paper books in calibre?

rat_2665 · 07-18-2009, 06:28 AM

Calibre started as a program for the Sony ereaders. Today it is an excellent management tool for an ebook library with different devices. It's definitly better for ebooks than all the other library programs, which are focused on paper books. I have over 700 ebooks and nearly 1000 paper books. Series are often mixed, part ebooks, part paper books. I like the management functions in calibre and I`d like to extend these functions to paper books. Is it possible to create a "dummy" format for paper books, which contains only metadata and exclude this format from converting and sending functions? Of course an ISBN-searching function would be also necessary. Last idea: the paper books should marked in the library in a special way for example in gray letters.

thomasmorus · 07-18-2009, 06:31 AM

Hello rat_2655

You already have the "empty book" function, where you can enter a book without any format (under ad Books)
Thomas

rat_2665 · 07-18-2009, 06:39 AM

Hello thomasmorus,

I can`t find that function. I have only three possibilitys for importing books, which are all related to real ebooks.

Rafardeon · 07-18-2009, 06:42 AM

Suggestion: Why don't you just import an empty text file as dummy for those books? You can add the metadata in the EDIT-dialogue and tag it with "PAPER" for searching and filtering...

rat_2665 · 07-18-2009, 06:54 AM

Rafardeon, that's possible. But you have first to create the text file and than in an second step to edit the metadata. I look at my paper books and I'm sighing. In most of the library programs you scan the ISBN number and then import the book with an internet search. In calibre for the same you have to add a function "Add book by internet search" with an ISBN field, which create automatically an empty text file with the metadata. That would be a way.

itimpi · 07-18-2009, 07:03 AM

I assume that is the purpose of the "Add Empty Book" sub-menu option available via the down arrow on the Add Books button?. You can then clear the author andtitle fields, put in the ISBN number and then try and fetch the metadata from the server?

I can see that some sort of future improvement could be an "Add Book via ISBN" option where it immediately asks for the ISBN and looks up the metadata and cover before adding the book could be a big improvement from a work-flow perspective. If such a dialog also allowed you specify tags as well as the ISBN it would give a good point to tag the book as being a paper copy.

rat_2665 · 07-18-2009, 07:28 AM

Sorry, I can't find this option "Add empty book". I've installed the German version both beta 0.6.0b10 and 0.5.14 and I find under "Add books" three options: "Add book from a single directory", "Add book from directory with subdirectories (each book is the same book in different formats)", "Add book from directory with subdirectories (each book is a different book)".

itimpi · 07-18-2009, 07:33 AM

It is certainly there in 0.6.0b14 which I am currently running!

rat_2665 · 07-18-2009, 08:05 AM

Thankyou, I installed the new version. Now I have this option.

user_none · 07-18-2009, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itimpi

I can see that some sort of future improvement could be an "Add Book via ISBN" option where it immediately asks for the ISBN and looks up the metadata and cover before adding the book could be a big improvement from a work-flow perspective. If such a dialog also allowed you specify tags as well as the ISBN it would give a good point to tag the book as being a paper copy.

Awesome idea! What does everyone think about just having the add empty book option open the metadata dialog?

itimpi · 07-18-2009, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by user_none

Awesome idea! What does everyone think about just having the add empty book option open the metadata dialog?

That is probably easy to implement as it is not much change from the current implementation except for adding the auto-open of the metadata dialog.

I was thinking of perhaps looking up this information before the book has been added. This would mean that the initial creation of the book and metadata would be correct which should be faster than first creating an entry with incorrect author/title, and then having to correct this data. You may never need to even go into the metadata dialog if the data is already what you want.

rat_2665 · 07-18-2009, 02:38 PM

You only need a dialog entry for the ISBN Number (this is the best attribute for identification).There is a fine little program in the web for scanning the number by a webcam with autofocus and storing in the clipboard, if you have not a barcode scanner. If you find nothing then the second step would be the metadata dialog.

07-18-2009, 06:28 AM	#1
rat_2665 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle voyage	paper books in calibre? Calibre started as a program for the Sony ereaders. Today it is an excellent management tool for an ebook library with different devices. It's definitly better for ebooks than all the other library programs, which are focused on paper books. I have over 700 ebooks and nearly 1000 paper books. Series are often mixed, part ebooks, part paper books. I like the management functions in calibre and I`d like to extend these functions to paper books. Is it possible to create a "dummy" format for paper books, which contains only metadata and exclude this format from converting and sending functions? Of course an ISBN-searching function would be also necessary. Last idea: the paper books should marked in the library in a special way for example in gray letters.

07-18-2009, 07:03 AM	#6
itimpi Wizard Posts: 4,552 Karma: 950151 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Sony PRS-950, iphone/ipad (Marvin/iBooks/QuickReader)	I assume that is the purpose of the "Add Empty Book" sub-menu option available via the down arrow on the Add Books button?. You can then clear the author andtitle fields, put in the ISBN number and then try and fetch the metadata from the server? I can see that some sort of future improvement could be an "Add Book via ISBN" option where it immediately asks for the ISBN and looks up the metadata and cover before adding the book could be a big improvement from a work-flow perspective. If such a dialog also allowed you specify tags as well as the ISBN it would give a good point to tag the book as being a paper copy. Last edited by itimpi; 07-18-2009 at 07:06 AM.

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07-18-2009, 06:31 AM	#2
thomasmorus Connoisseur Posts: 64 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: PRS 505	Hello rat_2655 You already have the "empty book" function, where you can enter a book without any format (under ad Books) Thomas

07-18-2009, 06:39 AM	#3
rat_2665 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle voyage	Hello thomasmorus, I can`t find that function. I have only three possibilitys for importing books, which are all related to real ebooks.

07-18-2009, 06:42 AM	#4
Rafardeon Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Germany Device: Sony PRS-505	Suggestion: Why don't you just import an empty text file as dummy for those books? You can add the metadata in the EDIT-dialogue and tag it with "PAPER" for searching and filtering...

07-18-2009, 06:54 AM	#5
rat_2665 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle voyage	Rafardeon, that's possible. But you have first to create the text file and than in an second step to edit the metadata. I look at my paper books and I'm sighing. In most of the library programs you scan the ISBN number and then import the book with an internet search. In calibre for the same you have to add a function "Add book by internet search" with an ISBN field, which create automatically an empty text file with the metadata. That would be a way.

07-18-2009, 07:28 AM	#7
rat_2665 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle voyage	Sorry, I can't find this option "Add empty book". I've installed the German version both beta 0.6.0b10 and 0.5.14 and I find under "Add books" three options: "Add book from a single directory", "Add book from directory with subdirectories (each book is the same book in different formats)", "Add book from directory with subdirectories (each book is a different book)".

07-18-2009, 07:33 AM	#8
itimpi Wizard Posts: 4,552 Karma: 950151 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Sony PRS-950, iphone/ipad (Marvin/iBooks/QuickReader)	It is certainly there in 0.6.0b14 which I am currently running!

07-18-2009, 08:05 AM	#9
rat_2665 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle voyage	Thankyou, I installed the new version. Now I have this option.

07-18-2009, 02:38 PM	#12
rat_2665 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle voyage	You only need a dialog entry for the ISBN Number (this is the best attribute for identification).There is a fine little program in the web for scanning the number by a webcam with autofocus and storing in the clipboard, if you have not a barcode scanner. If you find nothing then the second step would be the metadata dialog.

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