Add an image to the author folder?

[wpbpete]

Hello, I'm a new user and needing some help setting up my library to work with my media server. In order for my server to display a folder image, it requires a folder.jpg in the "author folder". Is there a way for Calibre to include an image in the author folder alongside the books? I would be happy if the image is a book cover or a photo of the author. I took a look at editing metadata, but couldn't find an option to download an image to the author folder. Any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

[Adoby]

Sorry, but no. You would have to fix that manually.

[BetterRed]

@wpbpete - I agree with Adoby - no there is no approved way to do that

But I just dropped a jpeg into an author folder and renamed it to folder.jpg and added 3 books for the author, then I did a couple of conversions and a Save to Disk, I did not download metadata because I know there isn't any (my books are non commercial). The folder.jpg's are still there - Check Library flags them as invalid title, if I edited the author name I'd probably lose the folder.jpg, but I could probably live with those 'hiccups'

Create a small test library based on a couple of existing authors, drop a jpeg into each author folder and rename as folder.jpg and do some tests.

Maybe you can 'integrate' your media server with your calibre library via the Author link feature that's available in calibre Manage Authors facility.

BR

[wpbpete]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@wpbpete - I agree with Adoby - no there is no approved way to do that
Maybe you can 'integrate' your media server with your calibre library via the Author link feature that's available in calibre Manage Authors facility.

BR

Thank you for responding. I'm hoping for an automated way to accomplish my goal. How can try what you suggest here. Can you point me to a tutorial?

[CWatkinsNash]

wpbpete: Are you using Media Browser?

[wpbpete]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

wpbpete: Are you using Media Browser?

yes I am, Mediabrowser3 has a great plugin for books. If i can automate the folder.jpg it would be fantastic

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by wpbpete

yes I am, Mediabrowser3 has a great plugin for books. If i can automate the folder.jpg it would be fantastic

I haven't gotten around to using MB Bookshelf yet, but I'm familiar with how it works, and also with calibre. (I'm CWNashvegas over on the MB forums.)

Due to the fact that calibre is designed to never have the book folders messed with, I would strongly recommend that you use calibre's Save to Disk feature to create a folder set to use with MB3, rather than trying to get things to work properly for both. This way you don't have to worry about calibre deleting your added files, or other possible conflicts.

After Save to Disk, set up your newly created book folders inside a UNC share just like your other media folders. That's what I plan to do when I get around to it.

While I would love for some sort of fetching to exist for the additional data / images that MB3 can display, we're a long way from an automated process, partly because there currently isn't a provider for some of it, at least not in the way there currently is for other media.

I'm hoping that, eventually, if there are enough users for MB Bookshelf, someone will create a plugin that will gather the available images and also convert hi-res bookcover images into backdrops.

[wpbpete]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

I haven't gotten around to using MB Bookshelf yet, but I'm familiar with how it works, and also with calibre. (I'm CWNashvegas over on the MB forums.)

I'm hoping that, eventually, if there are enough users for MB Bookshelf, someone will create a plugin that will gather the available images and also convert hi-res bookcover images into backdrops.

Hey nice to meet you so far from home LoL I figured the dev or someone else probably already tried Calibre but it wouldn't hurt to find out for myself. I only started using MB Bookshelf a few days ago and my wife, daughter and myself all love it. We've only tried it on our Android devices so I don't know how well it works on other platforms but I suspect it'll work well on any device.

As for the renaming, I can batch rename all the images using win7 but haven't figured out how to get them back into the correct folders. I have a separate library set up for tinkering and was hoping Calibre would either download or pull the images, rename and put them in the correct folders. Honestly, it sounds like such a simple thing to do that i'm surprised someone hasn't already created a program that can do this, but then again, I don't write code so how would I know... I really want to try BetterRed's suggestion, hopefully I'll have some time later tonight.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by wpbpete

Hey nice to meet you so far from home LoL I figured the dev or someone else probably already tried Calibre but it wouldn't hurt to find out for myself.

Editor's note - there's actually a suggestion for the image problem after all my rambling.

Yeah, when the MB Bookshelf plugin came into existence and people over there started mentioning calibre, I felt like my two worlds collided.

It actually makes me nervous, like I'm afraid people are going to try calibre (good) and then muck about in the book folders (bad) and come here upset when something goes wrong. Calibre was never meant to provide its folders for another app to use in this manner. I'm all about letting people try stuff, but I don't want calibre to get blamed for anything, you know? Especially since there's already an Android app that interfaces with calibre in an "approved" manner.

