[GUI Plugin] Columns Helper

[Comfy.n]

Columns Helper

Preview, create, and manage custom columns faster with quick-create links, curated column packs and template-aware tools.

Installation
1. Download the latest release zip.
2. Preferences -> Plug-ins -> Load Plugin from File.
3. Select the zip, install, and restart Calibre.

License
This plugin is licensed under the GNU GPL v3.

Compatibility
- Calibre 5.44.0 or later
- Windows, macOS, Linux

Release notes

Spoiler:

Version 1.0.2
- CCR integration: added a context menu action to open CCR at the selected column row. This facilitates access to the My Columns reports.
- more translations added and updated
- minor fixes
Version 1.0.1
- minor adjustments, german translation added
Version 1.0
- initial release

[Comfy.n]

Here is a fancy heading for the viewer Read Progress column:

Column header: ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆ ▇
Lookup name: read_progress
Description: To customize this, read the help for the reading_progress()
template function in the calibre User Manual
Template: {id:reading_progress()}

And below is a combined column that displays also the viewer annotation count:

Column header: Progress
Lookup name: progress
Description: Displays calibre viewer reading progress plus annotation count
Template: 

program:
rp = reading_progress($id);
ac = annotation_count();
prefix = '▂ ▃ ▅ ▆ ▇ ';
if ac then
prefix & rp & ' 🟨 ' & ac
else
prefix & rp
fi

Optionally, use a zero width space for the Progress heading name:
[​] <- it's inside the brackets.

[varia]

What is this magic? Amazing! This is brilliant...absolutely brilliant. Thank you for another fantastic plugin.

[Comfy.n]

[BetterRed]

Error if Green Up/Down arrows are clicked:

calibre, version 9.5.0
ERROR: Unhandled exception: <b>TypeError</b>:ConfigWidget.up_column() got multiple values for argument 'use_kbd_modifiers'

calibre 9.5 Portable embedded-python: True
Windows-10-10.0.19045-SP0 Windows ('64bit', 'WindowsPE')
('Windows', '10', '10.0.19045')
Python 3.14.2
Windows: ('10', '10.0.19045', 'SP0', 'Multiprocessor Free')
Interface language: None
EXE path: D:\Calibre\Portables\Latest\Calibre\calibre.exe
Successfully initialized third party plugins: Columns Helper (1, 0, 0)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "calibre_plugins.columns_helper.ui", line 4098, in wrapped
TypeError: ConfigWidget.up_column() got multiple values for argument 'use_kbd_modifiers'

The Ctrl+↑ and Ctrl+↓ shortcuts do work.

BR

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Error if Green Up/Down arrows are clicked:

Thanks for the log. I will release a new version including that fix later today.

[Comfy.n]

I need to release a CCR update for integration with this plugin, this is why it took longer than I thought. But it's almost ready.

[Comfy.n]

Version 1.0.2
- CCR integration: added a context menu action to open Calibre Config Reports at the selected column row. This facilitates access to the My Columns reports.
- more translations added and updated
- minor fixes

[BetterRed]

Moderator Notice
This and the next few posts were moved from here ==>> EBD 52,

Suspect it's something to do with this column attribute:



Be handy if that plugin could display the column attributes of custom columns in the main list - not in the list itself, it would be waaay tooo looong, as a side panel.

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Be handy if that plugin could display the column attributes of custom columns in the main list - not in the list itself, it would be waaay tooo looong, as a side panel.

Sounds like a great idea. Thank you. Yet I need to understand where is that side panel meant to be placed.

[BetterRed]

Something like the Book list with the BD on the right e.g.



Or maybe a floating window like Book details->Show Book details in a separate window.

BR

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Something like the Book list with the BD on the right e.g.

Attachment 222647

Or maybe a floating window like Book details->Show Book details in a separate window.

BR

I find it a fantastic idea! The challenge is to make that available while making the plugin's main dialog display fine for users with screen widths narrower than 1280px, I think.

BTW I will soon release updates for EBD and BLP.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Comfy.n

I find it a fantastic idea! The challenge is to make that available while making the plugin's main dialog display fine for users with screen widths narrower than 1280px, I think.

My suggestion for a floating window was as an alternative to right side panel, not an adjunct thereto… I should have made that clear.

If you make it a floating window, perhaps you can also make it available in CCR. The Display Settings column on the My Columns list is not very accessible even on a wide screen - maybe replace it with a clickable icon that pops the floating window.

BR

[Comfy.n]

Wheee, still probably needs a button to toggle the panel but it looks fine, see the splitter on the right:

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Comfy.n

Wheee, still probably needs a button to toggle the panel but it looks fine, see the splitter on the right:

ID, Type and Description are somewhat conflated/muddled



BR