which ebook reader uses the calibre keywords for collections without fiddling w/code

Eli362 · 05-18-2019, 03:23 PM

Is there any model of ebook reader that uses calibre keywords to create collection automatically?

The only model available in the shops where I live are tolinos and it seems to require sth a bit too complicated for me (https://papierlos-lesen.de/genial-sa...rwalten-59398/)

And the vendor didn't even know what Calibre was!!

I have several thousand ebooks in calibre and certainly don't want to have to make collections by hand!

So I am resigned to buy a new ebook reader on the net, but it never says in the description if it actually uses the calibre keywords automatically and how collections are really managed...

Oh and also I don't want my reader to be a mobile phone, so any indication about which reader would have the less fluff I'll need to get rid of?

Many thanks !

davidfor · 05-18-2019, 10:16 PM

Firstly, none of the bigger ebook manufacturers directly support calibre. They know it exists but generally don't admit it. Luckily, they don't seem to be to interested in blocking it completely. But, they don't necessarily make it easy.

To the best of my knowledge, the only current devices that calibre has support for collections are the Kobo and tolino. There is a plugin for Kindles, but, I think it need a jailbroken device to work.

The tolino supports collections based on the a sub-directory. Each sub-directory is a collection. That means it isn't practical to have books in multiple collections (needs multiple copies of the books) and using something like the calibre tags isn't that useful either.

Kobo probably has the best support at the moment*. You can create collections based on any column in calibre. And you can put a book in multiple collections if you want. The only problem is that if you think the configuration for a tolino is complicated, you will think the same for a Kobo.

If you can find second-hand Sony, they have similar collections to the Kobo.

* Disclaimer: I maintain the KoboTouch driver in calibre. But that's a claim based on what I see for the other devices.

Eli362 · 05-19-2019, 11:24 AM

Thank you for your answer, that is very useful!

I am definitely not jailbreaking anything... not that it wouldn't be interesting but I don't want to invest the time to learn everything needed to do it.

I had a sony reader before and wanted to buy one again (seems to be able to manage large collections really well), but as far as I can tell they haven't made a new model for several years now. It is probably not so smart to buy a reader that is already old?

BookCat · 05-19-2019, 07:58 PM

I was going to mention that my Sony prs 505 used to do this. I say 'used to' because I hardly use it now, but keep it out of sentimentality. It's unlit, slow, and heavy compared to modern readers.

You could probably find one on ebay; but you've already said that you don't want an old reader. However, if this function is the most important one to you, it may be worth looking for an inexpensive one.

davidfor · 05-19-2019, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eli362

I had a sony reader before and wanted to buy one again (seems to be able to manage large collections really well), but as far as I can tell they haven't made a new model for several years now. It is probably not so smart to buy a reader that is already old?

If it works, why not? The screen and battery will be the issues. Newer devices have better screens. And the older the device, the less likely the battery will be any good, but, it can probably be replaced.

Eli362 · 05-20-2019, 10:07 AM

I went to another shop (smaller, but vendor more helpful) and bought the tolino vision in the end...

It took me a while to search the Calibre options, but I could choose the column Tag instead of Author to make the collections on the reader (I still had to prune a bit (a lot) to have only one tag per book but it works).

Also Calibre allows to insert the data from the Serie field as part of the title of the book, which allows to keep books in order inside a collection.

So on the whole not so bad... quite a bit of work, but only to be done once.

(That was only for information for the people who helped, thank you everybody!)

kacir · 05-20-2019, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eli362

(That was only for information for the people who helped, thank you everybody!)

This is also very important information for other people that have the same question and find this thread before asking.

wanderson · 05-21-2019, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidfor

To the best of my knowledge, the only current devices that calibre has support for collections are the Kobo and tolino. There is a plugin for Kindles, but, I think it need a jailbroken device to work.

FYI, non-jailbroken Kindles (at least, my Kindle PW4) work just fine with Calibre. It is the case that ebook formats need to be converted to Kindle-compatible formats (e.g. AWZ3, KFX or PDF) but there is complete plug-in support for all of this. Calibre's Kindle management is generally excellent.

ZodWallop · 05-21-2019, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderson

FYI, non-jailbroken Kindles (at least, my Kindle PW4) work just fine with Calibre. It is the case that ebook formats need to be converted to Kindle-compatible formats (e.g. AWZ3, KFX or PDF) but there is complete plug-in support for all of this. Calibre's Kindle management is generally excellent.

Can Calibre create collections on a Kindle using the tags in Calibre?

ilovejedd · 05-21-2019, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Can Calibre create collections on a Kindle using the tags in Calibre?

