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[eschwartz]

It works when there is an OPF as well...

[laji]

Thank you, I try it. Another, simply a question: is there a way to search not only dates, but hours/minutes, too? I want to filter files, modified not earlier, then 10 minutes ago. (In this way I hope find those book entries, where new files were added just now.) I found no answer, nor help, nor forum.

I think, it is possible to create new custom columns, write some calculation functions... but in my opinion, it is too dificult for this simple task.

[eschwartz]

You can search on the "last_modified" field, which as a date field accepts greater-than/less-than operators combined with dates.

Dates *might* be able to be fully qualified with the datestamp including time-of-day.

[laji]

Ah, now I understand the probleme (I hope...). I tried last_modified:>2015-09-06-08-00, but it does not work. I thought, because of wrong time format. Now I think, it searches the file's modification date (because last_modified:>2014-09-06-08-00 gaves matches). But I would like to find the entries (book records in database), modified in last 10 minutes. Modified, I mean, in any of both way: modified metadata, or the fact of adding/deleting/modifying file(s) of the db entry.

[eschwartz]

No, it searches the last_modified timestamp contained in the calibre database. Try hovering over that field, and see what format calibre uses for the timestamp. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but I know for a fact that the one you tried isn't it.

[laji]

I hoovered the mouse over the field. Bubble shows: 2015-08-30T11:41:02.
Exported (catalog): 2015-08-30T11:41:02+02:00
Tried to search last_modified:=, followed with any length part of the above two values, with quotes or without. No matches.
Tried to search last_modified:>, followed with any length part of the above two values, with quotes or without. All matches are the same, and those includes entries, modified erlier than 11:41.

How forth? Thank you for your help in advance.

Again, I must to say: I can not understand, why I must to spend hours to find out, how a program can (if can...) do an elementary things. 5 years ago I asked about hierarchical genres' system (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=108794). Calibre calls himself "book-organizer". Hierarchical groups are the first step for the book organizer software. You may not believe me, but can ask any librarian. Without it a software may be called beautiful, yellow, player or any else - but not book-organizer.

OK, I waited 5 years. Only accidentally I got info, that hierarchical genres are resolved already. (I downloaded Calibre now, again, first only for converting epub to mobi.) I started to use it.

I had already thousands of books' database in excel table. No way to import it!!!

OK, I shall work some weeks on it.

Now: no way to filter by time? After trying hours?

Conclusion, as I know it already 5 years ago:

1. Calibre's creator has not enough info about books and librarian methods.
2. Before creating, he did not have a well, long time, logically thinking idea: what and how must do this type software. Now, of course: patch by patch by patch...
3. Calibre has not well organized internal structure.
4. Calibre has not well organized help material. (For example: look at the regex part's episode names! They are for children only.)

Again, I am sure: the creator of Calibre must examine the way, how to write organizer/manager software, for example, at Mp3tag, at foobar2000. For a help material, a good example: JGSoft's PowerGrep.

placeholders all and anywhere...
nesteable, well documented functions, with samples...
any export variants (look at Mp3tag!)...
"tools"...
ability to modify translation on my own computer...
good help material...
and so on...
and so on...
and so on...

PS
BR, please, do not answer, as about 2-3 days ago, "Calibre is free, you have right not to use it". All we, intelligent people, know, it is a tale for children. When some (more than one, in our case) people are working usually, in full work days, it may not be only enthusiasm. Of course it has financial interest. In other words, it is a business. And if so: we, users/buyers (paying with own time) reasonably may wait quality.

Till now, I did not saw it. But time spent as ocean, already...

PS 2.
Althought I am not an IT specialist, in my opinion, the two obligatory needs: nested functions, and anywhere; placeholders all, anywhere (in any, modified with function, look, without the need of creating annoying custom column), in conjunction, too. Without them Calibre never will grew up from childness to adult age.

[eschwartz]

Well, I wouldn't know about filtering by time, as I normally sort by time instead.

As for placeholders, I thought that is what templates do.
Templates are nestable.
I don't know what you mean by "export variants", but templates can be used for exporting from calibre.
"tools" is ridiculously generic. calibre has lots of tools. What specific types of tools do you feel are lacking?
You can modify the translations, see calibre : Get Involved
I find the help material to be very helpful. In what way do you feel the documentation is lacking? calibre is open-source, including its help manual. If there is some way to improve the documentation, perhaps we can fix that.





But if calibre is really too childish for you, then by all means, you don't have to use it. As an intelligent person, I know that is not a tale for children (and neither for that matter is the regexp guide, or it wouldn't have helped so many people).
Either you will use it and appreciate the quality it does have (despite it not meeting your exacting standards), or your financial needs will figure something else out.

