[GUI Plugin] Calibre Config Reports

[Comfy.n]

Calibre Config Reports is a comprehensive tool for viewing, searching, and exporting detailed information about your Calibre setup—including installed plugins, custom columns, keyboard shortcuts, and settings. It offers powerful filtering, export options (CSV/XLSX), and easy copy features for troubleshooting or sharing your configuration.

CCR started when I felt the need for a more informative plugin manager. Once that goal was achieved, additional features were added, and what was initially just "Plugin Info" eventually evolved into Calibre Config Reports.

The plugin is organized into seven specialised tabs, each designed to give you complete visibility and control over different aspects of your Calibre configuration:

Plugins Tab
- View & manage: All installed plugins with detailed information (name, version, author, type, category)
- Filter & search: By category (Calibre ≥8.9), name, author, or description
- Actions: Remove plugins, visit forums, copy info, donate to authors
- Export: Plugin list data to CSV/XLSX with customizable columns
- Install: Load new plugins from ZIP files directly

Custom Columns Tab
- Display: All custom columns with metadata (name, type, format, template)
- Search: Filter by column name, type, or properties
- View details: Composite templates, display settings, and format options
- Export: Column configurations to CSV/XLSX
- Quick access: Copy templates and settings for reuse

Shortcuts Tab
- Browse: All keyboard shortcuts organized by group and action
- Search: Find shortcuts by key combination, action name, or modifier
- Navigate: Open Calibre's shortcuts preferences for editing
- Export: Shortcut mappings to CSV/XLSX
- Organize: Sort and filter by group, action, or key combination

Settings Tab
- Overview: Calibre main settings organized by Category, Value, UI location and Source
- Categories: Installation type, libraries, interface, performance, network settings
- Search: Filter settings by category, name, or value
- Access: Double-click to open Calibre's main preferences dialog
- Export: Complete settings inventory to CSV/XLSX

Actions Tab
- Browse all available actions (Calibre core + plugin-provided) in a single table
- Filter by Type (All / Built‑in / User plugins) using the new Type selector
- Search and live‑filter actions by name, group, or key combination
- Copy action info to clipboard
- Export visible actions to CSV or XLSX maintaining current column visibility/order

History Tab
- Timeline: Recent changes to plugins, some key settings, and Calibre updates
- Events: Plugin installs/updates/removals, some key setting changes, version changes
- Details: Timestamps, event types, and comprehensive change information
- Filter: Search history by event type, plugin name, or details
- Export: Historical data to CSV/XLSX for auditing

Help Tab
- Resources: Direct links to Calibre downloads for all platforms
- Documentation: Quick access to user manual sections and tutorials
- Support: Plugin forum thread and development support links
- About: Plugin version information and description

Compatibility
- Calibre 6.25 or later
- Should work on Windows, macOS, and Linux (I've tested only on Windows, feedback is welcome)

License
- This plugin is licensed under the GNU GPL v3

Hope you enjoy it.



Release notes

Spoiler:

Version 3.0.1

• Shortcuts Tab: restore 2.0.11 assigned column logic and add tooltip clarifying adopted terminology
• Preferences dialogs: improve focus behaviour on closing prefs dialogs - focus should return to CCR upon closing them

Version 3.0

• Shortcuts Tab: table refreshes automatically upon user changes to shortcuts preferences
• Shortcuts Tab: double-clicking or enter key press opens at the respective group - thanks @JimmXinu!
• Settings Tab: double-clicking or enter key press should open prefs at respective UI location
• Actions Tab: Added a new tab for viewing and searching calibre actions; double-click or enter opens toolbars & menus prefs
• Advanced Search: Initial implementation. Supports field-based filters (e.g., value:, category: ), operators not and or
• Export Headers: Exported files (.csv or .xlsx) now include descriptive headers, including config dir and timestamp
• Compact button set: Footer includes compact icon buttons for quick access
• Toolbars & Menus: Toolbars & menus preferences compact action provides a live filter for actions
• Look & Feel: Look & Feel preferences compact action provides quick access to L & F preferences
• Translations: Updated translations (needs revision)
• Actions Counter: Dialog header shows the number of actions
• Config dir info: Dialog header displays detailed config dir path, respecting environment variables
• Multi-row Copy: Actions and settings tables support copying multiple rows

