MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Ebook files tagging using TOTAL COMMANDER file manager?

jack Ng · 03-19-2014, 01:00 PM

Hi all,

I'm a regular lurker on this fourm and just registered to contribute this post. So be kind to me.

While searching for a ebook cataloging solution, it occurred to me that the TOTAL COMMANDER file manager tool I have been using for years seemed ideal for me to keep track of my ebooks. I'm still exploring this approach. It seems promising, so I would like to share my findings and perhaps get some feedbacks.

My modest requirements to keep track of what I need to read is to be able to:
- tag those ebooks I want to read with a priority tag,
- sort the book list by the tags so I know what I should read next, and
- attach some short comments to the books in the book list.

I already have a file directory structure I'm familiar with to organise my electronic books. Up to now, I maintained a to-read booklist in a spreadsheet but syncing it with new books in various file directories is a chore. A full featured software like Calibre seemed overkill. Cloud-based solution doesn't sit well with me. I use many ereader software on various devices but will not stick to one just for its ebook management capability. I also considered writing scripts to help me keep track of new books in the directory tree.

This is where Total Commander comes in. Total Commander (TC) is a *powerful* MS Windows dual-panel File Manager with a long history and best use together with a physical keyboard. It's a US$44 PC shareware with a free 30-days trial although graciously, there is no hard imposed time limit or restriction in the software beyond the trial period except for a startup nag screen. I'm not related to the company or software author in any way.

My main interest in TC here is that it supports an *old* feature to attach a user file description/comment to each files which are collectively store in a hidden text file in each file directory. This file comment field is used to store my book tag and other book info. TC can be configured to maintain these file comments even when files are moved or renamed, provided *ONLY* TC is used to manage the files, and not Windows Explorer or other file tools which are not aware of this file comment scheme, which is fine with me.

Now, TC has many features. The relevant aspects of TC for my ebook tagging purpose are:

To add/edit a file comment, I navigate to the particular file, press CTRL-Z to edit a comment of up to 511 characters, and F2 to save. This is easy enough for me to mark new ebooks when I move them into my directory tree. TC will manage the comments in its hidden file kept in each directory. This hidden file is a plain text file that can be directly edited or manipulated/archived if needed.
The file comments can be displayed in a custom defined display column and sorted
(Shift-F1 -> Configure custom column -> Add column -> =tc.comment)

I start all my file comments with a book tag like "*I9" , "*F6" with a alphabet for book category (IT, Fiction, History etc) and a digit for reading priority so my ebooks can be sorted according to my book tags. Other book comments are appended after the tag.
The Branch view (ctrl-B) display ALL the files in a directory tree in one list, and when sorted by the file comment column shows ALL my ebooks sorted according to my book tags in one display panel. I can edit the file comments and perform normal file operations in this view.
Advanced file search can perform search using regular expression in the file comment (Alt+F7 -> plugins tab -> tc => comment => contains..), and also put the search results in the file display panel ("Feed to Listbox") to perform typical file operations.

There are other options I have yet to explore such as :
TC has excellent file sync features to sync files with file system of external devices which I use regularly. I have yet to test how well the file comments can be sync across with external file systems.
exporting the selected file list to a text file or comma delimited file using TC plugin so I can carry my sorted booklist in other devices
when displaying files, show files in different colours based on contents in the file comment field

The chief advantage of this TC book tagging scheme to me is that it is built into my favorite file manager software. The book tagging function is integrated into its file operations as if the file comment field is just another file attribute while the file comments are actually stored in external text files which I can manipulate if need be.

I will be trying out this system to see how well it work. Not sure if anybody else is already doing something like this?

03-19-2014, 01:00 PM	#1
jack Ng Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2014 Device: Nook Simple Touch	Ebook files tagging using TOTAL COMMANDER file manager? Hi all, I'm a regular lurker on this fourm and just registered to contribute this post. So be kind to me. While searching for a ebook cataloging solution, it occurred to me that the TOTAL COMMANDER file manager tool I have been using for years seemed ideal for me to keep track of my ebooks. I'm still exploring this approach. It seems promising, so I would like to share my findings and perhaps get some feedbacks. My modest requirements to keep track of what I need to read is to be able to: - tag those ebooks I want to read with a priority tag, - sort the book list by the tags so I know what I should read next, and - attach some short comments to the books in the book list. I already have a file directory structure I'm familiar with to organise my electronic books. Up to now, I maintained a to-read booklist in a spreadsheet but syncing it with new books in various file directories is a chore. A full featured software like Calibre seemed overkill. Cloud-based solution doesn't sit well with me. I use many ereader software on various devices but will not stick to one just for its ebook management capability. I also considered writing scripts to help me keep track of new books in the directory tree. This is where Total Commander comes in. Total Commander (TC) is a powerful MS Windows dual-panel File Manager with a long history and best use together with a physical keyboard. It's a US$44 PC shareware with a free 30-days trial although graciously, there is no hard imposed time limit or restriction in the software beyond the trial period except for a startup nag screen. I'm not related to the company or software author in any way. My main interest in TC here is that it supports an old feature to attach a user file description/comment to each files which are collectively store in a hidden text file in each file directory. This file comment field is used to store my book tag and other book info. TC can be configured to maintain these file comments even when files are moved or renamed, provided ONLY TC is used to manage the files, and not Windows Explorer or other file tools which are not aware of this file comment scheme, which is fine with me. Now, TC has many features. The relevant aspects of TC for my ebook tagging purpose are: To add/edit a file comment, I navigate to the particular file, press CTRL-Z to edit a comment of up to 511 characters, and F2 to save. This is easy enough for me to mark new ebooks when I move them into my directory tree. TC will manage the comments in its hidden file kept in each directory. This hidden file is a plain text file that can be directly edited or manipulated/archived if needed. The file comments can be displayed in a custom defined display column and sorted (Shift-F1 -> Configure custom column -> Add column -> =tc.comment) I start all my file comments with a book tag like "I9" , "F6" with a alphabet for book category (IT, Fiction, History etc) and a digit for reading priority so my ebooks can be sorted according to my book tags. Other book comments are appended after the tag. The Branch view (ctrl-B) display ALL the files in a directory tree in one list, and when sorted by the file comment column shows ALL my ebooks sorted according to my book tags in one display panel. I can edit the file comments and perform normal file operations in this view. Advanced file search can perform search using regular expression in the file comment (Alt+F7 -> plugins tab -> tc => comment => contains..), and also put the search results in the file display panel ("Feed to Listbox") to perform typical file operations. There are other options I have yet to explore such as : TC has excellent file sync features to sync files with file system of external devices which I use regularly. I have yet to test how well the file comments can be sync across with external file systems. exporting the selected file list to a text file or comma delimited file using TC plugin so I can carry my sorted booklist in other devices when displaying files, show files in different colours based on contents in the file comment field The chief advantage of this TC book tagging scheme to me is that it is built into my favorite file manager software. The book tagging function is integrated into its file operations as if the file comment field is just another file attribute while the file comments are actually stored in external text files which I can manipulate if need be. I will be trying out this system to see how well it work. Not sure if anybody else is already doing something like this?