I think I broke it - No metadata output when converting to epub

[Hendrixxxxxxxx]

Hi,

(OSX Lion 10.7.5, Calibre 0.9.12 and 0.9.13)

I am hoping someone can help me. For years, I have been converting books to epub format (from all different formats, but mostly mobi), and then importing them into Bookpedia, complete with the cover image and all the metadata, with no problem.

After a system freeze and forced restart, the import into Bookpedia only results in the import of the book name and author (as 1 field), the date added, and the format (see below). None of the other metadata, or the cover image imports.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>customCheckbox1</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>customCheckbox2</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>dateAdded</key>
<date>2013-01-11T01:29:09Z</date>
<key>dateEdited</key>
<date>2013-01-11T01:29:10Z</date>
<key>format</key>
<string>epub</string>
<key>hasBeenSold</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>hasMovieLink</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>lastUsedCount</key>
<string>0</string>
<key>links</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>name</key>
<string>Back to the Stone Age - Edgar Rice Burroughs</string>
<key>position</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>type</key>
<string>PDF</string>
<key>url</key>
<string>file:///Users/XXXXXXX/Desktop/CalLibTemp/Edgar Rice Burroughs/Back to the Stone Age (7)/Back to the Stone Age - Edgar Rice Burroughs.epub</string>
</dict>
</array>
<key>myRating</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>onSale</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>signed</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>title</key>
<string>Back to the Stone Age - Edgar Rice Burroughs</string>
<key>uploaded</key>
<integer>0</integer>
</dict>
</plist>

I have determined (I believe) that this is not a Bookpedia problem as other epub files - not converted in Calibre - import fine with all their metadata as usual.

It could be an OSX issue, but I have reinstalled Lion (in case it was) to try and fix the problem, but with no luck.

All Calibre conversion settings are "default", and in case any had become corrupted somehow, I went through and "Restored Defaults" for all Calibre conversion preferences.

I have also rebuilt the Calibre database, trashed the Calibre folder in preferences and performed a clean install of Calibre, but the problem persists.

I have attached a number of files to this message - the mobi file before conversion, the output epub file after conversion (in which it appears the metadata IS there), the Calibre conversion debug file, and the Calibre conversion log, plus the opf file, in the hope someone who knows what they are doing - because I most definitely don't - can see something screwy in there and suggest a fix.

One final note. I do have a suspicion that maybe this is not a Calibre issue, but is an issue with my OSX - but having reinstalled OSX, fixed permissions etc etc, I have run out of ideas as to where to go next to try and fix this issue. I have noticed that, when viewing the epub file in the Finder straight after Calibre converts it and writes the file to disk, the "file kind" (which usually says "epub") is often, but not always, blank.

Thanks in hopeful anticipation.

Phil

P.S. I have just noticed the following from the Bookpedia .bcard output above. Although the format from higher up the page says epub, I wonder if this is relevant and causing the problem>

<key>type</key>
<string>PDF</string>

[Hendrixxxxxxxx]

Apologies for the new post, but the edit button seems to disappear after a length of time.

One thing I did notice, in the conversion logs, is the following:

'title': None,
'authors': None,
'comments': None,
'tags': None,


Whether this is relevant or not, I don't know.....

[kovidgoyal]

The epub file you attached has all its metadata. I have no idea why bookpedia doesn't want to import it, you should ask whoever maintains bookpedia.

[Hendrixxxxxxxx]

Thanks for your prompt reply Kovid.

That's what I thought - I could see the metadata there in the body of the book, but was wondering if it was also stored elsewhere within the file structure.

Do the conversion logs - specifically the following fields

'title': None,
'authors': None,
'comments': None,
'tags': None,

look OK to you? I only ask because, being a near-Luddite, I have zero idea. I appreciate that the log extract above may be an interim step in the conversion process and thus not mean anything.

I am also talking to the bookpedia people, but the fact that it imports non-Calibre epub files OK suggests that Calibre and Bookpedia have, for some reason, stopped talking to each other.

[kovidgoyal]

Yes those are fine. And if you want to check the metadata in an epub file, open it in the calibre ebook viewer and click the i button to see the metadata, or use the comamnd line ebook-meta tool.

[Hendrixxxxxxxx]

Thanks Kovid.

I managed to fix it by doing a clean install of Lion, and then clean installs of both Calibre and Bookpedia. I continue to suspect it was an OSX problem.

Thanks for trying to help.