[GUI Plugin] EpubMerge

[wjBLqf-_9]

I accept your response, thank you for responding to my post.

My perspective at the time of my post was how "FanFicFare" has minimal post-download book processing (such as fields values etc) each book I add this way is tagged "!!NewBookAdded". Which is handier than manually remember to tag them myself after adding them.



I only wish I had a way to make frequent post-merge tasks less manually repetitive and move to the automatedish-type those same-three-or-so post merge tasks I perform, often enough to ask.

Maybe my answer lies in any Calibre's supported command line scriptable-type approach:
...Template script to merge (update script for the "series" wishing to merge)
1) Calibre cmd line syntax to use EpubMerge plugin to merge 'these' books
2) Calibre cmd line syntax to modify the resultant merged PDF

*shrug* maybe Calibre cmd line syntax might support scripting use of other plugs like "ENF" or "Count Pages" etc.

[Daisyx320]

Hello, I am very new to Calibre and am working on figuring everything out. I managed to get all my Kindle books converted to epub right when they discontinued the send to PC option or whatever it was.... Anyway, now I have a boatload of books and I am trying to create a small library for my elderly mother-in-law. Most of my books are series, and because they have different titles and she gets easily confused , I thought it would be a great idea to merge the books in a series into one file, which, thanks to google, is how I came across this plugin.
It sounds like it should do what I am wanting (create one book file containing all the books in a series, in order), but I can't seem to get it to work. I appreciate any help, I am sure I am just missing something or doing something wrong.

I have Calibre 8.4, epub merge version 3.2.0. I have deleted all formats except epub for all the books. I have opened each book within calibre to confirm the individual book is ok.

I select the multiple books in a series, then choose "Edit Metadata, Merge Book Records, Merge into first selected book, keep others" and then nothing happens. My understanding is I should get a popup to order the books, but I don't get that and I can't see that anything happened at all. Confirm the first book is still just the first book.

If I do the same process, but choose delete others, it will delete the subsequent books, but the first book is still only the first book.

Again, any help is appreciated. THANKS!

[PeterT]

AH... you don't select 'Edit Metadata, Merge Book Records, Merge into first selected book, keep others". Rather you need to run the plugin.

When you installed the plugin it prompted you as to what menus to add it to. The default is "The main toolbar" and "The main toolbar when a device is connected". Now you should see it's icon on the menubar. Select the books in the series and then click the icon for ePubMerge. Simple as that,

[JimmXinu]

PeterT is correct.

This is what the EpubMerge icon looks like:


Only, you know, smaller.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

PeterT is correct.

This is what the EpubMerge icon looks like:
Attachment 216103

Only, you know, smaller.

??? When you merge books, the output gets BIGGER

[Daisyx320]

Originally Posted by PeterT

AH... you don't select 'Edit Metadata, Merge Book Records, Merge into first selected book, keep others". Rather you need to run the plugin.

When you installed the plugin it prompted you as to what menus to add it to. The default is "The main toolbar" and "The main toolbar when a device is connected". Now you should see it's icon on the menubar. Select the books in the series and then click the icon for ePubMerge. Simple as that,

OMG, you are a lifesaver. I knew it must be something simple I was missing. Apparently, when I originally downloaded the plugin, I unknowingly unselected the option that would show the menu(s), either at all or unless a device was plugged in, not sure. Either way, I uninstalled, reinstalled and VOILA! It works! You guys are great, thank you so much for the help!

And to the Dev - you are a saint for making this. I will love using it myself, but my elderly mother-in-law is going to benefit so much. She loves to read (on tablet so she can make font big), but gets easily confused by technology and easily forgets what she has or hasn't read. This way, I can make her book bundles and email them to her kindle app, where the siblings she lives with can help her open them. THANK YOU!!!!!

[Tharos]

I am not sure if this has been asked before, but a quick search did not yield any results.

When I merge three books, a fourth one is created that contains the three selected books.
Would it also be possible to replace one of the three selected books instead of creating a fourth one?

[JimmXinu]

The existing code cannot do that.

And I would very reluctant to make it do that for a number of reasons.

[Tharos]

Would it be possible to select the metadata, cover, etc. from one of the existing ebooks and use only this for the newly created ebook?

In other words, if I merge Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3 into Book 4, would the data from Book 1 be copied 1:1 into Book 4?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Tharos

Would it be possible to select the metadata, cover, etc. from one of the existing ebooks and use only this for the newly created ebook?

In other words, if I merge Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3 into Book 4, would the data from Book 1 be copied 1:1 into Book 4?

The biggest advantage of the current way:
I did not want to do it that way
(assumes a backup of the first book was not also available)

[JimmXinu]

Originally Posted by Tharos

Would it be possible to select the metadata, cover, etc. from one of the existing ebooks and use only this for the newly created ebook?

In other words, if I merge Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3 into Book 4, would the data from Book 1 be copied 1:1 into Book 4?

Basically, no. Authors, at least, will always be merged.

For what you want, I would look at doing the merge, then moving/copying the resulting epub from Book 4 to Book 1; either in file browser, or by saving the epub from Book 4 and then adding it to Book 1.

Another approach would be to copy the identifier(s) isbn, amazon, etc from Book 1 to Book 4 and use Calibre's Download Metadata.

Then (optionally) Polish Book on Book 1 to force the library book metadata into the merged epub.

[Tharos]

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

For what you want, I would look at doing the merge, then moving/copying the resulting epub from Book 4 to Book 1; either in file browser, or by saving the epub from Book 4 and then adding it to Book 1.

That's pretty much what I'm doing at the moment. I was hoping for a simpler and less time-consuming solution.

[Mandabar]

Hey Jimm,
I've used this for a while and I was wondering if there could be an option added (Or I just didn't see it) to save me a few steps. My Epub reader, Moon+, for whatever reason seems to have issue with nested stylesheets. I don't think I've ever seen it get confused and use book 1's cover/chapters while reading book 2's. But stylesheets, oh it does and this screws up the styles something fierce.

My work around has been to, manually, renamed all the stylesheets with a bulk rename so they are unique to each other. Basically just stylesheet1/2/3/4/x and etc.

So, is there an option to automatically rename same name files in merged books? Or how hard would it be to add such a thing as an option?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Mandabar

Hey Jimm,
I've used this for a while and I was wondering if there could be an option added (Or I just didn't see it) to save me a few steps. My Epub reader, Moon+, for whatever reason seems to have issue with nested stylesheets. I don't think I've ever seen it get confused and use book 1's cover/chapters while reading book 2's. But stylesheets, oh it does and this screws up the styles something fierce.

My work around has been to, manually, renamed all the stylesheets with a bulk rename so they are unique to each other. Basically just stylesheet1/2/3/4/x and etc.

So, is there an option to automatically rename same name files in merged books? Or how hard would it be to add such a thing as an option?

There is a solution. Find a program for reading ePub that actually works.

[JimmXinu]

Calibre's epub->epub conversion, in the 'EPUB output' section, has an option for 'Flatten EPUB file structure'.