[bug, 5.34.0] Can't paste cover & TOC editor loses input

[Katsunami]

Hi

It has been some time since I bought a few e-books. Since that time I've switched from Windows 10 to Debian 11 Bullseye. Obviously I'm still running Calibre, and I also copied my configuration folder from Windows to Linux.

Everything seems to be working fine, except for two things:

1. When I try to paste a cover in the metadata window, it doesn't work.
2. The TOC seems to sometimes not store changes.

Reproduction for 1:
- Open Firefox.
- Find an image (and make sure the browser only displays the image.)
- Right-click the image => Copy
- In Calibre => Paste Cover

The cover is not pasted.

It WAS copied though, because when pasting it as a new image in GIMP (even without copying again), it works.

Something even stranger:
- Open Firefox.
- Find an image (and make sure the browser only displays the image.)
- Right-click the image => Copy
- Paste the image in GIMP
- Resize the image to be smaller
- Select All and copy the image
- In Calibre => Paste Cover

Cover is not pasted. Additionally: GIMP crashes. (It just disappears.) GIMP does not crash when pasting the cover into a different program.

Reproduction 2:
- Open the TOC Editor
- Make some changes
- Click OK
- Open the editor again.

Sometimes, the changes are not saved. Most of the time they are, but sometimes not. I have not yet been able to determine why.

System:
- Intel i7-6700K 4 GHz, 32 GB RAM, GTX 1070 (and some SSD's and HDD's)
- Debian 11 Bullseye, 64-bit, desktop KDE Plasma 5.20.5
- All installed software comes from the Debian Reposity, except:
* Rust programming language (installed from the Rust-lang site. Should not have influence.)
* Go programming language (installed from the Go-lang site. Should not have influence.)
* LibreOffice (Flatpak; should not have influence.)
* GIMP (Flatpak)
* Calibre (Official version from the Calibre site & FlatPak version)

So I tested both the official version and the Flatpak version, and they both have both problems. Tonight I can try and test the copy/paste with the repository version of GIMP, but the TOC editor problem is obviously independent from this.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

I'm happy to test if necessary. I could test the Repository version from Calibre, but I don't know if it is possible. My Windows-version was already beyond 5.12 when I switched in June, so the config folder go from (at least) that version back to 5.12.

PS: It looks as if drag-and-dropping the cover from the browser to the metadata windows SEEMS to work, but when clicking OK to save everything, the cover is not saved.

[Katsunami]

I've dropped back to version 5.12 from the Debian repository. The problem with copy/paste still exists.

However, it seems as if it DOES work, if I make sure that both sides of an image are not longer than 1000 pixels. I'll have to test a bit more to be sure. (I do have images larger than that as covers, and importing the images from a file works, up to an including at least 2300 pixels on the long end.)

[Quoth]

Save the cover to disc, then in Metadata editor, browse for cover. Really if it's anything important you might want a separate save of a cover anyway.

PS. I never use flatpack if a non-flatpack version is available. Flatpack is flaky & inferior.

I use Linux Mint 20.1, Mate Desktop. I have Chromium, Firefox and Waterfox browsers.
Viber, Calibre & Signal from their sites, not distros.
Copy & paste from Gimp to Viber makes Gimp exit. Copy & paste from Image Viewer to Viber does nothing.
I only put covers into Calibre via Download or Browse in metadata editor . I'd assumed the Calibre preview thumbnail of cover copy/paste is only for inside Calibre (which works).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I've dropped back to version 5.12 from the Debian repository. The problem with copy/paste still exists.

However, it seems as if it DOES work, if I make sure that both sides of an image are not longer than 1000 pixels. I'll have to test a bit more to be sure. (I do have images larger than that as covers, and importing the images from a file works, up to an including at least 2300 pixels on the long end.)

The problem is that the settings for the maximum size for the cover is too small for what you want.

