Collections and Sony Reader PRS-600

[Pinecone]

I am trying to switch from Sony software to Calibre and I am having some issues with the collections, and specifically the sort order within a collection.

I set up the Sony plug in for Author, Series. I sort the Library in Calibre by series then author.

If I highlight all the booky by an author and Send to Device, I get the expected collection for each series, and within that collection, the books are sorted by the series number. So far, so good.

BUT, in the collection based on the Author name, they are not sorted in the order they are shown in the Library, but by Title. Even if I select them individually in the order I want them to appear. I read a bunch of threads, and I thought it would work to have them the same way they appear in the Library.

I virtually NEVER want the books sorted by Title. Actually, I would be happy with them grouped by Author, but in series order (all books in one series, in order, followed by the next series in order, etc)

So, is there any way to set the sort order in the Author collection?

And a couple of other questions while I have your attention.

Does the PRS-600 support collections for books on the memory card?

I assume that the PRS-600 does not support sub directories? I wonder if a firmware update would allow this, which would make sense to me.

Thanks.

[itimpi]

The option on the Sony to access books by author or title are nothing to do with Collections. The Sony will always sort those ways of accessing books alphabetically - you have no control over that.

If you access by collection, then in any collection created from a Series name they will automatically be sorted by the Series index - you do not have to sort them in Calibre first.

Collections on the memory card work fine.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

I virtually NEVER want the books sorted by Title. Actually, I would be happy with them grouped by Author, but in series order (all books in one series, in order, followed by the next series in order, etc)

So, is there any way to set the sort order in the Author collection?

No. As itimpi said, the sony does what the sony does. Calibre sorts series collections in series order, and other collections in title order.

Does the PRS-600 support collections for books on the memory card?

Again saying what itimpi already said, yes.

I assume that the PRS-600 does not support sub directories? I wonder if a firmware update would allow this, which would make sense to me.

Why do you assume that? By default, calibre writes books to subdirectories.

Unless you mean sub-categories, in which case you are right, no sony I know of can do that.

[Pinecone]

But I can create collections with the Sony software, and order the books any way I want.

I am not talking about accessing books by Author, but by accessing a collection. In this case, Caibre creaes a collection that is called the Author's name. So If I send a set of books by Jeffrey Deaver, it creates a collection called Jeffrey Deaver. If I do this using the Sony software, I can move the books around into any order I want.

So why can't Calibre also sort collections?

I have read in threads about books being displayed based on the order loaded into the collection. So what order does Calibre load the books? By Title Order or by the order of selection?

Thanks for the info about the collections on the memory card, Sony support could not answer that one.

Yeah, I figured that sub callections/sub directors ON the device were not possible.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

But I can create collections with the Sony software, and order the books any way I want.

I am not talking about accessing books by Author, but by accessing a collection. In this case, Caibre creaes a collection that is called the Author's name. So If I send a set of books by Jeffrey Deaver, it creates a collection called Jeffrey Deaver. If I do this using the Sony software, I can move the books around into any order I want.

It is hard for me to understand the case for this outside of a series, but there is one way that comes to mind that will handle your request.

Create Series using the Author's name then use the series index to number how you want the books ordered on your 600. When the books are sent to your 600 the books will be in the order you specified via series index. Just make sure that the Sony plugin is set to create collections based on series.

With the new beta being tested I think copying the author name to the series column would be easy, after that just order them the way you want.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

So why can't Calibre also sort collections?

Calibre can and does sort collections. Just not the way you want.

I have read in threads about books being displayed based on the order loaded into the collection. So what order does Calibre load the books? By Title Order or by the order of selection?

To say again, calibre sorts series collections by series index and other collections by title. The send order does not have anything to do with it. This sorting won't be changed, unless you do the development to change it.

dwanthny's idea about creating series with author names and then using bulk edit to number them in the order you want will work.

[Pinecone]

But then I also don't end up with collections based on series. But that may be the way I have to go, if I stick with Calibre.

So this seems to be a matter of Calibre will do it the way YOU want (which is fine, as it is your program), but not the way that the user wants.

I would consider doing something for this, if I had the programming skills.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

So this seems to be a matter of Calibre will do it the way YOU want (which is fine, as it is your program), but not the way that the user wants.

Out of the million plus users you are the first user to care enough about books in non-series collections being in a specific order. Now that you brought up your thoughts maybe someone else with the skillset, who also cares about this will step up.

Personally I don't have the skillset to accomplish this and I don't care. Having non-series collections in order by title suits me fine.

I guess the Sony Library software is still an option.

Have a great day.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

But then I also don't end up with collections based on series. But that may be the way I have to go, if I stick with Calibre.

You can set the series number for these author-bases series columns however you want. That would seem to be what you want to do.

As for the *YOU want* part, yes, you are right. I have zero incentive to do work that I have no personal use for. Actually, it is less than zero, because such things always come back to bite.

[Perkin]

I think the only possible order anybody would require for non-series books, apart from alphabetical, would be publish-date order.

Perhaps that can be used in some way for the sort order?

[Pinecone]

I understand. BT, DT.

It just struck me as strange to have such a powerful program in so many ways, not offer options as to how things are organized once you get them to the reader. Especially since you can organize them so well within the program itself. To lose that ability on the device you use more often seemed strange.

And in my case, some collections, alphabetical is perfect, but others, to me, it doesn't make sense.

Oh well, maybe someone else with the proper skills will agree and work on this.

Thanks.

[Perkin]

The main trouble, is when it gets to the reader, that the reader's firmware is what determines sort orders etc.

Luckily some readers have configurable fields, such as collections, which allow calibre to put books in an order other than aphabetical, and have them display on the reader in that order.

[itimpi]

I guess the other point is that, up to now, nobody has asked about creating Collections based on author, so no one has bothered to write the code to support this.

It iseems to me that is likely that some of the recent developments around custom columns and the regex copying of fields might mean that this becomes achievable in a relatively simple manner as a by-product of these developments. We just need to wait for these to come out of beta in the next few weeks to see

[chaley]

Originally Posted by itimpi

I guess the other point is that, up to now, nobody has asked about creating Collections based on author, so no one has bothered to write the code to support this.

It iseems to me that is likely that some of the recent developments around custom columns and the regex copying of fields might mean that this becomes achievable in a relatively simple manner as a by-product of these developments. We just need to wait for these to come out of beta in the next few weeks to see

The beta can do this easily, should you want to.

First, create a series-type column. You probably only need one. Then:
1) select the books in the order you will want them to sort.
2) bulk-edit the books.
3) in search and replace, select authors as source and the series as destination.
4) press OK
5) bulk edit again (everything is still selected)
6) on the custom metadata page, check the auto-assign box for the series column.
7) check the 'force start' box for that column
8) press OK.

Voila, those books now have the author(s) in the series column and the numbers are in the order you chose.

I strongly suspect that steps 4 and 5 aren't needed. Instead, step 4 would be replaced with 'put some value (any value) into the series box'. The reason is that search/replace is done last, so the 'some value' will be replaced by the authors.

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by Perkin

The main trouble, is when it gets to the reader, that the reader's firmware is what determines sort orders etc.

Luckily some readers have configurable fields, such as collections, which allow calibre to put books in an order other than aphabetical, and have them display on the reader in that order.

But it can be done with the Series Collections, so why not other Collections?