Quote:
Originally Posted by Misachat
I reinstalled windows 10 on my SSD and kept all my ebooks on other 1 tera hard disk. I forgot that on my SSD there is my database stored and so I lost it. I used Calibre to recompose my metadata db but I realized that it did not restore my personalized column. How come ? because I though that my 3 personalized columns were store in the individual metadata file that is stored for each ebook on my tera hard disk. Can I recompose the database with these column ? are these column saved in my individual files ?
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I assume by, "
I used Calibre to recompose my metadata db but. . .", you're referring to this function.
If you mean something else, then can you explain exactly what you did.
Custom column definitions are stored in the library database, and the normal location for the library database is in the library folder, in a file named "metadata.db".
The only way I know of to relocate a library database anywhere other than in its library folder is via a symbolic link, which is a file system artefact. Could you confirm this (or something similar) is what you had.
Where did you keep the "
metadata_db_prefs_backup.json" file, it is normally kept in the library folder alongside the metadata.db file. The
Library Maintenance->Restore database function needs that file in order to restore custom column definitions. If you've 'lost' that file too, then that would explain why your custom columns are not being 'recomposed'.
In which case you could try the following (I've never done this - so I am not 100% sure it will work)
- Firstly, backup what you have.
- Create a new library, and add the three custom columns to it. The definitions would have to be EXACTLY the same as the one's you've lost.
- Add a book with 'non-authentic' Author and Book Title values (eg "Author XXXXXX", "Book XXXXXX") and check that the custom columns are as you remember them.
- Then COPY a subset of the author and their book folders from the 'lost' library into the newly created one.
- Run the Library Maintenance->Restore database.
- If the custom columns are restored then redo the previous two steps with all author and books from the 'lost' library.
- If they're not restored then I think you'll have to use one of the Add Books options.
Relocating the database to an SSD via a symbolic link will have very little affect on performance since calibre loads the library database into memory when it opens the database. Memory operations (real and virtual) are invariably faster than file system I/O operations, irrespective of the media the file system is using.
If you elect to persist with doing this on the reconstructed library, then you should include the
actual metadata.db and metadata_db_prefs_backup.json files in your library backups. Some of the better folder/file synchronisation utilities have options to do that.
BR