And if you are determined to believe calibre is a child software that doesn't have a good internal structure and whose developer doesn't understand books and how to write good management software, then you may find it hard to attract answers from the people who find it very good management software.



tl;dr
When you start mixing ill-informed complaints with comparisons to other software and how calibre Just Doesn't Measure Up, people assume you are a troll and ignore you. And they're probably right.

[laji]

Since now I wrote too much. I compare Calibre with other software to show, how must work a good organizer/manager. It is much easier to show: "look this, how it works", than to write dozens of pages. Foobar2000 uses tens millions of people. Mp3tag uses millions of people. They all understand me, what am I speaking about.

I am sorry, that till now I have no answer: in a database managing software how to filter records by one of the record's parameter (value; "simple column" - in db meaning). And the help material, what is OK by your opinion, can not help in this.

Tools: in both Foobar and Mp3tag: I can select any application with any parameters, and start it by right clicking on an item(s) (a music file, in this case). It is very powerful. Similar in case of Total Commander, too. I am, sure, you know about TC's powerful, too, options.

Export: http://forums.mp3tag.de/index.php?showtopic=1563. I have ~100 myselfe created export templates. Very powerful tool, too. Look at one of mines, for example:

Spoiler:

$filename($getEnv('USERPROFILE')'\Desktop\Hangosít áshiba (előadó-lemez-alak alapú).m3u8',utf-8)$puts(
)$loop(1,1)$puts(crlf,$char(13)$char(10))$puts(újs or,'{újsor}')$puts(
)$puts(tab,$char(9))$puts(ugró,'{ugró}')$loopend() $replace(

$loop(%albumartist%)$replace(
$loop(%album%)$replace(
$loop(%_extension%)$replace(

$loop(1,1)$replace(
$puts(előny,%replaygain_album_gain%)
$puts(csúcs,%replaygain_album_peak%)
,$get(crlf),,$get(újsor),$get(crlf),$get(tab),,$ge t(ugró),$get(tab))$loopend()


$loop($num(%track%,3))$replace(

$puts(ismétlés,$if($eql($get(hibás_útja),%_folderp ath%),'IGAZ','HAMIS'))

$puts(hibás_útja,$if(
$or(
$neql($get(előny),%replaygain_album_gain%),
$neql($get(csúcs),%replaygain_album_peak%)
),%_folderpath%,$get(hibás_útja)))

$if(
$and(
$eql($get(ismétlés),'HAMIS'),
$or(
$neql($get(előny),%replaygain_album_gain%),
$neql($get(csúcs),%replaygain_album_peak%)
)
),
%_folderpath%$get(újsor),

)

,$get(crlf),,$get(újsor),$get(crlf),$get(tab),,$ge t(ugró),$get(tab))$loopend()

,$get(crlf),,$get(újsor),$get(crlf),$get(tab),,$ge t(ugró),$get(tab))$loopend()
,$get(crlf),,$get(újsor),$get(crlf),$get(tab),,$ge t(ugró),$get(tab))$loopend()
,$get(crlf),,$get(újsor),$get(crlf),$get(tab),,$ge t(ugró),$get(tab))$loopend()
,$get(crlf),,$get(újsor),$get(crlf),$get(tab),,$ge t(ugró),$get(tab))

And: http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/ind...howtopic=63346.

Functions: have a look at this very little piece of customization, made by me in Foobar. It is only 1 string, that creates customize a toolbar popup, when new song starts:

Spoiler:

$if($and($strstr(%path%,\Mű\Zene\),$not($strcmp(%c ontent group%,Mai))),[$if2(%composer%,%songwriter%):$crlf()][%album%$crlf()][$num(%tracknumber%,1). ]%title%[$crlf()%date%.][$crlf()[$crlf()$meta_sep(artist,; )][$crlf()vez. $meta_sep(conductor,; )][$crlf()$left(%time%,5)]][$crlf()[$crlf()[$meta(rating,)* ][%_length%]][$crlf()%comment%]],[$meta(artist,0):$crlf()]%title%[$crlf()$ifequal(%date%,$left(%time%,4),$left(%time %,4),%date%-$left(%time%,4)).][$crlf()[$crlf()[%album%][$crlf()$num(%tracknumber%,1).]][$if($or($strstr(%genre%,Lemezes),$strstr(%genre%,N épszerű),$strstr(%genre%,musical)),,$crlf()$meta_s ep(genre,; ))]][$crlf()[$crlf()[$meta(rating,)* ][%_length%]][$crlf()%comment%][$crlf()Sz.: $meta_sep(composer,; )]])

I have some hundreds of this type strings in Foobar2000. It works for my needs, as a swiss knife. In Calibre, I can not write this like strings, without creating custom columns. Create some thousands of CC?

