Step-by-step manual on How to convert

[citac]

Forgive me, but I've never been so frustrated by a program in my entire life. I've been trying to figure out how to convert a txt file to epub or mobi. I thought I just needed to click on the convert button, set the options and I would get the desired result. Where do the files go after being converted?? I clicked on the Jobs button, clicked to see the details because I couldn't find the converted book, and was pointed to I:\CalibrePortable\Data\settings\temp with several files named strangely. They were deleted once I closed the program in frustration.

Am I doing something incredibly stupid? I've been reading the FAQ, this forum, and the E-book Conversion instructions in the User Manual, but there's no simple step by step instruction that I could see. Where do I tell the program to save the converted ebook? I checked Preferences->Conversion, and tried a couple of profiles, left the defaults in since I don't have an ereader and tried a couple of profiles, finally returning everything to default because they didn't seem to work.

So, I'm once again asking that someone explain the conversion process as you would to a small child.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by citac

I've been trying to figure out how to convert a txt file to epub or mobi.

Put the txt file into calibre. Select it, right click, choose Convert, set the options and you end up with the original txt format and the new format in calibre. Then use Save to Disk to save either or both formats wherever you want.

[speakingtohe]

Or you can right click on the file name and choose open containing folder to open the folder - or - look under preferences>general to see where your calibre library is as all files are put in subdirectories under that directory

[banjomike]

To take some your comments in no particular order.

The converted epub or whatever will always be in the same folder as the txt or whatever that you convert from. All the formats of a particular book are kept together under the top-level of your Calibre library which is created when you first install Calibre.

speakingtohe has given the easiest way to find both the specific book and the location of the Calibre library, using right-click on the book name in Calibre.

The stuff that the Jobs button tells you is only useful, to me at least, when trying to find out why a conversion has failed or how long a job still has to run.

If you want to view your epub, select the book name, click on the arrow next to View, select view specific format, select epub. The viewer isn't exactly the same as a hardware reader but it is OK.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by banjomike

speakingtohe has given the easiest way to find both the specific book and the location of the Calibre library, using right-click on the book name in Calibre.

Personally, I try to avoid telling a new user to access books directly in the library. They may change the filename, or move the file. Many are unhappy with the directory structure/naming scheme that calibre uses for its database and can't understand why they aren't allowed to change it.

All in all, it seems better to me to have them learn from the beginning to treat the library as a black box and access their books the way Calibre was designed for books to be accessed - either through Save to Disk or through Send to Device.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Starson17

Personally, I try to avoid telling a new user to access books directly in the library. They may change the filename, or move the file. Many are unhappy with the directory structure/naming scheme that calibre uses for its database and can't understand why they aren't allowed to change it.

All in all, it seems better to me to have them learn from the beginning to treat the library as a black box and access their books the way Calibre was designed for books to be accessed - either through Save to Disk or through Send to Device.

Well, I'm not delighted that I have to duplicate several hundred books but I can live with it. Citac has already contributed to a 'don't like calibre structure' thread so we are preaching to the converted.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...802#post607802

Besides, I don't know of any piece of software that does not have at least one really annoying feature.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by banjomike

Well, I'm not delighted that I have to duplicate several hundred books but I can live with it.

Perhaps I'm missing something, but why do you have to duplicate books?

If I want to read a book on the computer that Calibre runs on, I hit "View" and read it. If I want to read it on something else, I send it to that device or other computer and give it whatever name I want. I don't consider a copy on another device as being a duplicate. Do you? What else is there, other than backups?

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by banjomike

Citac has already contributed to a 'don't like calibre structure' thread so we are preaching to the converted.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...802#post607802

That type of post is exactly why I try not to tell a new user to directly access the library folders. It's simply a matter of perspective. If a user thinks of the Calibre GUI as just a convenient index for finding books, then of course they'll want to control the filenames and folder names. OTOH, if they think of Calibre as a storage box for their books, and use it the way it's designed to get books out of that storage box, then they'll realize they have more control over the file and folder names than they did before.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Starson17

Perhaps I'm missing something, but why do you have to duplicate books?

If I want to read a book on the computer that Calibre runs on, I hit "View" and read it. If I want to read it on something else, I send it to that device or other computer and give it whatever name I want. I don't consider a copy on another device as being a duplicate. Do you? What else is there, other than backups?

