Req Help with "strange" search

[pchrist7]

Originally Posted by chaley

Hmmm.... interesting challenge.

Given the existence of the kindle collections column, I think the query could be described as:

step 1: find all books by any author of a book with an entry in k_collections. Lets call this list "possibles".
step 2: find all books with an author in possibles and k_collections:false.

You can do this using user categories. What you do is:

1. Create a user category called "possibles" (or some such). Make sure it has no items in it.
2. Search for k_collections:true. Finds all books in kindle collections.
3. Select all books found in step 2.
4. Click/drag any authors cell to possibles. This will enter all the authors for the selected books into the user category.

We now have the list "possibles" described in step 1.

The search described in step 2 is "@possibles:true and k_collections:false" (no quotes). This will find all books by authors listed in the user category that do not have a value in k_collections.

Hi All
I know this is an old procedure, and I don't know if I'm the only one in the whole wide universe still using it

From Calibre version 1.18 ( I think) and forward, the procedure is still valid, BUT step 3 (select all found books in step2) I found that I had to use key-combo Ctrl+Alt+A and not Ctrl+A as I "think" i used to do. Using Windows here.
The rest should work OK. It does here.

I know this is an old procedure that Chaley helped me with, but just in case some "entity" in the universe beside me uses this procedure, this is what I found.

Cheers,

[BetterRed]

@pchrist7 - I don't use that specific procedure, but Ctrl/a is normally a 'work everywhere kb shortcut', it does a select all here

And so does Ctrl/Alt/a - I didn't know that, I might give it another job

It's possible something/someone has assigned Ctrl/a to something else. Open the ...\calibre\shortcuts\main.json file in notepad or similar and search for Ctrl+A if its found then do not change that file directly, use Preferences-> Keyboard.

It's also possible that Ctrl/A has been 'hijacked' within windows - try doing a Ctrl/a in windows explorer, make sure you're in a location with more than one thing in it.

BR

[unboggling]

Originally Posted by pchrist7

...I found that I had to use key-combo Ctrl+Alt+A and not Ctrl+A as I "think" i used to do. Using Windows here...

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@pchrist7 - I don't use that specific procedure, but Ctrl/a is normally a 'work everywhere kb shortcut', it does a select all here

And so does Ctrl/Alt/a - I didn't know that, I might give it another job

It's possible something/someone has assigned Ctrl/a to something else. Open the ...\calibre\shortcuts\main.json file in notepad or similar and search for Ctrl+A if its found then do not change that file directly, use Preferences-> Keyboard.

It's also possible that Ctrl/A has been 'hijacked' within windows - try doing a Ctrl/a in windows explorer, make sure you're in a location with more than one thing in it.

BR

Just to round out your perspicaciousness: keyboard shortcut for select-all is similar on OS X with Command a or Command Alt a. Both work in calibre.