Determine which format was a Calibre conversion?

[badbob001]

If an ebook in Calibre shows multiple formats (eg: PDF, EPUB, AZW3), is there a way to tell which format was created by a Calibre conversion and which is "original"?

This may be useful if I see an error in one format and want to re-convert from the original source format. Or if I get a device that supports the original format, then I may want to delete the unneeded converted formats.

I'm guessing a converted document would have some distinct calibre metadata into, but perhaps calibre adds the same data to originals as well (maybe with the exception of PDFs)?

It would be ideal if the Formats column could visually show a distinction originals and conversions, perhaps by bolding or highlighting.

[kovidgoyal]

Simply look at the last modified dates of the files corresponding to the formats. The earliest date is the original file.

[theducks]

Hover over the format to see the timestamp. This saves from opening the 'containing folder'

Note the oldest timestamp only works if you do not do something that also causes 'the Original' to update

[badbob001]

Originally Posted by theducks

Hover over the format to see the timestamp. This saves from opening the 'containing folder'

Note the oldest timestamp only works if you do not do something that also causes 'the Original' to update

Hover over the format in Calibre or in the OS File Explorer? Hovering over within Calibre just shows a tooltip of the same text from the column.

Does simply importing a book or updating the metadata or cover change the actual file? If that is the case, then this timestamp ideal is not really ideal. I already found some original files that mysteriously have a more recent date than the converted file.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by badbob001

Hover over the format in Calibre or in the OS File Explorer? Hovering over within Calibre just shows a tooltip of the same text from the column.

Does simply importing a book or updating the metadata or cover change the actual file? If that is the case, then this timestamp ideal is not really ideal. I already found some original files that mysteriously have a more recent date than the converted file.

In Calibre

Polish and other PI may affect some formats

If yo want to Know which you started with:
Create a custom column and Log it
I use :
Mstr Format (#master): text, but with a fixed set of permitted values.
(In addition to my normal purchase formats, My list includes a few pseudo formats like: Split_off, Lnk,Other)

[BetterRed]

badbob001 - Hover over format in Metadata Edit, viz:



But for your purpose, comparing dates, it's probably easier to use your file manager - select the book (i.e. highlight in book list) press 'o' and sort file manager window (explorer, finder, nautilus... whatever) on Date Modified.

But as theducks said things like Polish, Embed, Modify plugin etc will change the metadata in some file types but not the content - which is I assume is what interests you.

Generally speaking any change, to any file, by any program, will change the Date Modified.

How I manage originals: After using the downloaded file to create the book in calibre, I rename it to *.*.orig and add that file to the book. Then at least I can find it. Periodically (random intervals) I'll cull .orig files from older books that don't have '_keeporig' in #admintags.

If I want to retain a record of the original file name, source location (most of my books are not commercial publications) etc, I put the data into the #booknotes column (comments like).

BR