Problem with editing metadata

[rrvult]

I just discovered that all of the metadata editing I have been doing has been in vain because non of it took.

When I go to "edit metadata", and change the title of a book (for instance to number a series), after I hit ok at the bottom then open the ebook in calibre's viewer, the title remains as the old title. The title and the title sort fields are the same.

For example: I have book titled "Book X", and I want to change it to "Series 01 - Book X" . I edit the metadata to reflect that, hit the arrow to change title sort as well, and hit ok at the bottom. I open the ebook in calibre's viewer, or on my kindle and it still reads "Book X".

What I have to end up doing is converting the book to the same type of file (epub --> epub) just to change the title. You can imagine that this gets really annoying on nearly 1K books.

These books are without DRM, if that matters.

Any help is appreciated! If this is in the wrong forum, feel free to move it. Also, I tried to search the forum for a thread with the same question, but couldn't find one. Sorry if this is a repeat somehow.

[unboggling]

Instead of prepending series to title manually in the column Title in the calibre library, you can use Metadata Plugboards (Preferences - Import/Export) to do that automatically whenever you Send a book to Kindle or other device. These are my Metadata Plugboard settings for Kindle:

To prepend Series and Series Index to Title in destination field title:

{series}{series_index:0>2s| | - }{title}

To sort author correctly; in destination field authors:

{author_sort}

If you really want the metadata updated in the ePub format that remains in the library, you can use the third-party plugin Modify ePub to update the metadata in the ePub format of a selected book without doing a conversion. In the plugin uncheck everything except the last option, Update Metadata.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by rrvult

I just discovered that all of the metadata editing I have been doing has been in vain because non of it took.

It all "took" you are just a little confused about what you were changing. You were changing the metadata in calibre not the book. The metadata gets updated in the book a few different ways. If you do any of the following:

Save to disk
Send to device
Download (epub or mobi) from Content server.
Email (epub or mobi) via calibre's email feature.
Convert a file, as you found out epub to epub conversion works fine.
Use the Modify ePub plugin to update your books metadata.

Essentially anytime you export a book out of calibre the metadata gets updated.

I agree with unboggling leave your Titles as titles in calibre and use the metadata plugboard to insert series info in front of the title when you send it to your device.

[unboggling]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

Save to disk
Send to device
Download (epub or mobi) from Content server.
Email (epub or mobi) via calibre's email feature.
Convert a file, as you found out epub to epub conversion works fine.
Use the Modify ePub plugin to update your books metadata.

Essentially anytime you export a book out of calibre the metadata gets updated.

To supplement DoctorOhh's response and perhaps clarify which formats get operated on by what:

AFAIK, with the exception of Modify ePub, all of those operations update the metadata in the generated format, but not in the original format the conversion or copy was generated from. Modify ePub updates the original ePub format in the library when the option Update Metadata is applied to a selected book (in the library) that has an ePub format. And Modify ePub does not [edit]touch update metadata in[/edit] any other formats.

[rrvult]

Looks like I was being a total noob trying to change the titles individually! Thanks for the information about the metadata plugboard, it is now doing exactly what I wanted.

[unboggling]

Originally Posted by rrvult

Looks like I was being a total noob trying to change the titles individually! Thanks for the information about the metadata plugboard, it is now doing exactly what I wanted.

We were all noobs once. I did the same thing when I started with calibre. Asking questions is good. I'm still a noob in lots of ways and still ask questions.

[jenrar]

I think this thread is going along with my question, so instead of posting a new thread, I figured I'd post here. I like to have my books sort title-wise differently than the generic sort. For books like: The Surprise Birthday Party, instead of it sorting like: Surprise Birthday Party, The (where it shows in the list using Surprise as the first word), I have the first word as The. (Same goes for A Surprise Birthday Party, for example.) I've changed the metadata on all my books in calibre, but after I sent them to my Kindle, it's still sorting them like Surprise Birthday Party, The.

