Quote:
Originally Posted by DNSB
You could use Job Spy to backup the last modified date and then restore it after you have made the changes such as adding a custom date column. |
Yes!! The JS+
Backup/Restore Last Modified dates does exactly what I want! JS+ does so many things, but it could really use some UI improvements. Anyway, it was much simpler than I previously thought once I had the right tools. Here are the steps (for future me, if no one else):
1. Order of steps matters.
2. Do NOT add a new column until after you've installed Job Spy and backed up the
last_modified column.
3. Choose the target library. Verify the last_modified dates are correct.
4. Backup the Last-modified dates with the JS+ plugin:
Tools that are Metadata Related > Backup/Restore Last-Modified Dates > Backup Last-modified dates
5. Add a custom column through
Preferences > Add a Column. Choose Type: Long Text. Restart Calibre.
6. Restore the Last-modified dates with the JS+ plugin:
Tools that are Metadata Related >
Backup/Restore Last-Modified Dates >
Restore Last-modified dates
7. Select all books (ie,
Ctrl+A on Windows). Hit '
E' for a bulk edit.
8. On the
Seach and Replace tab:
Search mode: Regular Expression
Search field: last_modified
Search for: ()
Replace with: \1
Destination field: #your_custom_column
Save the search, for instance: "Copy Last Modified
Click 'Apply' or 'Ok'