Calibre Companion - Issue seeing new books

[jennerae]

I've never had a problem previously. I used to easily, after connecting via the wireless connection, see the list of books that are in my Calibre library on my laptop ON my device where to the right of the title I could press to download it on my device.

However, now when I connect I only see the list that are currently in my device and I can't seem to figure out how to see the books NOT on my device. I can go to my laptop and send to the device, but this is not optimum for me. It's slower and clunkier than doing it directly ON my device.

I'm fairly certain this is user error on my part and I've just changed a setting somewhere and it's something simple but I can NOT figure it out AT ALL. I'd be so very appreciative if someone can point me in the direction of HOW to view the books in my library that are NOT on my device in a list ON my device on connecting. It always used to just pop up without my having to do anything.

I'm using a Mac, most recent version of Calibre(as of today at least), and Calibre Companion on my Nook HD.

THANKS,
Jenn

[chaley]

Originally Posted by jennerae

I've never had a problem previously. I used to easily, after connecting via the wireless connection, see the list of books that are in my Calibre library on my laptop ON my device where to the right of the title I could press to download it on my device.

However, now when I connect I only see the list that are currently in my device and I can't seem to figure out how to see the books NOT on my device. I can go to my laptop and send to the device, but this is not optimum for me. It's slower and clunkier than doing it directly ON my device.

I'm fairly certain this is user error on my part and I've just changed a setting somewhere and it's something simple but I can NOT figure it out AT ALL. I'd be so very appreciative if someone can point me in the direction of HOW to view the books in my library that are NOT on my device in a list ON my device on connecting. It always used to just pop up without my having to do anything.

I'm using a Mac, most recent version of Calibre(as of today at least), and Calibre Companion on my Nook HD.

THANKS,
Jenn

My suspicion is that before you were using the "content server" connection while now you are using the "wireless device" connection.

The content server is what is called a "pull" connection, which means you use your device to pull books from the server onto your device. Using the content server you can browse the books in your library. CC puts a green check mark next to the book if it is already on your device. The wireless device is a "push" connection, which means that you push (send) books from your laptop to CC. There is no way on CC to ask calibre to send a book.

When to use one or the other depends on what you are trying to do. The content server connection is often better for small operations such grabbing a book or a series. If your content server is set up appropriately then you can use it from anywhere in the world (the setup requires technical networking knowledge).

The wireless device connection is better for larger operations such as sending many books selected in calibre using a search. It is also the way to update the metadata for all the books on the device, something you should do if you change things in calibre such as covers, tags, comments, etc. Finally, it is the way that read information is (optionally) synced back to calibre.

[jennerae]

THANKS SO MUCH for your help. You were EXACTLY right! MUCH appreciated!

[jennerae]

UGH. Can't figure out why this is such an issue. Now I can connect and download but suddenly it's transferring books but not using the title and author - using a short character string or the words NULL and unknown. GRRRR.... This used to all be seamless prior to September, but then something changed in the setup for me- either something on my end or something with one of the updates and nothing I try seems to make it right.

GRRRR...

Any suggestions?

This is specific to my Nook HD, I have an LG Pad that I recently put Calibre Companion on specifically to test it out and there was absolutely NO ISSUE using the same setup to transfer books to the device. Grrr....

[chaley]

Originally Posted by jennerae

UGH. Can't figure out why this is such an issue. Now I can connect and download but suddenly it's transferring books but not using the title and author - using a short character string or the words NULL and unknown. GRRRR.... This used to all be seamless prior to September, but then something changed in the setup for me- either something on my end or something with one of the updates and nothing I try seems to make it right.

GRRRR...

Any suggestions?

This is specific to my Nook HD, I have an LG Pad that I recently put Calibre Companion on specifically to test it out and there was absolutely NO ISSUE using the same setup to transfer books to the device. Grrr....

To be clear, which are you are using, the content server connection or the wireless device connection?

What it sounds like is that CC is "discovering" new books in CC's folder that were not put there by CC. It makes this check when you connect as a wireless device. If it finds such books then it asks calibre for correct metadata. If calibre cannot find the book or match the book against a book in the library then CC has no metadata and makes something up.

If this scenario is plausible then the fix is to tell calibre which book on CC matches which book in calibre. You do that by connecting as a wireless device, going to calibre's device view, right-clicking on an unmatched book and selecting "Match book". Search for the right book and select it. When you are done, click the down-arrow on the device view icon and choose Send updated metadata to device. EDIT: an alternate fix is to delete the books and resend them from calibre.

Of course, the question that arises is "where are those books coming from?" Given that this is a nook, I suspect that the nook store is involved somehow, but that is only a guess.

If the scenario is not plausible then a CC debug log might help. Go to CC's settings, scroll to the bottom, and select Send a debug log to MultiPie. Please erase the multipie.co.uk email address. That is for my son. He is currently extremely busy and we don't yet need to get him involved.

[jennerae]

So something has changed in my network setup that no longer allows me to use the content server option. I can't get to it over the internet and even when I do get it to work on my nook HD using calibre companion it times out before I can send the books. This has been EXCRUTIATINGLY frustrating to me since it used to be for me the primary and easiest way for getting books on my device.

The NULL books were loaded onto my devise using the wireless device connection and sending via clicking on the listing in Calibre and then clicking the Send to Device option. I used this method the last time I had written and connected and the books loaded onto the device fine with no problem, but for some reason this time they load with no data and then the books aren't even real books - they won't open. GRRR...

I'll play with it a bit more and if it doesn't work I'll try the CC debug log you suggest.

[jennerae]

Okay, very annoying. I changed NOTHING in what I'm doing but for some reason it's working PERFECTLY today(wireless connection - still can't get content server to work).

VERY happy to be able to get the books to load, frustrated at not having a clue why it didn't work yesterday but does today with the exact same process/steps. Grrr...

THANK YOU for all of your guidance, help and quick replies.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by jennerae

Okay, very annoying. I changed NOTHING in what I'm doing but for some reason it's working PERFECTLY today(wireless connection - still can't get content server to work).

Next time offer your router some 15-year-old corn-mash network-bits. It wants to be bribed.

(It is late here. And no, I have no idea where one gets aged bits. )

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by chaley

Next time offer your router some 15-year-old corn-mash network-bits. It wants to be bribed.

(It is late here. And no, I have no idea where one gets aged bits. )

You gotta think ahead send a delayed message with a picture of an ear of corn.
And harvest it when it arrives.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by chaley

(It is late here. And no, I have no idea where one gets aged bits. )

They're in the same bucket that has all the stray pointers, dangling participles, lost positives, and the balance records that prevent disk drive wobble.

BR