Managing multiple device libraries asynchronously

[HaoZeke]

As the title states, I have a multitude of devices which I use in conjunction to calibre. I have known and tried setting virtual libraries which have on device status as true, however the whole virtual library changes with each device. I was wondering if there is any facility in this absolutely wonderful software to enable device based library metadatas (I hope its clear).
Essentially I was thinking of maybe something like Device 1 Library (which shows the books and their read status) and Device 2 library etc. (without actually having multiple libraries (as that would require the replication of the ebooks, to my knowledge [which may be lacking])
Any help will be greatly appreciated....

[BetterRed]

@HaoZeke - I think you could do this via the [GUI Plugin] Reading List PI.

BR

[eschwartz]

Virtual libraries use searches to define their content. A valid search is "ondevice:true", but that search itself will change depending on the device's content.

Any search you can create in the searchbar can be used as a virtual library.

One thing you can do is add tags to arbitrary books and use that as a search.

Or if all the books that belong to a Virtual Library share some identifying metadata, you can use that.

You mentioned books and their read status. There is no definitive way to deal with these, but generally people do one of two things:

1. Create a boolean custom column that can be True or False
2. Add a tag, e.g. "Already read".

Either one can be searched for.

EDIT: Or Reading List PI.

[HaoZeke]

Thanks, both of you, that's just what I was looking for!!


EDIT:- I got the plugin, but somehow it refuses to add books from my external sd card (Kobo aura HD).
Help? o.O

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by HaoZeke

Thanks, both of you, that's just what I was looking for!!


EDIT:- I got the plugin, but somehow it refuses to add books from my external sd card (Kobo aura HD).
Help? o.O

I'm not sure what you mean by this. The books on the SD card should show up on the device list for the card. And the Reading List plugin should show the main memory and the SD card as separate devices when it is connected. You can then set which of these to send the books to for the list. Or are you trying to do something else?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by HaoZeke

I got the plugin, but somehow it refuses to add books from my external sd card (Kobo aura HD).

Originally Posted by davidfor

I'm not sure what you mean by this. The books on the SD card should show up on the device list for the card. And the Reading List plugin should show the main memory and the SD card as separate devices when it is connected. You can then set which of these to send the books to for the list. Or are you trying to do something else?

HaoZeke says from the card, davidfor says to the card?

@davidfor - Can the Reading List PI populate a list from what's already on a device. I don't plug my device (android tablet) into calibre so I can't test.

BR

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

HaoZeke says from the card, davidfor says to the card?

That's part of what I was trying to work out. I couldn't think of what HaoZekel meant, so I was trying to prompt for some info.

@davidfor - Can the Reading List PI populate a list from what's already on a device. I don't plug my device (android tablet) into calibre so I can't test.

Yes it can. One of the list types is "Auto populated from books on device" and then select the device that it looks at. And this might be what HaoZekel was trying. Populating a list just for the card. I haven't tried that and I don't have a card with me to test it.

[HaoZeke]

Originally Posted by davidfor

That's part of what I was trying to work out. I couldn't think of what HaoZekel meant, so I was trying to prompt for some info.


Yes it can. One of the list types is "Auto populated from books on device" and then select the device that it looks at. And this might be what HaoZekel was trying. Populating a list just for the card. I haven't tried that and I don't have a card with me to test it.

Well, that was what I was trying, I managed it eventually, by first auto populating the list and then changing it for adding things manually.
Though, I was wondering if there's a custom shelf which has two values (added and removed) is there a way for the reading list to update it? It only seems to have option for changing the value to one thing.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by HaoZeke

Well, that was what I was trying, I managed it eventually, by first auto populating the list and then changing it for adding things manually.

So you set it to autopopulate from the device, connect the device, the list updates and then you change it to manual update so you can add books?

Though, I was wondering if there's a custom shelf which has two values (added and removed) is there a way for the reading list to update it? It only seems to have option for changing the value to one thing.

As far as I can tell, you can't add multiple values.

What are you actually trying to achieve? I suspect you want to know what is on each device and then have a way to automatically add or remove books from the devices. But, you might trying to do something else.

[HaoZeke]

Originally Posted by davidfor

So you set it to autopopulate from the device, connect the device, the list updates and then you change it to manual update so you can add books?


As far as I can tell, you can't add multiple values.

What are you actually trying to achieve? I suspect you want to know what is on each device and then have a way to automatically add or remove books from the devices. But, you might trying to do something else.

Yeah, essentially, I'm trying to sync all my books across my devices. (my own kobo aura HD and xperia zr)
Also I need to manage the collections of my dad too. (similar situations)

[davidfor]

The way I can think to do this is:

- Create a custom column called something like "onDevices". It should be a tag like column.
- Create a "populate from device" list for each device. Have it put a value into the onDevices column to show which device. The value would be something like "mykobo" and "myxperia".
- Create a "send on connect" list for each device. When you get a new book, add it to the appropriate lists. When you next connect it, the book will be sent automatically.

That feels like overkill, but it should do what you want.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by HaoZeke

Yeah, essentially, I'm trying to sync all my books across my devices. (my own kobo aura HD and xperia zr)
Also I need to manage the collections of my dad too. (similar situations)

If you really mean "all my books across all my devices" then the smart eject plugin should help. It can tell you that there are books in your calibre library that are not on the currently connected device.

[HaoZeke]

Originally Posted by chaley

If you really mean "all my books across all my devices" then the smart eject plugin should help. It can tell you that there are books in your calibre library that are not on the currently connected device.

Oh that would be way too many (3000+) I was wondering if it could tell me the list of books i've transferred to another device, doesn't calibre save configs per device? Maybe something there might help?

[chaley]

Originally Posted by HaoZeke

Oh that would be way too many (3000+) I was wondering if it could tell me the list of books i've transferred to another device, doesn't calibre save configs per device? Maybe something there might help?

Calibre has no clue what books are on which device unless that device is currently connected. You need to maintain that manually. Several people have suggested ways you might do that.

[HaoZeke]

Originally Posted by chaley

Calibre has no clue what books are on which device unless that device is currently connected. You need to maintain that manually. Several people have suggested ways you might do that.

Sure.. Thanks for all the help (everyone)