Calibre renamed my files, kept both, and shows none; then the files disappear

aritza · 03-31-2018, 11:20 AM

Using Calibre 3.19 Windows 64.

I just realized that I have about 700 tiles in my library that at some point got renamed. Both files, the old one and the rename one, are in each book's folder on the computer now but neither shows in Edit Metadata.

For instance for the book The Age of Insight: The Quest to Understand the Unconscious in Art, Mind, and Brain, From Vienna 1900 to the Present:

I go to the folder and I have:

The Age of Insight_ The Quest t - Eric R. Kandel.epub (2016 date)
The Age of Insight_ The Quest to Underst - Eric R. Kandel.epub (2014 date)

But neither one shows up in Calibre. When I say it does not show, there is no size indicated in the standard view and if I go to Edit Metadata, neither file shows on the top right box.

Not only that, a minute after I open Edit Metadata, both of those files disappear from the Windows folder I was looking at them in!

Any ideas about what happened and how to fix it? There are too many books to fix by hand.

Thanks!

kovidgoyal · 03-31-2018, 11:18 PM

Run the Library maintenenance->check library tool (right click the calibre library button onthe main toolbar).

Or create a new library and re-import the books from the old library by right clicking the add books button and choosing add books from directories, one book per directory

aritza · 04-02-2018, 05:57 AM

Actually, I think the problem started because I used the "check library tool" last month. I suspect that when the tool saw a second epub file in a folder, it registered neither file.

What I don't know is how all these folders came to have two versions of the epub file, one with a slightly shorter name than the other. It would seem to have to do with some conversion that I did with "Polish books" or (less likely) "Modify EPUB" in which the EPUB was renamed and the original not deleted. It all happened it seems in late June 2016.

Also, most of these books seem to have been books that I transferred to my phone using Calibre Companion. That might have had something to do with this.

Who knows! All I know is I am going to have to fix this by hand, I'm afraid. Thanks!

BetterRed · 04-02-2018, 07:46 AM

@aritza - some years ago Kovid made a change to the algorithms that shorten and/or transliterate library file names. At the time I ended up with some books having slightly different names for different formats (e.g. 'aaa - bbb.epub' and 'aaa - bbbb.txt'). Although the anomaly was a bit disconcerting it didn't create any problems as such, and I don't recall Library check reporting any errors. But I don't recall any instances of duplicate formats with slightly different names - but our processes wouldn't be the same.

I think it was as far back as version 1.xx. IIRC when I spotted a mismatch I would drag the 'errant' format out of my file manager and drop it onto the Book Details panel, which would effectively rename the format according to the revised algorithm(s).

So my question to you is: how long have these books been in your library, and is it possible that the problem you describe has existed for a few years.

A synapse is suggesting the anomaly showed up most often in foreign language books - Irène Némirovsky's The Wine of Solitude springs to mind.

BR

03-31-2018, 11:20 AM	#1
aritza Member Posts: 19 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Calibre	Calibre renamed my files, kept both, and shows none; then the files disappear Using Calibre 3.19 Windows 64. I just realized that I have about 700 tiles in my library that at some point got renamed. Both files, the old one and the rename one, are in each book's folder on the computer now but neither shows in Edit Metadata. For instance for the book The Age of Insight: The Quest to Understand the Unconscious in Art, Mind, and Brain, From Vienna 1900 to the Present: I go to the folder and I have: The Age of Insight_ The Quest t - Eric R. Kandel.epub (2016 date) The Age of Insight_ The Quest to Underst - Eric R. Kandel.epub (2014 date) But neither one shows up in Calibre. When I say it does not show, there is no size indicated in the standard view and if I go to Edit Metadata, neither file shows on the top right box. Not only that, a minute after I open Edit Metadata, both of those files disappear from the Windows folder I was looking at them in! Any ideas about what happened and how to fix it? There are too many books to fix by hand. Thanks! Last edited by aritza; 03-31-2018 at 02:08 PM.

04-02-2018, 05:57 AM	#3
aritza Member Posts: 19 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Calibre	Actually, I think the problem started because I used the "check library tool" last month. I suspect that when the tool saw a second epub file in a folder, it registered neither file. What I don't know is how all these folders came to have two versions of the epub file, one with a slightly shorter name than the other. It would seem to have to do with some conversion that I did with "Polish books" or (less likely) "Modify EPUB" in which the EPUB was renamed and the original not deleted. It all happened it seems in late June 2016. Also, most of these books seem to have been books that I transferred to my phone using Calibre Companion. That might have had something to do with this. Who knows! All I know is I am going to have to fix this by hand, I'm afraid. Thanks! Last edited by aritza; 04-02-2018 at 06:57 AM.

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03-31-2018, 11:18 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,233 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Run the Library maintenenance->check library tool (right click the calibre library button onthe main toolbar). Or create a new library and re-import the books from the old library by right clicking the add books button and choosing add books from directories, one book per directory

04-02-2018, 07:46 AM	#4
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 21,647 Karma: 29711016 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	@aritza - some years ago Kovid made a change to the algorithms that shorten and/or transliterate library file names. At the time I ended up with some books having slightly different names for different formats (e.g. 'aaa - bbb.epub' and 'aaa - bbbb.txt'). Although the anomaly was a bit disconcerting it didn't create any problems as such, and I don't recall Library check reporting any errors. But I don't recall any instances of duplicate formats with slightly different names - but our processes wouldn't be the same. I think it was as far back as version 1.xx. IIRC when I spotted a mismatch I would drag the 'errant' format out of my file manager and drop it onto the Book Details panel, which would effectively rename the format according to the revised algorithm(s). So my question to you is: how long have these books been in your library, and is it possible that the problem you describe has existed for a few years. A synapse is suggesting the anomaly showed up most often in foreign language books - Irène Némirovsky's The Wine of Solitude springs to mind. BR

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