Because, like many who have been collecting books for years, I have my own directory structure devised over those same years. So I have an old 40GB disk that is nearly full, about 40 CDs and DVDs full of zips and even arcs, and about 20GB of books on the PC I use to organise my media/books/etc plus other stuff dotted around the house. I have no idea how many ebooks and comics I have. When I want to put something on my Sony I drag it into Calibre, let Calibre do its thing, maybe change the cover, maybe convert to epub. Then copy to Sony. Then delete the file I dragged into Calibre. But I keep the one Calibre created on the PC and on the Sony. So my CalibreLibrary is about 2GB of extra versions on my PC.

Not a problem.

[citac]

Originally Posted by banjomike

Well, I'm not delighted that I have to duplicate several hundred books but I can live with it. Citac has already contributed to a 'don't like calibre structure' thread so we are preaching to the converted.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...802#post607802

Besides, I don't know of any piece of software that does not have at least one really annoying feature.

Hee, it's not that I'm actually converted, just that circumstances have conspired to thrust me into working at a library. I've been learning a lot about metadata and classification etc. and can now see the reasoning behind some of the decisions made in writing this program.

That doesn't mean I'm 100% on board. I still hate the duplication. Saying "buy more hard disk space" is all nice and good, but you can't presume that is as easy and as cheap in all parts of the world; I had to save for months on end to buy my computer, and still had to pay for it in installments because my expenses are just too big. Also, I'm used to my folder structure, and it's never easy changing year long habits.

[itimpi]

I have over time transferred the majority of my library into Calibre and then removed the originals so I avoid duplication. Actually if anything I have reduced my reqirements as the transfer into Calibre has encouraged me to any duplicates thqat were in my original library, but were filed in different places within my original folder structure.

I then keep backup off-line of my Calibre library to protect against disaster, but I would have to do that regardless of the directory structure used.

[citac]

Originally Posted by Starson17

That type of post is exactly why I try not to tell a new user to directly access the library folders. It's simply a matter of perspective. If a user thinks of the Calibre GUI as just a convenient index for finding books, then of course they'll want to control the filenames and folder names. OTOH, if they think of Calibre as a storage box for their books, and use it the way it's designed to get books out of that storage box, then they'll realize they have more control over the file and folder names than they did before.

Yep, when I first tried it out, that's what I expected to use it for. This time I'm determined to learn more about it and see how I can use it properly, and maybe even how I can make it behave closer to what I need. I'm testing out the features using a portable version, so I don't know, maybe that might influence the behavior of the program. What bothers me right now is I think I followed all the steps correctly, I watched the video (which is btw too big for my monitor so I constantly had to move it up and down), and I still don't get what I expected. I must be doing something wrong, but I can't figure out what.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by citac

and I still don't get what I expected. I must be doing something wrong, but I can't figure out what.

What happens that you don't expect?

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by banjomike

Because, like many who have been collecting books for years, I have my own directory structure devised over those same years.

Ah. I see. You're still using another ebook management system, and use Calibre for conversion and sending to an ereader device.

I had my own system, too, but it had become very unwieldy for me. I tried to be consistent, but I wasn't. I had a backlog of books to sort into my system, another huge chunk of Gutenberg books that weren't labeled correctly, etc. It did take me a while to get everything into Calibre, but now I'm glad I did.

I could search for an author or title, but that's about it. Subject matter searches were impossible. I had little text files that I would refer to to tell me the names of authors for "Naval Fiction" so that I could find books of interest by author. I had variouis confusing directories for "Computer Programming" ebooks, etc. It had become a mess that wasn't as useful to me as it should have been.

I started using Calibre to convert a few odd formats, but the more I used it, the more I realized that it would solve my access problems. I can see why its design would be frustrating if you don't actually use it to store your books.

[citac]

Originally Posted by Starson17

Put the txt file into calibre. Select it, right click, choose Convert, set the options and you end up with the original txt format and the new format in calibre. Then use Save to Disk to save either or both formats wherever you want.

I've started Calibre portable, but it's extremely slow. I'm beginning to think I should install the program on my computer and test it there.

I took those steps, however I was unable to actually convert my txt file to either epub or mobi. Save to disk brought up several errors last night so I gave up. I didn't make a note of what exactly those errors were. I do remember that one of the messages was that there was no metadata for the files, which is not true because I spent a lot of time adding it.

I'm afraid I've got some midterms to grade now, but I will make a second attempt tonight after I install the full program and see how it goes. Question: can I use a memory stick as Calibre's library or does it have to be on the hard drive?