Thought: Authors Database

[kovidgoyal]

@chaley: Visible only in book details. IIRC in the content server clicking on an author names brings up all the books by that author.

I'm actually more than happy with a simple, global template. But then, I am not the one asking for this feature.

[travger]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

A simple solution that requires almost zero work is to have author names become clickable links in the book details panel. We could let the user specify the link as chaley suggests, but for authors that do not have a specified link it could link to the wikipedia search page for that name or even the direct page for the name, assuming wikipedia has a consistent url scheme for people names.

Me likes that!

@chaley: one link is better than none.

@transmitthis: I feel doubtful wanting to see titles like 00 AsimovDetails (seems like lot of 'noise'), though I like your screenshot. If I imagine scenario where I'm sorting by series or language or whatever... book 00 has to come out in every sort.

[transmitthis]

Yes, travger. I agree, I didn't like the noise there. Personally I'm just going to call the book by author name and have the title the authors name too. that way its easy to find when you want to have a look, but not in the way when sorting of performing any actions.

I'm sure there will be lots of other ideas on this Author Database thread, its an interesting one for sure.

[travger]

Some reasons why I like the link in book details panel - only 2 clicks to get the info (if panel is closed), info is accessible and same from any book.

I can't see how to get picture of author in otherwise than to paste it into word file (on the +side, I can paste other pics also - awards won, for example).

Pen-names. If author has books under 2 or 22 names, link should still go to the same place.

[CWatkinsNash]

I might actually use the AuthorBook idea in my own library. If anyone cares, what I would probably do is make the actual book from Wiki and tag/comment it with info I wanted instantly available. (Empty books mess with my head so I have to put something in there.) I'd add an organizational tag (ie, authors). Then, using Kiwidude's indispensable View Manager, I'd make it so I only see them when I want to see them. In that restricted "Authors" view, I could use the tag browser to browse authors by genre just like I do books, and so on.

I like it.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by chaley

Wonderful example of why I am not sure I want to go here.

Moving from one to two links is 20 times the work (1-N table associations and the like). Ensuring that clickable links work everywhere (book details, library display, content server) is more work. I mean no criticism here. You are absolutely correct to point out the logical consequences starting down a path. Of course, a user will want to manage the application used to open a particular link type, and of course any data should be in known places (although along with kiwidude I am not convinced that the library is that place). These issues should be thought of in advance, and comments like yours help.

@kiwidude: integrating an authors database into the GUI beyond single line management and/or ensuring that the lifetime of an author is independent of all book references is far beyond where I am willing to go.

@kovid: the difficulty here is that the authors table must be extended to have another column for the link (assuming a 1-1 link/author relationship). This creates problems of management, of consistent availability (can it be clicked in book details but not content server and the library view?), and of meaning (is extension sufficient for open/with?). I do agree that having a default link template for authors in book-details would be reasonably straight-forward.

Could custom columns be made to link to other tables? (i believe the current is to Books)

[travger]

@CWatkinsNash: I'd prefer it to be available from any book, as I never know when the need for info arises. And even if I put it on the top of the other books, some authors have written quite a lot, so I go to check and then must sroll and search for the book I looked away from.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by theducks

Could custom columns be made to link to other tables? (i believe the current is to Books)

Not without substantial change. All the custom column mechanisms assume that the column is 'virtually' added to the book record. That assumption is very very deep in the architecture.

[transmitthis]

Thats a nice addition, CWatkinsNash didn't know of that plugin, will have a look.
(ps if when you do make a book, don't be shy about sharing it )

Although it would be nice just to have simple links somewhere in the program to author sites etc, there is something to be said to having the information on your own drive, editable and formatted in a way you like.

I wonder if there's a way to combine the two ideas here?

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by transmitthis

Thats a nice addition, CWatkinsNash didn't know of that plugin, will have a look.
(ps if when you do make a book, don't be shy about sharing it )

I just threw one together to try it. In the attached screenshot of the book info panel, you'll see the clickable link to the official author site (Richard Laymon Kills) in the comments. (I'm on my laptop - if I was using my desktop, the whole comments would fit in view.)

