Save/Export Books Unchanged

[sempiter]

I’m using a remote desktop app to access a machine running Calibre. I’d like to copy some books from Calibre into a folder. Were I at the machine, I’d select the books and drag a copy of them into the folder. However, it’s hard to do this using the remote desktop app on my phone.

I tried the command line ‘calibredb’ program (via ssh) using the export command. However, this was suspiciously slow. Acting on a hunch, I checked to see if the exported EPUBs were the same as the ones in the Calibre database. They weren’t, hence Calibre must have been altering them in some way and that’s definitely not what I want.

I also looked into the ‘save’ option within Calibre, but I’m not completely sure that it won’t change the files. There are some options relating to the option in the preferences that create doubts.

So could you perhaps suggest a foolproof and straightforward way of getting exact duplicates of EPUBs (and PDFs) out of Calibre? What I’m after is an approach that doesn’t require drag and drop, but may make use of menus, if necessary.

Thank you.

[BetterRed]

What happens if you open the book folder (press 'O') - on a desktop it would open the file manager (File Explorer, Finder, Nautilus etc) which have non-drag/drop ways to copy files, e.g. File Explorer has Send To in its context menu or Copy To in its ribbon.

BR

[sempiter]

Yes, it’s possible to use the OS file browser, though a little inconvenient, because the book files are buried somewhat.

I’ve written a bash shell script which can be used to fish out certain books from the library.

[kovidgoyal]

Turn off the metadata writer plugins in preferences->plugins or if you are using save to disk, turn off the setting to update metadata in Preferences->Saving to disk

[theducks]

Originally Posted by sempiter

Yes, it’s possible to use the OS file browser, though a little inconvenient, because the book files are buried somewhat.

I’ve written a bash shell script which can be used to fish out certain books from the library.

????
Calibre has a rigidly maintained structure (just read all the howls from folk who don't like it the way it is). Library/Author/Title (id)/<book>

'O'(pen), opens the folder where the book format resides (all formats for the book are in the same place, along with the cover image used in the Library (THE BOOK MAY CONTAIN A DIFFERENT IMAGE).

NOT TRIED but Save to Disc has options to STOP updating Metadata,file names... Have you played with those?

[sempiter]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Turn off the metadata writer plugins in preferences->plugins or if you are using save to disk, turn off the setting to update metadata in Preferences->Saving to disk

Thank you.

Do these plugins affect books on import?

[sempiter]

Originally Posted by theducks

????
Calibre has a rigidly maintained structure (just read all the howls from folk who don't like it the way it is). Library/Author/Title (id)/<book>

'O'(pen), opens the folder where the book format resides (all formats for the book are in the same place, along with the cover image used in the Library (THE BOOK MAY CONTAIN A DIFFERENT IMAGE).

NOT TRIED but Save to Disc has options to STOP updating Metadata,file names... Have you played with those?

What happens if I select, say, twenty books and press ‘O’? (Is it going to open twenty different folders simultaneously?)

I did play about with the save options, but the difficulty is not knowing absolutely that some saved book sometime will not be altered.

I have brought some books into Calibre that were purchased. I want to keep them in their original form, as produced by the publisher. I don’t want Calibre to muck about with books that don’t need mucking about with unless I expressly choose to do that.

Perhaps Calibre is only trying to be helpful, but I don’t expect it by default to silently alter books without obtaining my permission to do so.

NB: I haven’t yet investigated this fully to determine what it is that Calibre is changing.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by sempiter

What happens if I select, say, twenty books and press ‘O’? (Is it going to open twenty different folders simultaneously?)

I did play about with the save options, but the difficulty is not knowing absolutely that some saved book sometime will not be altered.

I have brought some books into Calibre that were purchased. I want to keep them in their original form, as produced by the publisher. I don’t want Calibre to muck about with books that don’t need mucking about with unless I expressly choose to do that.

Perhaps Calibre is only trying to be helpful, but I don’t expect it by default to silently alter books without obtaining my permission to do so.

NB: I haven’t yet investigated this fully to determine what it is that Calibre is changing.

O only opens a single browser., not a bulk mode.
The book just gets fresh (from Library) Metadata on the fly with the normal Send. (assumes the format delivered is the one in the Library)