[Device Plugin] Kobo Touch Extended Driver

[jgoguen]

For what it's worth, I recommend against pre-converting and I also prefer not to have the conversion plugin I wrote be used at all. It promotes removing other formats (which I also strongly recommend against), and it makes a very broad (and incorrect) assumption that the KePub format generated is correct and will never change or be improved upon.

Can you run calibre in debug mode (see the first post), reproduce the problem, and post the debug log?

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by RichSun

In order to save time on future transfers to my Kobo Glo HD, I decided to pre-convert all of my books to kepub. After doing this, I discovered that my plugboard was no longer running.

I had defined a plugboard to modify the title to include the series index information: {series_index:0>2s| – | – }{title}

This plugboard will only run if I do not pre-convert to kepub.

I have a Kobo Glo HD running 3.15.0

EDIT:
My plugboard is defined for any format:any device. Also, I tried using the normal KoboTouch driver to send the kepub over, and it also did not run the plugboard

The problem is that calibre does not have full support for the kepub format. It doesn't have metadata reading and writing support or input to the conversion. I have written plugins to do this and published them as beta's here. I need to either officially publish them or add them to calibre.

As to the convert or not, I'm in mixed minds about it. I usually read as epub, so don't want to use the extended driver. By converting, I can pick specific books to read as kepubs. But, if I find errors and fix them, it is always in the epub and I have to reconvert.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by RichSun

In order to save time on future transfers to my Kobo Glo HD, I decided to pre-convert all of my books to kepub. After doing this, I discovered that my plugboard was no longer running.

I had defined a plugboard to modify the title to include the series index information: {series_index:0>2s| – | – }{title}

This plugboard will only run if I do not pre-convert to kepub.

I have a Kobo Glo HD running 3.15.0

EDIT:
My plugboard is defined for any format:any device. Also, I tried using the normal KoboTouch driver to send the kepub over, and it also did not run the plugboard

My own plugboard massages Author rather than Title, but the following workaround works for me for calibre-converted kepubs in my library ...

• Use calibre (with the standard KOBOTOUCH driver) to do the initial send-to-device of the kepub(s).
• Once the Kobo has processed the new kepubs reconnect to calibre, select the kepubs and use davidfor's 'Kobo Utilities' plugin to correct the metadata for the kepubs. Use the option labeled Update metadata in device library. Make sure you check the box labeled Use plugboard.

[RichSun]

Here's the debug log of sending a kepub to a device and plugboard not running

[jgoguen]

The debug log suggests to me that the plugboard is being run:

Device using plugboard kepub KOBOTOUCHEXTENDED [[u'{series_index:0>2s|| - }{title}', u'title']]
Setting metadata in: The Maze of Bones at: C:\Users\RichSun\AppData\Local\Temp\calibre_ufiv0b \tzowk8caltmpfmt.kepub

Can you please make sure the book is on your device, then unplug the reader and connect it again, so calibre updates metadata. If that doesn't work, can you email me the KePub in your calibre library and the KePub that gets sent to your device? I'll PM you the address to use.

[jgoguen]

OK, I've got it, and it's indeed because calibre doesn't know about the KePub format. It's fairly simple, I just need to add a MetadataWriterPlugin and a MetadataReaderPlugin! I need to do a bit of research to see if I can just roll those into the current plugin package or if I need to make new packages.

Just to set expectations here, although it's simple I have only a couple hours each weekday that I could devote to this and any other personal projects I'm working on. Today is a US holiday and my in-laws are visiting, so it's not likely that I'll get a couple hours today. Hopefully I can do whatever research I need while we're driving around.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by jgoguen

OK, I've got it, and it's indeed because calibre doesn't know about the KePub format. It's fairly simple, I just need to add a MetadataWriterPlugin and a MetadataReaderPlugin! I need to do a bit of research to see if I can just roll those into the current plugin package or if I need to make new packages.

I believe davidfor has already written beta versions of these.

[JSWolf]

How does one incorporate the beta versions into the Windows install without having to run from source?

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

How does one incorporate the beta versions into the Windows install without having to run from source?

Jon: They are just plugins, install them like any other plugin. The only difference is that these MIGHT get included as part of calibre. I haven't decided whether to support them separately or ask for them to be included.

[jgoguen]

If it's cool with you, I'd like to have a go at including them in the main plugin package so anyone with this plugin gets them automatically. Any objections to these being released under GPL3?

[jgoguen]

So turns out I can't do that. @davidfor, I'm going to work on incorporating them into the codebase I have unless you have objections.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by jgoguen

So turns out I can't do that. @davidfor, I'm going to work on incorporating them into the codebase I have unless you have objections.

If they are not going into calibre, including them in your codebase makes sense. The proliferation of "Kepub xxxx" plugins was one of the things that made me hesitate.

The conversion input plugin should also be included. But, I noticed a bug in it last night. For some reason I included the epub output options. I have no idea why I did that now as they wouldn't have been used.

And I just noticed your change to the status of this plugin. I've been meaning to ask you to change it, but couldn't think of a good way to put it. It would be good to add a reference to the new plugins in both this and the output plugin.

[RichSun]

I just want to thank both of you for all the hard work you put into this. I really appreciate it.

[jgoguen]

Turns out that a lot of what davidfor did for the metadata writer isn't needed when using my plugins (I already set the cover) so I made a quick pair of plugins. The important one you'll want is KePub Metadata Writer, but no harm in installing both.

It'll be a little bit before the plugin installer list gets updated, but you can install them right away manually:

• KePub Metadata Reader - https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=261009
• KePub Metadata Writer - https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=261010

[jgoguen]

Originally Posted by davidfor

If they are not going into calibre, including them in your codebase makes sense. The proliferation of "Kepub xxxx" plugins was one of the things that made me hesitate.

Yea, you noticed that too? And now you basically must have at least two of them installed...

Originally Posted by davidfor

The conversion input plugin should also be included. But, I noticed a bug in it last night. For some reason I included the epub output options. I have no idea why I did that now as they wouldn't have been used.

I'll keep that in mind when I go to include it.

Originally Posted by davidfor

And I just noticed your change to the status of this plugin. I've been meaning to ask you to change it, but couldn't think of a good way to put it.

To be fair, when I first put that notice up I wasn't expecting to be able to get back to this. But y'all are such a great group of people and even in its "abandoned" state the reaction to this plugin has been pretty good. KoboTouchExtended is still the #7 most-downloaded plugin, and KePub Output is #21. Really, for something that isn't gathering a ton of new downloads from updates or new people, that's not too shabby.