Virtual Libraries

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by chaley

Why do you choose to use "Additional Restriction/Current Search" instead of the "Current search" option directly in the VL menu? Both create a temporary virtual library, but the one in the VL menu is both easier to get to and interacts more nicely with plugins that used search restrictions.

Six of one half a dozen of the other. I don't choose to do either, I simply conveyed what I thought you were saying. I was wrong. I also just realized that neither method leaves behind any history list to get in the way.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by teejcee

My error...I didn't take in the word "temporary"..



As per my earlier post, as it stands for the moment, it's simply that with one click I can display ( nearly ) all of the authors I wish to browse.

If the name's not there I can fall back on the author tags.

I don't see it as an advantage, just the way I'm happy to use it.

I have no other use for VLs.

Cheers...

I have a custom column for keeping track of books I want to read.
It is kind of simplistic in that I have the values Read!, Read and Read? but it works for me. I have a virtual library for each group.

I also have a genre column which is helpful if I am in the mood for a type of book but have nothing particular in mind.

Helen

[teejcee]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

I have a custom column for keeping track of books I want to read.
It is kind of simplistic in that I have the values Read!, Read and Read? but it works for me. I have a virtual library for each group.

I also have a genre column which is helpful if I am in the mood for a type of book but have nothing particular in mind.

Helen

Thanks, Helen...I like the simplicity approach...I'll think about it

Cheers

[CraftingGrandma]

Is there anyway to have the virtual libraries be made not from searches?

When I heard the name I thought it was going to be another library, where any books could be added. I may be off in my thinking as I am not as technology as most.

I want to have a virtual library where it is made up of books I add to it, like a real library.

I have many tags for collections of books that I would like to make into a library instead. I could have a library for one of every grandchild. The books we read together and ones I think they would like. This is why having them made up of searches is not good.

My youngest boy who is still very young has a lot of kids book, but I can not limit t to just the ones I label as kids, as he is also very interested in dinosaurs and I have a couple of adult science books I read to him.

Another thought, is I am getting even older, I would like to add to all my libraries for all my grandchildren not just what we read now, but ones I think they will like when they are older. That way if I lose all my mind or leave this earth, they can just look into their library and see all I have saved for them and thought they would like.

So help grandma out, is there anyway to make a virtual library based on nothing and just add each book to it as I choose and I am just missing it?

If there is not, could a feature for making libraries like that be made?

[chaley]

Originally Posted by CraftingGrandma

Is there anyway to have the virtual libraries be made not from searches?

When I heard the name I thought it was going to be another library, where any books could be added. I may be off in my thinking as I am not as technology as most.

I want to have a virtual library where it is made up of books I add to it, like a real library.

I have many tags for collections of books that I would like to make into a library instead. I could have a library for one of every grandchild. The books we read together and ones I think they would like. This is why having them made up of searches is not good.

My youngest boy who is still very young has a lot of kids book, but I can not limit t to just the ones I label as kids, as he is also very interested in dinosaurs and I have a couple of adult science books I read to him.

Another thought, is I am getting even older, I would like to add to all my libraries for all my grandchildren not just what we read now, but ones I think they will like when they are older. That way if I lose all my mind or leave this earth, they can just look into their library and see all I have saved for them and thought they would like.

So help grandma out, is there anyway to make a virtual library based on nothing and just add each book to it as I choose and I am just missing it?

If there is not, could a feature for making libraries like that be made?

The virtual library must be based on *something*. It may be as odd as "what I feel like today", but there must have been criteria. You had to have "rules" to choose which library or libraries at the time you "added" the book.

A given book can be in more than one virtual library. Because of this, the notion of "add to library" is not as simple as "put a book in a bag". You might have 10 bags and you want the same book to be in 5 of them. You gave examples of this. "Dinosaurs" might be in the library for a child and for a teen who is interested in earth's epochs. "Science" can be very broad, with different readers interested in different fields.

