MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Easiest way to mirror/sync library with Android device?

Adoby · 09-14-2013, 09:01 AM

The way I do it is like this:

I have a folder on my NAS that I connect to as a device, from calibre. There I save the ebooks I want to have on my tablet. I have them grouped by genre in folders, using the send-to-device template, and add series names and index to the titles, using a plugboard for epubs. I only send epubs and pdfs.

The folder on the NAS is shared over wifi, so I can connect to the folder from my tablet.

On my tablet I have the app FolderSync. It is setup to sync a folder on my tablet with the folder on the NAS. The app is setup so the sync is run automatically every hour, but only if the tablet is charging. I can also run the sync manually.

My main reading app is Mantano. After a sync I have to run an import in Mantano. New books are then added to the Mantano library. Deleted books are removed. I have collections in Mantano that are based on the genres. They have to be updated as well. The collections are not needed, but I find them convenient. It is possible to browse the library in Mantano using many other methods. Series names, folders, titles, authors, tags and so on.

Unfortunately metadata for books that haven't changed filename are not automatically updated in Mantano, even if they have updated metadata and have been synced in from calibre again. To fix that I have to either manually delete the entry in Mantano and reimport the book or make sure that the changed book has a new filename. It would have been great with a refresh function in Mantano. I try to make sure that metadata is perfect for all books that I have on my tablet, so I usually don't have to manually reimport books that only have updated metadata. Sometimes when I make more general changes, like add new genres, I typically delete all books from both the NAS and the tablet and do a new send-to-device in calibre and sync the whole library. Can take a while to transfer everything and import it to Mantano.

Another option could be to use a cloud service and let the cloud service do the syncing. The cloud could replace the NAS and the sync app. But I find that my method is much faster, since I have rather slow Internet, and also not too reliable out in the woods, where I live.

I have CC as well, but don't use it. I prefer to use the GUI of Mantano to browse my library.

09-14-2013, 09:01 AM	#3
Adoby Handy Elephant Posts: 1,737 Karma: 26785684 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Southern Sweden, far out in the quiet woods Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra	The way I do it is like this: I have a folder on my NAS that I connect to as a device, from calibre. There I save the ebooks I want to have on my tablet. I have them grouped by genre in folders, using the send-to-device template, and add series names and index to the titles, using a plugboard for epubs. I only send epubs and pdfs. The folder on the NAS is shared over wifi, so I can connect to the folder from my tablet. On my tablet I have the app FolderSync. It is setup to sync a folder on my tablet with the folder on the NAS. The app is setup so the sync is run automatically every hour, but only if the tablet is charging. I can also run the sync manually. My main reading app is Mantano. After a sync I have to run an import in Mantano. New books are then added to the Mantano library. Deleted books are removed. I have collections in Mantano that are based on the genres. They have to be updated as well. The collections are not needed, but I find them convenient. It is possible to browse the library in Mantano using many other methods. Series names, folders, titles, authors, tags and so on. Unfortunately metadata for books that haven't changed filename are not automatically updated in Mantano, even if they have updated metadata and have been synced in from calibre again. To fix that I have to either manually delete the entry in Mantano and reimport the book or make sure that the changed book has a new filename. It would have been great with a refresh function in Mantano. I try to make sure that metadata is perfect for all books that I have on my tablet, so I usually don't have to manually reimport books that only have updated metadata. Sometimes when I make more general changes, like add new genres, I typically delete all books from both the NAS and the tablet and do a new send-to-device in calibre and sync the whole library. Can take a while to transfer everything and import it to Mantano. Another option could be to use a cloud service and let the cloud service do the syncing. The cloud could replace the NAS and the sync app. But I find that my method is much faster, since I have rather slow Internet, and also not too reliable out in the woods, where I live. I have CC as well, but don't use it. I prefer to use the GUI of Mantano to browse my library.