Important news for iTunes/iDevice users: changes in 0.8.7

[GRiker]

You should use the calibre GUI to delete books added by calibre, as it knows about the local storage.

What I meant by that sentence is that you would have used 'Connect to iTunes' to establish iTunes as a connected device, then use calibre's remove from device menu option to remove it. I'll review the wording.

G

[ApK]

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to document new features.

[Alan (PF95)]

OK I'm a newbie, so I ask the dumb questions. Can I check I've got this right?

1. I get an ebook (epub, pdf, whatever). That's copy #1.
2. I import to calibre, which puts a copy in calibre library. Copy #2.
3. To read on the iPad, you want me to copy to iTunes. Copy #3...
4. iTunes syncs with the iPad, creating a Fourth Copy of the book.

Even if I delete the original after step 2, I have 3 copies of the same book.
Two of those copies are on my computer, one one the reader.

I think I'll just tell iTune to "Add folder to library" and point it at the Calibre folder. iTunes sucks at tracking file deletions, but I've been putting up with that for years in my music collection. Once a year, I wipe the iTunes librbary completely, and re-import all folders.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Alan (PF95)

1. I get an ebook (epub, pdf, whatever). That's copy #1.
2. I import to calibre, which puts a copy in calibre library. Copy #2.
3. To read on the iPad, you want me to copy to iTunes. Copy #3...
4. iTunes syncs with the iPad, creating a Fourth Copy of the book.

I delete copy #1 immediately after adding to Calibre, or at most it goes into an archival backup. No need to keep it around.

Copy #2, yup you want that copy in the library presumably, else why have a library.

Copy #3 is done by Calibre, and according to this thread, my practice will be to delete it from iTunes as soon as it's added to my device.

Copy #4. Yes, of course, I want it on the device to read and also in the library, else why have library?

So that will be two copies, as always, not counting any backups I choose to keep.

The only additional step introduced here is the step to remove it from iTunes if desired.

Welcome to MR!
(And I think you spelled "ignorant" wrong in your profile. )

ApK

[chriseboy]

This all sounds... bearable. I don't really mind the odd copy of a book floating around and it would be impossible to consolidate my library because of the setup I have. Therefore I chose to leave the iTunes checkbox unticked.

There is, however one problem.

Set 'Copy files to iTunes Media folder…' is enabled in iTunes Preferences|Advanced to match the setting you chose in iTunes Preferences|Advanced above.
Important: Both checkboxes should be in the same state (checked or unchecked). Mixed settings may lead to an inability for iTunes to sync your books, or multiple local copies.

This checkbox does not exist in my copy of Calibre 0.8.7 - I'm running Mac OS X 10.6.8, iTunes 10.3.1 (based in the UK since you asked) and the only options I get are "use series as Category" and "Cache covers". The interface is reporting version 1.1.0 of the plugin.

Any ideas? As of the moment, any book I send to itunes points to file://localhost/private/var

If it helps, I store my Calibre library on a different disk to the app.

[GRiker]

Check the top of the posting - the described usage will be valid concurrent with the release of 0.8.8 later this week. I posted the revised instructions after the release of 0.8.7 was not well-received.

Wait until 0.8.8, then everything will work as advertised.

G

[chriseboy]

Ok, thanks mate. I guess I can add them to iTunes manually 'til then Great work by the way, both you and Kovid.

[km45]

Good grief, you give me a headache trying to make sense of this stuff. What's wrong with SIMPLE? I'm about ready to move caliber and the whole blasted library to the trash. All I want to do is a simple move a book to my iPad, not be a software engineer/nerd

[ApK]

Originally Posted by km45

Good grief, you give me a headache trying to make sense of this stuff. What's wrong with SIMPLE? I'm about ready to move caliber and the whole blasted library to the trash. All I want to do is a simple move a book to my iPad, not be a software engineer/nerd

Then buy from the iBook store or the other on-device apps. Why are you making it hard on yourself by playing outside Apple's walled garden?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by km45

Good grief, you give me a headache trying to make sense of this stuff. What's wrong with SIMPLE? I'm about ready to move caliber and the whole blasted library to the trash. All I want to do is a simple move a book to my iPad, not be a software engineer/nerd

Blame Apple for making the Interface convoluted.

Calibre is just trying to keep up with the Cupertino Geeks

[ApK]

Originally Posted by theducks

Blame Apple for making the Interface convoluted.

Calibre is just trying to keep up with the Cupertino Geeks

Well, to be fair, Calibre is making a change here unrelated to Cupertino, it's just not playing smoothly with the way they have to play with Cupertino.

But, I agree, blame Apple for the travesty that is iTunes, regardless.
Thank goodness for Sharepod on my 5th gen iPod.

[Alan (PF95)]

Originally Posted by ApK

Copy #2, yup you want that copy in the library presumably, else why have a library.

Welcome to MR!
(And I think you spelled "ignorant" wrong in your profile. )

ApK

Aaarg - spelling. (fixed)
Ok, I've read some Calibre FAQ's and I'm slightly less ignorant.

For the price, it's hard to complain - yet bot Calibre and iTunes have a philosophy I don't share. Namely, putting copies in specific locations.

In fact, iTunes is better in this regard (gasp) in that, when you add a folder to the library, importing the actual files is an OPTION. I mention this because my original books are filed by topic. (A fellow named Dewey had a similar system.)

Under my system, Java programming books are grouped together. Same with the sci-fi novels of Heinlein and Asimov, or the modern comedy of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. Creatings groups like this is not even an option in Calibre itself, let alone filing the books in this manner. It's author, or find another program.

You want a big database of book data? Fine. You want to keep Converted copies somewhere? That's good too. I'll just softly mention the product I think does it right - or better than iTunes, anyway: Media Monkey.

It only handles audio, but it handles it very well.

[GRiker]

The first post in this thread, containing an overview of the architectural changes to calibre and the subsequent need to have local storage, has been appended to the Calibre + Apple iDevices: Start here sticky as an addendum. I am unsticking this thread, as it has served its purpose.

G

[Jedai]

Originally Posted by Alan (PF95)

Under my system, Java programming books are grouped together. Same with the sci-fi novels of Heinlein and Asimov, or the modern comedy of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. Creatings groups like this is not even an option in Calibre itself, let alone filing the books in this manner. It's author, or find another program.

This isn't the place to have this well-rehearsed debate once again but let me just tell you that you're NOT supposed to look at the files themselves, you're supposed to use Calibre to handle them (eventually exporting them by chunk if you need to) and that allows you to "Create groups like that" very well indeed, in fact it is more flexible than that since it is a system of tags and thus the same book can belong to more than one group as it so often makes sense and contrary to the artificial Dewey-like classification.

--
Jedaï

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Jedai

This isn't the place to have this well-rehearsed debate once again but let me just tell you that you're NOT supposed to look at the files themselves, you're supposed to use Calibre to handle them (eventually exporting them by chunk if you need to) and that allows you to "Create groups like that" very well indeed, in fact it is more flexible than that since it is a system of tags and thus the same book can belong to more than one group as it so often makes sense and contrary to the artificial Dewey-like classification.

--
Jedaï

Indeed, someone here has an excellent explanation linked in their sig of why you should let Calibre handle it's database and not worry about it.

Are you annoyed that you can't specify what sectors your OS uses when it writes files to your disk? Think of Calibre library the same way.

But as always, no one is forcing anyone to use Calibre. Millions of people seem to be pretty happy with it, but if someone thinks they have a better way of doing things, there is always room for another app in the world.

ApK