Odd marking interaction with Find Duplicates + FanFicFare

ownedbycats · 11-16-2022, 06:25 AM

I just came across a weird glitch and I'm not sure if it's a problem with Calibre, Find Duplicates, FanFicFare, or even possibly all three.

Context: A few days ago, I found a few duplicated fanfics. So I decided to clean those out.

Here's what I did:

I opened Find Duplicates > Find Book Duplicates. I selected "Show all groups with highlighting," then ran a search on one of my custom identifiers.

This brought up two books, marked with marked:duplicate_group_0001 and highlighted green.

I deleted one of them, and then without unmarking, then ran a FanFicFare update on the other to update the author.

FanFicFare is set with "Mark added/updated books on finish" and "Show marked books when finished." When the download finished, I got a search of marked:fff but I got an empty book list.

I cleared the search by clicking the x in the search, but it remained blank. The mark menu still showed "Show marked book."

I switched to another VL and back, and that brought back the book list, except now the marked book was no longer marked (even though I hadn't unmarked it).

So, uh, any idea what happened? I'm guessing it's something to do with one plugin overwriting the marks of another plugin. I doubt it'll come up again, but it's pretty odd.

capink · 11-16-2022, 07:11 AM

That is the way the Find Duplicates plugin works. It hijacks the marking mechanism, constantly deleting other markings and applying its own. It has to do this because it uses the marks to group and sort the results.

ownedbycats · 11-16-2022, 07:13 AM

Ah, that makes sense. So, how do I tell Find Duplicates that I'm done and that it should stop marking?

capink · 11-16-2022, 07:17 AM

The only way is by exiting the duplicates view by either pressing escape button, or pressing the button left to the search bar "—marked:duplicates" to close the duplicates virtual library.

ownedbycats · 11-16-2022, 07:19 AM

Thanks

BetterRed · 11-16-2022, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capink

That is the way the Find Duplicates plugin works. It hijacks the marking mechanism, constantly deleting other markings and applying its own. It has to do this because it uses the marks to group and sort the results.

Given Kiwidude's Find duplicates and a couple of his other plugins used temporary marks long before they were exposed in the core, your use of the word 'hijacks' is let's say… regrettable.

BR

ownedbycats · 11-16-2022, 03:29 PM

What word would you have used instead? I thought it kind of got the point across, e.g. "the marking mechanism won't work as expected until you exit duplicates mode."

BetterRed · 11-16-2022, 03:36 PM

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hijack

Quote:

To seize control of some process or resource to achieve a purpose other than its originally intended one.

I would have used the word 'uses'

BR

ownedbycats · 11-16-2022, 06:45 PM

Well, FD does "seize control." Though "a purpose other than its originally intended one" is a bit debatable.

chaley · 11-17-2022, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Given Kiwidude's Find duplicates and a couple of his other plugins used temporary marks long before they were exposed in the core ...

Temp marking was in calibre core before any plugin used it.

We added "text marks" for kiwidude & co way back when. It is true that no UI to change/set text marks existed until recently.

EDIT: out of curiosity and wanting to be correct, I went back through the change history. Kovid added text marking on 2/April/2013. He added the ability to sort on text marks for the find duplicates plugin on 29 July 2013. The UI to mark books (yes/no) was added on 5 Oct 2013.

ownedbycats · 11-17-2022, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaley

It is true that no UI to change/set text marks existed until recently.

If you want to count plugins, Action Chains' single-field edit did allow the user to set a text mark, but that was kind of an awkward way to do it. (Also, the plugin didn't exist until 2020.)

ownedbycats · 11-19-2022, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaley

EDIT: out of curiosity and wanting to be correct, I went back through the change history. Kovid added text marking on 2/April/2013. He added the ability to sort on text marks for the find duplicates plugin on 29 July 2013. The UI to mark books (yes/no) was added on 5 Oct 2013.

Just curious: How do you find changes? Github "log searching is not yet available." I haven't found a search in SourceTree.

chaley · 11-19-2022, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Just curious: How do you find changes? Github "log searching is not yet available." I haven't found a search in SourceTree.

See attached screen capture.

ownedbycats · 11-19-2022, 05:17 AM

Thank you

Not sure how I missed that, it's... really obvious

11-16-2022, 06:25 AM	#1
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 10,992 Karma: 75337983 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Odd marking interaction with Find Duplicates + FanFicFare I just came across a weird glitch and I'm not sure if it's a problem with Calibre, Find Duplicates, FanFicFare, or even possibly all three. Context: A few days ago, I found a few duplicated fanfics. So I decided to clean those out. Here's what I did: I opened Find Duplicates > Find Book Duplicates. I selected "Show all groups with highlighting," then ran a search on one of my custom identifiers. This brought up two books, marked with marked:duplicate_group_0001 and highlighted green. I deleted one of them, and then without unmarking, then ran a FanFicFare update on the other to update the author. FanFicFare is set with "Mark added/updated books on finish" and "Show marked books when finished." When the download finished, I got a search of marked:fff but I got an empty book list. I cleared the search by clicking the x in the search, but it remained blank. The mark menu still showed "Show marked book." I switched to another VL and back, and that brought back the book list, except now the marked book was no longer marked (even though I hadn't unmarked it). So, uh, any idea what happened? I'm guessing it's something to do with one plugin overwriting the marks of another plugin. I doubt it'll come up again, but it's pretty odd. Last edited by ownedbycats; 11-16-2022 at 06:40 AM.

11-19-2022, 05:17 AM	#14
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 10,992 Karma: 75337983 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Thank you Not sure how I missed that, it's... really obvious Last edited by ownedbycats; 11-20-2022 at 08:42 AM.

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11-16-2022, 07:11 AM	#2
capink Wizard Posts: 1,196 Karma: 1995558 Join Date: Aug 2015 Device: Kindle	That is the way the Find Duplicates plugin works. It hijacks the marking mechanism, constantly deleting other markings and applying its own. It has to do this because it uses the marks to group and sort the results.

11-16-2022, 07:13 AM	#3
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 10,992 Karma: 75337983 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Ah, that makes sense. So, how do I tell Find Duplicates that I'm done and that it should stop marking?

11-16-2022, 07:17 AM	#4
capink Wizard Posts: 1,196 Karma: 1995558 Join Date: Aug 2015 Device: Kindle	The only way is by exiting the duplicates view by either pressing escape button, or pressing the button left to the search bar "—marked:duplicates" to close the duplicates virtual library.

11-16-2022, 07:19 AM	#5
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 10,992 Karma: 75337983 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Thanks

11-16-2022, 03:29 PM	#7
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 10,992 Karma: 75337983 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	What word would you have used instead? I thought it kind of got the point across, e.g. "the marking mechanism won't work as expected until you exit duplicates mode."

11-16-2022, 06:45 PM	#9
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 10,992 Karma: 75337983 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Well, FD does "seize control." Though "a purpose other than its originally intended one" is a bit debatable.

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