[GUI Plugin] Action Chains

[capink]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Second one worked.

What would I use specifically for the first one? I wasn't sure if it'd be if globals(_caller) inlist 'Cleanup: Kobo, Add Purchase Information' or something else.

Yes, supposing these are the exact names of the calling chains. If the names of the chains are subject to change, you could do it in every calling chain, by using the Chain Variables action to define a variable (e.g. update = skip), and in the chain caller action, tick the option to pass variables to the called chain.

Note: Variable names starting with underscore are not passed to the called chain.

[dunhill]

I created an action chain to collect some data.
Haha, I'm still mulling over the school library project. I have this, and it copies the data to the column, but I get this error: User: 2112 | Loan: March 29, 2025 | Return: BAD DATE

program:
user = field('#user');
loan = format_date(field('#loandate'), 'dd MMM yyyy');

dev = field('#return');
if dev == '' then
return = 'no date'
else
return = format_date(dev, 'dd MMM yyyy')
fi;

'User: ' & user & ' | Loan: ' & loan & ' | Return: ' & return

User field: Text
loandate: date
return: date

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by dunhill

I created an action chain to collect some data.
Haha, I'm still mulling over the school library project. I have this, and it copies the data to the column, but I get this error: User: 2112 | Loan: March 29, 2025 | Return: BAD DATE

Spoiler:

program:
user = field('#user');
loan = format_date(field('#loandate'), 'dd MMM yyyy');

dev = field('#return');
if dev == '' then
return = 'no date'
else
return = format_date(dev, 'dd MMM yyyy')
fi;

'User: ' & user & ' | Loan: ' & loan & ' | Return: ' & return

User field: Text
loandate: date
return: date

Does it happen for any book? Does it work for books with no return date?

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by dunhill

I created an action chain to collect some data.
Haha, I'm still mulling over the school library project. I have this, and it copies the data to the column, but I get this error: User: 2112 | Loan: March 29, 2025 | Return: BAD DATE

program:
user = field('#user');
loan = format_date(field('#loandate'), 'dd MMM yyyy');

dev = field('#return');
if dev == '' then
return = 'no date'
else
return = format_date(dev, 'dd MMM yyyy')
fi;

'User: ' & user & ' | Loan: ' & loan & ' | Return: ' & return

User field: Text
loandate: date
return: date

You're in Argentina. could it be non-English text in dates?

[dunhill]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

Does it happen for any book? Does it work for books with no return date?

Following your message, I tried it and it worked fine in one, but they are all loaded the same way.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

You're in Argentina. could it be non-English text in dates?

So, basically, this:

* ``format_date(val, format_string)`` -- format the value, which must be a date string, using the format_string, returning a string. It is best if the date is in ISO format as using other date formats often causes errors because the actual date value cannot be unambiguously determined. Note that the ``format_date_field()`` function is both faster and more reliable.

[dunhill]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

You're in Argentina. could it be non-English text in dates?

ahhh possibly, I'll check the iso format, thanks

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by dunhill

Following your message, I tried it and it worked fine in one, but they are all loaded the same way.

According to ownedbycats' message, I think if you make this small change:

dev = field('#return');
if dev == '' then
return = 'no date'
else
return = format_date_field('#return', 'dd MMM yyyy')
fi;

, it could work.

[dunhill]

Now yes! Many thanks to ownedbycats and Terisa de Morgan

[ownedbycats]

Question: I have datetime formatted as MMM d yyyy. How do I set a predefined date with specific time?

[chaley]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Question: I have datetime formatted as MMM d yyyy. How do I set a predefined date with specific time?

The easiest is to enter the date & time in ISO format.

program:
	d = "20250421T13:42:01";
	'The date and time are ' & format_date(d, "MMM d yyyy hh:mm:ss ap")

produces

The date and time are Apr 21 2025 01:42:01 pm

[ownedbycats]

Thanks. Will set on local timezone, or UTC?

[chaley]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Thanks. Will set on local timezone, or UTC?

It is local time (actually, time naive). Example:

program:
	d = "20250421T13:42:01";
	'The date and time are ' & format_date(d, "iso")

produces the following, which is British Summer Time (+1) not UTC.

The date and time are 2025-04-21T13:42:01+01:00

This date specifies UTC.

program:
	d = "20250421T13:42:01Z";
	'The date and time are ' & format_date(d, "iso")

and returns a time one hour later (UTC).

The date and time are 2025-04-21T14:42:01+01:00

[tkshorty]

Hi,

I have no experience with python, and I am looking for a module, that I can import as an event, that triggers every time you send an ebook to the device.
Secondly also one for when you remove a book from the device.

Target is, to automatically add / remove a tag (currentlyReading) from the books on the corresponding action.

I am currently using a workaround, where I made a chain for send/del, which I can manually select instaed of the normal buttons.

thanks in advance for any help.

[Comfy.n]

Found an issue when using Spanish as UI language:

The View (open book) action gives "Menu entry: View (plugin_name: View) cannot be found"



I've only recently started looking at how translation works in Calibre plugins, but I guess that would be a missing translation in es.po from:

#: /__w/calibre/calibre/src/calibre/gui2/actions/view.py:51
msgid "View"
msgstr "Mostrar"

Upon changing UI to Spanish, the View action will lose selection state: