[GUI Plugin] FanFicFare

[Tanjamuse]

replace_metadata:
    Marvel Cinematic Universe=>MCU

But it has to be specific to the site as far as I know.

[citac]

Originally Posted by Tanjamuse

replace_metadata:
    Marvel Cinematic Universe=>MCU

But it has to be specific to the site as far as I know.

Thank you, it worked! I will probably have more questions and will have to go through the forum with a fine tooth comb until I find all the settings I've lost.

[tricklem]

Quick question. I have noticed that when I am downloading in Calibre with the plugin, that sometimes that an author will do a chapter updated and then later change the status to complete. However, if I update the story again, the completed status won't download if I already have all of the chapters. I have made sure that the "new" box is not checked off, but that doesn't seem to do anything. Is there any other settings that I can amend so that it will update the status if I already have all of the chapters other than to say always update epub? I was told that if I chose always update epub instead of update epub if newer chapters, but that if an author pulled chapters from the story that I would loose what I had downloaded.

[Bixel925]

I have followed his guide as well as had a quich PM conversation before he recommended posting on this thread. You can see the result of that above. I could PM you all my settings for Gmail and FFF's Email tab if you would like. Something along the lines of comparing settings and seeing if you did something I missed.

Originally Posted by Tanjamuse

I use Gmail and I haven't had any troubles at all. Have you followed JimmXinu's guide to the mail feature? (And remembered to say yes to a specific setting, but I can't remember which one in Gmail?) I think it has something to do with Imaps

[Tanjamuse]

I haven't updated to the newest version. I don't know if that would make a difference?

[JimmXinu]

Originally Posted by tricklem

Quick question. I have noticed that when I am downloading in Calibre with the plugin, that sometimes that an author will do a chapter updated and then later change the status to complete. However, if I update the story again, the completed status won't download if I already have all of the chapters. I have made sure that the "new" box is not checked off, but that doesn't seem to do anything. Is there any other settings that I can amend so that it will update the status if I already have all of the chapters other than to say always update epub? I was told that if I chose always update epub instead of update epub if newer chapters, but that if an author pulled chapters from the story that I would loose what I had downloaded.

Update EPUB if New Chapters does exactly that: update if there are more chapters than you already have.

To update only calibre metadata (including status) use Update Calibre Metadata from Web Site. Update EPUB Always is what you want to update the status inside the epub's title page, too.

If the author removes chapters (so you have more than the site shows) or changes chapters you have already downloaded, you need to use Overwrite Always or Overwrite if Newer. The later only if the updated date on the server is newer than when you last updated/edited the epub.

I vaguely recall someone asking once about how to keep copies of chapters that the author has removed from their story. If that's what you're talking about when you say loose what I had downloaded, then you're basically on your own. Your best bet is to either hand edit status updates or download the web site version to a different book (Add New Book). Changing the title and removing the URL Identifier in calibre from the non-website version might help.

[tricklem]

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

Update EPUB if New Chapters does exactly that: update if there are more chapters than you already have.

To update only calibre metadata (including status) use Update Calibre Metadata from Web Site. Update EPUB Always is what you want to update the status inside the epub's title page, too.

If the author removes chapters (so you have more than the site shows) or changes chapters you have already downloaded, you need to use Overwrite Always or Overwrite if Newer. The later only if the updated date on the server is newer than when you last updated/edited the epub.

I vaguely recall someone asking once about how to keep copies of chapters that the author has removed from their story. If that's what you're talking about when you say loose what I had downloaded, then you're basically on your own. Your best bet is to either hand edit status updates or download the web site version to a different book (Add New Book). Changing the title and removing the URL Identifier in calibre from the non-website version might help.

Thank you. If I choose Update Epub always, will that change any of the chapters that I already have?

[JimmXinu]

Originally Posted by tricklem

Thank you. If I choose Update Epub always, will that change any of the chapters that I already have?

It will re-use the story HTML from the existing chapters in the existing epub. The TOC, chapter HTML headers, title page, etc will be recreated.

What is it exactly that you are concerned about happening?

[tricklem]

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

It will re-use the story HTML from the existing chapters in the existing epub. The TOC, chapter HTML headers, title page, etc will be recreated.

What is it exactly that you are concerned about happening?

I am concerned about loosing any of the chapter content that I already have. Some authors will pull their stories but leave 1 chapter up. I just don't want to loose anything that I already have. I have 498 stories in my library that are in progress that I am waiting to be completed. I don't have time to check each one individually to confirm all of the prior chapters are there before I update.

