[GUI Plugin] Kindle Collections (old)

[NiLuJe]

@nynaevelan: What's the issue with your setup that would prevent you from trying it out?

[nynaevelan]

@NiLuJe

I am using a custom send to device template, along with a custom plugboard for the title field. And to add the renaming functionality might complicate things, especially for my understanding of how things are working. It was just easier for me to create another custom tags field for the hierarchal info that I want.

@Meme

I am having a problem with the latest version. I have a secondary tag field that I use to create a collection with, along with the Calbire tags field. But each column is using a different prefix. Now I am getting the following error, how do I get it create the appropriate collection without the error message? I have the option unchecked to ignore prefix so it should work to create the two separate collections, at least it did in the past. Oh and the two that are causing the problem does not meet the minimum number of books so this should not be an issue.

calibre, version 0.7.48
Kindle Collections plugin: 25 collections saved to the Kindle.<P><P>Eject and Restart the Kindle to load the new collections.<P><P>2 WARNING messages.

WARNINGS:

Collection name "Romance" appears in more than one column, last column will be used:
Secondary Tag,Tags
Collection name "Fantasy" appears in more than one column, last column will be used:
Secondary Tag,Tags

[NiLuJe]

@nynaevelan: Oh, okay. No worries, whatever works for you .

[jesscat]

Originally Posted by sydflash

When I run "Preview without saving collections"nothing happens. I have tried running it from the drop down and the "Customize plugin" screen. I have also made changes to "Configure which Kindle collections to update" and I experience the same result.

I get this pop up every time:

calibre, version 0.7.49
Kindle Collections plugin: Welcome to the Kindle Collections plugin.
Run "Customize plugin" to configure which collections to create.
Run "Preview without saving collections" to see a test report.
Run "Create collections on the Kindle" to save collections.

I am not using the plug-in for the first time - I updated from the previous version. I have the same issue as this poster: when I run "Preview without saving collections" from the dropdown, nothing happens - I get the same popup described. Tried this repeatedly with the same outcome each time.

However, unlike the poster, I was able to run Preview successfully from the customization screen.

Also, unlike in the previous versions, clicking on the toolbar icon no longer runs create collections automatically; instead it gives me the drop-down menu every time, even if I click in the middle of the button rather than on the down-arrow on the right side (so I then have to select create collections manually) - is this correct?

[dcbrow]

EDIT: I see I'm not the only one with this issue. I'll wait for the fix...

This looks cool, but I'm sorry to say that this is not working for me. I added the plug in and the button to the menu. The plug in can see my kindle and view the collections on my kindle that I created. I can also edit the collections on my kindle

But when I try to customize plugin it doesn't save my customizations. I add create next to author and click okay, but if I go right back into customize, none of my settings are saved.

So if I click on preview or create, I get a message pop up that says "Welcome to the kindle collection plugin" and which tells me what the various options do: create, edit, preview.

I ran in debug mode and did notice this: Invalid store version - found Not Yet Customized instead of 1. But this was after I tried to customize it, so I don't know what I'm doing wrong or if this is a bug.

Any help is appreciated.

Cheers,

--Dave

P.S. I'm running on a mac with calibre 0.7.49

[meme]

Originally Posted by kiwidude

@meme - I found a situation which fails the "upgrade path". For whatever reason (probably because it was top of the list) my collections were configured to use the "author_sort" column. However with the new version this column isn't available. So my collection data isn't migrated.

Is that something you expected to happen/see?

Yes. author_sort isn't one of the visible columns in Calibre so I no longer include it in the list of Calibre columns to show in customization. Before I was extracting all available label information for a book, but some labels like author_sort (or title_sort, isbn) aren't user columns in Calibre so they don't have proper names (e.g. Author Sort) defined by Calibre and instead of coding for the special case I dropped it.

You can still use author_sort by defining a custom column with author_sort and including that custom column in the plugin.

