MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Best way to copy existing data/metadata to a new copy of a book

hollowpoint · 07-05-2021, 07:51 PM

Q: What's the best way in Calibre to copy existing data and metadata (like: custom downloaded covers, custom tags and book metadata, personal annotations, highlights, bookmarks), to a new copy of the same book?

Background:

I keep 2 copies of my Calibre library and all ebooks: a source library (jailbroken copies of all ebooks in their original format), and a custom library (everything in the source library but with multiple formats added, customizations like covers, metadata, and annotations like notes/bookmarks added thru Calibre content server)
Periodically, the ebooks in the 'source' library get updated. For example, maybe Amazon puts out an updated copy of a book I already have, or a 2nd ed. that adds a new preface, etc.
In those cases where book is updated but content is nearly identical, I want to move a copy of the updated book into my custom library, then apply all the custom data from the first copy of the book to the updated copy.

Looking for the most simple and efficient way to copy all custom metadata from the old copy of a book to the new, without mangling or losing my custom metadata and annotations. Is it as simple as using the copy/paste or merge metadata functions that are in the context menu? Or is it more of a multi-step process, maybe something that can be handled with one of the specialty plugins?

07-05-2021, 07:51 PM	#1
hollowpoint Groupie Posts: 155 Karma: 6672188 Join Date: Apr 2019 Device: Ipad Mini, Kindle PW5, Libra 2	Best way to copy existing data/metadata to a new copy of a book Q: What's the best way in Calibre to copy existing data and metadata (like: custom downloaded covers, custom tags and book metadata, personal annotations, highlights, bookmarks), to a new copy of the same book? Background: I keep 2 copies of my Calibre library and all ebooks: a source library (jailbroken copies of all ebooks in their original format), and a custom library (everything in the source library but with multiple formats added, customizations like covers, metadata, and annotations like notes/bookmarks added thru Calibre content server) Periodically, the ebooks in the 'source' library get updated. For example, maybe Amazon puts out an updated copy of a book I already have, or a 2nd ed. that adds a new preface, etc. In those cases where book is updated but content is nearly identical, I want to move a copy of the updated book into my custom library, then apply all the custom data from the first copy of the book to the updated copy. Looking for the most simple and efficient way to copy all custom metadata from the old copy of a book to the new, without mangling or losing my custom metadata and annotations. Is it as simple as using the copy/paste or merge metadata functions that are in the context menu? Or is it more of a multi-step process, maybe something that can be handled with one of the specialty plugins?