how to export and import settings?

[kcz]

Is there a way to export calibre settings and import them on another machine?

I have a pretty neat setup on my old MacBook and want to switch to a new MacBook. However, I don't want to go through all the settings one by one, especially since calibre has a ton of them.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by kcz

Is there a way to export calibre settings and import them on another machine?

I have a pretty neat setup on my old MacBook and want to switch to a new MacBook. However, I don't want to go through all the settings one by one, especially since calibre has a ton of them.

Copy the entire configuration folder.(replace) to the new computer

Note: you may need to re-link the Library if the path is not precisely the same. <no biggie >
Rightclick Library icon: create Switch: use existing: <point to folder>

[kcz]

Originally Posted by theducks

Copy the entire configuration folder.(replace) to the new computer

Note: you may need to re-link the Library if the path is not precisely the same. <no biggie >
Rightclick Library icon: create Switch: use existing: <point to folder>

Thank you very much. That was it!!!

[kovidgoyal]

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...ter-to-another

[kcz]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...ter-to-another

Thank you for that link. Unfortunately this is a bit of an overkill. I have my library located on my nextcloud instance. Thus the library will be available on every machine. I only need to export/import the calibre settings (plugins are a plus but not necessary). Using the method described in the FAQ forces me to export and import the library as well.

[deback]

To export your settings, right click on the Library icon (the one with the picture of books) and then choose Export. You can only export your settings to an empty folder each time you export. (Suggestion to the creator of Calibre: It would be nice if you could overwrite your previous settings each time you do an export...)

Use the same icon to import settings whenever you need to import them.

To export any Transform rules (under Look and Feel), there is a button at the bottom of the Transform window. This export will allow you to overwrite the previous "rules" file. An import button is also at the bottom of that window.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by deback

To export any Transform rules (under Look and Feel), there is a button at the bottom of the Transform window. This export will allow you to overwrite the previous "rules" file. An import button is also at the bottom of that window.

This is in reference to the Conversion->Look and Feel->Transform Styles tab, not the Preferences->Look and Feel settings.

BR

[fermin]

Hi there

I'm about to migrate my stuff to a new Mac. Since I have my library in Dropbox, doing the export/import isn't exactly a good idea.

I found an option in Calibre's settings: Advanced > Miscellaneous > "Open calibre configuration folder". If I do that, it opens Finder to the following path: /Users/<MyUser>/Library/Preferences/calibre.

So what I'm planning to do:
1. Install Dropbox on the new Mac, sync the whole library.
2. Install Calibre on the new Mac.
3. Without configuring anything, exit Calibre.
4. Overwrite the configuration folder's content with the content from my current Mac.

That should in theory do the trick, right? Or should I first make sure to also install the same plugins before restoring the configuration folder?

Regards
Fermin

[DNSB]

The thought of having my calibre library stored anywhere other than a local drive is downright scary. There have been too many posts through the years where people have written "I had my calibre library stored in cloud provider/on a NAS/etc. and now I've lost my books/metadata doesn't work/my library is corrupted/etc."

Basically, SQLite is not intended for use in a networked environment and eventually, it bites you in the butt. You might want to read through SQLite Over a Network,
Caveats and Considerations for a more detailed explanation.

Yes, I do store backup copies of my calibre library in the cloud as well as on backup media and a local NAS. I would never try to use those copies as my live data.

[tagtag]

Sorry to resurrect OLD thread, but as N of 1 I've kept my library on OneDrive for years w/o issues. That said I ONLY access it one computer with files kept offline at all times.

I also backup regularly in case it does start to have an issue.

I am about to migrate to a new computer so will see how that goes as I want to migrate settings and plugins, but keep library in place.

[DNSB]

It's not a question of if but when. If you have followed the posts about using calibre with the library in the cloud/on a NAS/whatever, the first words tend to be similar to "I've done this for years and now my calibre library is corrupt." I'd avoid the chance of an error by keeping my library local and saving a backup copy to cloud storage when calibre is not running.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by tagtag

as N of 1 I've kept my library on OneDrive for years w/o issues. That said I ONLY access it one computer with files kept offline at all times.

Why have it on OneDrive if "kept offline at all times"
Also Calibre only works with one computer anyway. Local storage and backup is cheap and more reliable than OneDrive, which will mess up the library.

[jluaioyj]

Better designed apps allow export/import of configuration as a single file, e.g. all decent network appliances provide this (all routers, my NAS, Pi-hole etc.), like as .tgz, .txz archives, or Sqlite files. https://www2.mobileread.com/i/smilies/eek.gif eventually happens, so configuration backups are useful, say on upgrade. Maybe one or more Calibre plugins could fix this oversight, ... if supported outside a Preferences open ...

Originally Posted by DNSB

It's not a question of if but when. If you have followed the posts about using calibre with the library in the cloud/on a NAS/whatever, the first words tend to be similar to "I've done this for years and now my calibre library is corrupt." I'd avoid the chance of an error by keeping my library local and saving a backup copy to cloud storage when calibre is not running.

Yes, live use on cloud storage is https://www2.mobileread.com/i/smiliesadd1/smack.gif, for various reasons, but single access use on a decent NAS, via a wired end-to-end (not WiFi!) connection, can be low risk.

I keep most of my libraries on a TrueNAS Scale spinning-rust box with a wired LAN, because of my library(s) size, the significant IO caching, and the far better data security of transactional Copy-On-Write storage, than on any local logging filesyste, and rarely see integrity issues. Large calibre libraries are best on, far more expensive, SSD storage because of the significant seek delays Calibre file IO can cause on spinning-rust disks, e.g. minutes just to change libraries or to quit Calibre, why?!

TrueNAS Scale (ElectricEel-24.10.2.1) supports hosting Calibre via a Docker App with Web-VNC, but I don't use it much because the usable functionality is inferior to a local desktop instance, however it's still better than the Calibre web server. A possible better compromise could be a network API exposed by a NAS instance of Calibre, and a separate desktop instance(s) of Calibre running in network client mode, which recognise network share access for the book content files.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by jluaioyj

Better designed apps allow export/import of configuration as a single file, e.g. all decent network appliances provide this (all routers, my NAS, Pi-hole etc.), like as .tgz, .txz archives, or Sqlite files. https://www2.mobileread.com/i/smilies/eek.gif eventually happens, so configuration backups are useful, say on upgrade. Maybe one or more Calibre plugins could fix this oversight, ... if supported outside a Preferences open ...

Have you tried the [Library Closed Plugin] Backup configuration folder(s) plugin for calibre?

And out of a perhaps morbid curiosity, why did you wrap the emojis in URL tags?