Calibre 0.70 on Two Comuters

[adrian1944]

I am very pleased and impressed with the new version, especially the ability to add columns of one's own choice.

I run calibre in Windows XP both on my main computer and on a netbook, keeping the library on dropbox.

I have updated my main computer to 0.70 and will have to move the netbook to the same as i assume from the beta comments the library will no longer be compatible to the earlier calibre.

I have no problem with doing this but wonder about the new columns etc I have created to customise my main version.

Will I have to try to recreate the same set of new columns or is there some configuration file I can move from the first calibre to the second to simplify the process


Adrian

[theducks]

I have been wonderin about this also.
With all this custom stuff, how does one backup the custom pieces to restore or just make comp #2 look like comp #1 ?

[solitaire]

I have put the calibre library under My Documents which I backup between my two machines using a USB drive. This carries all my books and the metadata file across.

Coming to your question, I found that the custom columns ARE carried thru but not the columns' settings. What I mean is that if you have set some columns (custom or builtin) to hide or show; their display order etc. does NOT carry thru. So you will have to set those preferences once in the second machines.

I suspect that the preferences data is held in a different location (under Program Data, I think), but will be a good thing of there is an option under preferences to make a copy of your settings in the same location where the metatdata.db resides.

I have yet to see any program (including paid ones) that are as intuitive and well thought out as Calibre. Great work Kovid, Chaley, GRiker, user_none etc. for creating an extremly useful application.

[kovidgoyal]

Preferences are stored in the preferences directory which can be accessed from preferences->advanced

You can also tell calibre to look in any particular directory for the preferences files by setting the environment variable

CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY

[solitaire]

As usual Kovid, you have thought of everything.

This is an excellent feature as now I can carry my preferences across my 3 computers (Home, office and laptop) without having to change everything individually. I only back up My Documents and not the C:\users\* path.

[iphitus]

I put my Calibre folder into Dropbox (http://www.dropbox.com), which automatically syncs it across my computers.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by iphitus

I put my Calibre folder into Dropbox (http://www.dropbox.com), which automatically syncs it across my computers.

I too do this. I also set my environment variable CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY pointing to a folder in My Dropbox that way the configuration is the same no matter which computer I'm using it on.

[just_jeepin]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

I too do this. I also set my environment variable CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY pointing to a folder in My Dropbox that way the configuration is the same no matter which computer I'm using it on.

How do you do that? I've changed my Calibre Library into my DropBox but was wondering how to do that for the preferences.

Thanks for any help!

[itimpi]

The attached batch file (which I have posted quite a few times for others) shows all the tricks that can be used to control the placement of Calibre files with the current releases. Hopefully the comments make the way it operates reasonably clear. If on an OS other than Windows the syntax wil need adapting by the approach remains valid.

I hope it helps!

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Preferences are stored in the preferences directory which can be accessed from preferences->advanced



CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY

I'm looking there - I don't see anything telling me the path for preferences directoy in any of the 3 sub-options: plug-ins tweaks, misc,

ah - found it - its in appdata roaming calibre

PS whenever I click on a customise plug ins option I get an index out of range error e.g.
ERROR: ERROR: Unhandled exception: <b>IndexError</b>:list index out of range

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\preferences\plugins.py", line 142, in customize_plugin
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\preferences\plugins.py", line 168, in modify_plugin
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\preferences\plugins.py", line 70, in index_to_plugin
IndexError: list index out of range

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by cybmole

I'm looking there - I don't see anything telling me the path for preferences directoy in any of the 3 sub-options: plug-ins tweaks, misc,

You didn't look in Advanced - Misc too closely did you? A giant button dedicated to opening up the config directory.

Good luck with your problem.

[cybmole]

so Im a noob - it's still better to help than snipe.

NB
1. the "giant" button is not visible unless you scroll the screen, and at this stage we're already 3 layers deep into an obscure area of preferences.

2. I had no desire to open the config folder - I just wanted to know it's file path so that I could back it up - but it seems rhat opening it then having windows help out is the only way to discover the path

but since we're there already - which components in this folder specifically relate to preference settings. I would guess that e.g. the history sub-folder is not relevent.

I want to put preferences into my backup installation which is on another PC & which already has a synched copy of the calibre library files

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by cybmole

so Im a noob - it's still better to help than snipe.

but since we're there already - which components in this folder specifically relate to preference settings. I would guess that e.g. the history sub-folder is not relevent.

I want to put preferences into my backup installation which is on another PC & which already has a synched copy of the calibre library files

In theory it all relates to preferences. If you were to delete it all it would be recreated fresh the next time you opened calibre. Of course calibre would ask for the location of the library and the type of device.

I run my configuration from Dropbox so my two computers always run from the exact same settings.

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by iphitus

I put my Calibre folder into Dropbox (http://www.dropbox.com), which automatically syncs it across my computers.

interesting - so you put the app data folders for various apps into drop box. is that as well as or instead of having them in the usual windows locations ?

do you have your whole calibre library in drop box or just your preferences ?

what happens if dropbox servers are down - do your apps still work ?

it seems to be a neat Idea, but I think I'm, more comfortable with a designated master version + a backup on my other PC, then I manually use shareware synchromagic software to update the backup, as needed

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by cybmole

interesting - so you put the app data folders for various apps into drop box. is that as well as or instead of having them in the usual windows locations ?

I have previously installed calibre in my Dropbox but I ran into minor things with file registration and context menus in Windows explorer (not with running calibre) so now I only have my configuration folder and library in my Dropbox.

I do run my portable apps from my Dropbox. That way my Firefox browser has the same history and bookmarks on all my machines. It also allows a nice set of open source applications to be available at all of my machines.

Originally Posted by cybmole

do you have your whole calibre library in drop box or just your preferences ?

I have my library and my preferences in Dropbox.

Originally Posted by cybmole

what happens if dropbox servers are down - do your apps still work ?

Dropbox just syncs/backs up data within the Dropbox folder. The files are all run from folders local to your machine. If I go from Computer A to Computer B and the Dropbox servers are down (hasn't happened in over a year) the program will run fine.

The problem would be if Computer B was off while you updated things on Computer A, when you turn on Computer B you need to wait for Dropbox on Computer B to sync with the cloud before starting calibre. If you don't wait for it to sync, the work/changes done on Computer A might not show up properly on Computer B.

Originally Posted by cybmole

it seems to be a neat Idea, but I think I'm, more comfortable with a designated master version + a backup on my other PC, then I manually use shareware synchromagic software to update the backup, as needed

You should always use what you're comfort level allows. Even if you use Dropbox you still need a good backup plan for catastrophic loss. Even if you choose to use the method above Dropbox might be a nice way of syncing your two configuration folders.