In the zip file is the epub, cover and opf file. It's nothing fancy. I just made a wikibook > ODT > HTML > Sigil and threw in a TOC and added book covers where there were none. Imported into calibre, then added a thrown-together cover, metadata and then epub-to-epub in calibre to glue it all together.

Just an experiment, but it was quick and easy so it wouldn't take much to turn the ebook into something nicer.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by travger

@CWatkinsNash: I'd prefer it to be available from any book, as I never know when the need for info arises. And even if I put it on the top of the other books, some authors have written quite a lot, so I go to check and then must sroll and search for the book I looked away from.

I thought about this too. I decided to just append the link to the beginning of the comments for all books by a particular author. This works for me because, honestly, most of my large author collections aren't going to grow much more or very quickly, so ongoing maintenance isn't an issue once it's done.

Search & Replace - Regex
Field: Comments
Search: (.*)
Replace with: <a href="http://www.authorsite.com">Authorname</a> \1

Yeah, I know this is basic stuff but I'm just learning regex and I was rather proud of myself for figuring that all by myself.

[travger]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Search & Replace - Regex
Field: Comments
Search: (.*)
Replace with: <a href="http://www.authorsite.com">Authorname</a> \1

Yeah, I know this is basic stuff but I'm just learning regex and I was rather proud of myself for figuring that all by myself.

Attaboy! I'm still fortifying myself to delve into forum so I can find out how to search for last-added books (will when the burning need arises).

I'm somewhat reluctant to go to web for every little fact, so I'd probably use
<a href="C:\Documents and Settings\user\CalAuthors">Authorname</a>
as a link.

How to search so that all linkless books are found?
And, let's say I find 10 without links, all different authors - for every one I must go sort by author to copy link from other book, then paste it into linkless one. Next search finds 9 linkless books, etc.

(I'm more clicky than typey, especially if I have to type exact strings and paths and whatever. Copy/paste rules!)

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by travger

Attaboy!

I prefer "attagirl" but thank you!

Originally Posted by travger

I'm still fortifying myself to delve into forum so I can find out how to search for last-added books (will when the burning need arises).

I just have calibre add a "needupdate" tag to all books when imported. Then when I've got a book all tagged and "finished" I remove the tag. That makes it easy to find my "recently added but not fiddled with" books.

Originally Posted by travger

I'm somewhat reluctant to go to web for every little fact, so I'd probably use
<a href="C:\Documents and Settings\user\CalAuthors">Authorname</a>
as a link.

Yes, a local link would work too.

Originally Posted by travger

How to search so that all linkless books are found?
And, let's say I find 10 without links, all different authors - for every one I must go sort by author to copy link from other book, then paste it into linkless one. Next search finds 9 linkless books, etc.

I don't know, unless you used a custom column (type:long text like comments) and put the links in that. (That type supports HTML.) You could then search for #links:false (I think) or just sort that column and start with the empty ones. I actually tried that, but the problem I ran into is that it doesn't show up in Search and Replace like Comments does, so it wouldn't work for the way I was doing it.

[transmitthis]

I like your RLaymon.zip book, (was "The Woods Are Dark" really a bad book? - liked the cover myself ) Nice to have all their bibliography details.

Theres only a few major Authors that I'm reading at present, so those are the ones that I will make a book for.
Nice Regex too, think I'll use that and have it link to a local html file (which will be made during the book process anyway) Just store it in the library folder, should be fine...probably.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by transmitthis

I like your RLaymon.zip book, (was "The Woods Are Dark" really a bad book? - liked the cover myself ) Nice to have all their bibliography details.

Theres only a few major Authors that I'm reading at present, so those are the ones that I will make a book for.
Nice Regex too, think I'll use that and have it link to a local html file (which will be made during the book process anyway) Just store it in the library folder, should be fine...probably.

Thanks! I haven't actually read that one yet.

I just used the Book Creator on Wikipedia to gather the info. If you download it as ODT and take it straight to OOo or similar and save as HTML, the formatting holds up really well. Then all you'll need to do is add anything you want and set your heading tags for the TOC.

I'm basically taking the same approach - most of the authors in my library don't warrant the work, but my faves and the more productive ones do (Rice, King, Barker, Koontz, etc).

I'm glad you find the regex useful.