Book opens after remove bookmarks unexpectedly

[chaot]

Check Book:
INFO: The bookmarks file used by the calibre ebook viewer is present [META-INF/calibre_bookmarks.txt]
Description: This file stores the bookmarks and last opened information from the calibre ebook viewer. You can remove it if you do not need that information, or don't want to share it with other people you send this book to.

I Remove the file & Save

Now I expect the book opens with the cover page.

title.xhtml (This file is the cover page of this book)

Thought wrong, it opens always (as I repeat the process multiple times) on chapter 49 (number half visible).


Edit Book view

chap49.xhtml

I invite you too!

[kovidgoyal]

Because the viewer stores last read position and bookmarks outside the epub file as well.

[chaot]

If I got you right: on my PC the last read position is stored somewhere. But if I give the book to someone else it opens with the Cover Page!?

Where is somewhere?

[eschwartz]

In calibre's Configuration directory.

Preferences ==> MIscellaneous ==> Open calibre configuration directory.

The default is %APPDATA%\calibre\ on Windows, or ~/.config/calibre/ on linux.

Bookmarks are saved in the file "iterator.pickle", but only for your user account.

They are also backed up inside the EPUB, unless you remove them, or set the option no to save them in the book.

[chaot]

File ''iterator.pickle'' I can't open, the content is quite likely for me also of little interest.

... or set the option no to save them in the book.

You probably meant these two settings!?


Configure e-book viewer

Calibre Manual is (as usual) not or less useful. See Bookmarks

[eschwartz]

Correct, those are the settings.

And iterator.pickle has a file extension which most text editors don't associate with plus it contains binary data, which is why you can't open it.
Nevertheless, if you delete it the bookmarks should be cleared away.


I don't think calibre's user manual needs to elaborate on the layout of the backend configuration files.

[chaot]

Nevertheless, if you delete it the bookmarks should be cleared away.

Since I destroyed ones (years ago) my whole laptop (more willfully) by deleting/removing everything what seems me superfluous there even in the hidden files, I have become more cautious.
We, I mean me, leave everything as Kovid Goyal has established. It'll make sense.

I don't think calibre's user manual needs to elaborate on the layout of the backend configuration files.

Here you may have right. But there's a list in work that confirms my thesis of low usability of the manual. Someday I'm going to confront the Forum community with that.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by chaot

Since I destroyed ones (years ago) my whole laptop (more willfully) by deleting/removing everything what seems me superfluous there even in the hidden files, I have become more cautious.
We, I mean me, leave everything as Kovid Goyal has established. It'll make sense.

And I am telling you I have examined the data structure of that file.
It is a python dictionary of filenames and the corresponding bookmarks info. That is all.

An example (unpickled):


{u'bookmarks_/home/eschwartz/Calibre Library/Marion G. Harmon/Villains Inc. (1189)/Villains Inc. - Marion G. Harmon.mobi': u'calibre_current_page_bookmark*|!|?|*1*|!|?|*/2/4/8/11004/2/18/2/1:20\n', u'bookmarks_/home/eschwartz/Calibre Libraries/Amazon/Terry Pratchett/Eric (169)/Eric - Terry Pratchett.mobi': u'calibre_current_page_bookmark*|!|?|*1*|!|?|*/2/4[text]/2/4/4/6/2/2[filepos3535]/4/14/1:0\n'}

[chaot]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Nevertheless, if you delete it [file iterator.pickle] the bookmarks should be cleared away.

And I am telling you ...

Okay, I made some experiments.


.config_calibre (contains file iterator.pickle)

I delete that file.

Restart calibre and open various books, which read position I have noticed me.
With amazement: Exactly there the books reopen, not as expected at the beginning of the book.

File iterator.pickle is still missing in .config/calibre.

I change the reading position (as I continued to read ).
Another look in .config/calibre: Now the file iterator.pickle is established again.

Maybe I have something you've already told me overlooked. Otherwise your above thesis [...bookmarks should be cleared away.] is refuted.
__________________________________________________
I do not know what your example (unpickled) is or should show me.
Edit: Sorry, now I understand what it is: A fragment of that mysterous iterator.pickle file, of course!?

[eschwartz]

Well, I just tested it, and deleting iterator.pickle wipes away all bookmarks for me. Confirmed and thanks for encouraging me to field-test my theory.
But you do need to make sure it is not being saved inside calibre_bookmarks.txt

If either one is present, the bookmarks will still be there -- and they will get updated in both.




You can stop calibre from saving calibre_bookmarks.txt in the Viewer preferences
General ==> Miscellaneous options
Uncheck "Keep a copy of the bookmarks/current page inside the ebook file, for easy sharing"


...


Yes, my example was a fragment of iterator.pickle

[MerlinMama]

Just to make sure, did you uncheck those two items (see image) in the viewer settings? If not, it will continue to open where you last closed.

If I have bookmarks I don't want/need, I just open 'show/hide bookmarks' in the viewer and delete them from there (I also delete in the file editor, but not sure if that's necessary, haven't tested that far).

Also, unless there's an option for it that I haven't seen, simply having a bookmark will not open the viewer at that location. Would be difficult when you have multiple bookmarks.

[chaot]

@eschwartz And I thought so far you would tell us only proofed wisdom here.

With you it works so, with me different.

Since applying these test series and documenting cleary is quite time consuming, the matter also not the most important, we let it be good now as it is.

Thanks to all.

[CeeDub]

Hello, sorry to revive an older thread, but it's very on topic.

I keep my library in a cloud-synchronized folder. When I read a few chapters on one machine and close the viewer, the calibre_bookmarks.txt in the epub-file is automatically updated on all my other machines.

It used to be that I could continue reading where I left off, regardless of which computer I was on - but that hasn't worked anymore for quite a while. This thread has helped me understand why.

My question is, can the local bookmark file (%APPDATA%\calibre\iterator.pickle) be turned off? I suppose I could delete it manually, but I liked how neatly my bookmarks carried across all my systems without any effort. If not, where do I submit a feature request?

Thank you,
CeeDub

[eschwartz]

Well, many people sync their configuration folder as well.

You can use the CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY environment variable to relocate calibre's configuration directory into Dropbox. See: http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/cust...ment-variables

[CeeDub]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Well, many people sync their configuration folder as well.

I thought of that, but the iterator.pickle file contains local paths. My cloud folder is not the same on all machines. Different user names, drive letters, and such.

I imagine many of the other configuration files will have the same problem.