Go to Preferences > Tweaks > The maximum width and height for covers stored in the Calibre library

I have mine set to 2000, 4000. It much larger then I want, but it means I can load really large covers and then resize them in the editor.

Now go put back 5.34.0.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Save the cover to disc, then in Metadata editor, browse for cover. Really if it's anything important you might want a separate save of a cover anyway.

That does work; already tried it.

PS. I never use flatpack if a non-flatpack version is available. Flatpack is flaky & inferior.

I've not had a problem with any of the Flatpaks I've installed. The problems I have with Calibre now are present with the Flatpak, site, and distro versions.

I use Linux Mint 20.1, Mate Desktop. I have Chromium, Firefox and Waterfox browsers.
Viber, Calibre & Signal from their sites, not distros.
Copy & paste from Gimp to Viber makes Gimp exit. Copy & paste from Image Viewer to Viber does nothing.
I only put covers into Calibre via Download or Browse in metadata editor . I'd assumed the Calibre preview thumbnail of cover copy/paste is only for inside Calibre (which works).

It seems Copy/Paste in Linux doesn't work predictably. Why would GIMP crash on a copy/paste action? It shouldn't be influenced by the paste action. IIRC, copy/paste did work in Windows, but I have to test it again to make sure.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The problem is that the settings for the maximum size for the cover is too small for what you want.

Go to Preferences > Tweaks > The maximum width and height for covers stored in the Calibre library

I have mine set to 2000, 4000. It much larger then I want, but it means I can load really large covers and then resize them in the editor.

Now go put back 5.34.0.

Thanks. I didn't know about that tweak. I've been using Calibre for 10 years, and this tweak has always been at the default size... and I already have covers in the library that are larger than the default values. However: drag and drop from the browser SEEMED to work, but then Calibre would discard the cover. After setting higher values for this tweak, Calibre does save the cover. Drag and drop and later resize in the editor is mostly enough.

I've installed 5.34.0 again indeed; I'll have to watch out for the TOC editor though. For some reason it seems to be unreliable, but I can't really test it. Often it works, but sometimes it loses information. I'll just have to save every 5 edits or so.

[gbm]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

That does work; already tried it.



I've not had a problem with any of the Flatpaks I've installed. The problems I have with Calibre now are present with the Flatpak, site, and distro versions.



It seems Copy/Paste in Linux doesn't work predictably. Why would GIMP crash on a copy/paste action? It shouldn't be influenced by the paste action. IIRC, copy/paste did work in Windows, but I have to test it again to make sure.



Thanks. I didn't know about that tweak. I've been using Calibre for 10 years, and this tweak has always been at the default size... and I already have covers in the library that are larger than the default values. However: drag and drop from the browser SEEMED to work, but then Calibre would discard the cover. After setting higher values for this tweak, Calibre does save the cover. Drag and drop and later resize in the editor is mostly enough.

I've installed 5.34.0 again indeed; I'll have to watch out for the TOC editor though. For some reason it seems to be unreliable, but I can't really test it. Often it works, but sometimes it loses information. I'll just have to save every 5 edits or so.

Copy/paste works for me.

using a new built of:
Linux Mint 20.2
Cinnamon 5.0.7
Kernel: 5.4.0-91-generic x86_64 bits:
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Firefox 95.0.1

what file manger are you using?
I am using Nemo 5.0.5

Can you set up test system on a usb stick use for troubleshooting purposes?

bernie

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by gbm

Copy/paste works for me.

using a new built of:
Linux Mint 20.2
Cinnamon 5.0.7
Kernel: 5.4.0-91-generic x86_64 bits:
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Firefox 95.0.1

what file manger are you using?
I am using Nemo 5.0.5

Can you set up test system on a usb stick use for troubleshooting purposes?

bernie

Firefix 91.x ESR.

Copy-Paste from Firefox to other programs work.
Copy-Paste from GIMP to other programs also works.
It's only Calibre that doesn't paste the images... but sometimes it does. (As I posted earlier: I think it has to do with the size, but I haven't been able to verify because the behavior seems to be almost random.)

