A few questions about requested features. Want to get it right

[petrjahoda]

Hello everyone,

I'm working on some requested features and have a few questions before I implement them and would love your thoughts.

A. Device-specific reading preferences
Since preferences sync across devices, things like margins and font size are currently the same on iPhone and iPad. The plan is to make certain preferences device-type-specific, so iPhones sync with iPhones, and iPads with iPads, but not across. This would cover margins, font size, scroll behavior, and top/bottom status bars. The UI stays the same, you'd just be seeing and editing the settings relevant to your current device.
Does this make sense?

B. iPad grid view customization
A request came in to let users choose what's shown in the grid view, for example: hiding tags or series, and showing only cover, title, and author.
Does this sound useful to you?

C. Automatic dark/light mode while reading
The idea is to automatically switch reading colors based on time of day. Two possible approaches:
1. Simple: just invert colors at night.
2. Preset-based: you save multiple color presets, mark one as "day" and one as "night", and they switch automatically when enabled.
Which do you prefer, or do you have another idea?

D. Calibre metadata
I'll be adding Comments as book description from Calibre. Two questions:
1. What other standard Calibre metadata would you like to see in the app?
2. Where should it appear: in the library under the (i) icon, or somewhere while reading, or elsewhere?

EDIT: Just an information: I will wait for a few (ideally more) answers, not responding to each immediately.

[Zebedi]

Yes to A
No to B prefer it like it is,
For C I would not use time based, but would like to personalise the colour scheme and save half a dozen personal colour options.
D I would like the metadata and tags and other details in the details pop up which already exists.

I prefer to sort by Author and then Series or Title, or just by Series.

[lbrockmueller]

The metadata from Calibre most important to me would be published date and read status. If JustRead would be able to sort by author and then published date that would be perfect. That would also list series (in most cases) in correct order.

[Richard Moody]

A - no preference
B - customisation available as an option
C - I only use day so as long as that’s an option, no preference
D- just details my preference.

[philreading]

A - good idea
B - happy as it is, apart from "no series" appearing in red for books on my iPad (not iPhone, interestingly, so I presume it's a bug)
C - I like these things to be driven by system settings. But choosing colours separately for light/dark mode would be good.
D - I don't need any more metadata, and like a clean app.

[pdurrant]

A: Sounds like a good idea, but not currently of interest to me
B: No opinion (no iPad)
C: Rather than introduce another timer to set, would it be possible to pick up if the OS colour scheme changes? So that you set a Light and Dark colour preference, and it uses whichever one matches the current OS setting?
D: For standard calibre metadata, I'd like to see the basic Date (which I use for date added to calibre), mapped to justApp's own date added date, and the Date Published available as a sorting option, and visible in the details page for a book.

You didn't ask about non-standard metadata, but I'd really like to be able to specify a metadata from calibre for Read status (read/unread/not specified) and for Date Finished. These should obviously map to justApp's own metadata for the book.

[peaceridge]

Originally Posted by petrjahoda

A. Device-specific reading preferences
Since preferences sync across devices, things like margins and font size are currently the same on iPhone and iPad. The plan is to make certain preferences device-type-specific, so iPhones sync with iPhones, and iPads with iPads, but not across. This would cover margins, font size, scroll behavior, and top/bottom status bars. The UI stays the same, you'd just be seeing and editing the settings relevant to your current device.
Does this make sense?

B. iPad grid view customization
A request came in to let users choose what's shown in the grid view, for example: hiding tags or series, and showing only cover, title, and author.
Does this sound useful to you?

C. Automatic dark/light mode while reading
The idea is to automatically switch reading colors based on time of day. Two possible approaches:
1. Simple: just invert colors at night.
2. Preset-based: you save multiple color presets, mark one as "day" and one as "night", and they switch automatically when enabled.
Which do you prefer, or do you have another idea?

D. Calibre metadata
I'll be adding Comments as book description from Calibre. Two questions:
1. What other standard Calibre metadata would you like to see in the app?
2. Where should it appear: in the library under the (i) icon, or somewhere while reading, or elsewhere?

EDIT: Just an information: I will wait for a few (ideally more) answers, not responding to each immediately.

A. No to A, I think. Not sure what you mean syncing across ipads. I read on both an 11" ipad and a small 8" ipad. I have different margins set between them due to their size.

B. Not useful for me.

C. Definitely No. I don't want different modes depending on time of day. I just want the current black text on white background.

D. Just tags and notes for me. and only in the library view.

E? It would be nice to be able to change the middle margin in a 2 Column Landscape mode. Also, the size of the headers and footers could be smaller. Neither of these are requirements for me, just nice to have.

[Docuro]

A: I read on my iPad at home and sometimes on the iPhone. For me there has to be no change in the actual mode. Both views are fine.
B: Everything will be fine
C: I do not want my App change the mode itself. I always read in day mode and I like how easy I can change the brightness.
D: I need no special metadata. They should only be in library mode hidden under the i-Icon.

[petrjahoda]

Thank you all for the feedback, and looks like this is the final summary:

A. Will be added and will be optionable, so for those who voted no, nothing will change when this feature will be turned off as default.

B. This will be also optionable, with turned off as default, so no change for those who will not use it (and it will show only on ipads and when gridview selected).

C. This I need to think through better, but what will be there for sure: color schemes, add/remove/edit, with an option for day/night and an option for device light/dark mode. Again, no need for users to even use it, users can use it the same way as it is now (like I do: I want my text white and background black, all the time, no schemes and no automatic changes).

D. I will add those metadata mentioned here and they will be shown at that detail sheet of the book.


Will start working on it from tomorrow, with these additional features:
- export notes/highlight also to markdown, this is already done
- increase touch area behind that alphabet jumper (that is on right in the library), this is already done
- something better for displaying multiple authors, not just Et al.
- new section in Home named something like 'I WANT TO READ THIS' with books selected for future reading
- because iphone is going out of space with new features (like how to add book into this I want to read this), it will have the same menu as on ipad: long touch for showing additional options: delete, add, info, etc.
- the bottom menu while reading will be slightly updated (those two color options will be in one menu with color schemes) and in fonts there will be a slider for changing the size of font


Hopefully I will make it all until Sunday and release this version until the end of March as version 1.9

Version 2.0, which will have OPDS and Calibre sync is half the way, but I want to add these "small" features before adding OPDS and Calibre sync.

[Richard Moody]

Thank you!

[Docuro]

[Zebedi]

Thank you, can we also have an option to choose our own colour scheme like it is now please.

[petrjahoda]

Originally Posted by Zebedi

Thank you, can we also have an option to choose our own colour scheme like it is now please.

Of course, this will be preserved.