Adding books - options

[Ashjuk]

I am just getting started using Calibre to organise my books (only ever used it for conversion etc.)

One thing I have noted is that when Calibre adds a book to it's database it extracts the cover image and the metadata from the ebook.

Personally I have no use for these two files so I was wondering if it's possible to add a book without this happening - all I want is the original epub file.

I have looked in Adding books in the Preferences and I can't see any options for controlling this.

Any ideas?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Ashjuk

I am just getting started using Calibre to organise my books (only ever used it for conversion etc.)

One thing I have noted is that when Calibre adds a book to it's database it extracts the cover image and the metadata from the ebook.

Personally I have no use for these two files so I was wondering if it's possible to add a book without this happening - all I want is the original epub file.

I have looked in Adding books in the Preferences and I can't see any options for controlling this.

Any ideas?

You probably don't want to discard the cover.jpg files because you'd lose functionality. And there's no way of getting rid of the metadata.opf files other than brute force, and if you did that then you would compromise the library database.

You may have no personal use for the files, however calibre uses them. It can sort of get along without the covers - but that would effectively neuter the cover grid and cover browser, and the content server wouldn't look too flash. The metadata.opf files are used for database recovery - if you get rid of them then the database cannot be restored.

If you've not already done so, you ought to read this ==>> Want to change folder structure or file names in the Calibre library?

BR

[Ashjuk]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

You probably don't want to discard the cover.jpg files because you'd lose functionality. And there's no way of getting rid of the metadata.opf files other than brute force, and if you did that then you would compromise the library database.

You may have no personal use for the files, however calibre uses them. It can sort of get along without the covers - but that would effectively neuter the cover grid and cover browser, and the content server wouldn't look too flash. The metadata.opf files are used for database recovery - if you get rid of them then the database cannot be restored.

If you've not already done so, you ought to read this ==>> Want to change folder structure or file names in the Calibre library?

BR

Thanks for the information.

Knowing that you cannot change the directory structure that Calibre creates I was half expecting to hear that. Whilst it is undoubtedly a great program I do find myself frustrated by its lack of flexibility with things like this.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Ashjuk

Thanks for the information.

Knowing that you cannot change the directory structure that Calibre creates I was half expecting to hear that. Whilst it is undoubtedly a great program I do find myself frustrated by its lack of flexibility with things like this.

I have similar frustrations with Acrobat and Firefox. . . GMail, OSX, Photoshop, and Sigil. . . Windows and Word. . . X1 and xplorer².

But they sure beat pen, paper, shoe boxes, and edge punched cards

BR

[skb]

Long ago I too was baffled by those weird files. They offended my OCD need for tidiness and order.

So I deleted them.

It ended badly. I was sad. There were some tears.

Now I just avert my eyes. I never, ever go into my naked Calibre library/directory. I leave it alone and it leaves me alone.

There be dragons!

[theducks]

I use the Resize Cover plugin so no cover is wider than 400, which is more than big enough for the Cover Browser / or details form
FWIW
I do read on a 6" e-ink device or remote browse using Calibre Companion, on my 7" tablet, so I see no need for all thos wasted pixels

[Ashjuk]

It seems like I have two options - I either learn to ignore everything in the Calibre Library as per skb, or I just give up with Calibre as a library management tool.

To be honest I have got by quite happily for many years now just using Calibre to edit the book metadata and DRM etc. and keeping my collection catalogued as I want it.

I am tempted to go back to that to hang onto what little hair I have got left.

[skb]

My personal opinion, Ashjuk, is that you're worried about the "backend" (like I was). I say, forget it. Who cares if it stores six bunnies, eight tulips and fourteen one pixel dot image for each book or not (it doesn't)? I don't even care how the directories work now (I used to...so much).

What matters to me is that I can whack all my ebooks somewhere and easily and quickly find them via one interface. I can search by title or author or even tags. Some people do even groovier stuff (but I've embraced my inner luddite). I can easily get them onto my gozza of choice to read them. They're in one place that can easily be backed up.

Years ago (before they were even called ebooks), I had bazillions of text files scattered all over my hard drive in what I called as my "system". That got old really quickly. After my initial brain explosion with the stuff behind the Calibre curtain, I have settled down to just letting the system (Calibre) do the heavy lifting.

My Calibre tells me I have 3969 books in my library. That's now all I want to know. I can live with that.

I don't mean to be rude or be a smarty.

How about this: what is it that you want to do but can't with Calibre? Forget the files and how it works. What is it that you're trying to achieve? I'll bet someone here (not me, obviously...because luddite) will know how to do it.

Oh, dear. I've turned into one of those rabid software evangelists. Woe.

[fidvo]

Originally Posted by Ashjuk

It seems like I have two options - I either learn to ignore everything in the Calibre Library as per skb, or I just give up with Calibre as a library management tool.

To be honest I have got by quite happily for many years now just using Calibre to edit the book metadata and DRM etc. and keeping my collection catalogued as I want it.

I am tempted to go back to that to hang onto what little hair I have got left.

Either option is perfectly fine; if you've gotten along without Calibre's management features for years, you can keep doing so for as long as you want.

Before you give up on it though, I would recommend you come up with a list of things you can do the old way that are no longer possible if you don't ever access the library folder. Chances are, with a little customization you can do the same thing in Calibre in a nearly identical (and sometimes superior) way.

If you want, after you create the list, post it here on the forums and ask the rest of us if there are ways to do the same things in Calibre.

[Ashjuk]

Originally Posted by fidvo

Either option is perfectly fine; if you've gotten along without Calibre's management features for years, you can keep doing so for as long as you want.

Before you give up on it though, I would recommend you come up with a list of things you can do the old way that are no longer possible if you don't ever access the library folder. Chances are, with a little customization you can do the same thing in Calibre in a nearly identical (and sometimes superior) way.

If you want, after you create the list, post it here on the forums and ask the rest of us if there are ways to do the same things in Calibre.

To be honest there is very little I do either the old way or using Calibre.

I have my books in a directory structure where they are organised by genre i.e. Biographies, Travel, Humour, Science etc. and when I want to add some new books to my reader I just fire up a file manager (XYPlorer in my case) and click on the books I have chosen to read and drag them into a 'Books' folder on my Kobo.

If I were to do the same in Calibre I would have to add all my books to its database, and presumably organise them into the relevant genres, and then I could again select the ones I want to add and click send to device.
I have done that a couple of times and I have yet to find a way of making Calibre put the books in the 'Books' folder on my Kobo.

As I tend to keep only a few books on my reader at any one time to be honest I really can't see the advantages of using Calibre.

I only started down this path because I asked a question about Kobo's desktop software in the Kobo forum and everyone kept saying I should use Calibre.

I am very grateful for all the help and suggestions but I am thinking I will probably just stick with what I've done in the past.

[PeterT]

To control where books are stored on your device you just have to change a template within the device drivers configuration. Documentation on the template is found here https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/template_lang.html

Since you want all books in one directory your template would start Books/ Then you would need additional bits to specify how to name the actual file. One simple approach would be Books/{title} - {authors} which would include the author after the book's title.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Ashjuk]

Originally Posted by PeterT

To control where books are stored on your device you just have to change a template within the device drivers configuration. Documentation on the template is found here https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/template_lang.html

Since you want all books in one directory your template would start Books/ Then you would need additional bits to specify how to name the actual file. One simple approach would be Books/{title} - {authors} which would include the author after the book's title.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Thanks Peter.

If I decide to persevere with Calibre I will investigate this option.