Sorting Fields/Tags within Fields/ Tags?

[mattlauck]

Spent my last two days off from work trying to get Calibre to do what I want.
Using Fields/Columns to easily navigate the Cover Grid View with a 'Hierarcy, drill-down, or narrowing' of results using existing fields and created columns.

Seems that Calibre is more than powerful enough to do what I would like it to do but I have been unable to break much ground. I have no knowledge of even basic programming languages.

I would greatly appreciate any help or insight that anyone could offer.

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I am looking for Calibre to return results from WITHIN other results.

The Virtual Libraries seem to be the only method of getting this to work, however I would like more than two levels of searching.

Example 1:

- I would like to select an author and then see a list of series by that author.

What happens:

I select an 'author' from the field list on the right.
The results for the author come up.
Then wanting to see series by this author, I select 'series' from the left pane.
This results in the search results for the author being closed and search results for every series to be returned.

Example 2:

- I want to select Biography from 'tags'. Within those results I would like to select other 'tags' or 'columns' to narrow my results, like presidents, military, or comedians


What happens:

Same thing as above, as trying to narrow results down only closes my results and brings up all results for my new selection.

Optimally I would be able to drive down multiple levels by narrowing my search to exactly what I am looking for.

Example:

From 'tag' I select - Fiction
I select the 'tag' - Horror
I select the 'author' - Stephen King,
I select 'series' - The Dark Tower
I select '(custom column) Status' - Unread

With every step the results are narrowed.

At the end, Calibre returns 'The Wind through the Keyhole'

GREAT!

If you could 'break out' results it would be even better.

With the above example I have drilled down to Stephen King.
(Fiction/ Horror/Stephen King)
But now I would like to see results for Stephen King NOT in Horror.

Selecting Stephen King (Right Click option or new button)would break out a search to include all Stephen King.

PERFECT!

Currently I use Virtual Libraries to sort out my library into Fiction/ Non-Fiction/Suspense/Thriller/Action/Horror/Mystery/Biography/Self-Help/Women's/Young Adult/Children's tabs.

So on selection, the main library is parred down to these 'tags/columns' which allow me to select results by choosing the fields/columns on the left hand side. But, this method only provides two levels of search and doesn't lend itself to quick on-the-cuff searching as you have to set up the virtual library.

The closest I have come is creating a custom column 'Author/Series'.
Selecting 'Column built from other column', and
Using template '{author).{series}'.

This returns imperfect author results as books with more than one author are returned showing lumped together instead of the way they are displayed in 'Authors'.
It also breaks down the authors to two listings IF they have a series.

Example:

Stephen King & David Palladini.
>Stephen King & Peter Straub
Stephen King & Richard Bachman.
Stephen King.
>Stephen King

Expanding the >King/Straub carrot will bring up 'The Talisman'
Expanding the >King carrot will bring up ' The Dark Tower' and 'The Shining'.

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I am an archivist and LOVE to collect.
I started cataloging my e-book collection this month and I have @1,000 titles organized so far.
Calibre is the best tool I have found so far.

I have a bad memory and struggle with recall.
Primarily I search by browsing and clicking rather than enter text into a search box.
I can't remember the authors name but I find him through drilling down through 'tags'.

I have used excellent library managing programs before.
- J. RIVER ME
DIA CENTER for Music/ TV Series / Movies
- COMIC RACK for Comic Books

I hope the Calibre can provide me a similar level of usability.

Thank-you for reading my post, I would be thankful for any suggestions that you could offer.

[At_Libitum]

Don't forget that you can make multiple selections in the tag browser using ctrl-click.

e.g. your first example to select an author and then see all series from just this author,
click the author name in the tag browser,
press and hold ctrl and click the series category.