So that's why I've stayed out of the conversation over there despite my very long relationship with calibre. At this point, I'm not entirely sure which clients have support for books. The only reason I'm planning to install it is because I'll eventually have to write a KB article for the plugin, so I'll need screenshots and a clearer understanding of the setup and usage process. I generally only read on my e-ink reader.

And here I am rambling on, doing nothing to address the issue you're running into. Since you've set up a tinkering library, it's okay if we break things, right?

Maybe we can make an end-run around the problem. I wonder if using the rename function in Faststone Photo Resizer would do the trick? Ever used that? It's free, google it. You can drag and drop images from a windows explorer search result right into the right-hand pane. You don't actually have to resize them, but there's a rename option you can use, and you can set it to drop the processed files right into the original locations with the new names - you never have to take them out of the folders since you're working from a search result.

And of course, you could also use it to crop / resize cover images to use as backdrops, renaming them at the same time.

Might work.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Due to the fact that calibre is designed to never have the book folders messed with, I would strongly recommend that you use calibre's Save to Disk feature to create a folder set to use with MB3, rather than trying to get things to work properly for both. This way you don't have to worry about calibre deleting your added files, or other possible conflicts.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by wpbpete

Thank you for responding. I'm hoping for an automated way to accomplish my goal. How can try what you suggest here. Can you point me to a tutorial?

I am posting a screen shot of how I use the Manage Authors Link field to reference a supplementary author folder from within calibre.

I have a subfolder for Joseph Stiglitz in my Test library folder that was created by calibre in which calibre will create folders for books authored by Stiglitz. In my TestInfo/Authors folder I have another subfolder for Joseph Stiglitz, that I created into which I can put whatever I wish.

I use the Link property that's provided for each author in calibre's Manage Authors list to reference the Joseph Stiglitz folder in TestInfo/Authors. So when I click Joseph Stiglitz in Book details it opens the TestInfo/Authors/Joseph Stiglitz folder.

Currently calibre requires a "file:///...." URI link in the field - I have a shell extension (Filemenu Tools) that can provide such a thing - but I imagine it would relatively easy to provide a browse button in Manage Authors, similar to the one recently implemented in the Insert Link dialogue in the Comments Editor.

Feel free to ask any questions.

I can't see what putting a folder.jpg into a calibre library author folder would buy you, apart from eye-candy when you browse a library folder in a file manager like File Explorer, or Finder. I guess calibre could display a thumb in book details above the author name, and a rogues gallery if there are multiple authors I can confirm that you will 'lose' folder.jpg if you alter the Author name - eg Joseph Stiglitz to Joseph E. Stiglitz.

BR

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I can't see what putting a folder.jpg into a calibre library author folder would buy you

He has answered this in previous posts. He is using Media Browser Bookshelf plugin to access his library from his Media Browser server.

Originally Posted by wpbpete

I only started using MB Bookshelf a few days ago and my wife, daughter and myself all love it. We've only tried it on our Android devices so I don't know how well it works on other platforms but I suspect it'll work well on any device.

[BetterRed]

I looked at Media Browser and Bookshelf plugin this morning my time, and I momentarily thought - it sounds like it scans folders looking for folder.jpgs - then I thought nah, surely not in 2013, that's what we did in 2003. Now you got me wondering again.

BR

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I looked at Media Browser and Bookshelf plugin this morning my time, and I momentarily thought - it sounds like it scans folders looking for folder.jpgs - then I thought nah, surely not in 2013, that's what we did in 2003. Now you got me wondering again.

BR

Yes, that's exactly what it does. It scans for other image types as well, and metadata xml files. As there are different image types for different things, a standard is required for correct identification. As the plugin is for a server that manages video and audio, it has to use conventions recognized by the server to display the desired data and images.

There are other ways of getting the images in there (manual management via the server web interface) but it can be faster to do them manually for some things. MB also has the option to store the data in the database and server file system, but many of us prefer to keep everything together.

[BetterRed]

@CWatkinsNash I'd want to tell the server/plugin explicitly where to look for books, rather than having it index everything vaguely resembling a book - eg my paypal receipts that I keep as PDF's.

I'm wary of automation, especially when its application specific because when something breaks you often have to wait for someone else to fix it. I'm also averse to having multiple products ostensibly doing the same job.

My response to the OPs request for a tute on calibre's Author Link feature was written prior to Media Server 3 making a presence in the thread, I held off posting it whilst looking for something better. Even though I don't think it's relevant to MS3 integration I thought might be useful for someone wanting to know how Author Link might be used.

The link property is only available on authors, I'd like to see it on publisher and some of my custom columns, such as editors and translators - so its something in which I have a 'vested' interest in promoting :lol:

BR