A way to mass delete Ids?

raithe · 10-20-2011, 05:09 PM

I just started using this program yesterday and so far it's awesome. However I have one problem. I made the mistake of leaving Barnes & Noble and Google enabled in the meta-data search and now a vast number of books that are part of a series are tagged as omnibus when they're single volumes and a great number have spanish titles and descriptions, or the descriptions are reviews rather than cover blurbs etc. To put it bluntly the Google and Barnes & Noble plugins are awful. Goodreads, Fantastic Fiction and Overdrive are far better and SHOULD be the defaults.

Unfortunately to undo the damage they've done I have to go in manually delete the Id sting from each and every one apparently or it just re-downloads the same data. Everything else seems to be batch editable, am I just missing the option to batch delete all ID strings?

speakingtohe · 10-21-2011, 12:21 AM

Perhaps might be easiest to just start all over with new library and add books again?
Helen

chaley · 10-21-2011, 03:07 AM

You can remove an identifier with search/replace. The process is:

Back up your library in case something goes very wrong
Select the books with the identifier you wish to remove. The tag browser is one way to do this. Alternatively select all books in the library if you are globally removing an identifier.
Press E to bulk edit metadata
Choose the search/replace tab
Choose regular expression mode
Choose "identifiers" as the search field. Two "identifier type" boxes will appear.
Choose the identifier type you wish to remove in the upper identifier type box. Enter that same identifier type into the lower identifier type box.
Enter .* into the Search for box.
Leave the Replace with box empty.
Press OK.

The identifier will be removed from all the selected books.

JayLaFunk · 10-31-2011, 03:51 PM

I had part of the same problem, thanks to Chaley for the info to remove but I don't know why in the downloaded metadata fields there is not a ID's box which would give you the option to un-tick and save you downloading that info in the first place...

chaley · 10-31-2011, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayLaFunk

I had part of the same problem, thanks to Chaley for the info to remove but I don't know why in the downloaded metadata fields there is not a ID's box which would give you the option to un-tick and save you downloading that info in the first place...

You are welcome to submit a patch to calibre's code that implements such an option. I'm sure that the change would be accepted.

JayLaFunk · 10-31-2011, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaley

You are welcome to submit a patch to calibre's code that implements such an option. I'm sure that the change would be accepted.

Thank you for the offer but way way above my limited intelligence

I am very happy with Calibre, certainly don't want to appear ungrateful to Kovid and and everybody else who contribute to the software...

kiwidude · 11-01-2011, 04:43 AM

The problem is not with the metadata download plugins, it is that you undoubtedly attempted to download metadata in bulk and did not have a sufficiently strong starting point for those books like having the ISBN (often extractable using the Extract ISBN plugin) or non exact title/author.

Without the ISBN, any metadata download plugin is at the mercy of trying to parse the search results from the website, which depending on the quality of their search engine and how they order the results can range from "not a problem" to "not going to match".

In terms of bulk deleting ids, I can't see the point personally because it is only going to tempt you to bulk download again which is what got you the problem in the first place. To correct it, you should be one by one clicking the edit metadata download button, click the "Clear" button to the right of the ids field and then while in the dialog click the Download metadata button and *manually* choose the download result which matches the book as you know it. Sometimes you need to click the download metadata button a second time to get all the ids you want populated for the same "book" from the other sites, because after the first download it now will have an ISBN set that the other sites can match against.

Bulk metadata downloading "can" work, but it is preferable if it has an ISBN to work with. And even if I do a bulk download I *always* double-check the results to make sure it is linked to the right book and revise it using the single metadata download as discussed above.

As for your "defaults" comment - Overdrive is woefully slow, which is why it is not a default. I don't personally use Google. None of the others you mention ship with Calibre (I wrote them and use all of those). As for B&N - it provides better quality covers usually than any of the others (except for BAEN books via the Webscription plugin).

DoctorOhh · 11-01-2011, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwidude

Sometimes you need to click the download metadata button a second time to get all the ids you want populated for the same "book" from the other sites, because after the first download it now will have an ISBN set that the other sites can match against.

I do this often myself in order to get the full info from the Goodreads plugin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwidude

Bulk metadata downloading "can" work, but it is preferable if it has an ISBN to work with.

