Setting the ISBN to N/A

qwertyuio · 07-03-2021, 10:08 PM

Is there any way to set the ISBN identifier to N/A or similar to indicate that I have checked the book and there is no ISBN number available? I would like to be able to distinguish between "no ISBN number set" and "I have checked and no ISBN number is available"

The reason is that when doing library maintenance, one of the first things I check is books that have no ISBN number set as I use the ISBN to eliminate duplicates and ensure correct metadata. The problem is a have a number of books that have no ISBN (eg it was published before 1970) that show up whenever I filter on isbn:false.

theducks · 07-04-2021, 12:57 AM

If you had not noticed, When there is a Valid ISBN, the entry box turns Green.
That is because it has calculated the check bit (last character) and gotten a match. (This test belongs to ISBN type identifiers )

Remember: ISBN's belong to a single edition, not a title in general.

Why not add your own identifier?
The format simply has 2 parts
identifier_name a_colon identifier_value

Code:

checked:1

qwertyuio · 07-04-2021, 01:04 AM

I just checked and found I can enter anything as an ISBN. I assumed that because the red box indicated it was invalid it wouldn't accept the value. Sorry for the noise.

kovidgoyal · 07-04-2021, 01:33 AM

Use a custom column to indicate processed books. Or a tag, whichever works better for you

07-03-2021, 10:08 PM	#1
qwertyuio Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2019 Device: none	Setting the ISBN to N/A Is there any way to set the ISBN identifier to N/A or similar to indicate that I have checked the book and there is no ISBN number available? I would like to be able to distinguish between "no ISBN number set" and "I have checked and no ISBN number is available" The reason is that when doing library maintenance, one of the first things I check is books that have no ISBN number set as I use the ISBN to eliminate duplicates and ensure correct metadata. The problem is a have a number of books that have no ISBN (eg it was published before 1970) that show up whenever I filter on isbn:false.

07-04-2021, 12:57 AM	#2
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	If you had not noticed, When there is a Valid ISBN, the entry box turns Green. That is because it has calculated the check bit (last character) and gotten a match. (This test belongs to ISBN type identifiers ) Remember: ISBN's belong to a single edition, not a title in general. Why not add your own identifier? The format simply has 2 parts identifier_name a_colon identifier_value Code: checked:1

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07-04-2021, 01:04 AM	#3
qwertyuio Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2019 Device: none	I just checked and found I can enter anything as an ISBN. I assumed that because the red box indicated it was invalid it wouldn't accept the value. Sorry for the noise.

07-04-2021, 01:33 AM	#4
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,349 Karma: 27182818 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Use a custom column to indicate processed books. Or a tag, whichever works better for you

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