Identifying Empty Books

GregTheGrate · 07-18-2023, 04:17 AM

Had a bit of a disaster with my library and when restoring, some of the books show in the list, but have no content. I have "quite a few" books and going through my library one-by-one is going to take a long time.

Is there a query that will identify empty books folders. I have multiple backups and can restore individual books if I can identify them.

Have tried not formats:"=epub" and not formats:"=pdf" and not formats:"=azw3"
but got nothing back.

I should add that although the formats are missing from the book folder, they show as there in the browser. The only way I have found of identifying them is the cover is missing

Help

Karellen · 07-18-2023, 04:25 AM

I think the problem is you used plural "formats" instead of singular "format"

Try formats:false

chaley · 07-18-2023, 04:58 AM

Click on the library icon, then Library maintenance / Check library. Be sure to run the second part of the check where calibre checks if the files in your library match the information in the database.

theducks · 07-18-2023, 10:07 AM

Missing books can be caused by 'messing beneath the skirts' either directly (using Explorer) or because you placed the Library on Google drive or some other cloud/NAS

GD renumbers the FILES as part of it doing history. That is 100% incompatible as Calibre also uses numbers as part of the file name and those no longer can be found since someone or something changed the file name and it no longer matches what is logged.

BTW formats:false WILL NOT find these as missing .
You must use Library Maintenance, which actually checks against what the DB has logged

GregTheGrate · 07-18-2023, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karellen

I think the problem is you used plural "formats" instead of singular "format"

Try formats:false

Didn't work

GregTheGrate · 07-18-2023, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaley

Click on the library icon, then Library maintenance / Check library. Be sure to run the second part of the check where calibre checks if the files in your library match the information in the database.

Many thanks - this worked to identify missing books.

However it identified many other things such as:
Invalid titles,Kyra Davis,Kyra Davis/.DS_Store

I went through all the titles for the author and they all were there, identifiable and editable. Is it the .DS_store that is the problem?

I have a large number of these

GregTheGrate · 07-19-2023, 01:53 AM

Have found out what the invalid books are. The .DS_store files should not be in book folders. They are all deleted now

miss_p1nky · 07-23-2023, 11:01 AM

Hello, back when I was new to Calibre and only using it for de-DRM-ing books, when I transfer the files to my phone, I deleted the epub files. However I let the title stay in my Calibre instead of deleting it.
Now I have about 7600+ titles in my Calibre, however some of them has no epub files, only the folder with cover and metadata in it. How can I filter these "empty" files so that I can delete them and re-add them if needed? Thank you before.

Moderator Notice
Moved this post from the templates thread to this far more relevant thread

Comfy.n · 07-23-2023, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miss_p1nky

Hello, back when I was new to Calibre and only using it for de-DRM-ing books, when I transfer the files to my phone, I deleted the epub files. However I let the title stay in my Calibre instead of deleting it.
Now I have about 7600+ titles in my Calibre, however some of them has no epub files, only the folder with cover and metadata in it. How can I filter these "empty" files so that I can delete them and re-add them if needed? Thank you before.

type this in the search box:

formats:false

Quoth · 07-23-2023, 11:52 AM

Handy!

I sometimes add "empty" books in a series as placeholders, either PD or bought ebooks. Either because they aren't available to buy or as PD, or because madly expensive compared to the rest of the series. So now I know I have 44 today. Usually I just sort by format column which naturally sticks all the empties at one end of the liist.

Comfy.n · 07-23-2023, 12:39 PM

As @ownedbycats suggested in this thread, I have an even comfier way to filter those:

f:false

I love those search aliases. If I want to filter epub files, I just do f:e; for mobi f:m; for pdfs... f:f

can't get lazier than that

miss_p1nky · 07-23-2023, 10:56 PM

Thank you all. I've found these empty files!

miss_p1nky · 07-23-2023, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

Missing books can be caused by 'messing beneath the skirts' either directly (using Explorer) or because you placed the Library on Google drive or some other cloud/NAS

GD renumbers the FILES as part of it doing history. That is 100% incompatible as Calibre also uses numbers as part of the file name and those no longer can be found since someone or something changed the file name and it no longer matches what is logged.