Help please?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

It all "took" you are just a little confused about what you were changing. You were changing the metadata in calibre not the book. The metadata gets updated in the book a few different ways. If you do any of the following:

Save to disk
Send to device
Download (epub or mobi) from Content server.
Email (epub or mobi) via calibre's email feature.
Convert a file, as you found out epub to epub conversion works fine.
Use the Modify ePub plugin to update your books metadata.

Essentially anytime you export a book out of calibre the metadata gets updated.

I agree with unboggling leave your Titles as titles in calibre and use the metadata plugboard to insert series info in front of the title when you send it to your device.

What is the recommended process to "inject' the metadata into PDF and RTF formats ?

RTF->RTF conversion, PDF->PDF conversion and write to disk do not update author if it's not empty, and the PDF->PDF conversion will more often than not produce output that's not fit for purpose.

BR

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

What is the recommended process to "inject' the metadata into PDF and RTF formats ?

For the PDF files simply Saving to disk or Sending to device will embed the title and author in the title and author metadata fields of the PDF and it will place the tags in the keywords metadata field.

I have no idea if the RTF format has any standard for metadata.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

For the PDF files simply Saving to disk or Sending to device will embed the title and author in the title and author metadata fields of the PDF and it will place the tags in the keywords metadata field.

DrOhh. I was hoping you'd have a magic cure... as I've already said elsewhere, twice I think

Not if the existing PDF file Author already contains text. If it is not empty then the existing value is not overwritten, it retains the old value. The Title is always overwritten, as one would expect.

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

I have no idea if the RTF format has any standard for metadata.

Maybe there are no de-jure standards, but there are some well known & understood 'conventions'. AFAIK they are as per the attached screen shot - I can edit them in MS Word and Open Office Writer - or at least I can with the versions I use. As for the data, what form it takes, and where it is - I think its XML packed into a zip somewhere near the top of the file - how original.

Whats more these conventions are known to and used by Calibre - in respect of Author and Title.

When I add an RTF (or a PDF) to Calibre it will extract the Title and Author from the metadata. Note : I have Read metadata from file contents rather than file name checked, I prefer to retain the original source file names.

When I save an RTF to disk or do an RTF->RTF conversion the Author will only be updated if the Author field in the current file is empty - which is exactly the same as PDF's.

I get around the problem by clearing Author field in the RTF and PDF files before adding it to Calibre - but I often forget. I also make errors entering Author names, which are often foreign names, from languages that use non Latin scripts - so error detection is often slow - i.e. months later.

I've reported the problem @ launchpad

The 'it doesn't matter because its in the Calibre database' argument doesn't wash, I want the metadata to be available to the content indexing IFilters.

BR

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Not if the existing PDF file Author already contains text. If it is not empty then the existing value is not overwritten, it retains the old value. The Title is always overwritten, as one would expect.
...
I've reported the problem @ launchpad

Good info, I rarely use PDF (1 in 9000) but many moons ago it worked. Smart move submitting a problem report.

Originally Posted by BetterRed

The 'it doesn't matter because its in the Calibre database' argument doesn't wash

An odd statement to conclude with. You are obviously correct, but I don't see anyone arguing otherwise.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

An odd statement to conclude with. You are obviously correct, but I don't see anyone arguing otherwise.

A statement designed to stop anyone putting that argument, as has been put on this and similar issues I've raised in other threats - not by the good DrOhh I hasten to add.

For me Calibre is just a convenience tool - its a bit like my electric screwdriver, which is also handy for drilling small holes in awkward locations, but useless for banging in a 20cm 7mm nail into an iron wood gate post

BR

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

A statement designed to stop anyone putting that argument, as has been put on this and similar issues I've raised in other threats - not by the good DrOhh I hasten to add.

I see, a preemptive strike.

[jenrar]

No one has any thought on my post?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by jenrar

No one has any thought on my post?

Sadly I cant help you jenrar, other than to say I suspect what you want to do can be achieved via templates and/or plugboards - but I could also be totally wrong.

If you don't an answer soon, I suggest you start a new thread

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

I see, a preemptive strike.

I would have said a shot across the bows' with a crossbow, whilst a predator waits over the horizon

Can you help jenrar

BR