Scoping question...

[PolyWogg]

Hello people-who-know-way-more-than-me! I am hoping for some intro advice.

I was working on cleaning up my Library as part of a general plan to have a kick-butt version where I can write my reviews (5 fields) directly in Calibre rather than currently writing them in One Note and pasting them in. More flex, more control, eliminate some middle steps, etc.

Because I naively thought I could edit the metadata template. I knew I could add fields and there were 6(ish) different layouts (3 default + 2 or 1 column each) and I just assumed I could move fields around. Never assume, right?

So I'm basically scoping how I want to write my reviews now...I could do a plugin that would popup a dialog and let me enter specific fields for a record.

I could build an external tool that would let me enter data and then append it to the database through an upload / integration.

I could settle for just creating multiple sublists of fields in the metadata Look and Feel area so I could switch to JUST a review shortlist of customs and then switch back to full list when done.

Probably some others.

Not looking for super complicated entry dialogue but older programming experience, need to refresh for this and would likely use AI for some help.

Any ideas which path would run well? I'm assuming that greater minds than mine have tried to actually penetrate the metadata editing options.

[BetterRed]

I took a somewhat different tack.

I have a long text custom column (Links/#links) in my libraries

In OneNote I use the Copy Link to Page [to clipboard] action, it's in the note's context menu, which I paste into my Links column.

To open a book's ON page, I press Enter, which pops the floating Book Details panel, tab to the ON link, press Enter, et voila there's my OneNote page for the book.

This gives me check lists, tables, and other ON artefacts that aren't available in calibre.

As well as links to a book's ON page, I also put links to files (e.g. the original pdf in the book's data folder), links to related books - e.g. Huxley's "Brave New World" and Shakespeare's "The Tempest" are crosslinked with calibre:// URLs.

BR

[PolyWogg]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I took a somewhat different tack.
To open a book's ON page, I press Enter, which pops the floating Book Details panel, tab to the ON link, press Enter, et voila there's my OneNote page for the book. This gives me check lists, tables, and other ON artefacts that aren't available in calibre.

Wow, now that's a fascinating way to do the checkbox lists. Deceptively simple with complex abilities at the same time. And I already HAVE the checklists going in OneNote. I'll have to see if you can add Calibre links so that the list would open Calibre to the book too.

I would still like to get the review into Calibre, but maybe that's not as lost a cause as I thought.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by PolyWogg

...
I'll have to see if you can add Calibre links so that the list would open Calibre to the book too.

Yep, that's doable (although I don't do it - no need for it), just copy the link(s) from the Book details->Copy and inject that into the ON page (Ctrl+K)

Con: the library manager will pop.

If you don't like that you could inject a link to the file, e.g. file:///D:/Calibre/Libraries/Books/William%20Strunk%20Jnr/The%20Elements%20of%20Style%20%283488%29/The%20Elements%20of%20Style%20-%20William%20Strunk%20Jnr.epub/

I got that from FileMenu Tools.

Originally Posted by PolyWogg

I would still like to get the review into Calibre, but maybe that's not as lost a cause as I thought.

You can Export an ON Page to a web page, (i.e an .MHT file) drop that into the book, and view it… for me it opens in Edge because that's my default handler for .MHT files.

I don't do that either, my book related ON notes are dynamic, i.e. they are frequently edited, sometimes several times a day.

BR

[BetterRed]

Moderator Notice

@PolyWogg

I've moved this thread to Library Management; a) because this is not a development issue per se, i.e. it's not a programming/calibre API issue; b) because there's more chance of getting alternative suggestions from other users.

BR

[gbm]

Right clink on the book tile in Book Details panel and it will list all of the links, you can paste the link into any application that will open links.

You and put you links to OneNote in the comments section of the books details by editing the meta data.

bernie

Originally Posted by PolyWogg

Wow, now that's a fascinating way to do the checkbox lists. Deceptively simple with complex abilities at the same time. And I already HAVE the checklists going in OneNote. I'll have to see if you can add Calibre links so that the list would open Calibre to the book too.

I would still like to get the review into Calibre, but maybe that's not as lost a cause as I thought.