Version 2.0.11

• New In Index: Reworked the “New in index”/latest-plugin notifier to show recently updated plugins (clickable list + concise tooltip). Might require reopening the dialog to take effect.
• Actions Tab: Adds an Actions tab with a Type selector to filter calibre actions (built‑in vs user plugins).
• Modeless Window: The main CCR window is modeless so you can keep it open while interacting with calibre.

version 2.0.10

• Scrollbars - improved display of scrollbar edges
• Lazy loading - tamed the refresh wobble while keeping snappiness on installs with large number of Plugins
• History tab - allow copying multiple entries (right-click copy row data)
• Settings tab - allow copying multiple entries (right-click copy row data)
• Custom Columns tab - context menu fixes and inclusion of Web Search Templates in the double-click mini dialog. Enter key can now open said dialog.
• some consistency fixes
• Experimental: CCR notifies when there is a new plugin added to the Calibre Index. A message should appear on the bottom left section of main dialog.

version 2.0.9:

- on standard calibre installs (OS wide installations as opposed to portable), location info displays "Default Install"

- custom columns tab: added web search template field

- shortcuts tab: user defined shorcuts option added to dropdown chooser; table formatting for those is emphasised.

- plugins tab: added 'Is disabled' column (note: only some plugin types can be disabled in Calibre e.g. metadata sources)

- plugins tab: On the dropdown selector, moved 'Not in index' item to first option, followed by 'Extend calibre generally".

- copy info context menu and respective shortcut have been added (main dialog header information data, as requested)

- general fixes

version 2.0.8:

- CCR shortcut now shows correctly 'None'
- Improved History tab duplicate detection
- Shortcuts tab: applied bold formatting to Assigned column

version 2.0.7:

- fixed shortcuts grouping not fetching properly the built-in action's groups.

version 2.0.6:

- fixed shortcuts filtering for built-in features/ user plugins

- open url now respects Calibre's openers_by_scheme tweak

- added optional Plugin Info box below plugins table

version 2.0.5:

-minor UI fix

version 2.0.4:

Small UI and stability update for Shortcuts/columns management.
- Shortcuts tab: new compact "Columns" control, dedicated "Reset Columns";
- UI: tighter button layout in the Shortcuts filter area.

Note: Reset clears only the saved column-layout preferences.

Release notes - version 2.0.3:

- added OS information display in the dialog header (top-left)
- added Calibre version display in the dialog header (top-left)
- added a 'Reset column state' action on the Plugins tab
- added a 'Reset column state' action on the Settings tab
- added a "Refresh" action on the Shortcuts tab — updates currently assigned shortcuts in the CCR table
- added registered keyboard shortcuts for the following actions: Calibre Config Reports (Open Plugin); CCR: Export current tab to CSV; CCR: Export current tab to Excel (XLSX); CCR: Load plugin(s) from file; CCR: Next tab; and CCR: Previous tab. To ensure the Next/Previous Tab shortcuts work when focus is on a selectable table item, move focus away from the table (for example, to the tab bar).
- added shortcuts filtering (search/filter by built-in Calibre features, user plugin shortcuts, assigned vs. unused shortcuts, key combinations or single-key shortcuts; regular expression search supported)
- added an 'Open configuration folder' button for quick access to Calibre config files (advanced use)
- added hover-tooltips for some long/truncated columns (e.g., Value, UI Location, Description/Template)
- added single-click activation for Forum Thread and Donate cells (opens URL)
- reinstated Forum Thread URL in the Plugins tab
- general fixes

[Comfy.n]

reserved

[BeckyEbook]

Nice!
A minor detail noticed: When filtering plugins in the plugin_stats panel, the total_plugins value is equal to visible_plugins.

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by BeckyEbook

Nice!
A minor detail noticed: When filtering plugins in the plugin_stats panel, the total_plugins value is equal to visible_plugins.

Hi BeckyEbook! Thanks so much for your feedback.