Calibre's virtual library system lets you deal with both issues - multiple libraries and arbitrary rules. You can set up totally arbitrary criteria for what libraries a book is in. For example, you could create a custom column (acts like tags). For each book, you put into this column the names of the libraries of which the book is a member. Your choice. Your control. Totally arbitrary. You add a book to a library by adding the library name to the column. You remove a book from a library by removing the library name.

Your virtual library searches would be simple. For example, you could make a virtual library called Books for Grandkids. Its search could be "#column:=grandkids". Or whatever scheme makes sense to you.

If you *really* want separate libraries to which you add books, then make separate libraries. Of course, this means that if a book is in more than one library then you must add it as many times as necessary. I think that it is easier to have one library, and a column or columns that express my criteria for what is in a virtual library, but that doesn't mean it is easier for you.

[Adoby]

You have to use searches. But that isn't too bad.

You could add a tag to the books that you want to be in a specific VL.

For instance add the tag "Johan" and/or "Lisa" to the books you believe Johan or Lisa would like. Then it is very easy to create VLs for books that have those tags. And some books can be for both Johan and Lisa at the same time, if they are tagged both "Lisa" and "Johan".

If there are books that already have those tags, you can remove the tags, or use some prefix with your tags, like: "VL_Johan", "VL_Lisa".

Then the search that you base the VL on could be: tags:"VL_Johan" or tags:"VL_Lisa".

You can also use a custom column for each person, with "Yes/No/Blank", if you don't want to tag the books. And use that to create the VLs.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by CraftingGrandma

I want to have a virtual library where it is made up of books I add to it, like a real library.

I forgot to mention -- you can use drag & drop to help manage libraries.

Assume you make a custom tags-like column. Pick a book that will be in every library and add each library name to the new column. You will now see in the Tag Browser (the window on the left showing authors, series, tags, etc) your new column, and if you click the triangle you will see all the "libraries". For each one, click on the library name to see a "+" -- this creates a search for those books. Now create the virtual library. The virtual library search will be pre-filled in with the search you made. Continue until you have made a virtual library for each entry.

Now, whenever you add a book to your library, you can "drag" that book onto the name of the virtual library in the tag browser. This will add that value to the book, effectively adding the book to the virtual library. Drag it to different libraries as many times as you want.

You might find that you need a new library. Add that value to the "magic" book that is in every library. The value will appear in the tag browser. Do the search/create library step again, and voila -- a new library onto which you can drag books.

Of course, you can dispense with the "magic book" and create libraries on the fly by adding the name to the column for a book. The "magic book" is convenient to create the initial "vocabulary", but it is certainly not required.

[CraftingGrandma]

Thank you everyone for all your quick replies and help.

So there is no way to have the book in may different bags as you used as an example? And thank you for the example, it made me better understand what you were talking about and even what I was asking for. Very well put.

I'm not trying to be argumentative or ungrateful, but what makes the virtual library different from searches then? I just don't quite understand.

As I have already been adding tags to the books to kind of create my own libraries. I have a tag with each of my grand kids names and library. Example - Jenny's Library

Before the virtual library feature I would just search the tags and put in Jenny's Library and then save the search. It would only show her library and then if I wanted to search in their library for a book within it, I would just leave the Jenny's Library part and type after it.

How does the virtual library differ from this? Is there more I can do in a virtual library that I can not doing this method? I still feel I don't fully understand the virtual library.

When I saw the feature of virtual libraries, as I explained above I was excited because I thought I could create one for each of the tags, Then delete the tags.

I want to delete the tags for 2 reason, I don't like them being sent over as collections on my sony reader and when I'm doing a search sometimes books show up because of the words in the tag when I wouldn't want them there. Like I would look for a book that had the name Jenny in it, when I do the search the books with jenny in it show up, but so do every other book that is in Jenny's Library.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by CraftingGrandma

Thank you everyone for all your quick replies and help.

So there is no way to have the book in may different bags as you used as an example? And thank you for the example, it made me better understand what you were talking about and even what I was asking for. Very well put.

I'm not trying to be argumentative or ungrateful, but what makes the virtual library different from searches then? I just don't quite understand.

