" to the start of the Save template. I have not tested this, but it should do what you want. At a minimum, it will get your ebooks out of the external sdcard root directory.

Hi wallcraft, thanks for your answer. I figured myself that work around, tested, and it worked... well, as usuall, with drawbacks. This drawbacks come from the fact that the Android driver behaves in different ways when using the main memory and when using the external storage card.

So, if you add "eBooks/" to the start of the save template and left blank te field for target directories, you got the following:
- when using the external storage card A: the plugin can read all ebooks with the configured formats in ANY directory in the storage card, and when writting ebooks, they appear under the folder "eBooks". So you end with the books in "eBooks/<the book>" as intended.
-when using the main memory, if you have left blank the target directories in the plugin configuration, the plugin defaults to a list of hardcoded directories. I bet this hardcoded list is the same as the default list that the plugin has configured by default. So, the plugin can see only ebooks on some directories of the main memory (the ones in that hardcoded list) and when writting, the ebooks appear under the first directory found of that list, not under root directory (/) as it does on the external card. I don't know what will happen if none of the directories in the hardcoded list was found, not tested to that extent. The list has the directories "books" and "eBooks/import" at least. So, provided the directory "books" exists on the main memory, you end with the books in "books/eBooks/<the book>". If you delete or rename directory "books", the books go to "ebooks/import", provided that it exists, and so on for each directory on the hardcoded list. This is not what one should expect, isn't it? On top of that you have the read problem. If you have books on directories other than the ones in that default hardcoded list, the plugin can't find them. Of course it starts finding books in any directory as long as you add that directory to the directory target list, but if you left it blank, then it only sees books on the predefined directories.

So, for using this work around, my choice is to not left blank the target directory list configuration field, but adding to the start the same directory I want to use on external card, along with the predefined ones. Doing that I can see books on any directory present on that list in the main memory and when writting to main memory I will have also books written to that first directory... of course with the added directory in the Save Template. For clarifying:
- Add prefix to the Save Template: "eBooks/"
- Add "eBook, " to the start of the Target directory list: "eBooks, books, eBooks/import, ..."
- when you write books to main memory they go to: "eBooks/eBooks/<the book>"
- when you write books to storage Card A, they go to "eBooks/<the book>"

Well, this is not perfect, but knowing how it works is not a dealbreaker... and of course this is much better than having books scattered at root level on SD card!

And now that I have a workaround for (almost) solving the problem, I would like to know if this different behaviour of the Android driver when using the main memory and when using the external storage card is by design or is simply a bug.

If this is the intended behaviour for the Android driver, I would like to know what are the reason and the benefits of this against considerig both storage devices (main memory and external storage card) the same thing and having the Android driver behaving exactly the same for both.

If it is a bug... well, how can I help to have it debugged?

Best regards

[kovidgoyal]

The directory list applies to the main memory not the SD card.

[xmodder]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

The directory list applies to the main memory not the SD card.

Rigth, Kovid, I figured that (as lengthly explained on my previous post)... but the question is: why this has been made this way? Of course I have not idea of the technical issues, but from a purely functionall point of view I can not figure out any explanation to why the Android driver should consider different the main memory from the external storage card.

Best regards

[kovidgoyal]

Because most on device reading applications treat internal memory and sd cards differently.