Author sort

[Jellby]

With the calibre Kobo utilities plugin, I make sure the device database contains the author_sort field from calibre. When I browse the on-device library, the authors are displayed as "LastName, FirstName". But if I sort by author I get that:

Dickens, Charles is sorted by D, OK
Pérez Galdós, Benito is sorted by G, wrong!

It looks like the device is computing the equivalent to author_sort itself, and maybe considering the comma as an indicator of multiple authors, and therefore stopping before that.

Am I right? Can anything be done to have display and sort order agree? Has this "bug" been reported already?

[davidfor]

Sorting on the Kobo devices has been discussed before. The best thread I can quickly find is https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho....php?p=2380874. We didn't discuss a two part lastname like your example, but from the examples we used, it looks like you are right about how it works.

[leftright]

Kobo Glo. v3.5 patched.

I would like to sort my Glo library alphabetically by First Name, how would I do this ?.

I managed to get Calibre to do this but I cannot fathom how to get my Glo to sort like this.

Thanks.

[davidfor]

Firstly, have a look at https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=244593 and https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho....php?p=2380874 for some discussion on how the Kobo devices sort on the author.

[Moderator note: the thread has been merged with the first one mentioned]

From that, you would have to make changes to the name to sort on first name. You would either need to send the name reversed (as "LN FN" with out a comma) or remove the spaces so the name was one word. Sending the names as "FN_LN" would probably work and should be possible with a plugboard in calibre (and no, I don't know how).

When I see questions like this, I am always curious about why. Wanting to sort authors by their first name seems wrong. Any particular reason for wanting to do it this way?

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Sending the names as "FN_LN" would probably work and should be possible with a plugboard in calibre (and no, I don't know how).

Or maybe FN_LN, with a non-breaking space instead of _. This could also help with double surnames (store as "LN_LN, FN"). It's worth looking at that when I return home.

[leftright]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Wanting to sort authors by their first name seems wrong. Any particular reason for wanting to do it this way?

Whenever I've been in a book discussion everybody present always uses FN_LN, nobody says, "Asimov, Isaac Asimov", or "Bond, James Bond", I'm programmed to think and speak "FN_LN" and now that I can customise my libraries that's how I'd like to do it, it's more intuitive for me.

I also like to maintain a standard GUI as much as I can across different applications, that way I don't need to allocate mental RAM to remember trivial settings/different methods of executing the same action across applications GUI's, this in turn frees up my mental RAM to multitask more important "stuff".

[filmo]

My Sony T1 sorted on author first name instead of last name. I don't know if T2 and T3 also does this. This forced me to be on first name bases with book authors. Can search for author first or last name to find books.

[Jellby]

Yes, replacing spaces with non-breaking spaces works, and it can be done with a plugboard:

Format: any format
Device: KOBOTOUCH (check which one is correct with your device connected)
Input template: {author_sort:'re($, ' ', '_')'}
Target field: authors

Note that the '_' in the template should be a non-breaking space, but apparently I cannot write it in the forum (it is automatically replaced by *). You'd probably have to copy-paste it from somewhere else, or find a way to input it.

With this, if I got it right, the Kobo should sort the authors exactly as your author_sort field in calibre is displayed. You can also modify the database on the device with the Kobo Utilities plugin, make sure to check the "use plugboard" option.

(By the way, the Kobo does something similar with the titles, it automatically sorts them by removing the article "The". A similar trick could be used to make sure the titles are sorted as they are written)

[leftright]

Originally Posted by Jellby

Device: KOBOTOUCH (check which one is correct with your device connected)

Calibre says my device is a Kobo Glo, so which do I use in the plugboard, "KOBO" or "KOBOTOUCH" ? (I tried both to no avail).

Originally Posted by Jellby

Input template: {author_sort:'re($, ' ', '_')'}

Note that the '_' in the template should be a [B]non-breaking space[/B

D you mean that I must replace only the last underscore like this 'nbs' ?.

I looked up NBS here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-breaking_space
I used the Ctrl+Shift+Space method.

Nothing I tried changed my Glo's sort order.

Thanks for the info though.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by leftright

Calibre says my device is a Kobo Glo, so which do I use in the plugboard, "KOBO" or "KOBOTOUCH" ? (I tried both to no avail).

The name needed is the name of the driver being used. The "KOBOTOUCH" handles all the current Kobo devices.

D you mean that I must replace only the last underscore like this 'nbs' ?.

Yes.

I looked up NBS here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-breaking_space
I used the Ctrl+Shift+Space method.

Nothing I tried changed my Glo's sort order.

What OS are you using? If you are using Windows, you need put the cursor where you want the character to go, turn NUM LK on, hold down the ALT key and type 0 1 6 0 using the numeric keypad. That will enter the non-breaking space character where the cursor is.

[leftright]

Originally Posted by davidfor

If you are using Windows, you need put the cursor where you want the character to go, turn NUM LK on, hold down the ALT key and type 0 1 6 0 using the numeric keypad. That will enter the non-breaking space character where the cursor is.

Thank you for that.

Nothing I have tried changes the sort order on the Glo to First Name alphabetical.

I enter this into the metadata plugboard

{author_sort:'re($, ' ', '*')'}

I then restart Calibre.
Plug my Glo into PC, connect.
Calibre refreshes, all Glo books appear.
I restart Calibre, (just to ensure that it takes).
Eject device.
Power off Glo, Restart Glo, > Books > select title then back to Author. The Sort order is FN LN but alphabetically by Last Name.

Thanks for your assistance.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by leftright

Calibre says my device is a Kobo Glo, so which do I use in the plugboard, "KOBO" or "KOBOTOUCH" ? (I tried both to no avail).

Plug your device, go to the calibre plugboards configuration and it should say there which device you have connected. Or just use KOBOTOUCH asd davidfor suggests.

Originally Posted by leftright

I enter this into the metadata plugboard

{author_sort:'re($, ' ', '*')'}

If you copy-pasted from calibre and you don't see the * there, it means it is a nbs in calibre and it was replaced by the forum. So that is correct. If you want to be sure, use a '_' (or anything else but a normal space) instead, and you should see it in the Kobo.

I then restart Calibre.
Plug my Glo into PC, connect.
Calibre refreshes, all Glo books appear.
I restart Calibre, (just to ensure that it takes).
Eject device.

I think there's a missing step (and probably the calibre restarts are unnecessary). After connecting the Kobo, you should use the Kobo Utilities plugin to update the device database (in the dialog, check "authors" and "use plugboard"). Another option would be to delete the books and re-upload them, maybe with a device reboot between.

[leftright]

Originally Posted by Jellby

After connecting the Kobo, you should use the Kobo Utilities plugin to update the device database (in the dialog, check "authors" and "use plugboard").

That was indeed the missing step.

Only one book is out of place, its authors are Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
All other books are FN alphabetical, excellent.

Thank you all for your time.

EDIT: for info;
A few books that have multiple authors which are separated with a & are confused as to where they should be.