BTW formats:false WILL NOT find these as missing .
You must use Library Maintenance, which actually checks against what the DB has logged

Turned out you're right formats:false didn't show all of the empty files. I did Library Check as you suggested and it shows all the empty files but I can't do anything to them. What is the next steps to find them? Thanks.

https://puu.sh/JM4F3/ab1d1e63b9.png

Stuck at this stage.

After doing Library Maintenance, searching by formats:false shows some of the empty files but not all. How to search thoroughly?

07-18-2023, 04:17 AM	#1
GregTheGrate Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Kindle, iPad	Identifying Empty Books Had a bit of a disaster with my library and when restoring, some of the books show in the list, but have no content. I have "quite a few" books and going through my library one-by-one is going to take a long time. Is there a query that will identify empty books folders. I have multiple backups and can restore individual books if I can identify them. Have tried not formats:"=epub" and not formats:"=pdf" and not formats:"=azw3" but got nothing back. I should add that although the formats are missing from the book folder, they show as there in the browser. The only way I have found of identifying them is the cover is missing Help Last edited by GregTheGrate; 07-18-2023 at 04:27 AM.

07-18-2023, 04:25 AM	#2
Karellen Wizard Posts: 1,611 Karma: 9500498 Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2	I think the problem is you used plural "formats" instead of singular "format" Try formats:false Last edited by Karellen; 07-18-2023 at 04:42 AM.

07-23-2023, 11:01 AM	#8
miss_p1nky Connoisseur Posts: 69 Karma: 636 Join Date: Aug 2022 Location: Indonesia Device: Moon+ Reader Pro	Hello, back when I was new to Calibre and only using it for de-DRM-ing books, when I transfer the files to my phone, I deleted the epub files. However I let the title stay in my Calibre instead of deleting it. Now I have about 7600+ titles in my Calibre, however some of them has no epub files, only the folder with cover and metadata in it. How can I filter these "empty" files so that I can delete them and re-add them if needed? Thank you before. Moderator Notice Moved this post from the templates thread to this far more relevant thread Last edited by chaley; 07-23-2023 at 11:13 AM. Reason: Moved post and its reply

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07-18-2023, 04:58 AM	#3
chaley Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,443 Karma: 8012886 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Notts, England Device: Kobo Libra 2	Click on the library icon, then Library maintenance / Check library. Be sure to run the second part of the check where calibre checks if the files in your library match the information in the database.

07-18-2023, 10:07 AM	#4
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 31,047 Karma: 60358908 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	Missing books can be caused by 'messing beneath the skirts' either directly (using Explorer) or because you placed the Library on Google drive or some other cloud/NAS GD renumbers the FILES as part of it doing history. That is 100% incompatible as Calibre also uses numbers as part of the file name and those no longer can be found since someone or something changed the file name and it no longer matches what is logged. BTW formats:false WILL NOT find these as missing . You must use Library Maintenance, which actually checks against what the DB has logged

07-19-2023, 01:53 AM	#7
GregTheGrate Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: Kindle, iPad	Have found out what the invalid books are. The .DS_store files should not be in book folders. They are all deleted now

07-23-2023, 11:52 AM	#10
Quoth Still reading Posts: 14,012 Karma: 105092227 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	Handy! I sometimes add "empty" books in a series as placeholders, either PD or bought ebooks. Either because they aren't available to buy or as PD, or because madly expensive compared to the rest of the series. So now I know I have 44 today. Usually I just sort by format column which naturally sticks all the empties at one end of the liist.

07-23-2023, 12:39 PM	#11
Comfy.n want to learn what I want Posts: 1,611 Karma: 7891011 Join Date: Sep 2020 Device: none	As @ownedbycats suggested in this thread, I have an even comfier way to filter those: f:false I love those search aliases. If I want to filter epub files, I just do f:e; for mobi f:m; for pdfs... f:f can't get lazier than that

07-23-2023, 10:56 PM	#12
miss_p1nky Connoisseur Posts: 69 Karma: 636 Join Date: Aug 2022 Location: Indonesia Device: Moon+ Reader Pro	Thank you all. I've found these empty files!