Good advice you gave on using the extract ISBN plugin first before any bulk metadata download.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwidude

As for your "defaults" comment - Overdrive is woefully slow, which is why it is not a default. I don't personally use Google.

Concur.

PhotonQyv · 10-21-2015, 08:20 AM

Thanks for the info, couldn't work out how to do this myself, think the dialog[ue] is a little confusing. Anyway, sorted out now, again, thanks (:*

Dr. Drib · 10-22-2015, 06:36 AM

You're responding to a 6 year-old post.

Technology and interests have moved on since then.

Don
(Moderator)

10-20-2011, 05:09 PM	#1
raithe Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: smartphones (many different types)	A way to mass delete Ids? I just started using this program yesterday and so far it's awesome. However I have one problem. I made the mistake of leaving Barnes & Noble and Google enabled in the meta-data search and now a vast number of books that are part of a series are tagged as omnibus when they're single volumes and a great number have spanish titles and descriptions, or the descriptions are reviews rather than cover blurbs etc. To put it bluntly the Google and Barnes & Noble plugins are awful. Goodreads, Fantastic Fiction and Overdrive are far better and SHOULD be the defaults. Unfortunately to undo the damage they've done I have to go in manually delete the Id sting from each and every one apparently or it just re-downloads the same data. Everything else seems to be batch editable, am I just missing the option to batch delete all ID strings?

10-21-2011, 03:07 AM	#3
chaley Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,339 Karma: 8012652 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Notts, England Device: Kobo Libra 2	You can remove an identifier with search/replace. The process is: Back up your library in case something goes very wrong Select the books with the identifier you wish to remove. The tag browser is one way to do this. Alternatively select all books in the library if you are globally removing an identifier. Press E to bulk edit metadata Choose the search/replace tab Choose regular expression mode Choose "identifiers" as the search field. Two "identifier type" boxes will appear. Choose the identifier type you wish to remove in the upper identifier type box. Enter that same identifier type into the lower identifier type box. Enter .* into the Search for box. Leave the Replace with box empty. Press OK. The identifier will be removed from all the selected books.

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10-21-2011, 12:21 AM	#2
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	Perhaps might be easiest to just start all over with new library and add books again? Helen

10-31-2011, 03:51 PM	#4
JayLaFunk Connoisseur Posts: 94 Karma: 538 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: iPad	I had part of the same problem, thanks to Chaley for the info to remove but I don't know why in the downloaded metadata fields there is not a ID's box which would give you the option to un-tick and save you downloading that info in the first place...

11-01-2011, 04:43 AM	#7
kiwidude Calibre Plugins Developer Posts: 4,721 Karma: 2197770 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Oasis	The problem is not with the metadata download plugins, it is that you undoubtedly attempted to download metadata in bulk and did not have a sufficiently strong starting point for those books like having the ISBN (often extractable using the Extract ISBN plugin) or non exact title/author. Without the ISBN, any metadata download plugin is at the mercy of trying to parse the search results from the website, which depending on the quality of their search engine and how they order the results can range from "not a problem" to "not going to match". In terms of bulk deleting ids, I can't see the point personally because it is only going to tempt you to bulk download again which is what got you the problem in the first place. To correct it, you should be one by one clicking the edit metadata download button, click the "Clear" button to the right of the ids field and then while in the dialog click the Download metadata button and manually choose the download result which matches the book as you know it. Sometimes you need to click the download metadata button a second time to get all the ids you want populated for the same "book" from the other sites, because after the first download it now will have an ISBN set that the other sites can match against. Bulk metadata downloading "can" work, but it is preferable if it has an ISBN to work with. And even if I do a bulk download I always double-check the results to make sure it is linked to the right book and revise it using the single metadata download as discussed above. As for your "defaults" comment - Overdrive is woefully slow, which is why it is not a default. I don't personally use Google. None of the others you mention ship with Calibre (I wrote them and use all of those). As for B&N - it provides better quality covers usually than any of the others (except for BAEN books via the Webscription plugin).

10-21-2015, 08:20 AM	#9
PhotonQyv Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2015 Device: none	Thanks for the info, couldn't work out how to do this myself, think the dialog[ue] is a little confusing. Anyway, sorted out now, again, thanks (:*

10-22-2015, 06:36 AM	#10
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,348 Karma: 59447733 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	You're responding to a 6 year-old post. Technology and interests have moved on since then. Don (Moderator)