Plugboard, template, and custom composite column recipes

[Blue2u]

Tech challenged, no time! And there's SO many posts to read. I know this will be a simple fix for you Calibre gurus. So please, be patient with me.

I set up my Calibre library ages ago. Recently made some changes and now messed up my plugboard for sorting metadata on my Kindle and phone [Samsung, same azw3 library].

I would like my book information to read like this;
authorlastname_firstname - series - 0.5.5
[title would be great after this for additional sorting on my phone app]


However right now I'm getting this;
authorfirstname - series 05.5 authorlastname

plugboard template is this right now:
{author_sort}{series:| - | }{series_index:0>4.1f} - {title}



I know I messed this up when I deleted my Sony settings [no longer have it].

Really appreciate the help, I know it's a simple thing for you tech savvy people, not for me though.

Thank you in advance!

[theducks]

Plugboards and Templates are 2 different things. They both use the 'Template' language


Save Templates work on the Filename

Plugboard fudge the books Metadata so when the readers Bookshelf manager reads it, it see the additional field data

Kindles want Plugboards

I only insert Series stuff Before the (existing) Title
I don't mess with the Author
chaley maybe able to tell us if you can have 2 plugboards operate on the same device
One for Title, the other for Author

[Blue2u]

Originally Posted by theducks

Plugboards and Templates are 2 different things. They both use the 'Template' language


Save Templates work on the Filename

Plugboard fudge the books Metadata so when the readers Bookshelf manager reads it, it see the additional field data

Kindles want Plugboards

I only insert Series stuff Before the (existing) Title
I don't mess with the Author
chaley maybe able to tell us if you can have 2 plugboards operate on the same device
One for Title, the other for Author

Eh, told you I was tech challenged. This is why I should have never messed with it in the first place. [Only got it set up years ago by coming here for help to begin with!]

So, from what you said though, my plugboard string is incorrect? [which is what I think it is?] Then I just need to know what to plug into it instead of what I have, to amend what's in there right now.

If it's really more complicated than that, not sure what to do then. Was hoping someone could just type out what 'command' I need in my plugboard.

But thank you for taking the time to read and reply, appreciated.

[theducks]

Your plugboard strings RESULTS is deposited into the field specified on the right side
Author is a separate Kindle field, you need to modify that ALSO (which is what I don't Know How to accomplish

[Blue2u]

Originally Posted by theducks

Your plugboard strings RESULTS is deposited into the field specified on the right side
Author is a separate Kindle field, you need to modify that ALSO (which is what I don't Know How to accomplish

In destination field I have "authors"

I have 2 plugboards and wonder if one of these is mucking things up? I thought I'd need 2 as I sync to both a Kindle and my Samsung Phone;
plugboard 1
format: any format
device: Kindle2
I tried this source template yesterday no change in results from OP;
{author_sort}{series}{series_index:0>4.1f} - {title}
destination field: authors

plugboard 2
format: azw3
device: any device
source template: {author_sort}{series}{series_index:0>4.1f} - {title}
destination field: authors

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Blue2u

In destination field I have "authors"

I have 2 plugboards and wonder if one of these is mucking things up? I thought I'd need 2 as I sync to both a Kindle and my Samsung Phone;
plugboard 1
format: any format
device: Kindle2
I tried this source template yesterday no change in results from OP;
{author_sort}{series}{series_index:0>4.1f} - {title}
destination field: authors

plugboard 2
format: azw3
device: any device
source template: {author_sort} - {series}{series_index:0>4.1f} - {title}
destination field: authors

Delete {title} at the end , insert space-space between {author_sort} tor a space to stop the run together

Title is in ALREADY the title destination already (not modified )

[Blue2u]

Originally Posted by theducks

plugboard 2
format: azw3
device: any device
source template: {author_sort} - {series}{series_index:0>4.1f}
destination field: authors

Delete {title} at the end , insert space-space between {author_sort} tor a space to stop the run together

Title is in ALREADY the title destination already (not modified )

I tried the source template as you suggested, now it reads like this;
authorfirstname - bookseries01.0 authorlastname

It's the sorting of the author's name that's not working.

ETA, just for the heck of it I changed destination field to author sort, that didn't work, still shows authors last name first and vica versa, but without series info

[Blue2u]

Lesson learned, ALWAYS keep track of changes!

I set both my plugboards back to what they were before [so glad I kept notes, took me awhile to find them, which is why I had originally posted here]
plugobard1;
Format: any
Device: KINDLE2
source template: {author_sort:re(\, ,_)}{series:| - | }{series_index:0>4.1f| - | }
destination field: authors

plugboard2;
format: azw3
device: any
souce template: {author_sort:re(\, ,_)}{series:| - | }{series_index:0>4.1f| - | }
destination field: authors

A huge to 'theducks' for all your patience and trying to help, karma coming your way.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Blue2u

Lesson learned, ALWAYS keep track of changes!

I set both my plugboards back to what they were before [so glad I kept notes, took me awhile to find them, which is why I had originally posted here]
plugobard1;
Format: any
Device: KINDLE2
source template: {author_sort:re(\, ,_)}{series:| - | }{series_index:0>4.1f| - | }
destination field: authors

plugboard2;
format: azw3
device: any
souce template: {author_sort:re(\, ,_)}{series:| - | }{series_index:0>4.1f| - | }
destination field: authors

A huge to 'theducks' for all your patience and trying to help, karma coming your way.

Now Backup your Configuration folder. Note this will be included if you use the Export/Import tool on the Library Icon to backup your libraries

[smmorris]

After days of trying to figure out on my own and after reading all of the posts in this thread, I'm conceding (begging.) I need help.
I have an android tablet and use Calibre Companion (not sure how I managed without it, I have a LOT of books) to manage my books on the tablet.

My problem is books in multiple series. I have the series column, and user columns: Additional, Main and KW (Kindle World) All of which work and display correctly in Calibre.

I have created a combo column for displaying all of the series in one column. My problem is I can either get the column to display correctly and not be able to click on the individual field links in book details or I can get the different series fields to be clickable (so I get all the books in the series to display) but it looks incorrect in the grid and correct when I add to book details. Which really confuses me.

I have tried Column created from other columns and Column created from other columns, behave like tags. Both seem to work the same which doesn't make sense to me but at this point I've created and changed so many times nothing makes sense.

The field that displays correctly is set up like this
{#main}{#main_index:| [|], }{series}{series_index:0>5.2f|[|], }{#additional}{#additional_index:| [|],}{#kw}{#kw_index:| [|] }

and looks like this
Love in Bloom [63], The Bradens (at Pleasant Hill)[01.00], The Bradens [23],
in Book details this is all one link and clikcing gets you ONLY this book because its the only one with these series #s.

The one where is works in book details put displays incorrectly in the columsn is set up like this:
{#main:||, } {#main_index:| [|] ,} {series:||, } {series_index:| [|] ,} {#additional:||, } {#additional_index:| [|] ,} {#kw:||, } {#kw_index:| [|] ,}
Displays like this in Book Details:
Love in Bloom, [63] , The Bradens (at Pleasant Hill), [1] , The Bradens, [23] , (and I can click on each field to get only the books that match the series)

it displays like this in the column:
[1], [23], [63], Love in Bloom, The Bradens (at Pleasant Hill), The Bradens

Writing things out is not one of my skills so I hope this makes sense. And thanks in advance for any help/guidance you might be able to give me.

Sandi

[theducks]

series columns are a hybrid beast
{series} {series_index}

maybe
Rather than making a custom column to combine, make a alt_series column
then use both in your plugboard

[eschwartz]

Yeah, the only real way to handle multiple series is to have a "series" type custom column, and render them both wherever you need them. Custom columns built from other columns don't have clickable links unless you make them tag-like, but tags are by definition not series, so no wonder it won't link correctly.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Yeah, the only real way to handle multiple series is to have a "series" type custom column, and render them both wherever you need them. Custom columns built from other columns don't have clickable links unless you make them tag-like, but tags are by definition not series, so no wonder it won't link correctly.

They could be hierarchical (separated by dots instead of commas) instead of tags-like, which would make them "clickable" in different ways from the tag browser. Whether or not this would help isn't obvious.

[smmorris]

Well not the news I wanted to hear but do appreciate the time spent in responding.

Just to clarify. I have the created "series-like" columns for the different types of series.

Not using a plugboard since series isn't a column I can send info to with a plugboard, And my problem is really how the info "displays" in calibre, not how it gets to my tablet.

I am able to make the different series clickable in my combo column but it doesn't display correctly in the column but does display correctly in the book details. In my effort to provide info I suspect I may have obscured the fact that I can't get it to "work" and display correctly at the same time. I can display correctly or make clickable but can't seem to do both at the same time.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by chaley

They could be hierarchical (separated by dots instead of commas) instead of tags-like, which would make them "clickable" in different ways from the tag browser. Whether or not this would help isn't obvious.

True.

From the tag browser only, not the Book Details, and you would only have one series position (for the amalgamated name), and sorting by series wouldn't work (since it is all fundamentally different series' altogether), but at least they would be clickable.

Originally Posted by smmorris

Well not the news I wanted to hear but do appreciate the time spent in responding.

Just to clarify. I have the created "series-like" columns for the different types of series.

Not using a plugboard since series isn't a column I can send info to with a plugboard, And my problem is really how the info "displays" in calibre, not how it gets to my tablet.

I am able to make the different series clickable in my combo column but it doesn't display correctly in the column but does display correctly in the book details. In my effort to provide info I suspect I may have obscured the fact that I can't get it to "work" and display correctly at the same time. I can display correctly or make clickable but can't seem to do both at the same time.

No need to clarify, that fact was evident in what you said (at least to me).

The fact that

• it displays "correctly" but isn't clickable when using a plaintext column, and
• is clickable but doesn't display correctly when using a tag-like custom column built from other columns

is exactly what I initially read from your post, and is exactly what I said will not work, by design.

You already have multiple series columns. Use those to click on.

Do not use a custom column built from other columns to amalgamate the series' in the Book Details. This is not useful information, except when squeezing it into a Send-to-device plugboard (since devices do not support calibre custom columns).
On which note, you absolutely can insert the series info into the title, which is the usual workaround for devices e.g. the Kindle that don't support a series metadata field.