Import Filename

[jhs75]

When I add new books to the Calibre library, I want to maintain the same name. I don't want to have the author or Unknown, appended to the end of the name. I like the names I provided and want to maintain them. I just don't see a simple "use filename" option. I have looked through the settings and Import and Add, but nothing I have set results in the same name being used - something is always added as the author.

Also, how do I control the length of the filename - the system is automatically truncating longer book titles.

Thanks

[Sabardeyn]

jhs,
The really short answer, for all your questions: You can't.

Calibre needs a certain mandatory file structure in order to be able to automate some of the processes which it has become famous for. So calibre uses an ../AuthorName/BookName/booktitle - authorname.ext structure.

Which means you always need an author. Even if it's only a dummy name, you must have an author. Because no operating system will allow you to create a folder called null/non-existent within which you would need to place the book.

The book name is based on whatever is entered into the database so you can control that with one exception: total path length cannot exceed about 250 characters. Once you get into that range, calibre will start to truncate things. Note that this is a Windows (any version that runs the FAT or NFS file systems) limitation. Other OSes do not have this inherent limitation so their path and filenames may not be truncated.

For what it's worth, you will find after some time using calibre, that you really don't need to muck about in the library directly. It's kind of like a bank vault, keeping your ebooks secure. Whenever you want to read a book, calibre will send a copy to your device. Besides using the ebook files directly, whether manually or through some other program, is likely to cause damage to the file structure and the calibre database eventually.

[Adoby]

Also see this sticky post:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=119175

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Sabardeyn

Note that this is a Windows (any version that runs the FAT or NFS file systems) limitation. Other OSes do not have this inherent limitation so their path and filenames may not be truncated.

I think you mean NTFS - NFS is another file system, most often found on Sun systems.

You're right in saying the file path length restriction is Windows issue, but its not an NTFS issue - the legacy Windows API's are the issue. Natively NTFS supports file paths up to 32K bytes, which I think is the same as HFS+ (apple) and Ext3 (linux) and NFS.

So what's the use of that you may ask, NTFS only runs on Windows

Before MS consumerised NT and called it Windows 2000, NTFS was available as a file system that could be installed on other OS's. In those environments it didn't carry the legacy Windows API baggage. So why does the API crud still exist, the ill-fated Longhorn (aka WinFS) can take some of the blame. IIRC the 256ish byte restriction might have been inherited from HPFS - which was the OS/2 file system - so some blame can perhaps be sheeted to home to MS's great aunty - IBM.

BR

[jhs75]

Thanks