[GUI Plugin] Generate Cover

[miglanc]

Need code for custom text - "published:('MMM yyyy')"

Thanks,
Regards
Miglanc

[ThePage]

Have been changing all photos and art on my PC to the PNG format. Would like to be able to automatically have bookcovers saved in this format. Would it be possible in some future version of the Cover Generation Plug-in to have this as a settable feature - JPG vs. PNG vs. GIF (others may prefer the latter after all.)

[miglanc]

Originally Posted by miglanc

Need code for custom text - "published'MMM yyyy')"

Thanks,
Regards
Miglanc

I got it.
{pubdate}

I like that on CC of classics from gutenberg.org
Thank You

[Tanjamuse]

I hope you can help me with a generate cover question.

I download stories via FFDL plugin, and would like a specific cover for the stories that are crossovers, fx between Angel and Buffy.

I've tried the following code, but it doesn't seem to be working:

${category} => Angel, Buffy:? [tT]he Vampire Slayer => AngelBuffyCover
${category} => Buffy:? [tT]he Vampire Slayer), Angel => AngelBuffyCover

I hope someone who understands the coding language better than I can help me.

Thanks in advance

[MikeKReader]

Originally Posted by kiwidude

Users will often have books in their collection for which there is no official cover available to download, such as short fiction and articles. Calibre includes the ability to generate a cover for you from the book metadata. However currently the only control over its appearance it offers is a tweak for the font.

This plugin offers an enhanced alternative that allows you to select from your own choice of cover images and a wide range of layout/appearance options.

Main Features of v1.5.15:

• Add/remove your own images to a list to choose from when you generate
• Option to use the existing book cover as an embedded image
• Control which metadata to display and where it is located on the cover
• Option to swap author name for users who store it in Calibre as LN, FN
• Fine tune many aspects of cover appearance such as fonts, borders, colors and margins
• Save your customised settings under a name to quickly recall multiple different appearances
• Export your settings for sharing and import settings from other users
• Option to use an image as a background rather than a content item
• Option to add custom text to a cover, using Calibre's template language to place your choice of additional data on the cover
• Option to auto-size text to fit on a single line for long text

Beautiful! Love it!
First one I tried was using an image of the urn my wife made for me. (No, I'm not dead. She was just being prepared )

[MikeKReader]

Just playing around... finally found how to put title on top and author below, and change the alignment

Looking at the old pulp mag. covers, the text can be all over. Is there a way to have, for instance
{author}'s
hard hitting new

{title}

complete in this issue!

with different fonts for each component (yes)
different font sizes (yes)
AND different spacing between each component (so as to get around objects in the image - eg so none of the text covers up the detective's smoking gun, or is lost in a dark area of the image)?

I think I'm asking for margins and alignment for each element.

Probably most of this could be done as custom text? Using enter and space bar to position elements?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by MikeKReader

Just playing around... finally found how to put title on top and author below, and change the alignment

Looking at the old pulp mag. covers, the text can be all over. Is there a way to have, for instance
{author}'s
hard hitting new

{title}

complete in this issue!

with different fonts for each component (yes)
different font sizes (yes)
AND different spacing between each component (so as to get around objects in the image - eg so none of the text covers up the detective's smoking gun, or is lost in a dark area of the image)?

I think I'm asking for margins and alignment for each element.

Probably most of this could be done as custom text? Using enter and space bar to position elements?

Go to the 'Contents' Tab: use the up/down arrows to change the field order. The Fonts tab sets the size. Use Padding on the 'Dimensions tab to space (field) lines

That leaves margins: there is only 1 top; the a field the Padding; then another field; more of the same padding;
Note: you can use (blank) images and custom text (a single dot is hardly noticeable) as a variable padding

[MikeKReader]

OK, padding. Thanks. I saw it there but never tried it as I thought it referred to spacing between letters. Maybe I was confusing it with "kerning".