PS
You wrote: "You can modify the translations, see calibre : Get Involved."
I tried it. Five years ago. It was a thriller. This is the cause, why I wrote: "ability to modify translation on my own computer...". As in case of all my other applications: foobar, mp3tag, total commander... If I want to change a word in translation: 1 minute. 5 years ago I tried with calibre. After 3 days, without success, I gave it up.

[PeterT]

To think i've heard people say that APL was hard to read. That customization you posted is worse than APL in my humble opinion.

[laji]

My customization works. In my opinion, this is the only one critery. And, it was not too hard to write, and I could do it without asking in any forum, only by reading help material. My foobar is customized very well, by my (hard!) needs - and yet I have no account in foobar's forum...

Edit, later: I forgot, I have. But I use foobar 10 years, accont have only 2 years, for totally 4 questions.

I have account in Mp3tag's forum. Some times my questions were very specific. Till now, all my questions are answered. There were cases, when I got a whole sample, specially by my question written, export template.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by laji

Since now I wrote too much. I compare Calibre with other software to show, how must work a good organizer/manager. It is much easier to show: "look this, how it works", than to write dozens of pages. Foobar2000 uses tens millions of people. Mp3tag uses millions of people. They all understand me, what am I speaking about.

http://status.calibre-ebook.com
3.3 million people have used calibre in the past month. Apparently those calibre users find calibre as useful as mp3tag users find mp3tag. And all (most) of those calibre users understand me.

From this I conclude that calibre is a good organizer and manager already.

I am sorry, that till now I have no answer: in a database managing software how to filter records by one of the record's parameter (value; "simple column" - in db meaning). And the help material, what is OK by your opinion, can not help in this.

Click any item in the tag browser -- it will filter by them.
That is what a search does.

One specific record, the last_modified record, appears to be providing a challenge, at least for minute/hourly granularity.

This is a legitimate point, one that I believe should be investigated by Kovid Goyal. Maybe we don't know how to do it (documentation bug), or maybe it is an implementation bug.

Tools: in both Foobar and Mp3tag: I can select any application with any parameters, and start it by right clicking on an item(s) (a music file, in this case). It is very powerful. Similar in case of Total Commander, too. I am, sure, you know about TC.

See the Open With plugin, or the (newer) builtin Open With feature. It's a shame you were so busy feeling upset at calibre's inferiority to ask if there was a way to do this.

Export: http://forums.mp3tag.de/index.php?showtopic=1563. I have ~100 myselfe created export templates. Very powerful tool, too. And: http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/ind...howtopic=63346

Sorry, I have no idea what these are supposed to do, as I don't use mptag and none of the "preview"s seem to work.

But I know calibre can export books into filepaths defined by a template, and modify the metadata fields dynamically at the same time in the same way.
You have already had this pointed out.

Is this or is this not the same thing that mp3tag does, I honestly don't know.

PS
You wrote: "You can modify the translations, see calibre : Get Involved."
I tried it. Five years ago. It was a thriller. This is the cause, why I wrote: "ability to modify translation on my own computer...". As in case of all my other applications: foobar, mp3tag, total commander... If I want to change a word in translation: 1 minute. 5 years ago I tried with calibre. After 3 days, without success, I gave it up.

Many people have been successful. Just contribute the modified files and you will see the translations by the next Friday.
Alternatively, you could start calibre from the command line in the directory with the translation file -- this is supposed to work. Have you tested it?

[eschwartz]

I see you have updated your post since I began my reply.

If you want to reprogram the graphic interface, you will need to write a plugin. I do not consider this to be an unreasonable burden.

[laji]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Many people have been successful. Just contribute the modified files and you will see the translations by the next Friday.

Why I must to wait a week for contribute, instead of 1 minute? Do the creator speak hungarian?

[laji]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

If you want to reprogram the graphic interface, you will need to write a plugin. I do not consider this to be an unreasonable burden.

I can not say, are you right or not - I only know own opinion, from experience. Since I posted more than 50 times - and this is the very begining of using Calibre; only the first, elementary things. So I do not think, ever I start to write a Calibre plugin. It's easier, seems to me, my earlier idea: to write a PHP/MySQL (what I am familiar with) database manager for my books, that meet my needs.

[laji]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

See the Open With plugin, or the (newer) builtin Open With feature. It's a shame you were so busy feeling upset at calibre's inferiority to ask if there was a way to do this.

Yes, you are right in this question, I beg your pardon - I forgot about it. Thank you for pointing my attention.