Considering moving to a 350 from a nook

[issybird]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

If you're a Calibre user you can fix that very easily. There is also an option for defining exactly how books in your Sony Collections will be ordered.

Where do I find this option? No doubt I'm being obtuse about it. It still makes no sense to me that authors would be sorted by first name. I do use Calibre, btw.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by issybird

Where do I find this option? No doubt I'm being obtuse about it.

No, you're not being obtuse, it may be one of the detailed options you haven't found yet. Some of them are buried deep

1. The simplest way to make Author appear lastname,firstname on your Sony is to check the box called Use author sort for author in Preferences - Plugins - Device Interface - Sony - Customize.
   
   You might also like to look at some of the cover thumbnail options whilst you're in there. If you're not sure what each of them does, just ask.
   
   
2. I don't use the above method for changing Author myself as I use the Calibre Preferences - Metadata Plugboard which allows greater flexibility for naming both Author and Title
   e.g you might want to prefix the standard Title with Series name/index when viewing on the Sony. This would have the added benefit of books sorting by Series/index/Title when you choose sort by Title on the Sony.
   
   The Metadata Plugboard is very powerful but can be a bit daunting when you first look. If you think you may like to use it but are having trouble it would be best to create a new thread in the Calibre Library Management sub-forum asking for specific help.
   
   
3. If your Collections are not sorting how you want on the Sony then there is yet another option giving you more control in Calibre Preferences - Tweaks. It's called 'Specify how Sony Collections are sorted'. I won't go into detail here, but basically it involves adding a new column built from other Calibre columns and specifying a template to describe how your books should be sorted. Again, if you need specific help, it would be best to create a new thread in the Calibre Library Management sub-forum.

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Or your friend

Alas, Poppy, too late for either !


It now resides in a student household .... God, the horror that lies ahead for the poor little thing.
Toast for breakfast, lentils for lunch, everlasting cassarole for evening meal....
and no clean sheets till vacations.

Actually, I've come over all nostalgic...............

[delphin]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

No, you're not being obtuse, it may be one of the detailed options you haven't found yet. Some of them are buried deep

It's not just that some of calibre's options are 'buried deep'; it's that they are often not very logically organized, and change from version to version.

Also, many of the more advanced options require knowledge of the arcane unix 'regex' language, which makes them useless to most people, unless they are given very specific cut-and-paste instructions.

Another simple alternative that does not rely on telling Calibre to rewrite the books metadata tags, and that will work not only with Calibre, but is also compatible with books that are manually transfered to the Sony from other sources, is to simply adopt a naming scheme for all your book files that give them file names in the format -

AuthorsLastName, AuthorsFirstName - Title

This lets you sort your books by the authors last name, simply by using the Sony's drop down sort option 'by File Name', and still have the option to also sort by first name as well when you select the 'by Author' option.

Calibre can be made to follow this naming scheme when sending books to your Sony quite easily by swapping a few fields under the "Preferences -> Sending books to devices" tab.

Here's how -

- Open the Calibre Preferences window and select the "Sending books to devices" Tab.

- Now, about half way down the page, find the 'Save template' entry field that reads . . .

{author_sort}/{title} - {authors}

- and change it to read . . .

{author_sort}/{author_sort} - {title}

Then delete all books on your reader (after making sure to back up any that aren't in Calibre!!!) and then reload them from Calibre to save them in the new 'last name first' file format.

After doing this, you can display your books either sorted by Sony's original authors first name ordering (using the original drop down 'by Author' sort option) or alternately sorted by the author's last name (by simply selecting to sort 'by File Name').

[issybird]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

No, you're not being obtuse, it may be one of the detailed options you haven't found yet. Some of them are buried deep
[LIST=1][*]The simplest way to make Author appear lastname,firstname on your Sony is to check the box called Use author sort for author in Preferences - Plugins - Device Interface - Sony - Customize.

<snip>

Thanks for your very precise and detailed help. Much appreciated.

Originally Posted by delphin

It's not just that some of calibre's options are 'buried deep'; it's that they are often not very logically organized, and change from version to version.

Thank you for another cogent suggestion. And thanks to you both for being so kind in regard to my rather abashed ego.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by delphin

It's not just that some of calibre's options are 'buried deep'; it's that they are often not very logically organized, and change from version to version.

Also, many of the more advanced options require knowledge of the arcane unix 'regex' language, which makes them useless to most people, unless they are given very specific cut-and-paste instructions.

The biggest benefit of using Calibre's Metadata Plugboard, if you're prepared to have a go, is that if you change the Author, Title, Series, tags etc in Calibre then it will automatically be reflected in the books on your Sony next time you connect, as long as you've also asked Calibre to automatically manage your metadata. So there's no need to recopy books just because you tweaked some names.

You don't have to have a detailed knowledge of regex so much as a working knowledge of Calibre 'templates' which is only the same 'language' as you used in your own examples above,
e.g. {author_sort}/{title} - {authors}
So, yes, you can use regex to do fancy renaming, but even simple templates can help you organise your Sony metadata.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by delphin

and it can't make Julian Frys . . .

Yes, it can, but you have to hit that sucker just right.