Touch Drag and Drop fails.

[edu500ac]

After deleting a book from my Kobo, I fail to drag and drop and add it back. When I eject the device, and check, the book does not show. I connect the USB again, and drag and drop the book a second time. After a safe ejecting the Kobo, the book is there.

I can repeat the experience may times. The result is always the same: The even drag and drop do not work. The odd ones work fine.

The problem is that I am editing a SAT preparation book. I need to delete and add the book many times. Repeating the drag and drop twice is a nuisance. Calibre does not make a better job. Any hint?

By the way, I work with more than one Kobo device. This means that the problem is not with a specific device.

[PeterT]

Can you share what Kobo model and what firmware?

How is the delete being done? from the desktop or from the Kobo itself?

Are you just using Explorer or calibre?

[edu500ac]

I am using Kobo Touch. In one of the devices, device information reads

Software version: 2.0.0 (r41166, 7/12/12)

The other device shows:

Software version: 2.0.0 (r41166, 12/07/12).

I tryed two methods to perform the deletion: (1) I pressed the written lines icon on the Library/Books list of books; this opens a menu with the options:

Read Now
View Details
Mark as Finished
Delete

I choose the option "Delete". The other method is to delete the book directly, using the operational system of my computer.

[edu500ac]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Can you share what Kobo model and what firmware?

How is the delete being done? from the desktop or from the Kobo itself?

Are you just using Explorer or calibre?

By the way, I am using Calibre to generate the epub file. I also tried to use Calibre to send the file to the devices. Sending through Calibre causes the same problems as drag and drop.

Deleting was performed both directly from the device, and using the operating system (rm in Linux and erase in Windows). I didn't delete through Calibre, since it says that it cannot recognize my KOBOs recent software updates.

[PeterT]

Sigh... For the calibre issue there are a myriad of threads and posts here on how to resolve it. just check the option in the device preferecnes to support a newer firmware version.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by edu500ac

Software version: 2.0.0 (r41166, 7/12/12)

The other device shows:

Software version: 2.0.0 (r41166, 12/07/12).

I tryed two methods to perform the deletion: (1) I pressed the written lines icon on the Library/Books list of books; this opens a menu with the options:

Read Now
View Details
Mark as Finished
Delete

I choose the option "Delete". The other method is to delete the book directly, using the operational system of my computer.

OK, that is a known bug in the 2.0.0 and 2.1.1 firmware. Or maybe Kobo see it as a feature, but I don't know what it is for.

The Kobo ereaders have a database that contains information about the library. Each time a book is added to the device, information about the book is added to the database. When a book is deleted, the information is removed from the database. But, in the 2.x.x firmware, one record is left. This is modified to show the book is deleted. This entry is removed when a sync is done with the Kobo desktop app or via WiFi.

The bug/feature is that while that "deleted" entry is in the database, if the book is put back on the device, it won't be processed and added back into the database.

The simplest solution for you, is to not delete it. Just put the new copy on with exactly the same file name. This might not work, but it depends on the changes. It won't work if you have changed the file structure or the chapter structure. In these cases, the Touch will either remove the book completely, including the database entries, or it will be OK. But, the new structure won't be in the library database, so things like the TOC won't work.

It the changes you are making do cause the above problems, then use calibre to delete the book and add it back in. The reason to do this in calibre is that the Kobo driver will remove the book from the database on the Touch. When calibre puts it back, it will be processed as a new book when the Touch is disconnected.

If the above doesn't work, the simple solution is to change the file name or directory used for the book each time you update it on the Touch. The book will then be seen as a new book, processed and added to the database and hence the library.

Of course, you can do it the way Kobo want you to. Delete the book and then do a WiFi sync before connecting to the PC to put the new version on.

[edu500ac]

Originally Posted by davidfor

OK, that is a known bug in the 2.0.0 and 2.1.1 firmware. Or maybe Kobo see it as a feature, but I don't know what it is for.

Well, David.

You do know a lot about the Kobo. Your answer is well written, informative, easy to understand, and provides very interesting reading material. I liked very much the irony about the feature, that you don't know what it is for.

Of course, doing a WiFi sync before connecting to the PC takes longer than USB connecting the device to the PC twice. Therefore, I will keep performing the double USB connection. By the way, your article has shown that I don't need to drag and drop twice. All I need to do is to connect twice, and drag and drop once.

Thank you for the very good article.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by edu500ac

Well, David.

You do know a lot about the Kobo. Your answer is well written, informative, easy to understand, and provides very interesting reading material.

I'm glad it helped.

I liked very much the irony about the feature, that you don't know what it is for.

As any programmer knows: "It's not a bug, it's a feature".

[murg]

A feature is a bug in a tuxedo...