Calibre Library on Dropbox isn't working after upgrade to Calibre2

tarundurga · 10-04-2016, 05:22 AM

By purely following instructions, I had created a library of my ebooks using dropbox (public folder), Calibre and Calibre2opds. By using a shortened url, I could access a website like library management tool which showed a listing by author name, recent books and all books. Updating it was super simple - I'd add the book in Calibre, then click on Calibre2OPDS and generate catalogue.

Now that I have updated Calibre to Calibre2, that link is broken. Whenever I key in my shortened url, it downloads an index.html that leads nowhere. I'm not sure what's going on here. Any help will be very welcome!

itimpi · 10-04-2016, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarundurga

By purely following instructions, I had created a library of my ebooks using dropbox (public folder), Calibre and Calibre2opds. By using a shortened url, I could access a website like library management tool which showed a listing by author name, recent books and all books. Updating it was super simple - I'd add the book in Calibre, then click on Calibre2OPDS and generate catalogue.

Now that I have updated Calibre to Calibre2, that link is broken. Whenever I key in my shortened url, it downloads an index.html that leads nowhere. I'm not sure what's going on here. Any help will be very welcome!

I believe that Dropbox have discontinued the ability to have a Public folder that acts like a web server. I am not sure if there are still any cloud services that provide this type of capability.

JSWolf · 10-04-2016, 05:30 AM

You should NEVER EVER use cloud storage for your Calibre library. That's a really good way to corrupt it.

chaley · 10-04-2016, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You should NEVER EVER use cloud storage for your Calibre library. That's a really good way to corrupt it.

That is rather extreme advice. I have used Dropbox for my production library for years without a single problem. It is sufficient to never write the library from two machines without an intervening sync.

EDIT: It is also a good idea to turn off Dropbox syncing while using calibre in order to prevent file-open collisions. I don't do this but then I seldom change authors or titles, the operations that trigger copying and renaming inside the calibre library.

Terisa de morgan · 10-04-2016, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaley

That is rather extreme advice. I have used Dropbox for my production library for years without a single problem. It is sufficient to never write the library from two machines without an intervening sync.

Same here.... with my "in ereader library", which has survived more than my ereaders

olimyob · 10-04-2016, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You should NEVER EVER use cloud storage for your Calibre library. That's a really good way to corrupt it.

I have also done this for many years without issue.

AnemicOak · 10-04-2016, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You should NEVER EVER use cloud storage for your Calibre library. That's a really good way to corrupt it.

You should ABSOLUTELY ALWAYS use cloud storage for your Calibre library, if you choose to.

Just be aware of the precautions you should take. My library has been on DropBox since 2009 and is still going strong.

tarundurga · 10-07-2016, 12:44 AM

So what do you folks reckon? What do you think has gone wrong? How do I fix it? And if I don't use dropbox, what else should I use - Google Drive?

Thanks!

itimpi · 10-07-2016, 02:57 AM

As far as I know there is no way to fix the issue with DropBox. It is a result of a decision by DropBox to discontinue offering a facility they used to support.

Google Drive might still work - this will need checking out. I have heard rumours that they may also be changing what they support but have not checked it out. Note, also, that Google Drive will cause problems with Calibre if you try to use it to sync a Calibre library between computers. This is mentioned in the current Calibre2opds documentation in the section on setting up Google Drive for use with Calibre2opds.

I think I might look into whether it is possible to use a hybrid solution where the Calibre2opds catalog is hosted on Google Drive while the main Calibre library remains on DropBox. This just might work if you only go to dropbox to download the actual eBook files. It would also remove the risk of corrupting your Calibre library by trying to host it on Google Drive. I will provide feedback on whether I can get this working.

chaley · 10-07-2016, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarundurga

So what do you folks reckon? What do you think has gone wrong? How do I fix it? And if I don't use dropbox, what else should I use - Google Drive?

Thanks!

If your kindle is a Fire tablet then you might consider using Calibre Companion (CC). It can directly access a library on Dropbox without needing the "public" folder. If you have an e-ink kindle then CC won't help.

tarundurga · 10-14-2016, 02:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itimpi

I think I might look into whether it is possible to use a hybrid solution where the Calibre2opds catalog is hosted on Google Drive while the main Calibre library remains on DropBox.

Thanks itimpi... this is definitely worth testing. Now I am going to try and figure out how to do this. Any thoughts to get me started?

Dopedangel · 10-14-2016, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itimpi

As far as I know there is no way to fix the issue with DropBox. It is a result of a decision by DropBox to discontinue offering a facility they used to support.

Google Drive might still work - this will need checking out. I have heard rumours that they may also be changing what they support but have not checked it out. Note, also, that Google Drive will cause problems with Calibre if you try to use it to sync a Calibre library between computers. This is mentioned in the current Calibre2opds documentation in the section on setting up Google Drive for use with Calibre2opds.

I think I might look into whether it is possible to use a hybrid solution where the Calibre2opds catalog is hosted on Google Drive while the main Calibre library remains on DropBox. This just might work if you only go to dropbox to download the actual eBook files. It would also remove the risk of corrupting your Calibre library by trying to host it on Google Drive. I will provide feedback on whether I can get this working.

