Introducing New tool: "Polish" Books

[vicaet]

Quick question on the "Add metadata as book jacket page" option. I selected this but only some of the text from the comments section made it to the book jacket. I had a summary from meta data download. I copied blurb by the author from their website and that didn't show up. I tried to remove book jacket first and then add book jacket. Also, is there a tweak for adding custom column metadata to the book jacket. I looked through tweaks and didn't see anything.

Also, a suggestion on the option dialog for the plugin. Move Remove book jacket above Add so you can select both and the current book jacket will be removed and then re-generated and added. I'm assuming that the options are run in the order they are displayed in the dialog. I tried to select both options and ended up with no book jacket.

Thanks so much for the information and the fabulous software.

Update:
I did try to update metadata in the book using polish functions - clicked OK. Then tried to remove current book jacket - clicked OK. Then tried to add the book jacket from meta data and still my update to the comments section wasn't displayed. When I converted epub -> epub the updated comments were shown.

Update2:
Doing an epub to epub conversion didn't work for all books.

Update3:
- the book that didn't seem to be updated in my "update2" was PROBABLY because I had the EPUB file open in Sigil in the background and didn't realize it.
- It seems that if you ran a process on the book before and already have an original_epub file for it, the action from the polish book doesn't actual process if you have the setting for backing the file up. If I run the update metadata and remove book jacket in one process, remove the original epub version and then run the add book jacket things seem to work as expected.

[kovidgoyal]

Adding a book jacket will replace an existing book jacket. And polish books will always use original_epub if it exists, so if for some odd reason want to run polish multiple times on the same book, you need to remove the original_epub format before each run.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by vicaet

- It seems that if you ran a process on the book before and already have an original_epub file for it, the action from the polish book doesn't actual process if you have the setting for backing the file up. If I run the update metadata and remove book jacket in one process, remove the original epub version and then run the add book jacket things seem to work as expected.

That's true for ANY conversion process in Calibre. If you have an "ORIGINAL_XXX" file, and then do another polish/convert on format "XXX", it will use the "ORIGINAL_XXX" file as a source. You need to delete the "ORIGINAL_XXX" format if you want the polish/convert to use your already converted/polished file as its starting point.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's true for ANY conversion process in Calibre. If you have an "ORIGINAL_XXX" file, and then do another polish/convert on format "XXX", it will use the "ORIGINAL_XXX" file as a source. You need to delete the "ORIGINAL_XXX" format if you want the polish/convert to use your already converted/polished file as its starting point.

Related question - how can I 'revert' to the original epub

I usually do an epub to epub convert to create a 'backup' in the form of an epub_original before I use Tweak Books, Sigil etc to alter the epub. If I don't like the result of the alterations I want to get back to where I was.

At the moment I

1. Remove <whatever>.epub
2. Save <whatever>.original.epub to the desktop
3. Remove <whatever>.original.epub
4. Rename <whatever>.original_epub to <whatever>.epub on the desktop
5. Drag/Drop <whatever>.epub from the desktop into the Book Details panel
6. Delete <whatever>.epub from the desktop

It works, but... "There must be an easier way." methinks.

BR

[kovidgoyal]

Right click on the epub entry in the edit metadata dialog.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Right click on the epub entry in the edit metadata dialog.

methought right, there is a darn sight easier way

I use the Compact Editor layout, never look at the Cover & Formats tab, so I forget its even there.

If you've nothing better to do and its easy perhaps you could add it to the Book details Formats right click menu

BR

[kovidgoyal]

http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~kovid/c...revision/14754

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~kovid/c...revision/14754

Excellent!

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~kovid/c...revision/14754

Wow, that's super

[MartyTX]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

1. Remove <whatever>.epub
2. Save <whatever>.original.epub to the desktop
3. Remove <whatever>.original.epub
4. Rename <whatever>.original_epub to <whatever>.epub on the desktop
5. Drag/Drop <whatever>.epub from the desktop into the Book Details panel
6. Delete <whatever>.epub from the desktop

Hmm ... you've been looking over my shoulder ... that's exactly what I've been doing!

BR, thanks for asking the question.
Kovid, thanks for the quick answer and the "Book Details" revision!

Marty

[travger]

BTW, is it possible to make adding comments to book jacket optional? Often there are reviews or excerpts or is the blurb simply too long, but I can't be bothered at the moment to revise it (and if I've not read the book, I'm not very qualified). Also, sometimes I use comments field for my own notes (no toc, bad formatting, missing # in series, etc)

And I too would welcome the means to add my own columns to the jacket.

[PoP]

Couldn't locate the OP but when I saw these english contractions somewhere in another forum it got me thinking...

Spoiler:

aren't are not
can't cannot
couldn't could not
didn't did not
doesn't does not
don't do not
hadn't had not
hasn't has not
haven't have not
he'd he had; he would
he'll he will; he shall
he's he is; he has
I'd I had; I would
I'll I will; I shall
I'm I am
I've I have
isn't is not
let's let us
mightn't might not
mustn't must not
shan't shall not
she'd she had; she would
she'll she will; she shall
she's she is; she has
shouldn't should not
that's that is; that has
there's there is; there has
they'd they had; they would
they'll they will; they shall
they're they are
they've they have
we'd we had; we would
we're we are
we've we have
weren't were not
what'll what will; what shall
what're what are
what's what is; what has
what've what have
where's where is; where has
who'd who had; who would
who'll who will; who shall
who're who are
who's who is; who has
who've who have
won't will not
wouldn't would not
you'd you had; you would
you'll you will; you shall
you're you are
you've you have

... wouldn't it be great polishing further the book and replacing full words by their contractions (even better, using contractions specific to language of the book)?

I've also seen there's controversies about using contractions. FWIW, I don't natively speak english, but maybe others would like this feature too.

Anyway, tanx 10⁶ for your great plugin, I use it all the time for the smart quotes.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Related question - how can I 'revert' to the original epub

I usually do an epub to epub convert to create a 'backup' in the form of an epub_original before I use Tweak Books, Sigil etc to alter the epub. If I don't like the result of the alterations I want to get back to where I was.

At the moment I

1. Remove <whatever>.epub
2. Save <whatever>.original.epub to the desktop
3. Remove <whatever>.original.epub
4. Rename <whatever>.original_epub to <whatever>.epub on the desktop
5. Drag/Drop <whatever>.epub from the desktop into the Book Details panel
6. Delete <whatever>.epub from the desktop

It works, but... "There must be an easier way." methinks.

BR

It's a bad idea to do an ePub > ePub conversion just to get an original_ePub before doing a Tweak eBook. It would be best to open original location, make a copy, do your Tweak and if it's OK, delete the copy.

By doing an ePub > ePub conversion, you are unnecessarily changing the code before you do your Tweak.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~kovid/c...revision/14754

But can we have the same thing to make an original_epub without having to do some sort of modifying of the ePub that's there?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's a bad idea to do an ePub > ePub conversion just to get an original_ePub before doing a Tweak eBook. It would be best to open original location, make a copy, do your Tweak and if it's OK, delete the copy.

By doing an ePub > ePub conversion, you are unnecessarily changing the code before you do your Tweak.

Sometimes its the metadata that I want to modify - but first I have to get what's in the database into the book's copy of the .opf file. Pressing 'C' to do an ePUB to ePUB conversion will do that and it will create a 'backup'.

However, having said that, I do sometimes save a separate copy of the format outside of Calibre before editing it.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But can we have the same thing to make an original_epub without having to do some sort of modifying of the ePub that's there?

Good idea.

As in a Make a Copy option in the context menu that creates a copy of the selected file called COPY_XXX in the book folder, where XXX is the format. The new Restore 'xxxxxxxxxxxxx' option would need to be available on these files, as would Delete — but Save to Disk, dunno ?

BR