Empty/reset of FBReader library database, and constraining the rebuild?

[AlanRoberts]

Any FBReader experts here that could help me with a couple of questions?

I've been using it on my Android tablet for some time pretty much, "as installed," first manually downloading DRM-free epubs I purchased from Baen, then transitioning over to Calibre for library management using the Content Server. Things were somewhat of a mess, both on the device and PC side.

So, this weekend's project was to move Calibre to a new home server (done), get all my content into Calibre (done), and then clean up my tablet and get the library completely downloaded from Calibre/Content Server and living on the tablet's microSD card.

I'm stuck in the details of the last bit. Cyanogenmod's File Manger was sufficient for me to track down and remove the (somewhat scattered) former eBook locations. The app seemed a bit stubborn about wanting to download into /storage/emulated/0/... (i.e., internal storage if I'm understanding correctly), but after some work I have where to search for books and where to store downloaded books set to /mnt/ext_sdcard/EBooks, and a test download from Content Server shows up within this folder tree. With where to store temporary files set to /mnt/ext_sdcard/FBReaderFiles, I also see things like Content Manager's cached thumbnails showing up on the microSD.

My problem is with the devices's local database. When I select rescan, it seems to wander outside of my designated folder tree, and is finding PDF and HTML files that are in the download folder on internal storage along with some other junk, that I don't want cluttering up FBReader's database.

Can anyone tell me how to rein in FBReader's device content scan so it stays within the folder tree I've identified? Also, are there database file(s) located somewhere on the tablet's internal storage that I'll need to delete to get a clean local database, once the scan is locked down?

Thanks for any help,
Alan

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by AlanRoberts

Can anyone tell me how to rein in FBReader's device content scan so it stays within the folder tree I've identified? Also, are there database file(s) located somewhere on the tablet's internal storage that I'll need to delete to get a clean local database, once the scan is locked down?

I run FBReaderJ Premium on an Android tablet, but this applies to the free open source version as well.

Did you go into FBReaderJ Settings and specify where your library is? (Settings/Directories)

On my device, "Where to search for books" is /mnt/sdcard/Books (the default location), and /mnt/extsd/179_1/My Files/eBooks (the location on a 32GB external microSD card where Calibre places eBooks I add to the device from it. I added it in Settings when I began using the card.)
______
Dennis

[AlanRoberts]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

... Did you go into FBReaderJ Settings and specify where your library is? (Settings/Directories) ...

Hi Dennis,

Yes I did, sorry if that wasn't clear. I have:

Where to search for books set (only) to - /mnt/ext_sdcard/EBooks
and
Where to store downloaded books set (only) to - /mnt/ext_sdcard/EBooks

a folder I created on my installed microSD card. I've downloaded a single book from my Calibre Content Server (on a machine named TCWin7), and the result created was:

/mnt/ext_sdcard/EBooks/TCWin7_8080/get/epub/443.epub

My issue is that FBReader's library scan is adding content outside of the Where to store downloaded books path. In particular it is picking up content (PDFs, text files, HTML files) in:

/storage/emulated/0/Download
/storage/emulated/0/TunnyBrowser/files/EN/local
/storage/emulated/0/KingsoftOffice/file
/storage/emulated/0/TunnyBrowser/files/EN/adblock
/storage/emulated/0/cmupdater/cm-10.2.1-ovation.zip:system/etc

... (lots of other pathes omitted) ...

So it is still traversing /storage/emulated/0, even though that path is no longer in the Where to search for books setting. That is what I'm trying to correct.

Thanks,
Alan

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by AlanRoberts

So it is still traversing /storage/emulated/0, even though that path is no longer in the Where to search for books setting. That is what I'm trying to correct.

I'm mystified, because it doesn't do that here.

Which version of FBReaderJ are you running?

What I might try next is to remove and reinstall it. I had to do that when it got confused about what all I had. I have a lot of eBooks on device (thousands), and it got to a point where scans would not pick up newly added volumes. Removing it and re-installing, redoing the Settings, and telling it to scan again rebuilt the internal database it keeps.

If you have a rooted device, it might also help if you removed FBReaderJ's database, but that's stored in a system directory you can't get to without root permissions.

Also, file a bug. FBReaderJ is open source, and there's a Gihub repository where the source lives, with a bug tracker. See https://github.com/geometer/FBReaderJ

Give as much info as possible, like brand of tablet and version of Android, as well as FBReaderJ version. You may be running into an FBReaderJ bug.
______
Dennis

[AlanRoberts]

Hi Dennis,

Slicing and dicing your message in my reply ...

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I'm mystified, because it doesn't do that here.

What I might try next is to remove and reinstall it. ...

Seems to have helped, I'm no longer having it search outside of my Where to search for books folder tree.

While I was doing that, I discovered another behavior which may have been at the root of why my local storage had previously become so disorganized. The setting of Where to store downloaded books doesn't seem to "stick" (remain in effect) within FBReader for me.

If my tablet is off for long enough, when I return to FBReader, select Network Library, and then Local Calibre Library (how I named referencing my Calibre Content Server), all of the sudden NO titles are showing as downloaded. They all show the blue & white download icon, none with the green & white local copy downloaded icon. This is true even if I perform Reload, and seems to happen regardless of whether I use:

/storage/sdcard1/EBooks
/ext_sdcard/EBooks
/mnt/ext_sdcard/EBooks

for the Where to store downloaded books setting. When I notice this, if I return to Settings, Directories and change the setting to one of the other forms, then return to my network library, I see correct indications of downloaded or not, and additional downloads drop into the folder tree correctly.

If I don't notice, and download some eBooks, FBReader recreates /storage/emulated/0/Books and starts dropping downloads into that folder, even though the FBReader UI is still showing me a setting that references my external microSD card! No wonder I had stuff scattered all over the tablet before.

Which version of FBReaderJ are you running?
...
Also, file a bug. ...

2.5.9 (2050920) according to Settings, About FBReader.

I'll file a bug on the intermittent behavior I'm seeing with Where to store downloaded books. In the mean time, at least all the experimenting has taught me how to spot it and work around it.

Thanks,
Alan

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by AlanRoberts

Hi Dennis,

Slicing and dicing your message in my reply ...

(Re my suggestion to uninstall/reinstall)

Seems to have helped, I'm no longer having it search outside of my Where to search for books folder tree.

Oh, Excellent.

While I was doing that, I discovered another behavior which may have been at the root of why my local storage had previously become so disorganized. The setting of Where to store downloaded books doesn't seem to "stick" (remain in effect) within FBReader for me.

That may well be the issue. I haven't seen it because I don't download books. eBooks on my tablet are in a Calibre Library on my desktop, and added to the tablet from Calibre with a Send to Device operation. "Where to store downloaded books" is a no-op here because I don't do that.

I'll file a bug on the intermittent behavior I'm seeing with Where to store downloaded books. In the mean time, at least all the experimenting has taught me how to spot it and work around it.

Thanks,
Alan

You're welcome.
______
Dennis