Duplicating a library from PC onto Tablet

[TCDR]

Hello everybody.
I'm very pleased to join your community.
I have Calibre installed on my PC (Windows 10) managing a library of 900 articles , books or magazines, all "pdf" files, with a set of parameters. It works perfectly well.
I bought recently a Galaxy Tab S2 tablet, in order to have this library with me during my travels. I have installed on this tablet Calibre Companion, since I Though I would be able to duplicate this PC library onto the tablet.
Unfortunately, I can't manage to do it. The best I can achieved is a duplication of files, but the "renaming" and metadata associated are not copied.
Thus, I find all of my files, but 80% of them are displayed with a wrong title and author (always the same title and the same author)

Could you help me achieve my goal ?

Thank you very much for your help.
Thierry.

[theducks]

CC does not make those kinds of errors if used properly. Because CC uses what was in the Calibre metadata.

I would start fresh on your Tab (empty Library).

1) Connect as a Wireless Device. Let Calibre do a Sync Scan
1b?) (can take some time for the first connect. Once scanned, configure the device driver to limit where it looks for books.)

2) Select a group of books not larger than 500 and 'Send to Device' for best 'success' performance
2b) repeat step 2 as needed

[chaley]

Are you saying that CC shows the wrong author, or that some book reader app shows the wrong author? The first is wrong, and as theducks says it would be very unusual. The second is expected if you are using the cloud connection. Also note that CC does not use plugboards.

Use CC as the the library manager, not the reader app. If you really really want to use the reader app then you will need to use calibre to update the metadata in the books so that the reader app will see the metadata.

If this is a thread about CC then I should move it to the CC forum. If you want information on how to get calibre to update metadata in the book then the thread should stay here.

[TCDR]

Originally Posted by theducks

CC does not make those kinds of errors if used properly. Because CC uses what was in the Calibre metadata.

I would start fresh on your Tab (empty Library).

1) Connect as a Wireless Device. Let Calibre do a Sync Scan
1b?) (can take some time for the first connect. Once scanned, configure the device driver to limit where it looks for books.)

2) Select a group of books not larger than 500 and 'Send to Device' for best 'success' performance
2b) repeat step 2 as needed

Hello and Thank you very much to both of you, Theducks and Chaley.
I am trying the process described by Theducks and have cleared my library on the tablet, as well as the references to it in the parameters of CC.
I've then connected the tablet as Wireless device, after having started the wireless connexion in the Main Calibre menu (on the PC).

An icon appears in the main menu (next tothe library icon) showing my device.

You tell me then to let Calibre do a Sync scan. How do I do this ?I can not find a place with such a menu. Is this dona automatically ? If yes, how do I know it has been done properly, so that I can proceed to next step ?

Chaley : As you suggest, I thought about using CC as the Library manager, but I can't reverse the process and start from my tablet on. To answer your question, I'm not using the cloud.
CC itself shows the wrong author name and title, for most of the pdf articles (it shows always my name as the autor and the same title ("Les bases de la photographie"), although both author and title are correctly shown in the main Calibre Library Manager.
Thus, unless the recommandation of Theducks finaly works and solve entirely my issue, I'll need to have information on how to get calibre to update metadata in the book.

I hope this additional information is clear enough for you both to keep on helping me until I manage to solve the issue.
Thnk you again to both of you.
Thierry

[theducks]

Originally Posted by TCDR

You tell me then to let Calibre do a Sync scan. How do I do this ?I can not find a place with such a menu. Is this dona automatically ? If yes, how do I know it has been done properly, so that I can proceed to next step ?
Thierry

The process is automatic
The Task Spinner in Calibre will stop when the scan is done (and the Ondevice ticks will update)

You configure (after the spin stops) from the (connected) device Icon

search: ondevice:false to see only those books that are NOT on the device

[chaley]

Moderator Notice
This is clearly a CC-related thread, so I am moving it to the CC forum

[chaley]

Originally Posted by TCDR

Hello and Thank you very much to both of you, Theducks and Chaley.
I am trying the process described by Theducks and have cleared my library on the tablet, as well as the references to it in the parameters of CC.

What do you mean by "cleared my library on the tablet"? Did you delete all the book files? Did you reinitialize CC so that it shows no books?

I've then connected the tablet as Wireless device, after having started the wireless connexion in the Main Calibre menu (on the PC).

An icon appears in the main menu (next tothe library icon) showing my device.

You tell me then to let Calibre do a Sync scan. How do I do this ?I can not find a place with such a menu. Is this dona automatically ? If yes, how do I know it has been done properly, so that I can proceed to next step ?

Having the device icon appear is good. That means that the connection worked. When CC stops showing various connection messages, CC and calibre are ready to talk to each other.

If you initialized CC and deleted all the book files from the tablet then at this point you should see something like the following:



The "Disconnect" menu item should be there (the item pointed at by the red arrow), and (as shown) you should see no books. If you tap the "Device" button in calibre you should see no books.

Now tap the Library button in calibre. You should see your PDFs. There will be an "On Device" column that is empty.

Select 2 or 3 books, then tap the "Send to device" button in calibre. CC will show progress messages. Calibre will show that there is a "Job" running. When the books are sent, calibre will show a green check mark next to the books. CC will show the books. The title you see in CC should be exactly the same as the title you see in calibre.

If we are OK at this point -- the metadata in CC is correct -- then select more books and send them to CC.

From this point on, whenever you connect CC to caliber as a wireless device, CC and calibre will cooperate to update the metadata for the books. That means that if you change a title or an author in calibre then that information will automatically change in CC next time you connect.

[crane3]

I think that there is a step missing in that a "delete bokcovers without files" should be done after deleting the directory. If not then bringing up CC looks like nothing got deleted as I've gotten flustered a short while ago.

Is there a "initialize" selection CC somewhere?

[chaley]

Originally Posted by crane3

I think that there is a step missing in that a "delete bokcovers without files" should be done after deleting the directory. If not then bringing up CC looks like nothing got deleted as I've gotten flustered a short while ago.

Is there a "initialize" selection CC somewhere?

There are two different ways to reinitialize CC, removing all books from the device and from CC's library.

1. Uninstall and reinstall. The steps:
   • Using a file manager, delete all the book files from the folder(s) where CC stores books.
   • Do one of
     • Uninstall and reinstall CC
     • Go to Android Settings / Apps / Calibre Companion and choose "Clear Data". This will reset CC to how it was when it was initially installed: all settings and the book database (what you are calling "covers) are reset.
   If you want to preserve all your settings then see the FAQ How do I reinstall CC without losing all my book information?. Do the backup first, then the steps above, then the restore. When doing the restore ensure that "Restore CC book database" is not checked. Alternatively, use the method described below.
2. Do the operation in CC.
   • As above, delete all the book files
   • Start CC, go to CC's menu, and choose "Books with missing files". You should see a booklist, one book for each book file you deleted.
   • Tap the "Delete All" button. You should see an empty bookcase
   • Tap the back button twice to go back to the main library. You should now see the empty library screen.

[TCDR]

Hi everybody.
Thanks to all of your inputs, it now works as I expected.
I deleted all the books and deleted bokcovers without files as suggested by Crane3, since I had not seen at that time the last information provided by Chaley. Then, everything went on exactly as Chaley discribed it.
And I now have on my tablet all of the 800+ books and articles I wanted.

Thank you so much to all of you for your precious, precise and efficient help.
My very best regards to you.
Thierry