Calibre webserver and Dropbox

[OakdaleMike]

(Sorry if this has been discussed. The Search feature doesn't find anything.)

The combination of Calibre's webserver and Dropbox is formidable! I'm running the webserver on an up-to-date Ubuntu box that is up 24x7 anyway, so it's a natural to serve up my books. However, I'm away from home a lot (a lot!) and I often add books to my library while I'm on the road, using my laptop. They, of course, are then immediately available on all my devices via Dropbox. However, the Calibre Library app on my phone and tablet doesn't benefit because the Calibre running at home doesn't know the database has changed. Once I get home, I just close and restart Calibre and all is good.

Has anybody discovered a method or work-around to get a remote Calibre webserver to re-sync?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by OakdaleMike

(Sorry if this has been discussed. The Search feature doesn't find anything.)

The combination of Calibre's webserver and Dropbox is formidable! I'm running the webserver on an up-to-date Ubuntu box that is up 24x7 anyway, so it's a natural to serve up my books. However, I'm away from home a lot (a lot!) and I often add books to my library while I'm on the road, using my laptop. They, of course, are then immediately available on all my devices via Dropbox. However, the Calibre Library app on my phone and tablet doesn't benefit because the Calibre running at home doesn't know the database has changed. Once I get home, I just close and restart Calibre and all is good.

Has anybody discovered a method or work-around to get a remote Calibre webserver to re-sync?

Have you tried using the new auto add folder?
Remember, to place a COPY into the folder if you want a backup of the original as once added, the contents of the folder is purged

[tedpeer]

You could set a task to run every day at say midnight that would shut down calibre and another to run at 12:02 to start calibre.

Ted

[OakdaleMike]

theducks: It's not clear to me how I could use auto add for a book that's already in the Calibre database, which is the case I'm trying to work. I guess I could copy the epub somewhere on my laptop, delete the book, SCP it to the Ubuntu box (into a local auto add folder), and let the remote Calibre do its thing. Is that what you were thinking?

tedpeer: Nice. Simple. Should work. (I can't believe I didn't think of it before I asked). I'll give it a shot. The only downside is I have to wait until morning to see my new book on the webserver.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by OakdaleMike

theducks: It's not clear to me how I could use auto add for a book that's already in the Calibre database, which is the case I'm trying to work. I guess I could copy the epub somewhere on my laptop, delete the book, SCP it to the Ubuntu box (into a local auto add folder), and let the remote Calibre do its thing. Is that what you were thinking?

If it is already IN Calibre, why are you adding it (an why is it not showing in the Content server)?


I was thinking of using a dedicated Dropbox folder (Will dropbox allow a folder that does not exist on the server?) as the Auto-add folder. You could drop a book there from any location and Calibre would slurp it up If merge is enabled, it should (usually) update the existing book

Note: I don't use Dropbox (or trust any cloud service) and my content server only gets started when my wife needs a reload on the K4NT

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by OakdaleMike

theducks: It's not clear to me how I could use auto add for a book that's already in the Calibre database, which is the case I'm trying to work.

You could do your editing in a different library then when it is ready for prime time you could drop in in the auto-add folder for your content server library.

[OakdaleMike]

theducks: I run Calibre on multiple computers, but leave it running on one in my office. The issue is that when I update my Calibre database from, e.g., my laptop, it updates the "master" folder on Dropbox instantly, but the already running instance of Calibre doesn't know that. If I soon thereafter let this webserving Calibre update by adding a book that's already there, I fear for the integrity of the database. It might work, but I was afraid to try it. I didn't know about this "merge" function, though...

[OakdaleMike]

OK, I played around with Auto Add using a separate Dropbox folder and it appears to indeed be a very simple solution. As dwnathny points out, one can use a separate, "temporary" library while preparing the book, then switch back to the main library, and copy the new ebook into the auto add folder.

However, the current version of Calibre on Ubuntu 11.10 does not include this feature. Hopefully, the imminent 12.04 will have a sufficiently new version...

Thanks for all the great ideas, folks!

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by OakdaleMike

However, the current version of Calibre on Ubuntu 11.10 does not include this feature. Hopefully, the imminent 12.04 will have a sufficiently new version...

If you used the Binary install outlined on calibre's download page instead of the unsupported (by calibre or this forum) repository version you would be using the most up to date version of calibre.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by OakdaleMike

OK, I played around with Auto Add using a separate Dropbox folder and it appears to indeed be a very simple solution. As dwnathny points out, one can use a separate, "temporary" library while preparing the book, then switch back to the main library, and copy the new ebook into the auto add folder.

However, the current version of Calibre on Ubuntu 11.10 does not include this feature. Hopefully, the imminent 12.04 will have a sufficiently new version...

Thanks for all the great ideas, folks!

Forget ever using the Repository version of Calibre. It is weeks out of date when the release of FIRST appears and is over 6 months old by the time the next release of Ubuntu.
I added the command line Update string to a custom Launcher on the (Systems) Menu (even works in Unity). a single click, a Password for Sudo, and another Enter to accept the default: /opt

[OakdaleMike]

I hate it when a thread like this doesn't conclude, so:

I followed dwanthny's advice above, and installed the Calibre binary for Linux on my Ubuntu office desktop. Unlike a couple of year's ago, when Kovid tried to help me and we both gave it up, it works without a hitch now. I set up this new version to Auto Add books from a separate Dropbox folder that I set up for the purpose.

I also followed his earlier suggestion and (on my laptop, not the webserving Calibre in my home office) temporarily changed the Calibre library to an empty folder set up for the purpose and added a couple of books, fixed up the metadata and converted them.

Then I copied the epub files to the Dropbox Auto Add folder. I noticed that a few moments later, the folder was indeed empty.

Pulled out my phone, opened Calibre Library, and found the new books!

Slick.

PS:

Well, if you follow my approach, please be careful. There are a number of warnings in this forum about using Dropbox and having multiple copies of Calibre open simultaneously. The way I'm operating, I violate this principle. I did, in fact, do some damage to my database -- all my epubs were still in my Dropbox folder, but Calibre didn't know about a few of the most recent. I repaired the situation by Auto Adding the missing books, one at a time.

I think it's OK to have two instances of Calibre running on two different computers only if you are very careful to be sure that Dropbox has completed syncing before you open the local copy (and to make sure sync has completed before you shut down that computer). My plan is to switch all but the webserving Calibre to a non-Dropbox local folder and avoid this issue. I'll still have local copies of all my books, thanks to the Dropbox sync feature and I can still use a local Calibre to add books using the above procedure.