Persistent Category/Genre Trees

[BetterRed]

Does anyone have a way of setting up a Genre tree with its category values even if one has no books of that category.

The manual states - A genre does not exist in calibre until it appears on at least one book

But I'd like to set up Controlled Vocabularies in advance of assigning books to the categories.

Some knowledge domains have Controlled Vocabularies which are commercial properties - ie one can license the IPR. It would be nice to be able to import the values from a text file so that the 'Genre' values are an exact match of defacto standards for the knowledge domain in question.

The only possible solution I can think of is to create an empty book for each category. But that's not a very appealing solution if the vocabulary has hundreds of entries... unless one could put the books in an stealth jacket

Hmmmm... a hide books feature could do that... that would do me.

Thanks BR

[Dopedangel]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Does anyone have a way of setting up a Genre tree with its category values even if one has no books of that category.

The manual states - A genre does not exist in calibre until it appears on at least one book

But I'd like to set up Controlled Vocabularies in advance of assigning books to the categories.

Some knowledge domains have Controlled Vocabularies which are commercial properties - ie one can license the IPR. It would be nice to be able to import the values from a text file so that the 'Genre' values are an exact match of defacto standards for the knowledge domain in question.

The only possible solution I can think of is to create an empty book for each category. But that's not a very appealing solution if the vocabulary has hundreds of entries... unless one could put the books in an stealth jacket

Hmmmm... a hide books feature could do that... that would do me.

Thanks BR

I might not be getting what you are trying to do but wont just one empty book with all the genres tags you want associated to it work.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Dopedangel

I am might not be getting what you are trying to do but wont just one empty book with all the genres tags you want associated to it work.

That is the current work-around

I can see the advantage of having a Locked (static) list so ONLY pre-configured items may be used (this is not quite the same as the custom text list field). The lists would be maintained separately and would NOT be self purging.

[chaley]

Wouldn't a custom column with a fixed set of values do the job, assuming that you don't want more than one entry per book? If you do want multiple entries per book then dopedangel's suggestion seems correct.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

That is the current work-around

No, Dopedangel has read what I meant - one category per book.

So his idea is useful - I'd probably have one book for each top level node, rather than one for the whole enchilada. but that would <20 dummy books, whereas I was thinking of hundreds

In my defence the idea of dummy books and cloaking them only came to me as I was typing the question.

Originally Posted by theducks

I can see the advantage of having a Locked (static) list so ONLY pre-configured items may be used (this is not quite the same as the custom text list field). The lists would be maintained separately and would NOT be self purging.

Yes that would be my preference - my photo manager, IMatch, ships with predefined CV's from IPTC (I think), and it provides the ability to import others.

Hands up all those who would like a Hide Books feature - no Shades of Grey, straight up yes/no

I wonder if one can assign values to a genre column in a book via the command line ?

Thanks guys

ps: chaley - ability to assign a book to multiple categories is needed, hence I will start with my top level node variant of Dopedangels idea - any thoughts on the hiding of books or the updating genre columns via CLI Calibre.

And a hierarchical feature is also a requirement - here's a Controlled Vocab for Education Resources you need to drill into it to get the sense of a hierarchy.

br

[theducks]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Hands up all those who would like a Hide Books feature - no Shades of Grey, straight up yes/no


br

Filters (Restrict to) will do that.

Every thing else (the tag browser reflect what the filter allows) works the same with a filter in effect.

[theducks]

@chaley

A Locked lookup table would prevent additions or deletions (purges of unused) except via the maintenance screen.

The basic GUI (view) would not visually change.
1) A locked (with Lookup) field would need some code changes to:
a) trap/resolve 'Not an available choice' values instead of just adding.
b) disable the deletion (purging) of values with no usage, leaving these for future use.

The current 'Manage x' could probably handle these, otherwise, locked tables.

Adding a padlock to the Icon in the Tag Browser to remind the user which fields a 'Locked'

Locked fields could be configured in Tweaks (similar to Hierarchical fields). Off by default

Basically, this option could be used to prevent the proliferation of things, like: Tags, Author name Spelling Variations

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

Filters (Restrict to) will do that.

Every thing else (the tag browser reflect what the filter allows) works the same with a filter in effect.

OK, I had a play with that; yes, it would work, except it that led me into troubled waters...

I have lost my Saved Searches section in the Tag browser

I right clicked one of them and selected "Hide Category Searches" - I assumed it would hide the searches based on values in the Tag column, which is sometimes called Category, such as in the Manage Tags function.

However, it hid all my saved searches and there's no obvious way to Unhide them. I can see them in the Restrict To and Saved Searches in the Search Bar but they've all gone from the Tag Browser

If there is one that drives me banana's in Calibre it's the use of different words with the same meaning or the same word with different meanings. That's fine in creative writing; gives the reader something about which to think. But IMO, it should be banned in software, and in its documentation. It's worse than splitting one's infinitives or shoving a superfluous pronoun at the end of one’s sentences.

The cavalier use of 'tag', 'category’, and 'keyword' (IIRC it is/was in the PDF version of manual) is the most glaring example of this confounded linguistic confusion. However, it’s not Robinson Crusoe in that.

I was using a Test database so there's no significant damage done

But tell me, how do I reveal the Tag Browser’s Saved Searches section that I might inadvertently conceal from myself by selecting the Hide... option

BR

[theducks]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

OK, I had a play with that; yes, it would work, except it that led me into troubled waters...

I have lost my Saved Searches section in the Tag browser

I right clicked one of them and selected "Hide Category Searches" - I assumed it would hide the searches based on values in the Tag column, which is sometimes called Category, such as in the Manage Tags function.

However, it hid all my saved searches and there's no obvious way to Unhide them. I can see them in the Restrict To and Saved Searches in the Search Bar but they've all gone from the Tag Browser

If there is one that drives me banana's in Calibre it's the use of different words with the same meaning or the same word with different meanings. That's fine in creative writing; gives the reader something about which to think. But IMO, it should be banned in software, and in its documentation. It's worse than splitting one's infinitives or shoving a superfluous pronoun at the end of one’s sentences.

The cavalier use of 'tag', 'category’, and 'keyword' (IIRC it is/was in the PDF version of manual) is the most glaring example of this confounded linguistic confusion. However, it’s not Robinson Crusoe in that.

I was using a Test database so there's no significant damage done

But tell me, how do I reveal the Tag Browser’s Saved Searches section that I might inadvertently conceal from myself by selecting the Hide... option

BR

The Tag Browser Category is Searches
Right click on any Category: Show Category: Searches

[BetterRed]

buddy, I ferreted around in the Manage Tags area and gave up

And thanks for QED'ing my assertion that the use of different words with the same meaning or the same word with different meanings serves to make Calibre very confusing.


BTW its 'quod'... not 'quad' as I've seen in recent publications from NYRB, Yale Law and Sloane School.

I might be prepared to forgive Yale & Sloane for they are not even savant foolish, but not the NYRB! I wrote a Letter to the Editor, but I fear there is nonesuch! Suggested that given that we're no longer constrained by the limitations of the typewriter we should use original ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι (ΟΕΔ) rather than an inaccurate Latin translation from an Arabic translation of Euclid in Greek.

Alas I fear I'm in my campaign to make people write proper like. But at least I won't die from lack of trying

BR