[Merischino]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

First make sure you have the current version of calibre installed.

Then since I don't use Stanza are you having trouble sorting in Stanza or in the calibre application itself?

In Calibre application itself. All my posted problems are Calibre-application specific and do not relate to usage on the device.

Originally Posted by dwanthny

There is no trick, If the metadata entered is correct then sorting is correct. It is just that simple.

Unfortunately, this SHOULD be true. It is not true in my case.

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Understand that the author field sorts off of the author_sort entry and not from the author entry. Highlight all the books for a given author, select Edit Metadata, place the author's name (first last, for example Isaac Asimov) also check the Automatically set author sort, then click ok. Now the Author sort is set to Asimov, Isaac and will sort in under "A".

I have taken every instance of "Heinlein, Robert A." in my calibre library and changed both author fields, specifically the "author name" field and the "author sort" field so that in all fields in all cases where there is a record for Robert A. Heinlein that his name appears in BOTH fields in exactly the same way. Whether it is Heinlein Robert A or Robert A Heinlein is not relevant or meaningful to my issue. The Fact that whichever one it is in my metadata, that's the way it should sort in Calibre application. That's not what it does. There is no combination of data enter-able into my Calibre application which will result in Calibre sorting all "heinlein" records in an alphabetical method by which they are all sorted in a group and occur in an "h" place in a list of records.

I don't know how else I can say it in English to be understood: Calibre is not sorting alphabetically. My metadata has been standardized, and it still is not sorting alphabetically. There's something wrong: it doesn't sort alphabetically.

Originally Posted by dwanthny

I think you need to start with figuring out one thing at a time, then moving to the next.

I agree. Let's figure this one out: Calibre doesn't sort alphabetically

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Once you set the metadata it does not have to be done over, and over, and over again. The metadata doesn't somehow magically disappear from calibre's library or change on its own accord. Statements like this is why I think you need to tackle one concept at a time. That said, reconverting a book, say epub to epub, will place the cover and pertinent metadata in the file itself.

OnceI set the metadata, it SHOULD NOT HAVE TO be done over and over again. Data, whether in calibre or any other database program, should not disappear or become corrupted on it's own as a mysterious process. If something DOES get corrupted or "disappear" there is an agent or force at work. Ie -- it's not just corrupting itself. I understand this. But... what is corrupting it? is my question.

and... in my experience, changing the metadata so that is is all uniform - does not make it sort properly. And, in my experience, re-converting to the same file format as the original, eg. epub-to-epub, has not resulting in my problems being fixed.

So... something is amiss in Denmark.

Originally Posted by dwanthny

First off read Worldwalker's link. there is no reason to be poking around in calibre's folder structure. That said, folders / file names change on the fly as you change the content of the metadata. Folders do not get left behind, unless you are mucking around in the folders trying to fix the naming (very bad, very very bad). If you think the folders aren't right then go back to the GUI and fix the metadata and that will fix your folders. At this point you might have orphaned folders because you mucked things up by manually playing with folder and file names.

i have not mucked. I shall not muck. I have peeked, and seen, and reported what I have seen. What I have seen was worthy of being reported, in my view. But, *I have not mucked*

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Calibre does not keep duplicate folders/files in its library unless you added duplicate files.

I have not mucked. Said another way, All issues I mentioned as present in my Calibre folder were put there by Calibre, not by a user. So, When I had Isaac Asimov books imported into calibre with multiple instances of Isaac Asimov entered in different ways, like this:

Isaac Asimov
Asimov, Isaac
Isaak Asimov
I. Asimov
Asimov, I.

I went and changed each instance such that his name was in the metadata in Calibra through the GUI (*not from the file structure):

Isaac Asimov

(note: no punctuation)

I could go and peek (NOT MUCK) at the calibre file structure and not only see:


Isaac Asimov
Asimov, Isaac
Isaak Asimov
I. Asimov
Asimov, I.

as folders, but I could see that within each folder were still records for all the files, in addition to those exact same records now all residing within

Isaac Asimov

such that there were duplicate files. Files which were no longer accessible through Calibre-s GUI, and folders for author names which were no longer reflected within Calibre's GUI.

I DID NOT MUCK. I simply came here and reported -- Calibre has multipe folder instances and multiple file instances where they are not need/required and they are wasting hd space.

So, your statement:

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Calibre does not keep duplicate folders/files in its library unless you added duplicate files.

Is actually false. Hate to break it to you.

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Calibre does not keep duplicate folders/files in its library unless you added duplicate files.At this point it might help to use the "Move library to a new location" feature by clicking on the library icon in the top row. Move it to a new EMPTY folder. After your finished this new folder will have the exact books / metadata you have listed in your library. Now stay out of the folder structure and correct the metadata in the GUI to clean things up.

i will try this and report back. And... I'm freaking tired of "correcting the metadata in the GUI" because that is what I have been doing, ov er and over, and that is what i came here to complain about having to do, over and over. I only work on calibre through the gui -- that's what it was built for. I should NOT Have to go do it again.

And please, future posters, please... hear me. I have not mucked in my calibre file structure. I don't need further spankings on this issue. It may be an issue with the majority of your noobs, but 'taint the case here.