export books: series details

[alexxxm]

Hi, I'm trying to export a lot of books to upload them in a new reader (BOOX tab xc).
I'm trying to understand the better folder structure, and at the moment I'm using this:

{authors}/{pubdate} - {title}


... yet I'd like to have subdirs inside each {authors} folder, but just in the case of series

e.g.:

Asimov/
  David Starr, Space Ranger
  The Currents of Space
  Biochemistry and Human Metabolism
  Foundation/
     1 - Foundation
     2 - Foundation and Empire
     3 - Second Foundation
  The Caves of Steel

I swear that I did read https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/template_lang.html,
and I tried a lot of variations on {authors}/{series_index:| - | - }/{pubdate} - {title}, but I'm still not there

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by alexxxm

Hi, I'm trying to export a lot of books to upload them in a new reader (BOOX tab xc).
I'm trying to understand the better folder structure, and at the moment I'm using this:

{authors}/{pubdate} - {title}


... yet I'd like to have subdirs inside each {authors} folder, but just in the case of series

e.g.:

Asimov/
  David Starr, Space Ranger
  The Currents of Space
  Biochemistry and Human Metabolism
  Foundation/
     1 - Foundation
     2 - Foundation and Empire
     3 - Second Foundation
  The Caves of Steel

I swear that I did read https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/template_lang.html,
and I tried a lot of variations on {authors}/{series_index:| - | - }/{pubdate} - {title}, but I'm still not there

Your authors directory is not going to work when you have a series where there are different authors. What you should do is a directory named for the series and then the books under there. And for books not in a series, a directory title Standalone and then the author directories under that.

[alexxxm]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Your authors directory is not going to work when you have a series where there are different authors. What you should do is a directory named for the series and then the books under there. And for books not in a series, a directory title Standalone and then the author directories under that.

ok, thank you - but why are you suggesting that I'll have different authors?

.... oh! Maybe it's 'David Starr, Space Ranger' ? My mistake, I took a piece of Asimov bibliography from wikipedia, it's the complete title of an old Asimov novel :-)

[theducks]

Originally Posted by alexxxm

ok, thank you - but why are you suggesting that I'll have different authors?
In the example, 'Asimov' is the single author of everything...

Maybe (A lot of us have bigger Libraries and been there, Done made Mistakes, had to fix them, because they found the exceptions )

He also did a few Collaborations, Appeared in compilations... That would result in a different {Authors} combination.

Other SERIES do not have a set group of authors. Some do a story, some colab with different ones in the series.

The rule seems to be: At some time, those pesky Authors will break your plan
This is why Metadata based Libraries are better than Filename based systems. Even then, Calibre can't cope with all those pests come up with.

- 2 or more series (when they x-over) .
(I have ONE custom series column for that case)

- Spin-off I stop tracking the {series_index} of the main series and use hierarchical series. Pern.Harper Hall[3] , over 2: <Various> (Collections with many, have variations)

I would also not use {pubdate} or any other field that might change during the Life of a book series (Authors do change Publishers, reprints might get a version bump or new date) I even messed up using the Calibre {id} in a file name as repairing a Library or some other things can get that changed. {id} is for Calibre internal on that Library.

[alexxxm]

Originally Posted by theducks

Maybe (A lot of us have bigger Libraries and been there, Done made Mistakes, had to fix them, because they found the exceptions )

He also did a few Collaborations, Appeared in compilations... That would result in a different {Authors} combination.

Other SERIES do not have a set group of authors. Some do a story, some colab with different ones in the series.

The rule seems to be: At some time, those pesky Authors will break your plan
This is why Metadata based Libraries are better than Filename based systems. Even then, Calibre can't cope with all those pests come up with.

- 2 or more series (when they x-over) .
(I have ONE custom series column for that case)

- Spin-off I stop tracking the {series_index} of the main series and use hierarchical series. Pern.Harper Hall[3] , over 2: <Various> (Collections with many, have variations)

I would also not use {pubdate} or any other field that might change during the Life of a book series (Authors do change Publishers, reprints might get a version bump or new date) I even messed up using the Calibre {id} in a file name as repairing a Library or some other things can get that changed. {id} is for Calibre internal on that Library.

mmm - so what would you suggest, as a possible simplest rule? Sorry to ask, but I'm having problem with this regex-like language, and keep getting errors...

[theducks]

OSFN (One size fits none) Calibre uses device drivers that allow different templates per device FAMILY. The plugboard allows by Device Family manipulation.

You need to identify which devices are your 'daily readers'
Which MUST use file System for access
Which can be tricked using the metadata plugboard

I only put the Index in front of the Title on my Kindle.
You can also manipulate the Author the same time

There is no single solution on any device that allows you to do everything, at anytime. Start by connecting the device: Right click the Device View Icon: Configure Driver. And see what it offers. Then figure out if the Metadata Plugboard will allow you to fudge in additional data to a field the device does use. (The SAVE template is only for File naming. and has little effect of Metadata based book shelf manager devices)

My Kobo does Series natively (you configure the driver once)

[alexxxm]

sorry, my mistake if I havent made myself clear - my primary purpose was to export the books to a clear (clear to me) directory structure.
Then, I'd make the transfer to my new device (a BOOX device, and from what I heard it should support any generic directory structure).

From bits and pieces gathered around the forums, this is what is working as I like:

1) Preferences > Tweaks > "Control formatting of title and series when used in templates": change it from "save_template_title_series_sorting = 'library_order' " to "save_template_title_series_sorting = 'strictly_alphabetic' "


2)

 {author}{series:|/|}/{series_index:|| -} {pubdate} - {title}

I leave it here hoping it will help others!