The same method of course also works in selecting a subset of tags.

additional filtering can indeed be done using virtual libraries, there is also the use of hierarchical data as you seem to have found (e.g. I have a separate column for the main genre and combine these with the tags in a separate custom column shown in the tag browser, so I get an entry like Sci-Fi.Speculative or Sci-Fi.Utopian

If this column is then added in the look&feel for the tab browser as being a column with hierarchical data, it will create 'subfolders' in that category in the tag browser.

so the former would end up as
Sci-Fi
|----Speculative
|----Utopian

(note. when clicking a second time on a parent level in hierarchical tags, the single green plus turns to double green plusses, showing every book below that level. And yes, it would be nicer if it did this by default on first click)

Combine this with virtual libraries on for instance the main genre column, have the virtual libraries shown as tabs and you get the beginnings of a very flexible way of filtering, selecting and searching.

Of course such combined columns don't need to be limited to genre.tags but could also be applied to e.g. Series.Authors, this is just how I happen to be using Calibre and I am sure others will have yet other tricks in their toolbox to make this an easier task. Also they don't need to be limited to two levels, you could for instance create a custom column series.authors.genre.tags or whichever order you like for alternative forms of filtering

Also don't forget the Save Search option to save intermediate steps.

e.g. the first example you gave. Once you have selected the author and ctrl-clicked the series category, save this as a custom search "Series by Author X" to have a quick starting point the next time. And if you find you use a specific search a lot you can use the same criteria to make it a virtual library.

Virtual libraries have one other advantage over custom searches and that is inside a virtual library, all of the categories in the tagbrowser will also be filtered and only showing those category entries present in that virtual library.

[BetterRed]

@mattlauck - have you considered using the View Manager plugin - https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=129014

BR

[mattlauck]

I want to thank both At_Libitum and BetterRed for the quick replies.

At_Libitum, for whatever reason my selecting 1 item with a mouse click and then selecting the next with (ctr) mouse click does NOT give me the results you describe.

I had thought that it SHOULD work in the way you described, however it is not and that is why I am befuddled.

I select an author from the left column with a mouse click.
(results are shown for that author)
I hold down CTRL and select 'SERIES' from the left column with the mouse.
(results are shown for EVERY series PLUS results for the selected author.)

I had hoped that it would give me the parred down selection of 'Series' by the selected Author but it does not.

IF my system worked the way you described then PERFECT that is what I wanted.
If you get these results that you describe, maybe I have something configured incorrectly?

Any suggestions on why this is not working for me?

I have been using virtual libraries and love them.
I have them set up with the main/ first levels of my categorization scheme.
(Sci-fi, Horror, Fantasy, Action, Biography.....)
I just need a couple more levels to 'drill down' into.

I have been playing with the hierarchical method and think I can get it to work for me with genres.

Thanks again.

[kovidgoyal]

Click the Alter Tag Browser button at the bottom and change the "search type when selecting multiple items" to "Match all of the items"

[mattlauck]

I want to thank both At_Libitum and BetterRed for the quick replies.

BetterRed, I checked out the link for the plug in.

It would appear that this is for customization for the column view.
I was looking for something for the Cover view as that is what I plan to use 99% of the time for browsing and selecting.

I do thank-you and plan to add the plug-in as it does sound very useful.

[mattlauck]

Thank-you kovidgoyal!

Holy Crap, I am an idiot.

I totally missed that, and would never figured it out.
It was driving me bat-crap crazy.

Thanks again,
great product!
Great support!

[BetterRed]

@mattaluck - sorry about that, I think I got stuck on the first word in the title of your post - Sorting which is what View Manager primarily does, not selection.

VM works fine in the cover grid, although its not so obvious without being able to see the columns. There's a right click Sort By that Kovid implemented with/for the cover grid.

Oh, and your not an idiot - the "match all/match any" options are missed by many people - including myself, twice

BR

[At_Libitum]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@mattaluck

[......snip.....]

Oh, and your not an idiot - the "match all/match any" options are missed by many people - including myself, twice

BR

same here. typically a set-once-forget-always setting. Couldn't figure why it would act different for him

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by At_Libitum

same here. typically a set-once-forget-always setting. Couldn't figure why it would act different for him

@At_Libitum, I'm unsure whether I should respectfully disagree or express furious agreement.

Intuitively I want ctrl/click to be 'and' and shift/click to be 'or' (or vice versa), but they both obey whatever the Alter Tag Browser>Search Type... setting currently dictates.

Hence, I always look at what I get and change what's in the search bar, adding parentheses where needed.

BR