Getting book's id number programatically

GreyNomad · 03-16-2011, 07:29 PM

Is there a faster/easy way to get the id number of a book through an API function? The only way I have found to do this is to execute calibredb with the 'list' function and scan the returned list for the book title and author. With a large catalog, that can take a considerable amount of time.

I have to think there must be a faster, and hopefully easier, way.

Thanks,
~~ Grey

user_none · 03-16-2011, 10:13 PM

How are you accessing calibre? Through a plugin? Though an external app that gets and then manipulates the data?

If you're using a plugin you can get the database object from the library_view. Then calibre.library.database.LibraryDatabase can return the id for an index.

GreyNomad · 03-18-2011, 01:48 AM

I'm sorry, I should have provided that information. I am accessing Calibre from an external program (written in Perl).

~~ Grey

chaley · 03-18-2011, 05:16 AM

By "accessing Calibre" do you mean accessing calibre's database? If so, then do the SQL query to look up the record. If you are running calibre's command line programs from perl, then you might consider using a calibredb to dump a list of all the books, load them into a dict, and then look them up there.

03-16-2011, 07:29 PM	#1
GreyNomad Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 2	Getting book's id number programatically Is there a faster/easy way to get the id number of a book through an API function? The only way I have found to do this is to execute calibredb with the 'list' function and scan the returned list for the book title and author. With a large catalog, that can take a considerable amount of time. I have to think there must be a faster, and hopefully easier, way. Thanks, ~~ Grey

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03-16-2011, 10:13 PM	#2
user_none Sigil & calibre developer Posts: 2,487 Karma: 1063785 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida, USA Device: Nook STR	How are you accessing calibre? Through a plugin? Though an external app that gets and then manipulates the data? If you're using a plugin you can get the database object from the library_view. Then calibre.library.database.LibraryDatabase can return the id for an index.

03-18-2011, 01:48 AM	#3
GreyNomad Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 2	I'm sorry, I should have provided that information. I am accessing Calibre from an external program (written in Perl). ~~ Grey

03-18-2011, 05:16 AM	#4
chaley Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,525 Karma: 8065948 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Notts, England Device: Kobo Libra 2	By "accessing Calibre" do you mean accessing calibre's database? If so, then do the SQL query to look up the record. If you are running calibre's command line programs from perl, then you might consider using a calibredb to dump a list of all the books, load them into a dict, and then look them up there.