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Old 09-30-2010, 05:27 AM   #1
KenDavies
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Sony PRS-650 and collections

I've recently upgraded to the 650 and have started using Calibre instead of Sony's software. It works well except for the 650's new ability to create and edit collections on the device. As an experiment I created a new collection on the 650 call "To read" and added a couple of books to it. I thought Calibre would read the 650 database and pick up this new collection and add the "To Read" tag to test books in it's library but this hasn't happened.

Any idea what I might be doing wrong?

TIA

Ken
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Old 09-30-2010, 07:25 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KenDavies View Post
It works well except for the 650's new ability to create and edit collections on the device. As an experiment I created a new collection on the 650 call "To read" and added a couple of books to it. I thought Calibre would read the 650 database and pick up this new collection and add the "To Read" tag to test books in it's library but this hasn't happened.
If you're editing collections on the reader itself then you don't have calibre set to Automatic Management (see attached). Not having it set to Automatic Management allows you to edit collections on your device but there will be no syncing of tags between the device and the reader.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KenDavies View Post
Any idea what I might be doing wrong?
I don't think you're doing anything wrong, I just don't think calibre will do what you want it to do. Personally it is easier in the long run to set it to automatic and edit any collections you want in calibre. By default calibre creates collections for Sony via tags and series fields but you can create a custom column called collections (or whatever name you like) and use that column to create collections by replacing tags in the device interface plugin (see attached).

Setting it to automatic and creating collections in the calibre library means when your device hiccups and loses all collections recreating your device library with collections is as simple as reconnecting your reader to calibre.
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Old 09-30-2010, 07:30 AM   #3
KenDavies
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Thanks for responding Walt. The sync preference in Calibre is already set to automatic (after reading the Calibre manual I thought that was all I needed to do). I'm not thinking of doing any heavy collection management on the device, just moving a book out of the "To Read" collection I created once I've read it. The 650 does already have an automatically created un-read collection but it can't take into account books read on other devices.

Many thanks,

Ken
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Old 09-30-2010, 08:34 AM   #4
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Two points:

1) Your reply didn't make it clear whether you tried changing the device customization that dwanthy pointed you at.

If you did, and if you are running 0.7.20 or any release before, you won't have joy. Custom columns as collections was added in what is currently called the 'calibre beta' (the sticky at the top of the forum). This version will likely become the production release at the end of this month.

2) If you have set metadata management to automatic, then I would expect calibre to delete any collections you made on the device. Zap ... Gone. It would then add collections based on the device customization.

If you set metadata management to manual, then you might get part of what you want. Your hand-edited collections would not be deleted. if 'by accident' calibre uses the same collection name, then calibre's changes would be merged into the collection. That said, there are significant downsides to this. The first is that metadata changes in calibre's library will not be sent to the device unless you send the book again. The second is that the 'connection' between calibre's collection and your hand-edited one is accidental and may not continue to work.

Bottom line: calibre offers two approaches to collections. Automatic management means that calibre owns the collections and do whatever it wants. Manual means that the device owns the collections and calibre will tread lightly. The other one, on send, is middle ground; calibre take ownership of collections for a book during the moment that the book is sent, then cedes it back to the device.
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Old 09-30-2010, 09:23 AM   #5
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Sorry Chaley, I have version 7.2 but I'm not quite sure what the custom fields as collections does. I'm quite happy with the default tags as collections but I thought - being a beginner at this - that setting the sync to automatic would mean that Calibre would import new collections as tags for the books in those collections (on the ereader). If I create a custom field as Walt suggested, does this mean that a "true" sync can occur, with any changes I make to the collections on the ereader transferred to Calibre when I connect?

TIA

Ken
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Old 09-30-2010, 10:14 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KenDavies View Post
Sorry Chaley, I have version 7.2 but I'm not quite sure what the custom fields as collections does. I'm quite happy with the default tags as collections
Custom fields as collections is the same thing as tags, but coming from the custom field. People (want to) use these to make collections for genre, read, version, workflow status, whether Grandmother approves, and a host of other things. The beta (while will likely be 0.7.21) is the first release that supports building collections from information in custom fields.
Quote:
but I thought - being a beginner at this - that setting the sync to automatic would mean that Calibre would import new collections as tags for the books in those collections (on the ereader).
Calibre never imports collections, no matter what the setting. It will show you the collections on the device view, but that information does not get copied to the library.
Quote:
If I create a custom field as Walt suggested, does this mean that a "true" sync can occur, with any changes I make to the collections on the ereader transferred to Calibre when I connect?
No. As noted above, calibre will show them to you, but it does move the information from the reader to the calibre library.
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Old 10-15-2010, 05:00 AM   #7
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Hi - can someone pls help me with Calibre and 650. I really like the 650, just received it in the mail. I transferred all my books there through ADE, and opened up Calibre hoping to edit metadata. But while calibre can read a coule of files that I transferred through the Sony reader library and it also reads the files that were pre-installed in the reader, it cant read all the other files/books transferred through ADE. Can anyone pls help explain why this might be so? Thanks in advance.
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Old 10-15-2010, 05:27 AM   #8
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Hi - can someone pls help me with Calibre and 650. I really like the 650, just received it in the mail. I transferred all my books there through ADE, and opened up Calibre hoping to edit metadata. But while calibre can read a coule of files that I transferred through the Sony reader library and it also reads the files that were pre-installed in the reader, it cant read all the other files/books transferred through ADE. Can anyone pls help explain why this might be so? Thanks in advance.
Calibre will 'see' books only if they are in a specific folder (or subfolders). For main memory, that folder is database/media/books on the drive/disk/whatever your operating system uses for the memory card.

In general, it isn't a good idea to use multiple programs to manage a device. They will fight with each other. Collections are the prime example, and folder paths are another.

I assume you are using ADE because you are buying DRM-encumbered books. If you wish to use calibre, then download the books into ADE's folders, then import them from there into calibre. Use calibre to manage the device.

Note that changing metadata inside DRM-encumbered books is generally not possible. You can use calibre to change what you see and what it writes to the 650, but you won't be able to change what is inside the book itself. That explains why you will often see different information when looking at 'book information' than you see in calibre.
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Old 10-15-2010, 06:02 AM   #9
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Thanks, chaley, for a quick response. I actually wanted to avoid using Sony. From what you say, I think I'll start over and re-transfer from calibre.. Thanks again!
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