Zip to CBZ 'conversion'

[BetterRed]

If I create a zip with the following content

cb0001.jpg
cb0001_001.jpg
cb0001_002.jpg
...
cb0001_173.jpg

And then add it to calibre I get a CBZ with cb0001.jpg as the cover - good

If I create a zip from the same images with the following file names

cb0001.jpg
cb0001-001.jpg
cb0001-002.jpg
...
cb0001-173.jpg

And then add it to calibre I get a CBZ with cb0001-001.jpg as the cover - bad

Its a trivial issue, but I'm wondering why it happens. Is there something special about having a '-' rather than a '_'.

BR

[kovidgoyal]

Two words: lexical sorting

IIRC the code takes the "first" file as the cover as sorted via simple lexical sort.

[BetterRed]

Of course, a dot comes after a dash

I was hoping for a secret I could exploit to do the unusual.

BR

[Sabardeyn]

Well, you can use the idea to force specific sorting order of elements within archives (ZIP, RAR, CBZ, CBR, etc) as a type of suffixing, but that is about it. This can be helpful if you don't like to use an artificial page numbering scheme to maintain logical display order for unnumbered elements (outside cover, inside cover, flaps, frontispiece, the bookmark/poster/map/whatever that came with the book, etc).

Of course, you could just use numeric prefixing instead to force a specific display order of elements, without relying on ASCII order.

[BetterRed]

@saberdeyn - actually the '-' was my fat finger mistake, I use '_' as the separator between comic book name and image sequence number, not sure why I do that. Sometimes I put a '!' in the front of the image file name I want as the cover, on this occasion I didn't.

I forgot that the complete file name including extension is used, not just the name part. Should have remembered because the other day I got caught by some rogue psp files that inveigled there way into a folder.

br

[Sabardeyn]

For the same reason that I have been using a scheme like:

Comic Name Here__--__v001__c001__p001.ext

(the underscores are spaces). It helps to organize the display and to create a columnar listing of info when looking at a file directory. Missing or incorrect naming or numbering issues become obvious.

I've recently taken a look at ComicRack and ComicTagger, considering the possibility of adding new fields and/or tagging schemes to account for serial publications. The only problem I see with both those programs is that they're focused on Series Name which doesn't always work with books because book series can be nested in each other. I do like how they're differentiating between Series and Story names though.

On the other hand, I've noticed that calibre is reliant on book titles, not story titles, which makes dealing with omnibus, anthologies, magazines and other multiple story publications a bit awkward to deal with. Requiring either the publication be exploded (separate entries in the database) or including a ToC in the comments field. Neither option being particularly graceful.

[BetterRed]

The comics are destined to be used on a couple toddlers iPads - I doubt they're up to Comic Book Rack etc.

They're scans of a mates vintage comic book collection, some of which he inherited from his Dad and maybe even his Granddad. He doesn't know I'm scanning them, because he's over in Tarin Kowt. He'll be home by Christmas, so the idea is that he can give them to his kids etc etc.

What do I get - a hug and maybe a kite to fly.

BR