Feature Request: Non-modal Metadata Editor Window

[Katsunami]

Hi

When adding books to calibre, I'm somewhat... OCD... with regard to metadata correctness. Often I need to actually take a look into the book I'm editing, but I can't because the metadata editor window is modal. Then I need to close it, open the book, and then re-open the metadata editor window.

Would you consider to make it non-modal (maybe through a tweak), or would this potentially break something?

Thanks

[theducks]

In the MDE window, double-click the format on the right side

[Katsunami]

Never new that. Never tried it either. Thanks

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Never new that. Never tried it either. Thanks

You are welcome.

I don't even remember when I discovered that. Wuz a long time ago, when my PEz still worked.

[cgrapski]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Hi

When adding books to calibre, I'm somewhat... OCD... with regard to metadata correctness. Often I need to actually take a look into the book I'm editing, but I can't because the metadata editor window is modal. Then I need to close it, open the book, and then re-open the metadata editor window.

Would you consider to make it non-modal (maybe through a tweak), or would this potentially break something?

Thanks

I have a particular penchant for making sure the cover size is large enough to appear properly in the several locations (like when I open the book info page) - instead of having some with large blank space and a small cover.

Because it is modal - I can't use the Resize Book Cover plug-in in the second menu bar. I have to close the Metadata window (this is usually where I realize a cover needs to be enlarged) - resize the cover - then open the Metadata window to get back to editing it.

There are two ways around this - if possible - one is this request. Which would allow me to use (I assume) the buttons in the main and secondary menu bars in the main screan. Another I have previously suggested - but as I am assuming this was a plug-in created by someone else and not a main feature - it is a little more than as simple as it sounds. But a button could be added to the EDIT METADATA window for the plug-in. But if the non-modal thing would work - allowing use of menu bar items while also in the editor - that would also take care of this.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by cgrapski

I have a particular penchant for making sure the cover size is large enough to appear properly in the several locations (like when I open the book info page) - instead of having some with large blank space and a small cover.

Because it is modal - I can't use the Resize Book Cover plug-in in the second menu bar. I have to close the Metadata window (this is usually where I realize a cover needs to be enlarged) - resize the cover - then open the Metadata window to get back to editing it.

There are two ways around this - if possible - one is this request. Which would allow me to use (I assume) the buttons in the main and secondary menu bars in the main screan. Another I have previously suggested - but as I am assuming this was a plug-in created by someone else and not a main feature - it is a little more than as simple as it sounds. But a button could be added to the EDIT METADATA window for the plug-in. But if the non-modal thing would work - allowing use of menu bar items while also in the editor - that would also take care of this.

What I do for book covers is if the included cover is a generic cover or not large enough, I use the download cover feature. I have the plugins for Amazon, Kobo, and Apple installed. If the ebook is not from Amazon, I have to put the ASIN in the ID field for it to work. But if I don't care about the cover from Amazon, I can see what I get from Google, Kobo, and Apple.

Once I have a hi-res cover or one that's acceptable, I put it in the ebook using the editor. I also resize it to 1680 lines if it's larger.

[DNSB]

My personal choice is downloading the cover using Edit Metadata. This gives me a choice of large enough covers most of the time. I then use either the Resize Cover plugin or an image editor to resize the image (Resize for simple resizing, the image editor when I need to resize and change the canvas size).

[Sirtel]

Enlarging a small image just makes it pixelated and fuzzy. So it's best to replace it entirely.

[theducks]

I mostly use the MDE to get a cover.
Mostly, because sometimes those are not what I want.
When I first started, I documented what was on my shelves and storage bins:
I want the cover that was on my dead tree copy .
I did not need / want high res poster quality.
I frequently use the Search the Internet PI to find covers
(note size searching can be confused by sources that have whitespace frames included in the images. In that case, the trim: auto trim feature of the MDE cleans that up, but then the actual image may be way smaller)
I also frequently use the Trim, rotate, resize tools built into the book editor.
(remember to pull the new image into the Calibre database. Set cover from the selected format in the MDE)

Another handy tool for those that don't need or want big cover files is the Resize Cover PI

[kovidgoyal]

You can right click the cover and choose edit cover with, to open it in any image editing software to perform whatever functions you like. You could even "open" it with a dedicated command line script that did the resizing automatically.

[cgrapski]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I do for book covers is if the included cover is a generic cover or not large enough, I use the download cover feature. I have the plugins for Amazon, Kobo, and Apple installed. If the ebook is not from Amazon, I have to put the ASIN in the ID field for it to work. But if I don't care about the cover from Amazon, I can see what I get from Google, Kobo, and Apple.

Once I have a hi-res cover or one that's acceptable, I put it in the ebook using the editor. I also resize it to 1680 lines if it's larger.

