Calibre as occasional web browser

[tlfamm]

Is it consistent with the Calibre functional model to consider the following capability:


1. A URL is supplied to "Add Books"
2. An attempt to view the 'book' causes the URL to be supplied to my web browser of choice, resulting (one hopes) in the served html being displayed.

In essence, the Calibre functional repertoire is expanded to include that of a web bookmark manager.



I generally prefer to have a completely local knowledge base (ebooks, html 'ensembles' etc), but that is impractical with large and/or dynamic web sites

[BetterRed]

@tlfamm - FWIW : You can put multiple URLs into Comments or a comments-like custom column, then you can click on them in the Book Details or Book information (press I) panels and they will open in your default browser

BR

[eschwartz]

If it's a book that you don't have an EPUB/MOBI/AZW3/whatever for, you will need to create the book entry using:
Add books ==> Add Empty book

[tlfamm]

BetterRed & eschwartz: thanks for the replies. I took some time to mull them over and experiment.


re: multiple URLS into ... comments-like custom column.

If calibre had a built-in URL column type (and live-link column entries to match) - that might be the least complicated functional extension to support relatively seamless access to a remote document. Currently, a custom column would not have live-links - and wouldn't offer much utility other than to indicate that a live link lies elsewhere (in the info pane, as BetterRed indicates).



re: empty book entries

When combined with BetterRed's suggested "URL in the info pane", a rudimentary functionality results: not very seamless - but it does work.


However, empty book entries are an important (conceptual) first step. Once the hard-wired association between a database entry and the local Calibre library (file set) is dispensed with, by evolution the entry can now point to remote files (via URLs), or even a remote Calibre library - providing for inter-library "loan" of the indicated document.

[eschwartz]

You can also add a .lnk/.URL file as an ebook format. This would be a link to any arbitrary location.

@BetterRed, shouldn't you have been the one to suggest this?

[tlfamm]

"You can also add a .lnk/.URL file as an ebook format. This would be a link to any arbitrary location."

Would you expand on that a bit, please?

[tlfamm]

Ah - I see: these are 'indirect' files; an example .URL file:

[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.foo.com/


and they do work correctly with Calibre and my browser (Chrome).



Might get tedious doing a quantity of such - but for limited use might be acceptable.

One advantage: they provide completely seamless access of the web page via Calibre.


Portability issue: does any OS besides Windows implement such?



Related discussion here:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/arc.../t-203643.html

[eschwartz]

There is some sort of analogous url shortcut in linux but I'm not sure what since last I checked it seemed to be broken on at least my Ubuntu 12.04 box. (at least, I tried dragging the link from Firefox, which failed. So I'm not sure of the format. I *think* .URL may be recognized, though.

I have no knowledge of OSX.

[BetterRed]

@tlfamm - In Windows you can add a .URL file much as you can add a .LNK file. For some reason if I try to add it via Add Books->Add files to selected book records it doesn't seem to work.

Also note that .LNK files have a problem with Add Books->Add files to selected book records. Windows jumps in and opens the .LNK target Yet another instance of software being a Nanny and assuming it knows best

But you can drag-and-drop a URL file into the Book List and it will create a new book, if you have a shortcut to calibre in your Send To folder you can send the .URL file to calibre (good for the mouse averse) - you can do the same with .LNK files.

@eschwartz - its probably no use to you, but the attached zip contains a Windows .URL file to the calibre user manual - you could try dropping the URL onto your test library - probably need to unarchive the zip first.

BR