Calibre Folder default location

[mblrdr]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

I'm fine with changing the default library location if needed, but unfortunately I am traveling for the next few days so I cant look into it. Feel free to opena bug report about it and I will adress it when I get back.

This has never been adressed it seems.

Calibre portable always defaults to (in my case) d:\_PortableApps\Calibre x64 portable\Calibre Library

You can choose another library by quick switching but after a new start it always defaults back to Calibre Library folder in its relative path.

I tried to manually set the default library to my existing library but it is ignored after a restart.

Even deleting this relative folder doesn't help. It is created at every new start.

And it always is listed in the quick switch selection.

So why is that? I can see no reason for this behaviour.

Please give us an option to remember the default library in calibre portable.

Would this be possible?

Thx

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by mblrdr

This has never been adressed it seems.

Calibre portable always defaults to (in my case) d:\_PortableApps\Calibre x64 portable\Calibre Library

You can choose another library by quick switching but after a new start it always defaults back to Calibre Library folder in its relative path.

I tried to manually set the default library to my existing library but it is ignored after a restart.

Even deleting this relative folder doesn't help. It is created at every new start.

And it always is listed in the quick switch selection.

So why is that? I can see no reason for this behaviour.

Please give us an option to remember the default library in calibre portable.

Would this be possible?

Thx

The clue is in the word "Portable", the design intent is that you install Calibre Portable on a removable storage device, put it in your pocket, and plug it in to different computers as you move between your home, workplace, beach house, yacht, ski lodge etc.

If you drop a symlink to a calibre library into the Calibre Portable folder you can hook it in the normal way via the Library->Create/Switch dialogue and it will 'stick'. This has been available ever since Calibre Portable was released.

The MKLINK command can be used to create symlinks (symbolic links), and there are third party GUI tools to make it easier, I use one called Link Shell Extension.

BR

[PeterT]

Yep to the symbolic link.

I wanted to play with both calibre 5 AND 6. So I left my existing non portable calibre 5 install in place, installed calibre 6 portable. Created a symbolic link in the portable install to my existing calibre 5 library, copied the preferences from 5 to portable and tada.

I can run 5 as is, and 6 portable. The only difference is the configuration directory.

Expect me in the near future to add in a few more portable versions.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Yep to the symbolic link.

I wanted to play with both calibre 5 AND 6. So I left my existing non portable calibre 5 install in place, installed calibre 6 portable. Created a symbolic link in the portable install to my existing calibre 5 library, copied the preferences from 5 to portable and tada.

I can run 5 as is, and 6 portable. The only difference is the configuration directory.

You can symlink your "normal" config and rename it, viz:



Symlink names don't have to be the same as the target name.

BR

[PeterT]

I know I could but I *wanted* to have the ability to have differing versions of plugins, especially during the early beta versions of 6.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[kovidgoyal]

simply run calibre.exe instead of calibre-portable.exe if you want it to behave like normal calibre.

[mblrdr]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

The clue is in the word "Portable", the design intent is that you install Calibre Portable on a removable storage device, put it in your pocket, and plug it in to different computers as you move between your home, workplace, beach house, yacht, ski lodge etc.

If you drop a symlink to a calibre library into the Calibre Portable folder you can hook it in the normal way via the Library->Create/Switch dialogue and it will 'stick'. This has been available ever since Calibre Portable was released.

The MKLINK command can be used to create symlinks (symbolic links), and there are third party GUI tools to make it easier, I use one called Link Shell Extension.

BR

Yes I know about Link Shell Extension and MKLINK but I just want to remember calibre itself the default library.

Even if Link Shell Extension is fairly simple it adds another layer, program and hassle for unexperienced people so it should be avoided in the frist place.

This function should be in calibre portable itself (and it is in calibre installed version afaik).

And I see no reason why this static folder is always created by default instead of simply using the set folder.

So why is that? Seems more like a bug than a feature to me.

[mblrdr]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

simply run calibre.exe instead of calibre-portable.exe if you want it to behave like normal calibre.

Sorry I don't understand your suggestion.

There's only calibre-portable.exe in the portable folder. Do you mean one should copy calibre.exe from an installed version in the portable folder and run it?

Would you consider changing calibre portable so that it remembers the default library? And it should also not create a library folder inside the portable folder everytime.

It's time consuming and frustrating and makes no sense to me.

Thx!!

[kovidgoyal]

No run the calibre.exe from inside the Calibre folder in the portable installation. And no portable is not going to be changed, its is working as intended.

[mblrdr]

If I run calibre.exe:

a} all my former settings are gone.

b) That is because if I run calibre.exe as suggested by you it will create (in my case) c:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\calibre\

That is not the concept of portable and it is a bad advive as now I got all the "trash" in \AppData\Roaming that I wanted to avoid in the first place by using calibre as a portable version

So I don't recommend anybody interested in a portable concept doing this.

I'd really like to understand your decision of not changing the behaviour as calibre is a fantastic software. So I ask politely for your reasons of creating an default library folder and not be able to change that.

No offense just curious.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by mblrdr

If I run calibre.exe:

a} all my former settings are gone.

b) That is because if I run calibre.exe as suggested by you it will create (in my case) c:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\calibre\

That is not the concept of portable and it is a bad advive as now I got all the "trash" in \AppData\Roaming that I wanted to avoid in the first place by using calibre as a portable version

So I don't recommend anybody interested in a portable concept doing this.

I'd really like to understand your decision of not changing the behaviour as calibre is a fantastic software. So I ask politely for your reasons of creating an default library folder and not be able to change that.

No offense just curious.

If you install the non-portable (.MSI) version, you can relocate %APPDATA%\calibre directory to another location via the CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY Environment variable.

If you look at the screenshot in post #19 you'll see I have it at C:\_AppData\Calibre\Config_64bit.

BR

[mblrdr]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

If you install the non-portable (.MSI) version, you can relocate %APPDATA%\calibre directory to another location via the CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY Environment variable.

If you look at the screenshot in post #19 you'll see I have it at C:\_AppData\Calibre\Config_64bit.

BR

Thank you for your explanation an effort. I apprechiate that.

Still I don't like the concept of symbolic links here. Explain mklink to my mum, grandma or children

Either its:

a) using calibre portable with no way of changing the defaut library. This library is also always listed in quick switch which is unnescessary.

Furthermore the folder is recreated anytime you run calibre portable

> That's the decision I don't understand. I get it that the developer maybe wants to assure the library folder always exists but that's not a good way imho. "Works as intended" what can I do other than ask politely to overthink that "bug"?

b) using calibre.exe creates all the stuff in \AppData that a normal install also does (that's not the concept of a portable version)

c) make symbolic links to that \AppData is also not the preferred way as I only want to change the default library not the whole config folder.

So I could create a symbolic link for the library sure. Again this is not feasable for a day to day use by normal users.


Solution would be calibre portable would either have the option to remember the last library and not recreate an unnescessary folder or calibre portable would respect environment variables.

But as environmentl variables only have CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY I suggest the following:

1. Create a new environmental variable CALIBRE_DEFAULT_LIBRARY
2. Make calibre and calibre portable!!! aware of environment variables

Done

[BetterRed]

If Calibre-Portable was aware of Environment Variables it wouldn't be portable.

If you have Calibre-Portable installed on non-portable storage can I ask - why?

I have it installed on an internal drive so that I can 'test' new versions, plugins, configuration and customisation options etc.

BR

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

If you have Calibre-Portable installed on non-portable storage can I ask - why?

I have a portable install on an internal SSD. and my libraries are in the portable install dir, where it expects them to be, so that I can do easy syncs to an external SSD and my NAS and have them be self-contained Calibre installs. I used to have a normal 64-bit install on the PC the SSD is in, but now that portable is 64 bit as well, I simply use that.

[mblrdr]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

If Calibre-Portable was aware of Environment Variables it wouldn't be portable.

If you have Calibre-Portable installed on non-portable storage can I ask - why?

I have it installed on an internal drive so that I can 'test' new versions, plugins, configuration and customisation options etc.

BR

What does a variable like CALIBRE_DEFAULT_LIBRARY has to do with portability? Just set it and use as usual.

You misunderstand me. I soley run calibre in portable mode not installed. Got all my portable programs in d:data (see below posting) seperated from my system + on an external ssd (backup + portability on foreign laptops, i do IT stuff)

I used to do 64x installs to modify my x32 portable version with the x64 files. But the developer was so kind to update also the portable variant to x64.