Metadata and custom columns

dbolack · 02-19-2012, 09:02 PM

I haven't had much luck finding a direct answer to this through documentation or searches so I'm just gonna ask straight out and hope someone more knowledgable can point me in teh right direction.

I cobbled together a plugin hacked heavily off of the GoodReads plugin. It works pretty well for what I would like to do, but there is metadata I want to collect that isn't present by default.

So here are my questions:

1) If the plugin passes back metadata that the install does not have columns for, what happens? Is the extra data stored or dropped, or worse, an exception thrown?

2) Can the installation of the plugin create/validate the custom columns ?

and semi-unrelated

3) Can I send any kind of textual updates while the plugin is running to display with the "progress bar" ?

Document references or examples of plugins doing this would be fantastic.

Thanks!

kovidgoyal · 02-19-2012, 11:18 PM

1) Unknown metadata fields are ignored.

2) No. You really dont want to be creating columns automatically. Think about users with multiple libraries, for instance.

3) Depends on the plugin type.

dbolack · 02-21-2012, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

1) Unknown metadata fields are ignored.

By ignored do you mean dropped when handed over or just simply not displayed?

kovidgoyal · 02-21-2012, 01:01 AM

Ignored means calibre has no clue they exist.

kiwidude · 02-21-2012, 03:08 AM

@dbolack - I suggest you read through this thread where the issues have all been discussed previously. There is a proposed change to calibre near the end but none of the developers (including myself) have been motivated enough or had time to make it.

dbolack · 02-21-2012, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwidude

@dbolack - I suggest you read through this thread where the issues have all been discussed previously. There is a proposed change to calibre near the end but none of the developers (including myself) have been motivated enough or had time to make it.

I'm gonna have to infer from that thread that the answer to my question is that Calibre drops metadata it doesn't have columns for.

I'll look over your thread. I'm crap at Python but that could be fun.

kiwidude · 02-22-2012, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbolack

I'm gonna have to infer from that thread that the answer to my question is that Calibre drops metadata it doesn't have columns for.

You don't have to "infer it" - Kovid has confirmed exactly that for you in his posts above

Quote:

I'll look over your thread. I'm crap at Python but that could be fun.

My recollection at the time was that it wasn't trivial enough for me to feel comfortable about doing entirely myself (I'm crap at Python too, and since this involves patching some key functionality in calibre it has to be done "right"). However chaley & Kovid are exceptionally helpful for stuff like this, if you are able to describe exactly what design/implementation changes you propose I am sure they can offer good input at the very least.

Good luck!

dbolack · 02-26-2012, 04:26 PM

[QUOTE=kiwidude;1975347]You don't have to "infer it" - Kovid has confirmed exactly that for you in his posts above

[QUOTE]

Gonna have to differ with you on that.

Data that is ignored might be silently dropped from the data set or it might be stored and have nothing done with it. WHEN it is ignored makes a great deal of contextual difference in whether the ignored data was stored after coming from the plugin, which was what I wanted to know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwidude

My recollection at the time was that it wasn't trivial enough for me to feel comfortable about doing entirely myself (I'm crap at Python too, and since this involves patching some key functionality in calibre it has to be done "right"). However chaley & Kovid are exceptionally helpful for stuff like this, if you are able to describe exactly what design/implementation changes you propose I am sure they can offer good input at the very least.

Oh, I'll probably stop before I get far, but it's worth a shot.

kiwidude · 02-26-2012, 06:54 PM

Just to be pedantic but I still don't get your point. The simple fact is that calibre does not support custom columns being returned from a metadata plugin. Which Kovid had already answered for you twice on this thread. The natural conclusion is that calibre would require changing to be able to support them. How many more ways can it be said - there is no "when" question here that I can see?

Sorry, must be tired.

Good luck with working on this and hope you can see it through, so one day my own metadata download plugins can make use of it...

Thommynat0r · 03-05-2012, 09:07 AM

Is it possible to add the function in Calibre to recognize the User-defined keys / Meta Tags?

I'm talking about chapter 3.2.1 in this file:
http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Ado...ationPart3.pdf

I'm not sure if it is the right topic here, sry for my bad english.

Backround: I have added with "PDF Explorer" many user-defined meta tags to sort my PDF books. But if I add them to Calibre, they are not recognized.

02-19-2012, 09:02 PM	#1
dbolack Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Nook Tablet	Metadata and custom columns I haven't had much luck finding a direct answer to this through documentation or searches so I'm just gonna ask straight out and hope someone more knowledgable can point me in teh right direction. I cobbled together a plugin hacked heavily off of the GoodReads plugin. It works pretty well for what I would like to do, but there is metadata I want to collect that isn't present by default. So here are my questions: 1) If the plugin passes back metadata that the install does not have columns for, what happens? Is the extra data stored or dropped, or worse, an exception thrown? 2) Can the installation of the plugin create/validate the custom columns ? and semi-unrelated 3) Can I send any kind of textual updates while the plugin is running to display with the "progress bar" ? Document references or examples of plugins doing this would be fantastic. Thanks!

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02-19-2012, 11:18 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,850 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	1) Unknown metadata fields are ignored. 2) No. You really dont want to be creating columns automatically. Think about users with multiple libraries, for instance. 3) Depends on the plugin type.

02-21-2012, 01:01 AM	#4
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,850 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Ignored means calibre has no clue they exist.

02-21-2012, 03:08 AM	#5
kiwidude Calibre Plugins Developer Posts: 4,636 Karma: 2162064 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Oasis	@dbolack - I suggest you read through this thread where the issues have all been discussed previously. There is a proposed change to calibre near the end but none of the developers (including myself) have been motivated enough or had time to make it.

02-26-2012, 06:54 PM	#9
kiwidude Calibre Plugins Developer Posts: 4,636 Karma: 2162064 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Oasis	Just to be pedantic but I still don't get your point. The simple fact is that calibre does not support custom columns being returned from a metadata plugin. Which Kovid had already answered for you twice on this thread. The natural conclusion is that calibre would require changing to be able to support them. How many more ways can it be said - there is no "when" question here that I can see? Sorry, must be tired. Good luck with working on this and hope you can see it through, so one day my own metadata download plugins can make use of it...

03-05-2012, 09:07 AM	#10
Thommynat0r Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: none	Is it possible to add the function in Calibre to recognize the User-defined keys / Meta Tags? I'm talking about chapter 3.2.1 in this file: http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Ado...ationPart3.pdf I'm not sure if it is the right topic here, sry for my bad english. Backround: I have added with "PDF Explorer" many user-defined meta tags to sort my PDF books. But if I add them to Calibre, they are not recognized.

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