The problem is when there is no download found - I can often find them manually (or I have a cover already (for example when I am cataloging a DVD or Video or Audio Music Lesson). But often times the image is rather small. So I add the file - but then have to exit the metadata window (unless - and I try to do this - except when it is discovered that the plugins dont find a dowload and I try = I drop the cover onto the window before editing metadata - I added to see the image size - so then I know to enlarge it before editing the item.

It would just be nice if - like the ability to automatically or manually crop the image to get rid of unwanted white space from a scanned image - to have an option to enlarge it built into that button on the metadata page.

[cgrapski]

Originally Posted by theducks

I frequently use the Search the Internet PI to find covers
... I also frequently use the Trim, rotate, resize tools built into the book editor.
(remember to pull the new image into the Calibre database. Set cover from the selected format in the MDE)

...
Another handy tool for those that don't need or want big cover files is the Resize Cover PI

Is the Search the Internet PI still out there? I was trying to add that back - but I didn't see it on the available plugins list. I also used to use that quite frequently. But that wouldn't solve this issue - I often do a manual search and find covers that way - because the issue is having to exit the metadata editing window to use a plug in.

And it is exactly the Resize Cover PI that I am referencing. It would be great if that PI could be accessed through the MDE window. But I guess - if it is possible for them to access control of that window - it would have to be the PI developer who would program that functionality. But I use that PI in particular - its just the minor inconvenience of having to exit MDE - resize - and then get back to editing the metadata. Ideally it would be in the menu with the automatic and manual cropping tool to get rid of the white spaces when the exist.

[cgrapski]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

You can right click the cover and choose edit cover with, to open it in any image editing software to perform whatever functions you like. You could even "open" it with a dedicated command line script that did the resizing automatically.

Thanks (and thanks for all your work and probably one of the best software tools ever developed for a specific purpose - the "pros" rarely ever get a program that does almost everything you would want - and you continually add functionality. Like I mentioned - my usage for non-books (video and audio lessons for example) as well as for adding my notes and stuff related to a book - skyrocketed when you added the ability to put things in a data folder.

But - and I have used the edit in functionality occasionally when the only cover I can find via download cover in the MDE is off color or poorly scanned (i.e. crooked) - but I was specifically looking for a QUICK RESIZE button or menu item (in the menu that allows cropping the white space etc) - like the Resize Cover PI - in the MDE. One click and it is fixed.

The reason being is often I only discover the need to resize when I am editing in the MDE window and notice the image appears small (I add to see the image size - so now I can see that way also - so If I get an aspect that includes a 240 pixel variable I know I have to resize - especially so it is large enough when I open the Book Details window - which now that I use it as a library for my Music Lessons AND Music Books - in addition to my main book library - where I include a lot of information and links (for example - I'll put links to all of the video files so I can use it as a platform to watch or listen to lessons not just find them, now that I can link to files in the data folder, or I'll put a link to another lesson set or a songbook etc from the library that can be useful with that lesson).

I don't know if you would as a matter of policy include a way to access a PI via that MDE window and the cover edit tool - given its another person's work.

But maybe - since it is such a useful tool and basic function - in the next update you could add that capacity to the main program and make it available through the MDE tool. That would be ideal. And it would add that base functionality to the program itself - not needing a plug in any longer.

But again I want to thank you on having developed probably the one Program that I use more than any other (even competing with Microsoft Word or Onenote (which I now can link to Onenote notebooks - via putting a link in the Metadata editor window )

[cgrapski]

Oh - I meant to add - that because so many of the books that I need this capacity for (nowadays there is almost always an available - if not embedded - cover and that cover is a good size - in epubs, mobis, etc) are PDFs - I can't use the Book editor for that. The same when I am entering an audio or video lesson that has no PDF associated with it.

[cgrapski]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Enlarging a small image just makes it pixelated and fuzzy. So it's best to replace it entirely.

Its not always possible to find another - that's when I resize. Most of the resizes I do don't get too fuzzy - because the file, although 240 px in one variable or similar, is pretty high quality already - just appearing with a lot of empty space when I open the Book window (where I also now put menu links to all the lessons in an audio or video course for example) and that is a little annoying (but aesthetically - not functionally - so I could live with that if I had to. But the Resize PI makes doing that unnecessary). But because the starting files are often of a significant resolution - bumping them from the 200s to 700s in pixels does not produce a grainy or fuzzy image. I only encounter that problem with a few books - particularly older publications (in my main book library) that were never made available as ebooks - and are scanned copies.

Then I am stuck with whatever someone may have scanned and put up on the net - often low image quality - that doesn't resize well - unless I have a hard copy myself, and scanned the cover myself.