[JimmXinu]

Originally Posted by tricklem

I am concerned about loosing any of the chapter content that I already have. Some authors will pull their stories but leave 1 chapter up. I just don't want to loose anything that I already have. I have 498 stories in my library that are in progress that I am waiting to be completed. I don't have time to check each one individually to confirm all of the prior chapters are there before I update.

I think we've had this conversation before.

FanFicFare will not update an epub (in either update mode) that already has more chapters than the web site. That's your safe guard against losing chapters the author has deleted. As far as I know, that is a rare corner case.

Saving stories that the author has deleted chapters from that you don't want to lose and updating books to 'Completed' that haven't added chapters are not operations you're going to be able to do in one step.

There's an FAQ explaining Why shouldn't I just select my entire library and use FanFicFare plugin to check for updates?

[blackburnsie]

I'm not sure if this is just me being an airhead, but I am battling in frustration with the following issue:

An author puts up their fic on two different websites with the same username and title, but with obviously different URLs. When I try to download the fic using the second URL, FanFicFare won't let me do so, telling me that there's nothing to update.

Is it possible to have the plugin simply search for identical URLs instead of the title and author as well? I know that I set it up so that FFDL did that, but for whatever reason, I just can't figure it out with FanFicFare.

Help please?

[JimmXinu]

Originally Posted by blackburnsie

An author puts up their fic on two different websites with the same username and title, but with obviously different URLs. When I try to download the fic using the second URL, FanFicFare won't let me do so, telling me that there's nothing to update.

Is it possible to have the plugin simply search for identical URLs instead of the title and author as well? I know that I set it up so that FFDL did that, but for whatever reason, I just can't figure it out with FanFicFare.

So you want it to download the same title/author book from a different site when it already has the same number of chapters?

As a separate book, or replacing the first one? If you have a separate book for each, they will each match (and update) only the book with the matching URL. Title/author look up is a fall back.

You can also turn on the Check for changed Story URL (see attached), that will stop and prompt you when an existing story wit the same title/author but a different URL is present. First it will ask if you want the existing book updated/overwritten and then if you'd like it added as a new book if you say no.

The 'Update' part doesn't change. If you use Update EPUB if New Chapters it's only going to update if the site has more chapters than you do.

[blackburnsie]

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

So you want it to download the same title/author book from a different site when it already has the same number of chapters?

As a separate book, or replacing the first one? If you have a separate book for each, they will each match (and update) only the book with the matching URL. Title/author look up is a fall back.

You can also turn on the Check for changed Story URL (see attached), that will stop and prompt you when an existing story wit the same title/author but a different URL is present. First it will ask if you want the existing book updated/overwritten and then if you'd like it added as a new book if you say no.

The 'Update' part doesn't change. If you use Update EPUB if New Chapters it's only going to update if the site has more chapters than you do.

Yes, I want to download the same book from the same author from a different website. For various reasons, it's easier for me to do so.

For example: Acts of Life by Lomonaeeren

I've subscribed to this story on both fanfiction.net and archiveofourown.org. This author has the same username on both sites.

AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/3966676
ff.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11257753/1/Acts-of-Life

I want a separate copy of the fic for each of the 2 urls. But the plugin doesn't do that automatically. I have to select "Add new book" in the download options in order to accomplish that. I'm looking for something automatic, not manual.

It works fine if I add both of the URLS at the same time.

However, when I add the fic in from, say, the AO3 url, and then a few days later, try to add the fic in from the ff.net url, I don't get the second book added. It essentially acts as an update (if there is one), regardless of which URL I use. Then I have to read the message to determine if that story hasn't updated, or if this is a case of "same fic, different url".

What I want is for FanFicFare to read only the story url, but what it seems to be doing for updates is reading the title/author and number of chapters instead.

I like having separate copies of the same fic from different websites because:

1. Sometimes there are differences in the fic depending on which site it was posted to.

2. I mass download by copying a bunch of urls and letting the plugin do its thing in the background. It's a pain to babysit and to click yes or no every time the "changed story url" message pops up.

So basically, the problem is that FanFicFare doesn't allow me to download a fic with a different url if it's already in my library under the same title/author but from a different site.

[JimmXinu]

Originally Posted by blackburnsie

Yes, I want to download the same book from the same author from a different website. For various reasons, it's easier for me to do so.
...

Okay.

New test version posted (direct link).

Add new config option: "When checking If Story Already Exists FanFicFare will first match by URL Identifier. But if not found, it can also search existing books by Title and Author(s)." Now you can disable that behavior.

[blackburnsie]

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

Okay.

New test version posted (direct link).

Tested it, and everything seems to work!

Again, thanks a lot!