Dropbox discontinued public folders for newer accounts a few years ago not for old account I guess that changed this week only. Looking at the dropbox help page.

Dropbox Basic (free) users: Beginning October 3, 2016, you can no longer use shared links to render HTML content in a web browser. If you created a website that directly displays HTML content from your Dropbox, it will no longer render in the browser. The HTML content itself will still remain in your Dropbox and can be shared. Learn more.

sadievan · 11-20-2016, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

You should ABSOLUTELY ALWAYS use cloud storage for your Calibre library, if you choose to.

Just be aware of the precautions you should take. My library has been on DropBox since 2009 and is still going strong.

Can you elaborate on the precautions to take. I used to have my Calibre library on Dropbox and liked it, but moved it off of there because of the warnings here on mobileread.

What are the views on Microsoft OneDrive?

I would definitely like to put my Calibre library back on a cloud storage.

dwig · 11-20-2016, 11:35 AM

No "cloud" storage service that actively syncs with a folder on you local machine is completely safe. Calibre does not support multiple users accessing its library files. A running calibre counts as one user and the cloud services sync daemon counts as a second meaning evil things can happen.

The three big rules for surviving with a library "in the cloud" are:

Never rely on just the cloud copy and the local copy in your sync'd folder. Keep a complete backup copy of your library in an unsync'd location. Evil things can easily happen and leave the library unrepairable, at least without massive effort. A clean backup is very very very desirable.
Never allow syncing while using calibre.
Never allow multiple copies of calibre to access the same library at the same time.

sadievan · 11-20-2016, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwig

No "cloud" storage service that actively syncs with a folder on you local machine is completely safe. Calibre does not support multiple users accessing its library files. A running calibre counts as one user and the cloud services sync daemon counts as a second meaning evil things can happen.

The three big rules for surviving with a library "in the cloud" are:

Never rely on just the cloud copy and the local copy in your sync'd folder. Keep a complete backup copy of your library in an unsync'd location. Evil things can easily happen and leave the library unrepairable, at least without massive effort. A clean backup is very very very desirable.
Never allow syncing while using calibre.
Never allow multiple copies of calibre to access the same library at the same time.

How about Microsoft OneDrive. Is that any safer than Dropbox?

10-04-2016, 05:22 AM	#1
tarundurga Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2016 Device: Kindle	Calibre Library on Dropbox isn't working after upgrade to Calibre2 By purely following instructions, I had created a library of my ebooks using dropbox (public folder), Calibre and Calibre2opds. By using a shortened url, I could access a website like library management tool which showed a listing by author name, recent books and all books. Updating it was super simple - I'd add the book in Calibre, then click on Calibre2OPDS and generate catalogue. Now that I have updated Calibre to Calibre2, that link is broken. Whenever I key in my shortened url, it downloads an index.html that leads nowhere. I'm not sure what's going on here. Any help will be very welcome!

10-07-2016, 02:57 AM	#9
itimpi Wizard Posts: 4,553 Karma: 950151 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Sony PRS-950, iphone/ipad (Marvin/iBooks/QuickReader)	As far as I know there is no way to fix the issue with DropBox. It is a result of a decision by DropBox to discontinue offering a facility they used to support. Google Drive might still work - this will need checking out. I have heard rumours that they may also be changing what they support but have not checked it out. Note, also, that Google Drive will cause problems with Calibre if you try to use it to sync a Calibre library between computers. This is mentioned in the current Calibre2opds documentation in the section on setting up Google Drive for use with Calibre2opds. I think I might look into whether it is possible to use a hybrid solution where the Calibre2opds catalog is hosted on Google Drive while the main Calibre library remains on DropBox. This just might work if you only go to dropbox to download the actual eBook files. It would also remove the risk of corrupting your Calibre library by trying to host it on Google Drive. I will provide feedback on whether I can get this working. Last edited by itimpi; 10-07-2016 at 03:00 AM.

11-20-2016, 11:35 AM	#14
dwig Wizard Posts: 1,613 Karma: 6718541 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Paradise (Key West, FL) Device: Current:Surface Go & Kindle 3 - Retired: DellV8p, Clie UX50, ...	No "cloud" storage service that actively syncs with a folder on you local machine is completely safe. Calibre does not support multiple users accessing its library files. A running calibre counts as one user and the cloud services sync daemon counts as a second meaning evil things can happen. The three big rules for surviving with a library "in the cloud" are: Never rely on just the cloud copy and the local copy in your sync'd folder. Keep a complete backup copy of your library in an unsync'd location. Evil things can easily happen and leave the library unrepairable, at least without massive effort. A clean backup is very very very desirable. Never allow syncing while using calibre. Never allow multiple copies of calibre to access the same library at the same time.

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10-04-2016, 05:30 AM	#3
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,758 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	You should NEVER EVER use cloud storage for your Calibre library. That's a really good way to corrupt it.

10-07-2016, 12:44 AM	#8
tarundurga Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2016 Device: Kindle	So what do you folks reckon? What do you think has gone wrong? How do I fix it? And if I don't use dropbox, what else should I use - Google Drive? Thanks!