Search & Replace History

MerlinMama · 05-07-2016, 09:53 AM

I had a note about where to find the S&R History, for when I have to delete just a few entries, but I've lost it. I don't want to completely delete my history, since I have about 70 books to edit that I have to reuse the same ones, but I have a half-dozen attempts at a particular regex, and want to get rid of the wrong ones, without clearing everything else. Help!

I know why it can't happen (and I understand believe me!) but I wouldn't have such a problem if history would keep leading and trailing spaces and I could use Normal Mode!! Now I have to define the spaces with [ ], but that means the rest MUST be translated into Regex. I keep forgetting things that have to be escaped to work. And then I forgot to switch the Mode altogether so NOTHING was working...

BetterRed · 05-07-2016, 06:25 PM

@MerlinMama - for this, I would use Saved Searches rather than relying on F&R history. Tick the box in View menu.

BR

MerlinMama · 05-07-2016, 08:10 PM

Nope, I don't want it in Saved Searches. My Search Window is filled with ones I use to make ALL my books uniform. This will be used just for this series of books, and likely never used again. I don't want to have so many Saved Searches that I'm forced to scroll to get them all, and risk missing some.

I'll keep searching old posts with various terms until I find the one that indicated where I could remove just a few items from F&R History.

Thanks anyway.

theducks · 05-07-2016, 08:22 PM

I would look in Preferences for edit-book

pickle files are not to be touched
This is not a snippet

edit-book-history.plist

But then it gets fun

finding the exact lines to remove

BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP

CAREFULLY Use a TEXT only editor like Notepad++

MerlinMama · 05-07-2016, 08:45 PM

That was it, thanks! And if I'm not 100% absolutely sure of what I'm deleting, I don't touch. Otherwise, I copy the ones I want to keep somewhere, clear the history, then redo them one by one. I will do it, but if I can...

BetterRed · 05-07-2016, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MerlinMama

Nope, I don't want it in Saved Searches. My Search Window is filled with ones I use to make ALL my books uniform. This will be used just for this series of books, and likely never used again. I don't want to have so many Saved Searches that I'm forced to scroll to get them all, and risk missing some.

I'll keep searching old posts with various terms until I find the one that indicated where I could remove just a few items from F&R History.

Thanks anyway.

That's where having collapsible Saved Search groups a'la Sigil would come in handy. Then you could create a group for the particular series, keep it even for future reference.

BR

MerlinMama · 05-07-2016, 09:51 PM

Yes, that would be great. When I was setting up my saved searches, I hoped it would do that.

BetterRed · 05-07-2016, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MerlinMama

Yes, that would be great. When I was setting up my saved searches, I hoped it would do that.

You can export/import saved searches, maybe you could exploit that feature: create saved searches, use them, export them, delete them. Import them again should you have the need.

BR

MerlinMama · 05-08-2016, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

You can export/import saved searches, maybe you could exploit that feature: create saved searches, use them, export them, delete them. Import them again should you have the need.

BR

I thought of that, but on the lesser used groupings, I'd probably just forget with my memory, and then the problem of adding a new group to the permanent existing group (if that's even possible) would just create the scrolling problem again. Plus it would be a whole bunch of trouble I'd think...

The ideal **wishlist** solution for me would be your other solution, assigning groups that are collapsible and you can go and pick which groups expand and which stay out of the way. For now, having permanent Saved Searches, and temporary in the F&R history is the best.

My temporary are not usually for so many books, maybe up to half a dozen at most usually, so this is really a big exception. Otherwise I wouldn't even bother seeing if I can just remove a couple of entries because of mistakes.

BetterRed · 05-08-2016, 06:52 AM

Last go

When you import saved searches they are appended to the list.

If you name the series specific searches distinctively eg !whatever, you can push them as group to the top/bottom of the list.

Or use Sigil on this particular series

Good luck - BR

MerlinMama · 05-08-2016, 07:00 AM

I'll still end up with the scrolling problem, which for a while I'll be careful of, but will surely miss at some point. Still, I'll give it a try. Switching things in and out though seems a bit...messy to me.

OH...can I just export PART of my Saved Searches? Like I said, the permanent ones stay, and exporting and re-importing those is something I don't want to do. Last time I did it (because there was a problem with my ?tweaks? file and I needed to delete it) it imported all wonky and out of order. I have it all nicely set up exactly as I need it, and I get weird when things change order for no real reason...You should see how I get with the cupboards at home when the dishes are out of order LOL

MerlinMama · 05-08-2016, 05:49 PM

Ok, I'm home finally and when trying this discovered I can Export only part of the list, which is good. I tested one section, and then re-Imported it. As I remembered, it brought it back out of order. In my group of 1-2-3, it came back as 2-1-3. It's not alphabetical, because the test group was numbered.

For a variety of reasons, if I export a list of saved searches, they need to be imported in that same order. If you need my reasons I can provide (I'm not sure if they're necessary, but if they are I can write them)

BetterRed · 05-08-2016, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MerlinMama

I'll still end up with the scrolling problem, which for a while I'll be careful of, but will surely miss at some point. Still, I'll give it a try. Switching things in and out though seems a bit...messy to me.

OH...can I just export PART of my Saved Searches?

Oh, all right - yes you can

Select the items that start with a bang '!' (signifying temporary), export them, then delete them. I export them to C:\_Calibre\EditorSavedSearches\ with a suitable file name (e.g. the series name,json). When they are imported they will be appended to the list, i.e. they'll appear after the permanent items.

IMO that's easier and safer than editing files in the configuration folder, and I'm not throwing something away that I might be able to reuse in the future.