Originally Posted by theducks

Note: you can use (blank) images and custom text (a single dot is hardly noticeable) as a variable padding

Can I use multiple images for spacing? What is the code to include an image? And is there code to size it (i.e./e.g. h=12, w=14)? And for that matter even color=red or something similar to color custom text?

Do the additional images have to be blank? Ummm. Maybe that doesn't matter. I was thinking I could fake "layers" this way, but I guess the images still wouldn't overlay the previous or following 'Custom' text or image. ... although I could have a stock of 'component' images and move them around for different covers.

(I think maybe I should invest some time and see if there is a section in the forum detailing what coding can be used)

Thank you theducks. Here are some more ducks for your enjoyment

[BetterRed]

@MikeKReader - This might be of interest ==>> [Custom Covers] Blanks, Templates - get them, share them, help to modify and create

BR

[theducks]

@MikeKReader
The cover tool is not intended to be a graphics tool.

It allows you to marry a single image and current metadata onto a cover blank with ease

You might want to review the HTML section on 'Box Model'

Padding surrounds the inner Block (usually, text or image)
It pushes (spaces) the block away from the border (may be invisible and tiny, but it is still there)
Margin pushes the border away from the page edge

Be sure to test on the target device as manufacturers have decided 'We know best'

[ThePage]

There being many reasons to update the text on a cover, one finds that the fact that the use current cover option produces 2 sets of text annoying. (normally a disconcerting accident) - I normally track down the art originally used and redo from scratch - but this is not always possible.

It occurs to me that an option to use the existing art while replacing the existing text with a new version might be possible, although I've no idea how practical it would be, so I thought to suggest it as something worth considering.

[Tanjamuse]

Is there a way to add icons to the cover? Because that would be really neat.

[Tanjamuse]

Even better: would it be possible to add custom columns?

If you have a drop down menu, like when you can choose which field to work with the icons. Or just ... Add another rule function.

I hope that it's understandable.

[Pocket of Books]

I'm getting the following message upon using "Generate Cover":ERROR: Unhandled exception: <b>KeyError</b>:u'generate_cover_title_font'.

My Macbook died last week so I migrated my data over to a new one. I did a new install of Calibre and all plugins. Everything seems fine except for this one plugin.
I have used this plugin for sometime with no problems.

Any help would be appreciated. This is my first post so apologies if I violate any protocol. Below is the full error log.

calibre, version 2.5.0
ERROR: Unhandled exception: <b>KeyError</b>:u'generate_cover_title_font'

calibre 2.5 isfrozen: True is64bit: True
Darwin-13.4.0-x86_64-i386-64bit Darwin ('64bit', '')
('Darwin', '13.4.0', 'Darwin Kernel Version 13.4.0: Sun Aug 17 19:50:11 PDT 2014; root:xnu-2422.115.4~1/RELEASE_X86_64')
Python 2.7.8
OSX: ('10.9.5', ('', '', ''), 'x86_64')
Successfully initialized third party plugins: K4PC, K4Mac, Kindle Mobi and Topaz DeDRM && Inept Epub DeDRM && Reading List && Ignoble Epub DeDRM && FanFictionDownLoader && Find Duplicates && Generate Cover && eReader PDB 2 PML && Inept PDF DeDRM && EpubMerge
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "calibre_plugins.generate_cover.action", line 62, in _generate_cover
File "calibre_plugins.generate_cover.dialogs", line 1370, in __init__
File "calibre_plugins.generate_cover.dialogs", line 1662, in display_preview
File "calibre_plugins.generate_cover.draw", line 275, in generate_cover_for_book
File "calibre_plugins.generate_cover.draw", line 51, in get_textline
File "calibre_plugins.generate_cover.draw", line 29, in get_font_or_default
KeyError: u'generate_cover_title_font'

[BetterRed]

@Pocket of Books - my guess is that your new Macbook lacks a font you had on your old Macbook, and that you used a cover definition that uses the now missing font.

Try creating a cover definition that uses a 'standard' font like Times New Roman. If that works then find/install the 'missing' font.

BR