Problem with Kobo Glo

[brudigia]

When I connect my Kobo Glo, and try to read the ebooks on the device I get an error popup with this error

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
calibre, version 0.9.10
ERROR: Unhandled exception: <b>TypeError</b>:sequence item 0: expected string, NoneType found

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\library\models.py", line 1394, in data
TypeError: sequence item 0: expected string, NoneType found
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apparently there is something missing.
Oh yes, it only reads up to 9 ebooks, always the same ones, and then stops and even if I push the OK button, it stays here, same popup.

Before opening a ticket, I would like to understand if it is a known problem (maybe due to some mistake in reading an ebook ?) and if I am doing something wrong, as I understand that the driver is quite stable.

As an additional info, I only have Kobo ebooks on the device, until now. As a second effect, in fact, I cannot transfer the ebooks from Calibre. I get this message :

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

calibre, version 0.9.10
ERROR: Error: Error communicating with device

'NoneType' object has no attribute 'strip'

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\device.py", line 85, in run
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\device.py", line 500, in _sync_booklists
File "site-packages\calibre\devices\kobo\driver.py", line 874, in sync_booklists
File "site-packages\calibre\devices\kobo\driver.py", line 1889, in update_device_database_collections
File "site-packages\calibre\devices\kobo\books.py", line 202, in get_collections
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'strip'

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks in advance

Bruno

Bruno

[davidfor]

HI Bruno.

The errors tell me there is a problem in getting the collections for a book on the device. For the Kobo devices, the collections are made up of the shelves, the reading states (Im_Reading, Finished and Closed) and a collection each for "Previews' and "Recommendations". This should work when the only books on the device are kepubs. But, I'm not sure if I have ever tried this.

Finding and displaying the same nine books makes sense. The error is either in the ninth book or the tenth the driver finds on the device. To find the books, the driver is reading a database on the device. This will always be read in the same order. Without looking at the database, I can't tell which books would be the ninth and tenth.

I suspect that the second error is happening at another time but is not being displayed.

A few questions:

- What firmware version is the Glo running?

- Have you created any shelves on the Glo?

- What do you have the save template set to in the device configuration?

- After the error when sending books to the device, are the books on the device when you disconnect it? Does the processing sceeen show when you disconnect and do they show in the devices library list?

I would like to see a debug log. This should show me when the error first happens. To do this, after starting calibre, restart it in debug mode by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+R or selecting "Restart in debug mode" from the preferences menu. When calibre restarts, it show a message about the debug log. Then connect the Glo, wait for calibre to do the sync then do whatever causes the error. After that close calibre. Once it is closed it will open a log file. Post or send me the log file.

After giving me the logs, I can think of two possible workarounds that might get books onto the device:

- In the calibre preferences on the "Sending books to devices" page, change the "Metadata management" option to manual. This has to be done without the device connected. This should prevent the error you are seeing when you send a book to the device.

- Instead of using "Send to device" use "Save to disk" to get the book on the device. Saving the book to the drive the device appears at will bypass the error on the send.


David

[brudigia]

Originally Posted by davidfor

HI Bruno.

The errors tell me there is a problem in getting the collections for a book on the device. For the Kobo devices, the collections are made up of the shelves, the reading states (Im_Reading, Finished and Closed) and a collection each for "Previews' and "Recommendations". This should work when the only books on the device are kepubs. But, I'm not sure if I have ever tried this.

Finding and displaying the same nine books makes sense. The error is either in the ninth book or the tenth the driver finds on the device. To find the books, the driver is reading a database on the device. This will always be read in the same order. Without looking at the database, I can't tell which books would be the ninth and tenth.

I suspect that the second error is happening at another time but is not being displayed.

A few questions:

- What firmware version is the Glo running?

- Have you created any shelves on the Glo?

- What do you have the save template set to in the device configuration?

- After the error when sending books to the device, are the books on the device when you disconnect it? Does the processing sceeen show when you disconnect and do they show in the devices library list?

I would like to see a debug log. This should show me when the error first happens. To do this, after starting calibre, restart it in debug mode by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+R or selecting "Restart in debug mode" from the preferences menu. When calibre restarts, it show a message about the debug log. Then connect the Glo, wait for calibre to do the sync then do whatever causes the error. After that close calibre. Once it is closed it will open a log file. Post or send me the log file.

After giving me the logs, I can think of two possible workarounds that might get books onto the device:

- In the calibre preferences on the "Sending books to devices" page, change the "Metadata management" option to manual. This has to be done without the device connected. This should prevent the error you are seeing when you send a book to the device.

- Instead of using "Send to device" use "Save to disk" to get the book on the device. Saving the book to the drive the device appears at will bypass the error on the send.


David

Thank you for your answer.
As for your questions:
- the kobo has the firmware 2.1.5
- no, I did not create any shelves the Kobo, but I found there were the same shelves I have on my PC Kobo app. When these shelves were created, I do not know, they could have been created by the app. I failed to notice.
- the save template is the standard one, {author_sort}/{title} - {authors}
- I am not sure I completely understand the last question. I have tried transfering a book on the Kobo (Calibre Library, right mouse button, move to device) and I get the second message. Luckily it is not a blocking error. After, it seems that the book is on the device, although Calibre does not seem to notice.

Thanks for the time taken to answer. Hope it helps. I shall try what you have suggested and let you know.

EDIT : I started Calibre in debug mode. I stand corrected, as the books show up in the calibre library as being on the device, when I transfer them. I will now try to look onto the device.......
Unfortunately in this case, as before, Calibre enters a loop out of which there is only one way, stopping it in the task management.
I shall pm you the log. THanks again.

[davidfor]

Thanks for the log. I'll look at the log when I get home tonight.

[brudigia]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Thanks for the log. I'll look at the log when I get home tonight.

That is funny, it is morning for me.

[brudigia]

This morning the desktop app has upgraded my Kobo Glo to 2.3.1.
Apparently nothing has changed to the behaviour I described inmy earlier posts, though, but I have some further information which might be useful.

There is something fishy with my Kobo.
The shelves are, as far as I know, a feature of the my iPAD app, the desktop app does not have them, and yet they were created on my Kobo Glo.
But these shelves have problems. First of all, the ebooks which were in the iPAD app shelves were not (repeat NOT) put in their respective shelves. Thus the Kobo Glo shelves were there, but empty.
Furthermore, if I try to add books from the Kobo Glo, the shelves number rises, meaning that some shelves double and treble ! (e.g, I put a book in my Fanatasy shelf, when I get back to the shelves display, I find 2-3 shelves called Fantasy. And apparently they cannot be deleted !).
Something fishy indeed.

Now I have deleted the shelves in my iPAD app, and I synchronised again with my 3.2.1 Kobo. I am having a look right now,and the shelves are still all there, some of them also trebled. That is mighty strange. I shall make some other experiment, I'd like to delete these shelves, just to start.

[davidfor]

Kobo syncs books and information between devices and apps logged into the same account. The books synced are only the kepubs. The information synced are things like reading stated (finished, current position), bookmarks and annotations and shelves and the kepubs on them. Generally, this works well.

Unfortunately, Kobo have a problem on their server at the moment. The shelves are being messed up. I did a factory reset of my Touch today and connected to the PC and ran the desktop app to update to the latest firmware. When this finished I had 249 pages of shelves. A lot of them were repeats. When I synced my Glo, it also got all these shelves.

I had a look into database and found that all shelves I had created and deleted since July had come back. I believe that part of the issue is different versions of the database and shelf handling code on different devices. The Touch went back to an earlier firmware version during the update and I think that caused or at least made the problem worse.

The solution to this problem for me was to update the shelf data in the database and then do a sync. When I synced the other device, the shelves on it were fixed as well.

The shelf problem is not caused in anyway by calibre or the driver. The reason for the factory reset above was to do some testing for Kobo and I made sure that calibre didn't go near the device. The idea was to prove it was the device or software and in no way was it calibre and the driver.

Also, I have sent you a PM about some more information for the original problem.

[brudigia]

OK, that is a relief. Ok, I am not happy with Kobo servers having problems, but at least I know it is not my Kobo Glo problem, I only see 4 pages of shelves, luckily.
I never thought this was a Calibre problem, as the shelves were created by the desktop app, prior to connecting to Calibre.

Knowing that, then I shall wait to use my shelves, not a big problem, I can manage.

Hope you got the email.

[davidfor]

I have looked at the database, and I can see what is wrong. The tables that hold the shelf information has some very strange data. I assume this is caused by the server problems Kobo are having. When that is fixed, I hope a sync to the server will fix it.

The fix for the driver to handle this problem is easy and I will do it for this weeks calibre build.

There is a work around. That is to delete all the rows in two tables in the database on the device. You can open it in an SQLite database manager and delete all the rows in the Shelf and ShelfContent tables. This will remove all the shelves and the bad data for what is on the shelf. As you also deleted all the shelves on the iPad, there shouldn't be any issues when you do a sync after the Kobo servers are fixed.

[brudigia]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I have looked at the database, and I can see what is wrong. The tables that hold the shelf information has some very strange data. I assume this is caused by the server problems Kobo are having. When that is fixed, I hope a sync to the server will fix it.

The fix for the driver to handle this problem is easy and I will do it for this weeks calibre build.

There is a work around. That is to delete all the rows in two tables in the database on the device. You can open it in an SQLite database manager and delete all the rows in the Shelf and ShelfContent tables. This will remove all the shelves and the bad data for what is on the shelf. As you also deleted all the shelves on the iPad, there shouldn't be any issues when you do a sync after the Kobo servers are fixed.

Will try. I'll tell you. SQLite manager, uhmmmmm......

EDIT : It did not work. I will try and have a look again at the SQLite tables.....
What happens ? The tables are there again. Ok disconnect from Kobo app..

OK deleted again the content. I shall get Calbre up and see.

Oh, now it has worked. Thanks Davidfor !!!!

[brudigia]

OK, something is not completely ok, but it is a huge step forward.
Namely, in Calibre, whenever I add a book, a collection I'm_Reading is attached to the ebook.
So I have some books with up to 10 I'm_Reading collections attached, even though these do not appear in the Kobo interface, where I have no collections.
I am satisfied, though, I shall now wait for Kobo to sort out their servers.

Thanks again.

[davidfor]

Yes, "Im_Reading" does not appear as a collection on the device. I suppose you could call it a virtual collection. It is all books that you have started to read but not finished. On the device, the library will show "x% READ" under the book. The "Read" (all books that have been finished), "Recommendations" and "Previews" are similar virtual collections.

Does this happen when you first start calibre and connect the device? Or do the extra "Im_Reading" entries get added when you send a book to the device?

[brudigia]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Yes, "Im_Reading" does not appear as a collection on the device. I suppose you could call it a virtual collection. It is all books that you have started to read but not finished. On the device, the library will show "x% READ" under the book. The "Read" (all books that have been finished), "Recommendations" and "Previews" are similar virtual collections.

Does this happen when you first start calibre and connect the device? Or do the extra "Im_Reading" entries get added when you send a book to the device?

It happens in the second case, whenever the Calibre tasks of importing are finished.