[drempee]

I've the same problem. Customization doesn't work with calibre 0.7.49. Other bug: the number of the books in collections differs in the device and the plugin. Peter

[meme]

Originally Posted by jesscat

Also, unlike in the previous versions, clicking on the toolbar icon no longer runs create collections automatically; instead it gives me the drop-down menu every time, even if I click in the middle of the button rather than on the down-arrow on the right side (so I then have to select create collections manually) - is this correct?

Yes. I didn't want users to click on the icon by mistake and create collections automatically. I found it fiddly to click on the arrow when I wanted another menu option and often missed so I changed to a drop down menu for everything.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by meme

Yes. author_sort isn't one of the visible columns in Calibre so I no longer include it in the list of Calibre columns to show in customization.

Interesting decision. With the Sony devices all columns visible or not are eligible to be used to create collections.

[meme]

Well its open to reconsideration. I originally left off some labels that just wouldn't create good collections (isbn, title, etc. - ie very unique) to avoid cluttering up the list.

I'll have a look at it again, I don't think there was more useful than just author_sort to add back (maybe one more), although I'll just give it a name of Author Sort since Calibre doesn't.

But I'm not sure I want to add every available label. Do you have examples of what else is available for the Sony collections?

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by meme

Yes. author_sort isn't one of the visible columns in Calibre so I no longer include it in the list of Calibre columns to show in customization. Before I was extracting all available label information for a book, but some labels like author_sort (or title_sort, isbn) aren't user columns in Calibre so they don't have proper names (e.g. Author Sort) defined by Calibre and instead of coding for the special case I dropped it.

You can still use author_sort by defining a custom column with author_sort and including that custom column in the plugin.

As I store the same values in author and author_sort myself the net effect of having to use the author field is not an issue for me (as I store my authors with a display name in LN, FN format). But surely you are now forcing users who store their authors FN LN to setup a plugboard to modify the {author} value if they want sorting by author on their Kindle to work correctly?

Rather than just totally discarding any previous configuration in your plugin that was on author_sort could you please instead migrate it into the authors field? Otherwise people like me have to reconfigure from scratch when they use this version, trying to remember what prefix I used etc. That means having to step by step give a pile of instructions to my parents for instance who are using the previous version.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by meme

I'll have a look at it again, I don't think there was more useful than just author_sort to add back (maybe one more), although I'll just give it a name of Author Sort since Calibre doesn't.

I concur with you that most likely Author Sort is the only applicable non visible column of any use for Collections.

[meme]

Originally Posted by nynaevelan

I am having a problem with the latest version. I have a secondary tag field that I use to create a collection with, along with the Calbire tags field. But each column is using a different prefix. Now I am getting the following error, how do I get it create the appropriate collection without the error message?

This will be fixed in the next release. Thanks for letting me know.

[meme]

Originally Posted by kiwidude

Rather than just totally discarding any previous configuration in your plugin that was on author_sort could you please instead migrate it into the authors field? .

Well, I won't migrate it into the Authors field since that field could have values as well. But I'll add author_sort as a new field - possibly as 'author_sort' since if I name it 'Author Sort' it may conflict with a user who has a custom column 'Author Sort'. (Although internally I can tell the difference between labels, when presenting to the user I use the Column name, and since Calibre doesn't name author_sort there is a potential for 2 Author Sort's showing up in the list).

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by meme

Well, I won't migrate it into the Authors field since that field could have values as well. But I'll add author_sort as a new field - possibly as 'author_sort' since if I name it 'Author Sort' it may conflict with a user who has a custom column 'Author Sort'. (Although internally I can tell the difference between labels, when presenting to the user I use the Column name, and since Calibre doesn't name author_sort there is a potential for 2 Author Sort's showing up in the list).

Surely a user wouldn't create collections on Author and author sort - that would be utterly confusing to them on their Kindle?

That there is going to be a solution sounds good, thanks meme.