Not without jailbreaking.

BookCat · 05-22-2019, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderson

FYI, non-jailbroken Kindles (at least, my Kindle PW4) work just fine with Calibre. It is the case that ebook formats need to be converted to Kindle-compatible formats (e.g. AWZ3, KFX or PDF) but there is complete plug-in support for all of this. Calibre's Kindle management is generally excellent.

Yes, kindles do work well with Calibre, but you can't create collections by using the Calibre tabs (in metadata).

davidfor · 05-22-2019, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderson

FYI, non-jailbroken Kindles (at least, my Kindle PW4) work just fine with Calibre. It is the case that ebook formats need to be converted to Kindle-compatible formats (e.g. AWZ3, KFX or PDF) but there is complete plug-in support for all of this. Calibre's Kindle management is generally excellent.

Just to be clear, I was only talking about collection management. I wasn't explicit in the second sentence of what you quoted. But, as the topic of the thread, and the post was collections, I didn't think I needed to be.

BookCat · 05-22-2019, 12:53 AM

wanderson, I see this is only your third post, so:

05-18-2019, 03:23 PM	#1
Eli362 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2019 Location: Switzerland Device: tolino vision	which ebook reader uses the calibre keywords for collections without fiddling w/code Is there any model of ebook reader that uses calibre keywords to create collection automatically? The only model available in the shops where I live are tolinos and it seems to require sth a bit too complicated for me (https://papierlos-lesen.de/genial-sa...rwalten-59398/) And the vendor didn't even know what Calibre was!! I have several thousand ebooks in calibre and certainly don't want to have to make collections by hand! So I am resigned to buy a new ebook reader on the net, but it never says in the description if it actually uses the calibre keywords automatically and how collections are really managed... Oh and also I don't want my reader to be a mobile phone, so any indication about which reader would have the less fluff I'll need to get rid of? Many thanks ! Last edited by Eli362; 05-18-2019 at 03:26 PM.

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05-18-2019, 10:16 PM	#2
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,905 Karma: 47303824 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	Firstly, none of the bigger ebook manufacturers directly support calibre. They know it exists but generally don't admit it. Luckily, they don't seem to be to interested in blocking it completely. But, they don't necessarily make it easy. To the best of my knowledge, the only current devices that calibre has support for collections are the Kobo and tolino. There is a plugin for Kindles, but, I think it need a jailbroken device to work. The tolino supports collections based on the a sub-directory. Each sub-directory is a collection. That means it isn't practical to have books in multiple collections (needs multiple copies of the books) and using something like the calibre tags isn't that useful either. Kobo probably has the best support at the moment. You can create collections based on any column in calibre. And you can put a book in multiple collections if you want. The only problem is that if you think the configuration for a tolino is complicated, you will think the same for a Kobo. If you can find second-hand Sony, they have similar collections to the Kobo. Disclaimer: I maintain the KoboTouch driver in calibre. But that's a claim based on what I see for the other devices.

05-19-2019, 11:24 AM	#3
Eli362 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2019 Location: Switzerland Device: tolino vision	Thank you for your answer, that is very useful! I am definitely not jailbreaking anything... not that it wouldn't be interesting but I don't want to invest the time to learn everything needed to do it. I had a sony reader before and wanted to buy one again (seems to be able to manage large collections really well), but as far as I can tell they haven't made a new model for several years now. It is probably not so smart to buy a reader that is already old?

05-19-2019, 07:58 PM	#4
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,911 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	I was going to mention that my Sony prs 505 used to do this. I say 'used to' because I hardly use it now, but keep it out of sentimentality. It's unlit, slow, and heavy compared to modern readers. You could probably find one on ebay; but you've already said that you don't want an old reader. However, if this function is the most important one to you, it may be worth looking for an inexpensive one.

05-20-2019, 10:07 AM	#6
Eli362 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2019 Location: Switzerland Device: tolino vision	I went to another shop (smaller, but vendor more helpful) and bought the tolino vision in the end... It took me a while to search the Calibre options, but I could choose the column Tag instead of Author to make the collections on the reader (I still had to prune a bit (a lot) to have only one tag per book but it works). Also Calibre allows to insert the data from the Serie field as part of the title of the book, which allows to keep books in order inside a collection. So on the whole not so bad... quite a bit of work, but only to be done once. (That was only for information for the people who helped, thank you everybody!)

05-22-2019, 12:53 AM	#13
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,911 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	wanderson, I see this is only your third post, so: