Can I use the ebook viewer without opening Calibre database?

iridius · 02-22-2011, 09:38 AM

Can I use the ebook viewer without opening Calibre database? I want to be able to open .mobi .epub and .lit with it but don't want to wait for my 12,000 book (excessive I know) collection to have to load. Sometimes I just view books that I download.

Thanks

Lady Fitzgerald · 02-22-2011, 09:52 AM

Dang! At a book a day, it will take you over 30 years to read all those!

Manichean · 02-22-2011, 10:16 AM

The ebook viewer has a shortcut available in the Calibre program group (location depends on your OS). You can find the binary in Calibre's root directory. Use your OS'es file association properties to automatically open books in Calibre's ebook viewer.

iridius · 02-22-2011, 12:36 PM

I'm good then, at 33, I got till I'm 63... but I guess, I better start reading faster.... I guess it just makes me feel like I'm in a library when I look at it on my computer. I like libraries.

Thanks, I linked up my .lit, .epub, and .mobi files to it. Works great.

It's called
ebook-viewer.exe

It's in the following directory on my Windows 7 64-bit system:
c:\Program Files (x86)\Calibre2\

Jane12 · 03-27-2011, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manichean

The ebook viewer has a shortcut available in the Calibre program group (location depends on your OS). You can find the binary in Calibre's root directory. Use your OS'es file association properties to automatically open books in Calibre's ebook viewer.

Oy. The only thing I understood was "ebook viewer has a shortcut."

I'm on a Mac OS X 10.6 using Calibre 7.52. I saw in the Calibre User Manual that I can launch the ebook viewer by installing the command line tools (which, surprisingly, I think I know how to do). But are there any other options? I'd love to be able to double-click an ebook-viewer icon or put the ebook viewer icon on my Dock. But when I try the latter, I just get the whole Calibre program.

Can I do this binary-file-association-property thing you speak of above on a Mac -- and if so, how? Or is that just for Windows?

Sorry for being computer-inept, and thanks for any help!

Manichean · 03-27-2011, 03:15 AM

I don't know anything about OSX, so you'll have to wait for a Mac person to come by.

itimpi · 03-27-2011, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manichean

I don't know anything about OSX, so you'll have to wait for a Mac person to come by.

I am not an OSX user either, but I did a quick Google search and it looks easy enough. For instance the top hit was http://www.fileinfo.com/help/mac-change-program.html. If anything that is easier than the Windows procedure.

kovidgoyal · 03-27-2011, 10:01 AM

On OS X the situation is much more complex, thanks to the use of .app bundles. First go to Preferences->Misc and select install command line tools. This will create a program named

/usr/bin/ebook-viewer

You can then associate that with your file types.

Jane12 · 03-27-2011, 01:50 PM

Thanks all!

Didn't realize the Mac version of ebook-viewer was bundled inside the Calibre package. Because it's not a separate application, using the standard Mac method of file-associating (Get Info > Open With) only shows Calibre, not ebook-viewer inside Calibre. There might be a way to dig inside (with Terminal maybe?), but I don't know it. If anyone does, I'd be interested in learning.

But that's okay. Knowing how to find ebook-viewer allowed me to add it to my Dock.

For those interested in how this is done (in Mac OS 10.6):

1. Launch Calibre, go to Prefs > Advanced > Misc and install command line tools.

2. Go to Applications folder, find Calibre, then control-click on the Calibre icon and select "Show Package Contents."

3. Find ebook-viewer (Contents > MacOS > ebook-viewer)

4. Drag ebook-viewer icon to Dock (or make alias and put it on your desktop or whereever else you want it). Clicking on the ebook-viewer icon will open ebook-viewer all by itself, without Calibre.

Another option: after installing command line tools ...

a. Open Terminal (in your Applications > Utilities folder)

b. In the Terminal window, type "ebook-viewer"

c. ebook-viewer will open and an icon will appear in your Dock. Click and hold ebook-viewer icon until you get Options window, then click "Keep in Dock."

Calibre rocks!

Donald · 12-28-2012, 01:50 AM

[This is an older thread, but I found some of the info still proved to be useful.]

Setting file associations to ebook-viewer.exe worked fine from C:\Program Files\Calibre2 where the 64-bit version of Calibre is located on my Windows 7 computer. Thanks for the tip.

What I had originally intended to do was reset the file associations to calibre.exe from that same folder. For some reason it will not work with this 64-bit file. If I drag an epub, mobi, or lit file to the program shortcut or the program itself it works fine. Does anyone have any idea why I cannot set file associations for those file types with the program itself. That is the way I used to have it, before uninstalling the 32-bit version of Calibre. Suddenly ebook files were no longer associated and I could not reset it. Calibre refuses to show up in the possible exe files to associate too, yet the ebook-viewer.exe shows up just fine. Is there some handle missing in the 64-bit version of Calibre or some Windows 7 bug that keeps it from working?

Any suggestions or info would be appreciated. I could start another thread, but this one was the closest I found and provided at least an alternative. I might eventually like it even better this way, but I would still like the option to associate the main program.

I agree with Jane12, "Calibre rocks!"

kovidgoyal · 12-28-2012, 02:06 AM

See https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...5&postcount=60

Geekster · 02-27-2013, 10:46 PM

Kovid: I have a MacBook Pro, running Mountain Lion (OS X ver 10.8.2) and I'm not able to associate ebook files with /usr/bin/ebook-viewer. I thought that since it was an alias I'd copy the ebook-viewer directly from the package to the Applications folder. It still won't accept it as a file association. It just refuses to let me select it in the file associations window. I can select anything else EXCEPT the viewer. Do you have a fix? Or do I need a true stand alone viewer for Mountain Lion? You know you could make a killing on the Apple Store if you made that app, since Barnes isn't interested in fixing their broken Nook app for the Mac.

Geekster · 02-27-2013, 10:48 PM

Doesn't work with Mountain Lion ver 10.8.2

kovidgoyal · 02-27-2013, 10:51 PM

I'm not an os x user so I cant be certain, but I'd guess that OS X file associations only work with apps and not standalone programs. If so, they you are out of luck.

And note that copying things out of the .app package will not work. You have to use the /usr/bin/ebook-viewer link created by the install command line tools button.

As for the app store, calibre is GPL, which means apple's store is a no-go land.

Geekster · 02-28-2013, 03:41 PM

Kovid:
Oh darn. I was afraid you'd say something like that.
Thanks for the quick reply though! And keep up the good work!
I must admit that for someone who doesn't have a Mac, your
Programs sure run well on them!

02-22-2011, 09:38 AM	#1
iridius Connoisseur Posts: 86 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Kindle 3, iPhone (to get Dell Streak & iPad)	Can I use the ebook viewer without opening Calibre database? Can I use the ebook viewer without opening Calibre database? I want to be able to open .mobi .epub and .lit with it but don't want to wait for my 12,000 book (excessive I know) collection to have to load. Sometimes I just view books that I download. Thanks

03-27-2011, 01:50 PM	#9
Jane12 Groupie Posts: 171 Karma: 1706300 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: iDevices	Thanks all! Didn't realize the Mac version of ebook-viewer was bundled inside the Calibre package. Because it's not a separate application, using the standard Mac method of file-associating (Get Info > Open With) only shows Calibre, not ebook-viewer inside Calibre. There might be a way to dig inside (with Terminal maybe?), but I don't know it. If anyone does, I'd be interested in learning. But that's okay. Knowing how to find ebook-viewer allowed me to add it to my Dock. For those interested in how this is done (in Mac OS 10.6): 1. Launch Calibre, go to Prefs > Advanced > Misc and install command line tools. 2. Go to Applications folder, find Calibre, then control-click on the Calibre icon and select "Show Package Contents." 3. Find ebook-viewer (Contents > MacOS > ebook-viewer) 4. Drag ebook-viewer icon to Dock (or make alias and put it on your desktop or whereever else you want it). Clicking on the ebook-viewer icon will open ebook-viewer all by itself, without Calibre. Another option: after installing command line tools ... a. Open Terminal (in your Applications > Utilities folder) b. In the Terminal window, type "ebook-viewer" c. ebook-viewer will open and an icon will appear in your Dock. Click and hold ebook-viewer icon until you get Options window, then click "Keep in Dock." Calibre rocks! Last edited by Jane12; 03-28-2011 at 12:24 AM.

02-28-2013, 03:41 PM	#15
Geekster Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2013 Device: Nook Glow and MacBook Pro	Kovid: Oh darn. I was afraid you'd say something like that. Thanks for the quick reply though! And keep up the good work! I must admit that for someone who doesn't have a Mac, your Programs sure run well on them! Last edited by DoctorOhh; 03-01-2013 at 02:42 AM. Reason: corrected phone spelling error per next post

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02-22-2011, 09:52 AM	#2
Lady Fitzgerald Wizard Posts: 2,013 Karma: 251649 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA, Earth Device: JetBook Lite (away from home) + 1 spare, 32" TV (at home)	Dang! At a book a day, it will take you over 30 years to read all those!

02-22-2011, 10:16 AM	#3
Manichean Wizard Posts: 3,130 Karma: 91256 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Germany Device: Cybook Gen3	The ebook viewer has a shortcut available in the Calibre program group (location depends on your OS). You can find the binary in Calibre's root directory. Use your OS'es file association properties to automatically open books in Calibre's ebook viewer.

02-22-2011, 12:36 PM	#4
iridius Connoisseur Posts: 86 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Kindle 3, iPhone (to get Dell Streak & iPad)	I'm good then, at 33, I got till I'm 63... but I guess, I better start reading faster.... I guess it just makes me feel like I'm in a library when I look at it on my computer. I like libraries. Thanks, I linked up my .lit, .epub, and .mobi files to it. Works great. It's called ebook-viewer.exe It's in the following directory on my Windows 7 64-bit system: c:\Program Files (x86)\Calibre2\

03-27-2011, 03:15 AM	#6
Manichean Wizard Posts: 3,130 Karma: 91256 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Germany Device: Cybook Gen3	I don't know anything about OSX, so you'll have to wait for a Mac person to come by.

03-27-2011, 10:01 AM	#8
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	On OS X the situation is much more complex, thanks to the use of .app bundles. First go to Preferences->Misc and select install command line tools. This will create a program named /usr/bin/ebook-viewer You can then associate that with your file types.

12-28-2012, 01:50 AM	#10
Donald Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPhone	[This is an older thread, but I found some of the info still proved to be useful.] Setting file associations to ebook-viewer.exe worked fine from C:\Program Files\Calibre2 where the 64-bit version of Calibre is located on my Windows 7 computer. Thanks for the tip. What I had originally intended to do was reset the file associations to calibre.exe from that same folder. For some reason it will not work with this 64-bit file. If I drag an epub, mobi, or lit file to the program shortcut or the program itself it works fine. Does anyone have any idea why I cannot set file associations for those file types with the program itself. That is the way I used to have it, before uninstalling the 32-bit version of Calibre. Suddenly ebook files were no longer associated and I could not reset it. Calibre refuses to show up in the possible exe files to associate too, yet the ebook-viewer.exe shows up just fine. Is there some handle missing in the 64-bit version of Calibre or some Windows 7 bug that keeps it from working? Any suggestions or info would be appreciated. I could start another thread, but this one was the closest I found and provided at least an alternative. I might eventually like it even better this way, but I would still like the option to associate the main program. I agree with Jane12, "Calibre rocks!"

12-28-2012, 02:06 AM	#11
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	See https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...5&postcount=60

02-27-2013, 10:46 PM	#12
Geekster Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2013 Device: Nook Glow and MacBook Pro	Kovid: I have a MacBook Pro, running Mountain Lion (OS X ver 10.8.2) and I'm not able to associate ebook files with /usr/bin/ebook-viewer. I thought that since it was an alias I'd copy the ebook-viewer directly from the package to the Applications folder. It still won't accept it as a file association. It just refuses to let me select it in the file associations window. I can select anything else EXCEPT the viewer. Do you have a fix? Or do I need a true stand alone viewer for Mountain Lion? You know you could make a killing on the Apple Store if you made that app, since Barnes isn't interested in fixing their broken Nook app for the Mac.

02-27-2013, 10:48 PM	#13
Geekster Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2013 Device: Nook Glow and MacBook Pro	Doesn't work with Mountain Lion ver 10.8.2

02-27-2013, 10:51 PM	#14
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	I'm not an os x user so I cant be certain, but I'd guess that OS X file associations only work with apps and not standalone programs. If so, they you are out of luck. And note that copying things out of the .app package will not work. You have to use the /usr/bin/ebook-viewer link created by the install command line tools button. As for the app store, calibre is GPL, which means apple's store is a no-go land.

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