How Do You Prevent Comments From Being Overwritten During Metadata Download?

[MeSue]

How about a lock option for comments that can be ticked before metadata download. If lock is ticked than this field would not be overwritten this time. In this case, comments would remain checked in the download metadata options, but would be discarded if the lock option is active.

OR

A separate get comments button that can be used as needed, just like covers has its own button in the metadata editor. In this case, comments could be left unchecked and downloaded only when needed.

[MeSue]

Another idea... allow Ctrl-Z (Undo) for the comments field, so if unwanted comments overwrite the good ones, you can undo.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by MeSue

How about a lock option for comments that can be ticked before metadata download. If lock is ticked than this field would not be overwritten this time. In this case, comments would remain checked in the download metadata options, but would be discarded if the lock option is active.

OR

A separate get comments button that can be used as needed, just like covers has its own button in the metadata editor. In this case, comments could be left unchecked and downloaded only when needed.

Configure Metadata already has the tick box once for Overall and there is a per source version for when you only like source 'G' for a field

Use the ctrl-D get metadata AND then use the review (far right) button. this allows you to copy the Original (right column) onto the New (Left column)
2 things about this way:
1) you don't get to pick from which set returned to use
2) you can't stop a BLANK from inheriting the Original (possibly bad) value

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by MeSue

How about a lock option for comments that can be ticked before metadata download. If lock is ticked than this field would not be overwritten this time. In this case, comments would remain checked in the download metadata options, but would be discarded if the lock option is active.

OR

A separate get comments button that can be used as needed, just like covers has its own button in the metadata editor. In this case, comments could be left unchecked and downloaded only when needed.

You can add your own custom comments column - see first attachment, don't forget to add it to Preferences->Interface->Look & Feel->Book Details

You can also display it as a column in the book list, if you do then I suggest you hide it with an icon, see second attachment. Then if you press F2 on a My Comments cell in the book list you get what you see in third attachment (sans my silly text of course).

Added : Whilst redoing the snaps that the MR dog ate (twice in the same thread), I did one of a real sample of how I segregate the wheat from the chaff

BR

[DoctorOhh]

Moderator Notice
Moved posts to their own thread. @MeSue do not reply to ancient threads. The thread you reanimated was 2.5 years old and no longer applicable since there is now an option in metadata configuration to prevent comments from being overwritten.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

... since there is now an option in metadata configuration to prevent comments from being overwritten.

@DoctorOhh, where is the option - attachment shows what I see in metadata configuration.

I searched the 1.25 PDF manual, discovered you can merge Comments and a Custom Comment in a catalogue. But nothing else leapt from any the 319 pages.

But I do sometimes miss the obvious

It sure would be good if the 'this is an old thread blah blah' message popped up with 'are you sure' when one clicked the submit/review buttons, Same as the 'you have a PM, wanna look at it now?' and 'are you sure you wanna logoff' pop up messages.

BR

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@DoctorOhh, where is the option - attachment shows what I see in metadata configuration.

I don't see your attachment. But I attached the configuration metadata download window, if you uncheck comments then comments aren't downloaded.

Doesn't this work as expected?

Originally Posted by BetterRed

It sure would be good if the 'this is an old thread blah blah' message popped up with 'are you sure' when one clicked the submit/review buttons, Same as the 'you have a PM, wanna look at it now?' and 'are you sure you wanna logoff' pop up messages.

If the topic was still valid I would have left it alone. I just didn't want new folks getting confused by seeing the old info on the front page. But, who knows maybe I'm wrong and this is still a major issue.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

I don't see your attachment. But I attached the configuration metadata download window, if you uncheck comments then comments aren't downloaded.

Doesn't this work as expected?

Not in my opinion - if you have that unchecked and you don't consider whether it needs changing when you do a md download then there may well never be any any comments to overwrite

I was looking for a "Don't overwrite existing comments" option which IMO your earlier comment clearly implied existed. But you're a Yank and I'm a Limey so our interpretations of English will vary from time to time.

Anyway it's not me that matters - its MeSue that matters

BR

The board misplaced my attachment, as happens from time to time - buts its irrelevant now.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by MeSue

How about a lock option for comments that can be ticked before metadata download. If lock is ticked than this field would not be overwritten this time. In this case, comments would remain checked in the download metadata options, but would be discarded if the lock option is active.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I focused more on what the "old" OP was saying in the two year old thread you attached to and missed your point. This is a good idea, you can learn how to submit a feature request here.

[MeSue]

The existing options, as far as I know, still do not make it easy for when sometimes you DO want to overwrite comments, and sometimes you don't, and sometimes you want to merge new and existing. I will explore some of the suggestions in this thread when I am back at my computer and have some time.

The batch download and review does work, but I don't use it often because it usually gives me poor results for cover images and then I have to go back through and redownload many of the covers, which is very slow for me.

As for resurrecting the old thread… sorry. I did see a warning, but it was something like, "we'd rather you didn't but if you still want to, go ahead." So, I did. :-) I thought nothing had changed in calibre since the original request so it would be okay to tack on some ideas I had for dealing with the issue.

[BetterRed]

@MeSue - I added a real sample of the results of my use of a custom comments column - https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...54&postcount=4

BR

[MeSue]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@MeSue - I added a real sample of the results of my use of a custom comments column - https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...54&postcount=4

BR

But then don't you still have to move or copy the comments from the default field into the custom one? Sounds like more hassle than just remembering to copy before md download and paste it back if the downloaded md is no good. I still think my lock idea would be pretty handy, and I've wanted Ctrl-z in the comments field for a while, not just for this reason. Still need to look into how to make a feature request. Been busy with company.

[BetterRed]

@MeSue - No. I don't have to copy or paste anything. Comments (the built in one) and My Comments (custom column) are totally independent of one another.

When I pasted Klaus Kastner's blog post into My Comments it had no effect on the Amazon blurb I had previously downloaded into Comments. If I were to download something else into Comments it would have no effect on what I have in My Comments.

My Blurb label probably confused you, I've changed it to Comments. Calibre does not display a label for these sorts of columns. So I type my own fake label. *

Attachment shows what it looks like in Metadata edit, I'm hoping it will make it clearer.

Not saying your idea's are not good, just saying here's what I do

BR

* I'm trying to figure a way to incorporate 'roles' into calibre, I found the LoC Relator code list which includes "blw - Blurb writer" which amused me. I've always thought Blurb was slang for Publicity Notes or something - but if the mighty US LoC uses it then...