I can get covers into Calibre by dragging-and-dropping or by saving and exporting, so I can work around this issue. The more bothersome thing is that it seems I cannot be sure that the TOC-Editor actually saves the TOC. (I'm cleaning up the book's TOC while also having the book open to find the chapter headings. Could that be an issue?)

While I'm willing to test stuff, I'm not going to install or test on a completely alternative system. I don't have the time for that right now. This is just a Debian 11.2 Bullseye installation, as standard as you can get it. Everything now comes from the repository, except:

- Libreoffice (the Flatpak version is just a LOT smaller for some reason)
- Calibre (from the Calibre site)
- Rust and Go (from their respective sites; shouldn't be an issue.)

[kovidgoyal]

Open the book using edit book and use the toc editor inside it, you wont have any issues. As for your copy paste problems, no clue.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Open the book using edit book and use the toc editor inside it, you wont have any issues. As for your copy paste problems, no clue.

Thanks. I assume the TOC-editor in the Book Editor is the same component as the one you get using the "Edit TOC" option from the main calibre window.

Is it indeed a problem to have the book open in the viewer, if you are editing the TOC at the same time? (I was fixing some stuff in there after splitting an omnibus, so I had to both be able to see the actual chapter and section headings and edit the TOC at the same time.)

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Is it indeed a problem to have the book open in the viewer, if you are editing the TOC at the same time?

No. I have had the same issue with using the TOC editor. It seems if you make changes above a certain number, the editor won't save them.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

No. I have had the same issue with using the TOC editor. It seems if you make changes above a certain number, the editor won't save them.

Oh. That would explain it.

I've been splitting off a huge omnibus into separate books. The TOC of the omnibus is crap though, so I'm adding one through the book's links and headers, and then fixing the stuff which isn't correct.

There have been times where I fixed 30+ chapter headings in one go and then found out the editor didn't save them when you open the book in the viewer for the final check. Now I save every 5-10 fixes.

That would be a bug. I can live without the copy-paste; I've had problems with that between programs in Linux before. Drag / drop from the browser works, import from file works, so I can get a cover into a book one way or another.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I've had problems with that between programs in Linux before. Drag / drop from the browser works, import from file works, so I can get a cover into a book one way or another.

FWIW - Add Books has this option - Paste files to selected book records from clipboard.

If the clipboard contents includes an image file it will become the cover of the books

You can give it shortcut, for me its Alt+Shift+V

BR

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

FWIW - Add Books has this option - Paste files to selected book records from clipboard.

If the clipboard contents includes an image file it will become the cover of the books

You can give it shortcut, for me its Alt+Shift+V

BR

Thanks; I'll look into it. Could that be the problem... that KDE includes a clipboard manager by default? (I.e., it holds a whole bunch of copied stuff.) If you just paste in a program without doing anything special, the last thing you copied should be pasted, however.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Thanks; I'll look into it. Could that be the problem... that KDE includes a clipboard manager by default? (I.e., it holds a whole bunch of copied stuff.) If you just paste in a program without doing anything special, the last thing you copied should be pasted, however.

I run the Clipboard Fusion Pro clipboard manager on Windows, no problems with it and calibre nor with anything else. I used to use another tool, but it was abandoned and then I had a problem with it and Sigil - so I looked for a replacement - that was more than a decade ago.

A single clipboard item can reference multiple objects (e.g. a jpeg, a pdf and and epub), which is what Kovid is exploiting here.

I create new items in my media library by adding an MP4 of a newsclip, I then add a cover and transcript files via Ctrl+C in my file manager and Alt+Shift+V in calibre.

BR

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Is it indeed a problem to have the book open in the viewer, if you are editing the TOC at the same time? (I was fixing some stuff in there after splitting an omnibus, so I had to both be able to see the actual chapter and section headings and edit the TOC at the same time.)

No, it isnt.