V2.6 Show as HTML in Book Details logic inverted ?

[BetterRed]

This change seems to have its logic inverted

Book details panel: Fix custom columns built from other columns with tag like values not clickable in the book details panel.

If Show as HTML in Book Details check box is ticked then the column value appears as plain black dead text.

If Show as HTML in Book Details check box is NOT ticked then column value appears as bright blue live text - ie a link.

That's the reverse behaviour of what I would have anticipated

BR

[chaley]

It is behaving as designed. If show as html is checked then the column is considered as black box text containing html that does who-knows-what. Calibre attempts to render this text as html in book details without further processing.

If the box is unchecked then calibre treats it as plain text and adds the necessary html to turn the values into links. This is the same processing that is applied to tags.

The previous code did the same thing, with the exception of adding the linkify html.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by chaley

It is behaving as designed. If show as html is checked then the column is considered as black box text containing html that does who-knows-what. Calibre attempts to render this text as html in book details without further processing.

If the box is unchecked then calibre treats it as plain text and adds the necessary html to turn the values into links. This is the same processing that is applied to tags.

The previous code did the same thing, with the exception of adding the linkify html.

@chaley - it maybe the same processing/code but the results are inconsistent

To get links in the tag browser, that I can click to do a search, I have to check Show in Tag Browser - to me that makes sense.

I need to check the column in question in L&F->Book Details to get it to show anything - to me that makes sense too. But to get it displayed as a clickable link to do a search, I have to uncheck Show as HTML in Book Details - to me that makes no sense

See attachments

Added : I think this is a case of overloading the same object with multiple purposes.

I want something that I can click on to do a database search, same as I can with a Publisher or Tag. But you have anticipated something much more sophisticated - to create a uri in a template and open an external resource. Maybe the second check box should be something like a tri-state radio button eg

Book Details : Do Nothing ● Create a database search link o Create HTML for URL link o

BR

[chaley]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@chaley - it maybe the same processing/code but the results are inconsistent

To get links in the tag browser, that I can click to do a search, I have to check Show in Tag Browser - to me that makes sense.

I need to check the column in question in L&F->Book Details to get it to show anything - to me that makes sense too. But to get it displayed as a clickable link to do a search, I have to uncheck Show as HTML in Book Details - to me that makes no sense

See attachments

BR

I think it is right. If "show as HTML" is checked then the column can contain arbitrary HTML, and there is no guarantee at all that I could parse it and determine where correctly to add the link tags.

However, if the assembled multitudes want it, I will change it to add the links only if "show in tag browser" is checked. I think this removes functionality, but that is OK with me because I don't use clickable links anyway.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by chaley

I think it is right. If "show as HTML" is checked then the column can contain arbitrary HTML, and there is guarantee at all that I could parse it and determine where correctly to add the link tags.

However, if the assembled multitudes want it, I will change it to add the links only if "show in tag browser" is checked. I think this removes functionality, but that is OK with me because I don't use clickable links anyway.

We X-posted - see my Added in prior post

[chaley]

I confess that I am failing to understand the problem.

The HTML box has been there for a long time (years), for exactly the purpose you describe. Why should its meaning be changed?

Assuming that its meaning is not changed, what is the point of not converting the values into search links if the box is not checked? What does having the links hurt?

[BetterRed]

Until recently I wondered what that check box did, must admit I didn't read the info tip that carefully. Even now I can't envisage any usage for its original purpose for myself - sites like Baen, Goodreads etc are largely irrelevant to me, and I put any relevant external links elsewhere.

This is what's driven my interest in this.

There was a recent change where columns (built in and custom) that appeared in the Tag Browser became 'clickable' in Book Details - publisher, #mytags, #original publisher, tags, #status etc. The click initiates a simple database search like clicking an item in Tag Browser. But template custom columns did not offer this facility.

I use the links in Book Details, most of my Authors have links to an external folder, my Notes column has links to external folders and/or external sites. And since they were implemented I also use the database search links - especially for custom columns, which are not available in Similar Books.

BR