Can you manage one library from more than one Calibre installation?

[bookandtea]

I've tried different ways of wording this and I can't seem to find the answer here or on Google. I also checked the Library Management section of the Calibre FAQ and it doesn't seem to be addressed there.

I currently have my database (a little over 5k books) in Dropbox, managed by an old MacBook Air (with the old Kindle app and old Calibre install, so it's useful for DRM removal).

I have an iMac and a new MacBook Air, and I'd like to be able to manipulate that database from (updated, current) Calibre installations on the other two machines. Is that possible? Can all three manage the same database? Or could just two manage it?

[theducks]

Calibre is Single User (access), LOCAL DRIVE ONLY.
You can keep a Mirror, but do not do a 2 way sync. Bad things can happen (the only question is WHEN)
The built in Content server allows external Access to Calibre via a standard browser

[bookandtea]

Thank you! Is there a safe way to untoggle app from a database and then toggle a new app (on a different computer) to that same database, without messing things up?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by bookandtea

Thank you! Is there a safe way to untoggle app from a database and then toggle a new app (on a different computer) to that same database, without messing things up?

No. If you make changes to your library/database on several different computers, you'll almost certainly end up with errors and corrupted files. I did it for years (on Windows, using Dropbox), and had to fix the resulting errors pretty often. Better not.

[BetterRed]

@bookandtea - You could run CalbreSpy in Read only mode from a command line/script on two of the three computers, and run full-blown calibre on the other one.

On a Windows network you could script "if calibre is not running on another computer start calibre else start calibre-spy". I'm sure you could could something similar on a network of Macs.

BR

[bookandtea]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

No. If you make changes to your library/database on several different computers, you'll almost certainly end up with errors and corrupted files. I did it for years (on Windows, using Dropbox), and had to fix the resulting errors pretty often. Better not.

Wait so you're saying I can't unlink one app and link another one? So that means I have to use this database with this one computer, forever? I don't see how that makes sense.

I want to unlink one Calibre on the old MacBook Air from the database, so I can link the new MacBook Air - you're saying that isn't possible? What do people do if they get a new computer?

[kovidgoyal]

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...ter-to-another

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by bookandtea

What do people do if they get a new computer?

This ==>> How do I move my calibre data from one computer to another?

BR

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by bookandtea

Wait so you're saying I can't unlink one app and link another one? So that means I have to use this database with this one computer, forever? I don't see how that makes sense.

I want to unlink one Calibre on the old MacBook Air from the database, so I can link the new MacBook Air - you're saying that isn't possible? What do people do if they get a new computer?

Of course you can move your setup to another computer. What you can't do without messing up your library is have your library and database on more than one computer at once, hop between them and make changes on both. That would require constant two-way syncing and Calibre is not built for that.

[bookandtea]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Of course you can move your setup to another computer. What you can't do without messing up your library is have your library and database on more than one computer at once, hop between them and make changes on both. That would require constant two-way syncing and Calibre is not built for that.

We had already established that. My follow-up question was whether I could unlink one Calibre installation from a database and then link a new Calibre installation to that same database, and you literally quoted my question and said no - that's why I was confused.

[bookandtea]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...ter-to-another

Thanks! I'd seen that but it seemed to be instructing the user to export everything and then import it somewhere else - whereas I don't want to move my database, I just want to access that database from a different Calibre installation. I guess I can't do that, though? Looks like I need to export the whole thing to a different Dropbox folder on the same account and then import that with the other laptop.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by bookandtea

We had already established that. My follow-up question was whether I could unlink one Calibre installation from a database and then link a new Calibre installation to that same database, and you literally quoted my question and said no - that's why I was confused.

I misunderstood your question. Given your previous question about managing your library on more than one computer, I thought you wanted to link/unlink back and forth on a regular basis, not just once.

You don't have to import/export if you have everything in Dropbox. Just select Library -> Remove library on the old computer and point Calibre to the same library on the new (Switch/create library -> Use the previously existing library at the new location)