Documenting Calibre

[BeccaPrice]

I'm taking a technical writing course - for this course, we're developing tutorials. My group has chosen to develop a tutorial for using Calibre as a library management tool. Our target audience are people who are totally new to using Calibre, but I want to add some advanced (well, moderately advanced) procedures as well. I'm using a lot of the DearAuthor and Calibre Tips and Tricks information as my base.

My current off-the-cuff outline is as follows. I'd really like suggestions for anything else I can add. For example, what other custom columns are useful? Should I get into the news gathering stuff, or is developing recipes for that too advanced for a non-technical audience?

What other features of Calibre would be good to highlight?

Thanks!

Outline is:

Download and install Calibre
Running the Welcome Wizard
Setting up Calibre
About Calibre
Parts of the screen
Customizing the screen view
Customizing the Main interface
Selecting book details to display (columns)
Adding custom columns
Page count
Read/not read
Adding series information to your book titles
Adding plugins for metadata
Setting Column and row colors (?)
Adding books to the Calibre Library
Adding books
Using the Calibre Get Books feature
Adding and Editing Metadata
Configuring metadata
Getting Metadata from outside sources
Adding and Editing Tags
Using The Tag Manager
Searching for books in the Calibre library
Adding books to your device

[theducks]

I would be sure to break out or clearly mark, those items that are plugin options.

What is the difference between Adding books and Adding Books to the Library?

Adding Books:
Single title, Single format
Multiple Titles of Single format...

Adding Empty Books (Useful for Wishlists or documenting Paper Library
Add from ISBN (an empty book)

Splitting or Merging Libraries

And the Biggie: Ta Da : Where to get additional Help

[DrChiper]

Provide an overview what comprises calibre: database, viewer, gui, server, etc.
Provide an overview what calibre is not: e-book compiler, drm remover, etc.

[BeccaPrice]

My indents were lost - Adding books (first instance) was a general title, with sub-topics of adding individual books, adding books in bulk, and then using the Calibre get books in bulk (like from a Baen CD)

Adding empty books for a wish-list is good, thanks.

Isn't splitting or joining libraries a bit advanced for a total newby?

[PeterLewis1709]

I'm a pre-newbie, haven't actually downloaded calibre yet. (a table of abbreviations would be useful)

[Krittika Goyal]

you could do one on calibre portable.

[BeccaPrice]

Originally Posted by DrChiper

Provide an overview what calibre is not: e-book compiler, drm remover, etc.

I thought Calibre could be used to compile ebooks? In fact, that was the subject of my last term's project, using calibre to convert from .txt or other basic files (Word filtered web) to epub and mobi.


Calibre portable might be outside the scope of this assignment - we're just to create a 30-40 minute tutorial. If we have the time, though, I'd like to cover Calibre portable, so thanks for the good suggestion.

[BeccaPrice]

Originally Posted by PeterLewis1709

I'm a pre-newbie, haven't actually downloaded calibre yet. (a table of abbreviations would be useful)

What abbreviations do you have in mind?

[DrChiper]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

I thought Calibre could be used to compile ebooks? In fact, that was the subject of my last term's project, using calibre to convert from .txt or other basic files (Word filtered web) to epub and mobi.

Converting is not the same as compiling or assembling, such as Sigil is capable to do. But calibre allows tweaking.

[BeccaPrice]

I'm very new to this myself. Could you explain how the two are different?

[DrChiper]

Sure. Consider converting as the migration from one e-doc format into another one: when done properly the viewable result is similar to the original. Tweaks are possible to correct the end result when needed.

Compiling/assembling is the art of creating an e-doc: the text, the paragraphs, the pictures, the style, the lay-out, the fonts, etc. and saving it in some chosen destination format. Everything is under your control and you can be as creative as you please.

[BeccaPrice]

but if I take a Word document (not the best source, I know), and save it as filtered web, and then import that to Calibre and convert to ePub, isn't that compiling?

thank you, by the way, for your patience in helping this non-techy become a bit more techy. Next thing you know, I'll start doing all sorts of fancy things with this lovely program!

[DrChiper]

Your example is still to be considered as just converting the format: the result will always be still similar to the original source.

Using compile/assembling, you can change the order of chapters, the text flow, adding or removing pictures or their locations, etc. To confuse you more: *word* is to be considered as a compile/assembling tool. You can create documents (source material) with it (when you are very patient...)

[BeccaPrice]

oh, I see - thanks!

I'm taking a beginning HTML/CSS class this term; maybe it'll help me understand what is going on under the hood, so to speak!

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by PeterLewis1709

I'm a pre-newbie, haven't actually downloaded calibre yet. (a table of abbreviations would be useful)

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

What abbreviations do you have in mind?

GUI? Until recently I thought this was some scary super high tech database term I wasn't supposed to understand. Instead it's Graphical User Interface, or as I call it, 'the stuff on the screen'.