MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Would you recommend it as a document management software?

fidvo · 06-13-2017, 12:27 PM

As someone who uses (abuses) Calibre in ways for which it was never intended, I can say with certainty that Calibre can work as a good document management system.

For me, at least. Whether it will work for anyone else depends upon several factors. Some of the important considerations:

1. It assumes one file per document.

A PDF file is fine in Calibre. But consider something like HTML, where images and other auxiliary files are stored outside the main file. Calibre has special handling for HTML, but there could be other file formats that store additional files externally. And even HTML has limitations in Calibre.

If you anticipate using any formats like this, Calibre is not for you.

You can, however, use multiple formats of the same document, as long as they have different file extensions. For instance, you could have MS Word and PDF versions of the same document.

2. You're limited on what you can do with the files externally.

Any program or process that makes changes to the file names or directory structure are off-limits. The good news is that you can still edit the files. I keep notes in Calibre, and I've never run into a problem editing them.

HOWEVER:

3. Some document editing software makes temporary backup copies of the files as you edit them.

As long as these backup files are deleted cleanly when you close the file, you're all right. Even if they aren't, you'll just end up with extra files in your library folder, which usually doesn't hurt anything, but you'll want to run Check Library frequently to keep your library folder clean.

4. Calibre is all-or-nothing.

Either use Calibre exclusively to manage your documents, or don't use it at all. If you're going to use it, make it your official document repository. If you want to keep a separate copy of those same files externally, never put a file in that external set manually. Always go through Calibre and Save-to-Disk. The general rule of thumb is that if you lose every copy of your documents except the ones in Calibre, you really haven't lost anything.

Note: This does not apply to distinct collections of documents outside Calibre. Just make sure these are clearly separate from the ones you add to Calibre, with no chance of overlap.

If you're willing to live with the above limitations, Calibre will probably work just fine for you.

06-13-2017, 12:27 PM	#8
fidvo Addict Posts: 309 Karma: 1645952 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: none	As someone who uses (abuses) Calibre in ways for which it was never intended, I can say with certainty that Calibre can work as a good document management system. For me, at least. Whether it will work for anyone else depends upon several factors. Some of the important considerations: 1. It assumes one file per document. A PDF file is fine in Calibre. But consider something like HTML, where images and other auxiliary files are stored outside the main file. Calibre has special handling for HTML, but there could be other file formats that store additional files externally. And even HTML has limitations in Calibre. If you anticipate using any formats like this, Calibre is not for you. You can, however, use multiple formats of the same document, as long as they have different file extensions. For instance, you could have MS Word and PDF versions of the same document. 2. You're limited on what you can do with the files externally. Any program or process that makes changes to the file names or directory structure are off-limits. The good news is that you can still edit the files. I keep notes in Calibre, and I've never run into a problem editing them. HOWEVER: 3. Some document editing software makes temporary backup copies of the files as you edit them. As long as these backup files are deleted cleanly when you close the file, you're all right. Even if they aren't, you'll just end up with extra files in your library folder, which usually doesn't hurt anything, but you'll want to run Check Library frequently to keep your library folder clean. 4. Calibre is all-or-nothing. Either use Calibre exclusively to manage your documents, or don't use it at all. If you're going to use it, make it your official document repository. If you want to keep a separate copy of those same files externally, never put a file in that external set manually. Always go through Calibre and Save-to-Disk. The general rule of thumb is that if you lose every copy of your documents except the ones in Calibre, you really haven't lost anything. Note: This does not apply to distinct collections of documents outside Calibre. Just make sure these are clearly separate from the ones you add to Calibre, with no chance of overlap. If you're willing to live with the above limitations, Calibre will probably work just fine for you.