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edwdecarlo · 01-21-2013, 09:52 AM

I am sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, but I have seen a number of Plug-in threads recently where a request for an 'enhancement' has been rejected by the Plug-in developer and has not been taken well.

First, I want to thank all the Plug-in developers and users who are sharing there knowledge and experiences to help the rest of us better use Calibre and the Plug-ins. This type of sharing is what makes the Calibre community work. Second, for those who don't know this, we have Calibre and these great Plug-in enhancements because a developer, in there spare time, created a tool to help themselves and they decided to share that tool with the rest of us, for free.

I am sure, as a fellow developer, that all requests are being seriously considered by the plug-in developer before being rejected. They could even be enhancements that they considered or tried to implement, and then realized errors of there ways. It could also be that they don't see the value for investing the time implementing it, when weighed against other obligations; family, friends and work. These are people with lives, we should be grateful for the time they can give us.

There are three options available if a Plug-in developer rejects your request:

1) Stop using the plug-in
2) Continue using the plug-in
3) Modify the plug-in to accomplish what you want

Option three will not be available to everyone, but if you have any development background/skills it will be easy to pick up Python and attempt the modifications, there are plenty of Python tutorial and help sites available. The Plug-in developer may even be able to help you determine the best place to start/implement your change, or answer questions you may have about the plug-in code. The Plug-in code is all available, since Python is an Open Source language. Do a file search for gui.py, this file should be in the directory with the Plug-ins directory. It should be in a directory similar to (depending on you OS):

[User AppData]\calibre\plugins

I did this very thing for a Plug-in for a different package. I was able to learn Python quickly and modify a plug-in to accomplish what I needed over a weekend. I then shared my change with Plug-in developer, so they could incorporate it into the base code if they saw value to the plug-in. They didn't want to do so for very good reasons, and I was fine with that. It is, after all, their design/tool and their choice.

Thank you for listening, especially those who already understand.

01-21-2013, 09:52 AM	#483
edwdecarlo Enthusiast Posts: 37 Karma: 41 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: North Kingstown, RI, USA Device: Kindle DX,Nexus 10,Fire HD	Please respect the Plug-in Developers I am sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, but I have seen a number of Plug-in threads recently where a request for an 'enhancement' has been rejected by the Plug-in developer and has not been taken well. First, I want to thank all the Plug-in developers and users who are sharing there knowledge and experiences to help the rest of us better use Calibre and the Plug-ins. This type of sharing is what makes the Calibre community work. Second, for those who don't know this, we have Calibre and these great Plug-in enhancements because a developer, in there spare time, created a tool to help themselves and they decided to share that tool with the rest of us, for free. I am sure, as a fellow developer, that all requests are being seriously considered by the plug-in developer before being rejected. They could even be enhancements that they considered or tried to implement, and then realized errors of there ways. It could also be that they don't see the value for investing the time implementing it, when weighed against other obligations; family, friends and work. These are people with lives, we should be grateful for the time they can give us. There are three options available if a Plug-in developer rejects your request: 1) Stop using the plug-in 2) Continue using the plug-in 3) Modify the plug-in to accomplish what you want Option three will not be available to everyone, but if you have any development background/skills it will be easy to pick up Python and attempt the modifications, there are plenty of Python tutorial and help sites available. The Plug-in developer may even be able to help you determine the best place to start/implement your change, or answer questions you may have about the plug-in code. The Plug-in code is all available, since Python is an Open Source language. Do a file search for gui.py, this file should be in the directory with the Plug-ins directory. It should be in a directory similar to (depending on you OS): [User AppData]\calibre\plugins I did this very thing for a Plug-in for a different package. I was able to learn Python quickly and modify a plug-in to accomplish what I needed over a weekend. I then shared my change with Plug-in developer, so they could incorporate it into the base code if they saw value to the plug-in. They didn't want to do so for very good reasons, and I was fine with that. It is, after all, their design/tool and their choice. Thank you for listening, especially those who already understand.