If one could 'hide selected' and 'reveal all hidden items' (within a session only) then that could address your abhorrence to scrolling. One could hide the permanent items whilst working with the temporary items.

Added - we cross posted, had a breakfast break!

I'll do some tests on the ordering issue - IMO they should retain the top to bottom order they had when selected - but I also have a vague recollection that in Windows at least, multiple selected items aren't necessarily iterated in that order (sorry that's geek babble).

BR

BetterRed · 05-09-2016, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MerlinMama

In my group of 1-2-3, it came back as 2-1-3. It's not alphabetical, because the test group was numbered.

For a variety of reasons, if I export a list of saved searches, they need to be imported in that same order. If you need my reasons I can provide (I'm not sure if they're necessary, but if they are I can write them)

Yeah - you're right, they don't come back in the same order, but as previously indicated that maybe a Windows idiosyncrasy.

You don't need to justify to me why you would like them to come back in the order they left. You'll have to ask Kovid if he can fix it, he might ask why, you could open a ticket here ==>> Bugs : calibre

Kovid is probably watching the thread. He may have other, and better ideas that those we've discussed.

BR

kovidgoyal · 05-09-2016, 07:22 AM

My suggestion for this remains what it has always been use the search box in the saved search dialog to make virtual groups. For example, prefix all your normal search names with [] and special ones [some name]

Then if you want to see your normal saved searches, just search for [] and if you want to see a group, search for [some name]

05-07-2016, 09:53 AM	#1
MerlinMama Evangelist Posts: 498 Karma: 32554 Join Date: May 2014 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Sage	Search & Replace History I had a note about where to find the S&R History, for when I have to delete just a few entries, but I've lost it. I don't want to completely delete my history, since I have about 70 books to edit that I have to reuse the same ones, but I have a half-dozen attempts at a particular regex, and want to get rid of the wrong ones, without clearing everything else. Help! I know why it can't happen (and I understand believe me!) but I wouldn't have such a problem if history would keep leading and trailing spaces and I could use Normal Mode!! Now I have to define the spaces with [ ], but that means the rest MUST be translated into Regex. I keep forgetting things that have to be escaped to work. And then I forgot to switch the Mode altogether so NOTHING was working...

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05-07-2016, 06:25 PM	#2
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 21,725 Karma: 29711016 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	@MerlinMama - for this, I would use Saved Searches rather than relying on F&R history. Tick the box in View menu. BR

05-07-2016, 08:10 PM	#3
MerlinMama Evangelist Posts: 498 Karma: 32554 Join Date: May 2014 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Sage	Nope, I don't want it in Saved Searches. My Search Window is filled with ones I use to make ALL my books uniform. This will be used just for this series of books, and likely never used again. I don't want to have so many Saved Searches that I'm forced to scroll to get them all, and risk missing some. I'll keep searching old posts with various terms until I find the one that indicated where I could remove just a few items from F&R History. Thanks anyway.

05-07-2016, 08:22 PM	#4
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 31,055 Karma: 60358908 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	I would look in Preferences for edit-book pickle files are not to be touched This is not a snippet edit-book-history.plist But then it gets fun finding the exact lines to remove BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP CAREFULLY Use a TEXT only editor like Notepad++

05-07-2016, 08:45 PM	#5
MerlinMama Evangelist Posts: 498 Karma: 32554 Join Date: May 2014 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Sage	That was it, thanks! And if I'm not 100% absolutely sure of what I'm deleting, I don't touch. Otherwise, I copy the ones I want to keep somewhere, clear the history, then redo them one by one. I will do it, but if I can...

05-07-2016, 09:51 PM	#7
MerlinMama Evangelist Posts: 498 Karma: 32554 Join Date: May 2014 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Sage	Yes, that would be great. When I was setting up my saved searches, I hoped it would do that.

05-08-2016, 06:52 AM	#10
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 21,725 Karma: 29711016 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	Last go When you import saved searches they are appended to the list. If you name the series specific searches distinctively eg !whatever, you can push them as group to the top/bottom of the list. Or use Sigil on this particular series Good luck - BR

05-08-2016, 07:00 AM	#11
MerlinMama Evangelist Posts: 498 Karma: 32554 Join Date: May 2014 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Sage	I'll still end up with the scrolling problem, which for a while I'll be careful of, but will surely miss at some point. Still, I'll give it a try. Switching things in and out though seems a bit...messy to me. OH...can I just export PART of my Saved Searches? Like I said, the permanent ones stay, and exporting and re-importing those is something I don't want to do. Last time I did it (because there was a problem with my ?tweaks? file and I needed to delete it) it imported all wonky and out of order. I have it all nicely set up exactly as I need it, and I get weird when things change order for no real reason...You should see how I get with the cupboards at home when the dishes are out of order LOL

05-08-2016, 05:49 PM	#12
MerlinMama Evangelist Posts: 498 Karma: 32554 Join Date: May 2014 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Sage	Ok, I'm home finally and when trying this discovered I can Export only part of the list, which is good. I tested one section, and then re-Imported it. As I remembered, it brought it back out of order. In my group of 1-2-3, it came back as 2-1-3. It's not alphabetical, because the test group was numbered. For a variety of reasons, if I export a list of saved searches, they need to be imported in that same order. If you need my reasons I can provide (I'm not sure if they're necessary, but if they are I can write them)

05-09-2016, 07:22 AM	#15
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,349 Karma: 27182818 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	My suggestion for this remains what it has always been use the search box in the saved search dialog to make virtual groups. For example, prefix all your normal search names with [] and special ones [some name] Then if you want to see your normal saved searches, just search for [] and if you want to see a group, search for [some name]

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