Good ways to type up the metadata?

[MarjaE]

Hi,

I need to log thousands more files, but my good arm hurts too much. What solutions have you found to add books, and log them, without too much typing and typing-induced injury?

I use Mac Automator tools to pre-process pdf files, and to tag files which I've imported or logged.

I use GetFileName to list the original file name in an extra column. Makes it much easier to recognize which book is which instead of dealing with a series of "Unknown" by "Unknown".

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=278559

I also import in bulk and edit some metadata in bulk. I try to use the same entry for epub and mobi files from the same source, but can't do that with different pdf files from the same source, through different processing. Because a pdf which is good on my computer may not be readable on my Kindle. I copy+paste when dealing with these, then manually type in the format differences.

Even so, it's a painful pain in the... good arm... trying to type up the appropriate metadata.

I have to go into files, retrieve source info, paste that; retrieve title, paste that, and often reformat it to remove colons, add spaces between words, change capitalization, etc.; retrieve author names, paste those, and often reformat those, or re-order those because I prefer FN LN, FN LN, etc. to LN, FN, LN, FN...

[Bookstooge]

If it is causing you physical pain and possible harm, is it worth it?

[Adoby]

I use the Extract ISBN plugin and then download metadata. Sometimes I need to delete Authors and Title.

If no ISBN was found, or no metadata was downloaded, I fill in Authors and Title. And delete ISBN if present, and try to download metadata again.

Then if that also failed I do one of two things:

If it seems to be an interesting book I fill in the metadata manually and move the book to the correct calibre library. Later I copy it to my reading device(s).

If it doesn't seem to be an interesting book I move it to a "bad metadata" calibre library.

Someday, when I have nothing interesting to read, I might fix the books in the "bad metadata" library.

[MarjaE]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

If it is causing you physical pain and possible harm, is it worth it?

Which is why I've got a backlog of thousands of books, articles, and web pages, which I haven't imported yet, because I haven't found a way to import them and get them set up without further injury.

Which is... why I'm asking.

[MarjaE]

Originally Posted by Adoby

I use the Extract ISBN plugin and then download metadata. Sometimes I need to delete Authors and Title.

If no ISBN was found, or no metadata was downloaded, I fill in Authors and Title. And delete ISBN if present, and try to download metadata again.

Then if that also failed I do one of two things:

If it seems to be an interesting book I fill in the metadata manually and move the book to the correct calibre library. Later I copy it to my reading device(s).

If it doesn't seem to be an interesting book I move it to a "bad metadata" calibre library.

Someday, when I have nothing interesting to read, I might fix the books in the "bad metadata" library.

Most of these are either web pages, scholarly articles, or others without isbns.

Even for those with isbns, I will want to list intermediate publishers such as Smashwords, Storybundle, DrivethroughRPG, etc., add series names to titles, put authors' first names first, add genre, list relevant projects, remove existing tags, add my standard tags, and note any pre-processing.

[Adoby]

Then you have to interest others in what you do. And ask them to help.

But then I would think you would have to revert back to calibre defaults, as far as possible.

I shudder when you say that you add series to the title. Instead of using a plugboard when saving. Or doing unspeakable and disgusting things to the author format. Or removing existing tags. Oh, the horror!

[BetterRed]

Have you considered voice input via the MacOS built-in tools, or Nuance's Dragon 'whatever it is called on a Mac'.

I think I've already said that I find it much easier to enter metadata into the book list cells than into the single MDE dialogue boxes.

If I have to get data from web sites etc, I find it much easier to type/copy the fields into a text file that I display in my file manager's preview panel which I position under the main calibre window.

In general I find it easier to type (many columns have type ahead drop downs) rather than dodging between windows doing copy/pastes. That said, I use the book list metadata copy/paste a lot, usually from an existing book into a new book by the same author.

BR

[MarjaE]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Have you considered voice input via the MacOS built-in tools, or Nuance's Dragon 'whatever it is called on a Mac'.

I tried Dragon 5 several years ago. It would go haywire. It is designed to replace the keyboard and mouse, and doesn't work well in combination with them. It would start to jump about and add or remove text here or there.

... This was bad enough when writing up research, and switching back and forth between source documents and the appropriate places in the working text. It would be even worse with data entry.

It also ignores its own settings. For example, I set it to use digits instead of spelling out numbers, it ignored this setting to keep spelling out numbers.

It also requires voice correction and goes haywire after manual correction, but also goes haywire after voice correction.

Since copying titles from the source and pasting them into the appropriate field is goingto require keyboard+ mouse work, it isn't going to work well with Dragon. Since changing capitalization, etc. is also going to requiring typing and precise formatting, it isn't going to work at all with Dragon.

I think I've already said that I find it much easier to enter metadata into the book list cells than into the single MDE dialogue boxes.

If I have to get data from web sites etc, I find it much easier to type/copy the fields into a text file that I display in my file manager's preview panel which I position under the main calibre window.

I'm not sure what you mean, but that requires just as much copying and pasting doesn't it?

In general I find it easier to type (many columns have type ahead drop downs) rather than dodging between windows doing copy/pastes. That said, I use the book list metadata copy/paste a lot, usually from an existing book into a new book by the same author.

BR

I copy and paste into the book list, but typing hurts, and typing long web addresses is likely to lead to mistakes.

Originally Posted by Adoby

I shudder when you say that you add series to the title. Instead of using a plugboard when saving. Or doing unspeakable and disgusting things to the author format. Or removing existing tags. Oh, the horror!

I add series to titles, so I can find books. I don't know what a plugboard is, or how it would put all the related books together. Adding the series info is particularly useful with games, where it helps to know which supplements go with which game or which setting. A quick check shows must of these files don't come with series mtadata, so I have to add the important series info one way or another.

I put authors' names in order, because I am sick of too many things being out of order. And different authors use different naming conventions, so LN, FN is a Procrustean bed. And LN, FN, LN, FN is worse.

I want to use my own tags, to specify the topics and issues that interest me, and so I can find books using these tags.

[BetterRed]

@MarjaE - because my hands have lost fine motor control I mainly have problems with pointy things (mice, trackpads, trackballs etc), I find mistakes with a mouse or similar are usually harder to correct that fixing a typo. So what works for me might not work for you.

Cutting and pasting into 'forms' is a no-go area for me. I find it easier to cut and paste data items into a text line, and then type what's there into the book list cells when I add the book.

I use a couple of gadgets that may help, the Link Text and Location Copier Firefox extension and the Clipboard Fusion clip book manager, the latter stores recently copied items, and it has a pinned item list - and many other features I don't use.

Maybe you can find similar items for your browser and MacOS.

BR

[MarjaE]

Thank you.

So far I've been using a mix of page-to-epub or page-to-mobi tools, importing the resulting epubs or mobis, and so on. In some cases, I have trouble due to font rendering, line breaks, etc.

As for extra columns-- I use an extra tag column so I can keep tags from getting jumbled together. I need genre and project columns so I can find books more easily, and create genre and project collections on my Kindles. I use a bookmarks column to keep track of pages to check, without either screwing up the files or my reader software. I need a processing column to keep track of how I've pre-processed each pdf, and it's sometimes handy for epubs and mobis.