Send to Device with series order

[itimpi]

You could tidy up your collections if you configured the Sony Device driver to only create collections from Series and not from tags. That would make them much more useful.

[jackie_w]

@Ayle,

The Metadata Plugboard in Preferences will let you add the series name/number to the front of the title during 'Send to device'. It works great with my Sony PRS505. When I sort by Author it gives me books in Author/Series/seriesNo/Title sequence without having to make any messy changes in the Calibre library.

[Ayle]

@itimpi Do you use calibre or the reader software?
@jackie_w I open the metadata plugboard, not sure how to proceed afterwards

Thanks for the help!

[itimpi]

I use Calibre. MUCH easier than using the Sony software.

I have tge Calibre Sony Device Interface plugin set to Automatic Collectiion Management so that Series tags get automatically made into Collections.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by Ayle

@jackie_w I open the metadata plugboard, not sure how to proceed afterwards

@Ayle, You should probably read this part of the Calibre manual and have a look at this Sticky thread for more info.

This is what I did on my PRS505. I don't see anything specific to the newer Sony models which (best case) means it works the same for all Sony's or (worst case) it only works on the PRS505. I don't know which and I'm afraid I can't test it out for you.

Hoping for the former ...

Open the Preferences - Metadata Plugboard

In 'Add new plugboard', in the 'Format' box, select device_db from the menu. In the 'Device' box select PRS505 from the menu.

You then set up 2 Source template/Destination field entries:

1. Dest field = title
   Source tmplt = {title}{series:re(([^\s])[^\s]*(\s|$),\1)| [|}{series_index:| |]}
   
   This defines what you actually see as the Title on your Sony booklist,
   e.g. The Fellowship of the Ring [LotR 1]
   
   I know the template looks horrendous but it doesn't have to be if you want something simpler. I've done mine this way because the PRS505 doesn't have very many visible characters available for the Title. I've attached an image of a page of my booklist.
   
   
2. Dest field = title_sort
   Source tmplt = {series}{series_index:>2s|| - }{title}
   
   This defines what the Sony will use to sort the Titles,
   e.g. Lord of the Rings 1 - The Fellowship of the Ring
   
   You don't actually see this field on the Sony but it's used internally.

Save plugboard and click Apply. The great thing is, if you use this option, next time you connect the Sony, Calibre will update all its Title metadata. You don't need to resend all the books.

Try it out for yourself. If this doesn't work on a PRS650 there are other options - so don't despair.

I've also attached a screencap of my Metadata Plugboard screen.

[Edit: Since writing this post I have acquired a PRS-650. It's book list sorting is somewhat different to a PRS-505.]
Anyone with a PRS-650 (and PRS-350???) reading this should also take a look at this thread where I have detailed observed differences.

[Edit 2: Calibre v7.35 (thanks to chaley) now has a workaround for the Sony x50 models so that all books can be viewed in a single list, in a sensible order. It involves 2 new "special" Collections, All_by_Author and All_by_Title. Post #25 of the above thread shows the details for updating the Preferences - Plugins - Sony Device Interface - Collections box

[edbro]

Thanks jackie_w. I implemented this on my Sony PRS-650. Calibre didn't have a device id for the 650 so I used the 505 like you did. I can confirm that this works.

The 650 has a Collection tab where you can view all your collections. If you sort within Collections by Author then they show up in series order.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by edbro

Thanks jackie_w. I implemented this on my Sony PRS-650. Calibre didn't have a device id for the 650 so I used the 505 like you did. I can confirm that this works.

Thanks, edbro. That's good to know.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

When I sort by Author it gives me books in Author/Series/seriesNo/Title sequence without having to make any messy changes in the Calibre library.

This is good to know and I bookmarked your elaborate post explaining your details. But with any Sony reader there are no messy changes that need to be made in the Calibre library for Series to be easily accessible and in order. Simply creating collections from Series info puts the books on your reader in a series named collection with all of the books in series order.

Still thanks for the info.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Simply creating collections from Series info puts the books on your reader in a series named collection with all of the books in series order.

Yes I understand that, and that is what I used to do before the Plugboard. However (at least on my PRS505 - newer models may be better) if I use the Collections menu item, I can see all the books in order for a single series at a time. The plugboard lets me view all the books in author/series sequence including non-series books when I view 'Books by Author'.

I still use Collections but for Tags only. I've noticed that when viewing by Tags the books are listed in Title name sequence rather than Title_sort, so I guess I'd have to change my title name option (series name/no at the front rather than back) if I wanted to fix this. But I don't think I'll bother as I don't store hundreds of books at once on the reader. From edbro's post #21 it looks like this is better on the PRS650.

[digital_steve]

Awesome thread... i had no idea there were plugins for specific devices!
It'll be awesome to get calibre to rename the files and also automatically manage the collections for me
iTunes for eBooks!

[Ayle]

Couldn't figure the plugboard, they kept getting messed around. ¬¬ I'll try again tomorrow. In the meantime i removed "tags" from the categories at sony plugin and found my collections all pretty and in order i guess that will work for now

[marie44]

Jackie_w's instructions for the metadata plugboard on how to view & arrange series was exactly what I was looking for! #1 on viewing abbreviated series names in the title works perfectly.

#2 is behaving oddly. (I have a Sony 650, fyi). When I sort by author within a collection (which are based on calibre tags) on my device, some series are now sorted by series number but other series are not. Even stranger, at least one series is sorting by series number in one collection but not another. I.e., Series A is showing up in the "fantasy" collection sorted by series # but in the "romance" collection it's sorted alphabetically.

I've double checked to make sure I copied the plugboard field entries correctly and made sure all my authors & series names are consistent, and I've even removed the non-conforming series from my device and reloaded them - but no dice.

I'd appreciate any thoughts anyone has on the matter!
Marie

[chaley]

Originally Posted by marie44

#2 is behaving oddly. (I have a Sony 650, fyi). When I sort by author within a collection (which are based on calibre tags) on my device, some series are now sorted by series number but other series are not. Even stranger, at least one series is sorting by series number in one collection but not another. I.e., Series A is showing up in the "fantasy" collection sorted by series # but in the "romance" collection it's sorted alphabetically.

Collections built from tags are (by default) sorted in title order. Collections built from series are sorted in series order. Are some of your collections built from calibre series info, and some from other info such as tags?

There is a way to force calibre to sort non-series information by series index, but it is somewhat complex. I will go into it if it seems appropriate from your answer to the above question.

[marie44]

Originally Posted by chaley

Collections built from tags are (by default) sorted in title order. Collections built from series are sorted in series order. Are some of your collections built from calibre series info, and some from other info such as tags?

I have disabled collections built by calibre series info b/c it creates far too many collections; I've set it up so that collections are built from a new column/field in Calibre that acts like a second tags column (called "Sony"). So the answer is no - all my collections are built from "Sony" tags; none from calibre series.

The plugboard that jackie_w described, as I understand it, was supposed to change it so that when I sort by author the titles in a series will display by series order rather than alphabetical by title. And it works, but only some of the time. (I just double checked, and if I sort by "title" rather than "author" I have the same issues - some series sort by series #, and some sort alphabetically). I didn't know if perhaps there was something in the plugboard that needs to be different for a 650, since jackie_w has a 505. Or does the 505 workaround just not work for the 650?

[itimpi]

I am surprised that you get too many collections if you configure the Sony driver to build collections from Series, but not from tags?