Well, I think this is by design, as I wanted the plugin to export only visible data (csv/xlsx). So, the total count displayed may indeed look inaccurate when some filtering text is active in the filter box. For instance, I type 'dalton' then I'm able to export only the info about the 6 visible plugins I have installed on this portable instance:



I will take a look whether, instead of displaying 6/6 (which is the correct count for dalton in this example), it would look better to display 6/40. I'm not sure how that might affect the exports...

By the way, I noticed a performance issue in the filter box thanks to your question so i will soon release an update.

[Comfy.n]

@BeckyEbook - I think version 1.0.1 addresses the issue you pointed out

[BetterRed]

Looks good, model for Calibre 10 UI, maybe.

Can't find a way to drive it from the keyboard:

• no shortcuts apart from 'whatever' to open it, and Esc to close it;
• no accelerator keys (Alt+?);
• no Tab order.

Could the Shortcuts panel also list the Defaults or indication that the value shown is a Default or Custom setting.

Could you make the Audio feature configurable, including Hide it.

And a query, where does CCR History feature get it's data?

BR

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Looks good, model for Calibre 10 UI, maybe.

Can't find a way to drive it from the keyboard:

• no shortcuts apart from 'whatever' to open it, and Esc to close it;
• no accelerator keys (Alt+?);
• no Tab order.

Could the Shortcuts panel also list the Defaults or indication that the value shown is a Default or Custom setting.

Could you make the Audio feature configurable, including Hide it.

And a query, where does CCR History feature get it's data?

BR

Hey, thanks a bunch for the compliment, BR! I really appreciate it.

I need to take a careful look at each one of your observations and provide a detailed answer and updates wherever possible.

At the moment, what I can say in advance is that Ctrl+tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab can be used to cycle through tabs, but I'm sure you know it...

[BetterRed]

What about the Editor and Viewer, any thoughts of including them?

BR

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Comfy.n

Hey, thanks a bunch for the compliment, BR! I really appreciate it.

I need to take a careful look at each one of your observations and provide a detailed answer and updates wherever possible.

At the moment, what I can say in advance is that Ctrl+tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab can be used to cycle through tabs, but I'm sure you know it...

For me - they do nothing. Besides which I use Ctrl+Alt+←/→ to traverse Tabs most everywhere - calibre VL's, calibre editor and Sigil CV tabs, Firefox, Word, Excel etc.

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

What about the Editor and Viewer, any thoughts of including them?

BR

Actually I hadn't thought of that because plugin performance might be affected, but it's doable probably. This data lives in tweak_book_gui.json and viewer-webengine.json from what I gather upon a quick look (the history feature relies upon json files in config dir, mostly)

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

For me - they do nothing. Besides which I use Ctrl+Alt+←/→ to traverse Tabs most everywhere - calibre VL's, calibre editor and Sigil CV tabs, Firefox, Word, Excel etc.

I swear that worked for me moments ago (just now it didn't). Will need to look into it.

[theducks]

The shortcut tab is super helpful as it allows you to sort by the existing assigned keystroke .
Handy when trying to find an unused one

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by theducks

The shortcut tab is super helpful as it allows you to sort by the existing assigned keystroke .
Handy when trying to find an unused one

[BetterRed]

There's something not quite right with the factory shortcut setting for CCS itself, it doesn't have one (quite rightly so, IMO) but in the list it shows as blank rather than 'None' — if I sort on the Shortcuts column it appears at the top of list, rather that amongst other Nones, viz:



How do I filter out the Nones, I tried '!None' and '¬None'.

If I press Enter in any of the filter boxes a Windows File explorer window pops, viz:



Added: and the filter boxes are very sluggish, press a key and wait a second or more for it to appear.

BR

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Added: and the filter boxes are very sluggish, press a key and wait a second or more for it to appear.

BR

Please try version 1.0.1, this was a performance issue on 1.0.0

edit to add: I notice the inactive tabs in your screenshot don't show the borders' outline. Interesting. I didn't know Qt behaves differently on Win11 (that's what i'm assuming, since I'm on Win10 and they show...). As for the other issues, I need time to address them. Yes, I chose to leave the CCR shortcut unassigned but it's interesting that it shows as blank instead of none. Not a big deal, but I will take a look.