How to replace ebooks with a better version?

[madeinlisboa]

I have a library with many books and I got better versions of some of them. Is there a way of batch replacing the older versions without creating duplicates?
Thank you

[theducks]

Originally Posted by madeinlisboa

I have a library with many books and I got better versions of some of them. Is there a way of batch replacing the older versions without creating duplicates?
Thank you

Open the Metadata editor on the existing title.
Drag the new to the Formats (or use the Red book (+) to update the format version.

SAVE THE METADATA before moving/deleting the New source file (the update does not actually process until you close that window)

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by madeinlisboa

I have a library with many books and I got better versions of some of them. Is there a way of batch replacing the older versions without creating duplicates?
Thank you

Better versions as in?

[madeinlisboa]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Better versions as in?

well, ebooks are categorized based on their quality. Since rudimentary conversions from other formats to retail.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Better versions as in?

Better formatting and/or less textual errors, I suppose. I have replaced a number of my ebooks over the years for that reason.

[madeinlisboa]

Originally Posted by theducks

Open the Metadata editor on the existing title.
Drag the new to the Formats (or use the Red book (+) to update the format version.

SAVE THE METADATA before moving/deleting the New source file (the update does not actually process until you close that window)

Thanks but I need to batch replace many books

[EowynCarter]

That's one of the reasons calibre and me don't goes along....

On my application, i did an "archive" feature. Book is still there (just in case), but won't show unless i ask. Maybe a custom column would do that job ?

Don't calibre command line allow adding books ? If so it might be possible to code a batch.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by madeinlisboa

Thanks but I need to batch replace many books

The fast (bulk) ways are risky to the existing metadata,will possibly not match up with existing records (will create a New, duplicate book).

In the time you took with these messages, I could have updated 10 books using my Drag an drop and even apply a light touch up to the metadata (I have a Last Edited column with a Today button)

[madeinlisboa]

How about this workaround? Create a new library, import the books to it. Then replace folders from the original library with the ones from the new library (book filenames are the same) and run a check.
Do you think it will work?

[itimpi]

No - that will not work.

You will find that both folder and book names include a numeric number. This is the internal calibre database id, and will be different for a given book in each library so that file and folder names will not match between the two libraries

[madeinlisboa]

Originally Posted by itimpi

No - that will not work.

You will find that both folder and book names include a numeric number. This is the internal calibre database id, and will be different for a given book in each library so that file and folder names will not match between the two libraries

It means there is no way of doing this, right?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by madeinlisboa

It means there is no way of doing this, right?

You were told how to do this in a way that works reliably.
This was not good enough for you.

Reminds me of a phrase:

'We don't have time to do it right,
...but we have time to do it over."

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by madeinlisboa

It means there is no way of doing this, right?

It's quite easy. I wrote AutoMerge to address problems like this - bulk adding/replacing.

Go to the Preferences Adding Books dialog. Turn on AutoMerge, and set the options to overwrite duplicates. Drag all your files into the library. That's it.

Or, at least that's it in theory. In practice, I'd do more to be sure it does what I want. I'd want to be sure that my incoming files match up with author and title for my existing files. The only way to be sure is to have author and title in the filename and use the filename to set the incoming metadata. If you don't get a match, all that happens is you get a duplicate. I'd use the Find Duplicates plugin to locate those. I'd probably also set a special tag for all the new incoming books so I could check any that didn't match. I wrote the Merge option to let you choose which file to keep when merging. If your new formats are better, after Find Duplicates has found duplicates, select the newer one first, then the older one and Merge them to overwrite the older with the newer.

[madeinlisboa]

Originally Posted by Starson17

It's quite easy. I wrote AutoMerge to address problems like this - bulk adding/replacing.

Thank you. I'll try this as soon as possible.

[Mixx]

Originally Posted by Starson17

...
I wrote AutoMerge to address problems like this - bulk adding/replacing.
...

Dear Starson17,

you must be the best person to ask about my problem described in this thread. If you have the time to respond to it, please do it here or there, whatever netiquette requires in such a case. Unfortunately, I found this thread after having posted my question on the other one.

In essence: I believe I am in need of the same functionality you created with AutoMerge for the actual books, just that I'd need the same choices for the metadata.

I'd appreciate if you could have a look at it.

Thanxx, Mixx