As I have already been adding tags to the books to kind of create my own libraries. I have a tag with each of my grand kids names and library. Example - Jenny's Library

Before the virtual library feature I would just search the tags and put in Jenny's Library and then save the search. It would only show her library and then if I wanted to search in their library for a book within it, I would just leave the Jenny's Library part and type after it.

How does the virtual library differ from this? Is there more I can do in a virtual library that I can not doing this method? I still feel I don't fully understand the virtual library.

When I saw the feature of virtual libraries, as I explained above I was excited because I thought I could create one for each of the tags, Then delete the tags.

I want to delete the tags for 2 reason, I don't like them being sent over as collections on my sony reader and when I'm doing a search sometimes books show up because of the words in the tag when I wouldn't want them there. Like I would look for a book that had the name Jenny in it, when I do the search the books with jenny in it show up, but so do every other book that is in Jenny's Library.

Delete the tags from the Sony device driver plugin and they won't be sent.

I find the virtual libraries easier to add additional seach terms to via the search bar or the tag browser. EAch to his/her own
Helen

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by CraftingGrandma

So there is no way to have the book in may different bags as you used as an example?

You can have any book in as many different VLs as you like using tags.

Originally Posted by CraftingGrandma

I'm not trying to be argumentative or ungrateful, but what makes the virtual library different from searches then? I just don't quite understand.

A search shows you a subset of a library. A VL shows you the same subset but restricts calibre functions and plugins to this subset alone. This is easiest seen in the tag browser. For a search the tag browser will reflect 1000 books for 1000 book library with all authors, tags, series etc... no matter what the search is.

A VL is treated as a complete library unto itself. Even if the man library has 1000 books the VL will only show you in the tag browser the authors, tags, series etc... for the VL treating it as a library all its own.

Originally Posted by CraftingGrandma

As I have already been adding tags to the books to kind of create my own libraries. I have a tag with each of my grand kids names and library. Example - Jenny's Library

Before the virtual library feature I would just search the tags and put in Jenny's Library and then save the search. It would only show her library and then if I wanted to search in their library for a book within it, I would just leave the Jenny's Library part and type after it.

How does the virtual library differ from this? Is there more I can do in a virtual library that I can not doing this method? I still feel I don't fully understand the virtual library.

Functionally a VL is not much different from a saved search except VLs are treated as a stand alone library and limit calibre functions to this group. Additionally you can now display VLs as tabbed libraries, see attached.

Originally Posted by CraftingGrandma

I want to delete the tags for 2 reason, I don't like them being sent over as collections on my sony reader and when I'm doing a search sometimes books show up because of the words in the tag when I wouldn't want them there. Like I would look for a book that had the name Jenny in it, when I do the search the books with jenny in it show up, but so do every other book that is in Jenny's Library.

For Sony devices the tags you don't want created as collections need to be bracketed. Change the tag Jenny's Library to [Jenny's Library] and the Sony will not create collections for these bracketed tags.

You can solve your search problem by either doing a prefixed search which limits the search to a specific field such as:

title:jenny
comments:jenny
authors:jenny

or go to Preferences - Searching and check the box for Limit the searched metadata then remove tags from the list of items to search when you don't wish to do a prefixed search.

[BetterRed]

@CraftingGrandma I do something similar for Colleagues

• I created a Custom Column based on tags called Colleagues
• When I add a book to the library I drag the book from the Details View to the Colleague(s) in the Tag Browser, who I think might enjoy reading the book.
• If I get a new Colleague I add their name to Colleagues column of a dummy book called !!All Colleagues.

I don't have Virtual Libraries for each Colleague, although I could, and if I did I could do the things that DoctorOhh has already mentioned

• The first attachment shows how my set up looks in Details View without Virtual Libraries
• The second attachment shows how it looks in Details View with Virtual Libraries.

