MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - New EASIEST way to manage collections using a computer

bastil · 04-21-2011, 04:28 PM

Hi there,

I just replaced my Kindle 2 with a new Kindle 3 yesterday. So I had the issue that I had a lot of books that needed to be put in collections.
As doing this on the Kindle takes forever I looked for a faster way, using a computer and found one that only needs 10 steps.

Note 1: This tutorial is based on a MAC but I don't see any difference for Windows users, except for the text editor application's name.

Note 2: Apparently some users can not see the folder "system" that is referred to later when the Kindle is in USB mode. This is because the folder is hidden then. You have to enable "show hidden folders and files" for your system then.

Note 3: At the moment this is verified to work with bought Amazon eBooks. I will later today check how this works with non-Amazon eBooks.

OK, here we go.

Step 1:
Create the Collections you would like to use on your Kindle. Put one book into each to simplify later steps.

Step 2:
Plug your Kindle into your computer via USB.

Step 3:
You are now able to access the Kindle as an USB drive via the Finder (Explorer in Windows).
Navigate to the "system" folder. In there you will find a file called "collections.json". If you can not see this file see Note 2.

[Smaller image needed - MODERATOR]

Copy 2 copies of "collections.json" to your Computer (one to have a backup - edit it's name to be able to distinguish them, one for editing).

Step 4:
Open the copied "collections.json" in a text editor. Use "TextEdit" on a Mac (on a Windows computer I guess maybe "Notepad").

It will look like this now:

You will see the name(s) of your collection(s) and their content (see the picture).
I for example have two collections, one called "Englisch" and the other called "Deutsch" and one book in each.
Ignore the other numbers, they are used by the Kindle for last access monitoring.

Each book is named like this:
"#B0036DEB7Q^EBOK"
The combination of letters and numbers corresponds to a book on your Kindle.

Step 5:
Now navigate to the "documents" folder on your Kindle device (still via USB).

[smaller image needed - MODERATOR]

Open a new Text Document and copy paste the letter/number combinations of the books (see picture) you want to have in one collection into this new text document, one per line.

Now paste:
,"#
in front of each line and:
^EBOK"
at the end of each line.

I only have ebooks, that have the EBOK filetype. I don't know how other filetypes would behave.

Then undo the line jumps by positioning the mouse cursor at the beginning of the lines and pressing the backspace button once.
Now it should look like this:

Step 6:

Now select all from the text document and copy past it into the "collections.json" text window right after the book that already is in the collection (the highlighted text is the pasted text in the picture).
All these books will now be in the "Englisch" collection.

Step 7:
Now repeat Steps 5 and 6 for the other collections.

Step 8:
When you are done save the "collections.json" text window.

Step 9:
Copy the edited "collections.json" file from your computer into the "system" folder on your Kindle. It replaces the one on the Kindle.

Step 10:
Eject your Kindle from the computer.
Restart your Kindle for the Changes to take effect.
To restart go to it's Homescreen, press "Menu", go to "Settings", press "Menu" again, then select "Restart".

You are done! :)

04-21-2011, 04:28 PM	#1
bastil Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: Kindle 3 3G+WiFi	New EASIEST way to manage collections using a computer Hi there, I just replaced my Kindle 2 with a new Kindle 3 yesterday. So I had the issue that I had a lot of books that needed to be put in collections. As doing this on the Kindle takes forever I looked for a faster way, using a computer and found one that only needs 10 steps. Note 1: This tutorial is based on a MAC but I don't see any difference for Windows users, except for the text editor application's name. Note 2: Apparently some users can not see the folder "system" that is referred to later when the Kindle is in USB mode. This is because the folder is hidden then. You have to enable "show hidden folders and files" for your system then. Note 3: At the moment this is verified to work with bought Amazon eBooks. I will later today check how this works with non-Amazon eBooks. OK, here we go. Step 1: Create the Collections you would like to use on your Kindle. Put one book into each to simplify later steps. Step 2: Plug your Kindle into your computer via USB. Step 3: You are now able to access the Kindle as an USB drive via the Finder (Explorer in Windows). Navigate to the "system" folder. In there you will find a file called "collections.json". If you can not see this file see Note 2. [Smaller image needed - MODERATOR] Copy 2 copies of "collections.json" to your Computer (one to have a backup - edit it's name to be able to distinguish them, one for editing). Step 4: Open the copied "collections.json" in a text editor. Use "TextEdit" on a Mac (on a Windows computer I guess maybe "Notepad"). It will look like this now: You will see the name(s) of your collection(s) and their content (see the picture). I for example have two collections, one called "Englisch" and the other called "Deutsch" and one book in each. Ignore the other numbers, they are used by the Kindle for last access monitoring. Each book is named like this: "#B0036DEB7Q^EBOK" The combination of letters and numbers corresponds to a book on your Kindle. Step 5: Now navigate to the "documents" folder on your Kindle device (still via USB). [smaller image needed - MODERATOR] Open a new Text Document and copy paste the letter/number combinations of the books (see picture) you want to have in one collection into this new text document, one per line. Now paste: ,"# in front of each line and: ^EBOK" at the end of each line. I only have ebooks, that have the EBOK filetype. I don't know how other filetypes would behave. Then undo the line jumps by positioning the mouse cursor at the beginning of the lines and pressing the backspace button once. Now it should look like this: Step 6: Now select all from the text document and copy past it into the "collections.json" text window right after the book that already is in the collection (the highlighted text is the pasted text in the picture). All these books will now be in the "Englisch" collection. Step 7: Now repeat Steps 5 and 6 for the other collections. Step 8: When you are done save the "collections.json" text window. Step 9: Copy the edited "collections.json" file from your computer into the "system" folder on your Kindle. It replaces the one on the Kindle. Step 10: Eject your Kindle from the computer. Restart your Kindle for the Changes to take effect. To restart go to it's Homescreen, press "Menu", go to "Settings", press "Menu" again, then select "Restart". You are done! :) Last edited by Dr. Drib; 04-22-2011 at 09:46 AM.