Note that Joachim Virtual Library does not show the !!All Colleagues book, I did that by defining the VL as books with "#colleagues:"=Joachim" and not tags:"=dummy"

I use the Tags Column for what I perceive to be its 'intended' purpose, a container for keywords relating to the content of the book. One of my rules regarding any data is to avoid using columns (attributes, fields, properties etc) for multiple purposes, in Calibre there's no need to even consider doing it because one can so easily add and maintain Custom Columns.

BR

[chaley]

Originally Posted by CraftingGrandma

As I have already been adding tags to the books to kind of create my own libraries. I have a tag with each of my grand kids names and library. Example - Jenny's Library

Before the virtual library feature I would just search the tags and put in Jenny's Library and then save the search. It would only show her library and then if I wanted to search in their library for a book within it, I would just leave the Jenny's Library part and type after it.

How does the virtual library differ from this? Is there more I can do in a virtual library that I can not doing this method? I still feel I don't fully understand the virtual library.

To add to what has already been said above ...

If you use the saved search for Jenny's Library, then as you say, you see the books matched by that search (I am avoiding the term Virtual Library on purpose). There is also something in the search box, specifically the search for Jenny's Library. So far so good.

Now you want to search for Science or Dinosaur books in Jenny's Library. How do you do that? If you change the search to Science, you see all the Science books, not just the one in Jenny's Library, which isn't what you want. You can't click on Science in the tag browser because it will replace the search. To solve this problem using searches you must "add" the Science search term in the search box. OK, now you want books by Sagan in Jenny's Library. You must erase the added Science search term and add the Sagan one. This is a bother.

Virtual libraries remove the bother. When you use a virtual library, the search box is empty. As DoctorOhh mentioned, the tag browser shows only the items that are in the VL, so you can see at a glance if there are any Science books in the VL and you can click on Science to find the right books in the VL.

When I saw the feature of virtual libraries, as I explained above I was excited because I thought I could create one for each of the tags, Then delete the tags.

I want to delete the tags for 2 reason, I don't like them being sent over as collections on my sony reader and when I'm doing a search sometimes books show up because of the words in the tag when I wouldn't want them there. Like I would look for a book that had the name Jenny in it, when I do the search the books with jenny in it show up, but so do every other book that is in Jenny's Library.

I am with BetterRed on this. I would not put VL names into the tags because conceptually they are different things (for me). I use tags to describe characteristics of the content of book, not characteristics of how I organize the books. The VLs of which the book is a member is an organizational characteristic, as are things like "Do I want to read it?" or "When did I read it?" or "Where did I obtain it?". I would create a new tags-like column that is used for VL control, and that is all it is used for.

Another advantage of using a new column: you must do something special to make the names appear as collections on your Sony. By default they won't be there, avoiding the problems you describe. That said, I would go a bit further and make a column that lists the collections a book should be in, for the same reason that I wouldn't put "Read" into a tag. The collections are only peripherally related to the content of the book, but are strongly related to how I want to organize the books. Back when I used my Sony 300 as my main reader I built collections from "Series" and a "Collections" column. Never "Tags".

[Boronian]

I just discovered the feature of virtual libraries and I have to say it is pretty great.
But I couldn't find in the manual how to create "and" / "or" virtual libraries. I think if I correctly understood the manual that I could do the "and" condition with the additional restrictions.

But at the moment I want to make a virtual library with rating:>=4 "or" #prio:>=2.
Either the first or the second condition has to be fulfilled to get in this virtual library.

Maybe I was too blind to find the option, but I hope you can help me. Thanks!

[kovidgoyal]

Enter the following in the search box

rating:>=4 or #prio:>=2

The click Create Virtua Library, give it a name and click OK

[Boronian]

I already tried this. I just forgot to tell you because it didn't work.
But I found my mistake. I got the idea from your advice. My priority custom column doesnt work the same way like the rating column. rating:>=4 works perfectly but #prio:>=2 doesn't. But #prio:=2 works.
So I just wrote rating:>=4 or #prio:=4 or #prio:=2 or #prio:=3 and the library shows all the books I want it to.
Thanks for your help!

Maybe you can explain me why #prio:>=2 doesn't work.