Guide to Collections Management with calibre (Touch / Glo / Mini /Aura)

[PeterT]

All I can think of right now is using a single custom column as the source for the shelves, and that this custom column would itself contain logic to select the value of myshelves if not blank, else Series if defined, else the value Uncategorized.

[Toris]

Originally Posted by PeterT

All I can think of right now is using a single custom column as the source for the shelves, and that this custom column would itself contain logic to select the value of myshelves if not blank, else Series if defined, else the value Uncategorized.

Thank you for your reply

But, I am sorry I do not understand.

How do I do this?

[PeterT]

This is probably not the cleanest way of doing it, but it seems to work.

Add a new custom column with Lookup Name shelftopic and Column Heading Shelf Topic of type Column built from other columns
Set it's template to

{#myshelves:'ifempty($, field('Series'))'}

Add another custom column with Lookup Name shelfname and Column Heading Shelf Name of type Column built from other columns
Set it's template to

{#shelftopic:'ifempty($,'Uncategorized')'}

Restart Calibre

Change the shelf options in the Kobo Driver to simply #shelfname and all should be done.

The first column shelftopic will contain either the value of myshelves, or if there is none, the value of Series.

The second column shelfname will contain either the value of shelftopic or if there is none, the word Uncategorized

[Toris]

Originally Posted by PeterT

This is probably not the cleanest way of doing it, but it seems to work.

Add a new custom column with Lookup Name shelftopic and Column Heading Shelf Topic of type Column built from other columns
Set it's template to

{#myshelves:'ifempty($, field('Series'))'}

Add another custom column with Lookup Name shelfname and Column Heading Shelf Name of type Column built from other columns
Set it's template to

{#shelftopic:'ifempty($,'Uncategorized')'}

Restart Calibre

Change the shelf options in the Kobo Driver to simply #shelfname and all should be done.

The first column shelftopic will contain either the value of myshelves, or if there is none, the value of Series.

The second column shelfname will contain either the value of shelftopic or if there is none, the word Uncategorized

Thank you very much, this is working well

[davidfor]

removed as PeterT had already answered. I don't know how I missed it.

[PeterT]

Actually, I've just tried and all of that can be done with a single custom column.

Add a custom column with Lookup Name shelfname and Column Heading Shelf Name of type Column built from other columns
Set it's template to
Code:

{#myshelves:'ifempty($, ifempty(field('Series'), 'Uncategorized'))'}

Restart Calibre

Change the shelf options in the Kobo Driver to simply #shelfname and all should be done.

This is basically the same as before, but all in a single definition.

Basically, if myshelves is non empty,
   #myshelves:'ifempty($
   return the value of myshelves, 
else if Series is non empty, 
   ifempty(field('Series')
   return the value of Series, 
else 
   'Uncategorized'
   return the word Uncategorized

=====

Even EASIER

As above but make the program

{:'first_non_empty(field('#myshelves'), field('Series'), 'Uncategorized')'}

This will simply return the first non empty argument from the list! So if myshelves has a value, that is used. If it didn't then Series is used, and if THAT was blank then 'Uncategorized' is used!

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Even EASIER

As above but make the program

{:'first_non_empty(field('#myshelves'), field('Series'), 'Uncategorized')'}

This will simply return the first non empty argument from the list! So if myshelves has a value, that is used. If it didn't then Series is used, and if THAT was blank then 'Uncategorized' is used!

I thought it could be done in one column, but that is so much better.

[AJvK]

Thank you for these excellent instructions! I have translated and expanded on these for a post on my own website (with attribution, of course )

I have one small addition, and one question:

1. In the part about the device driver, I have found you also need to place a checkmark in the box named Create Bookshelves. Without the checkmark, calibre wouldn't create the shelves - obvious maybe, but I rushed a bit through the steps at first, and didn't see a mention of this (I'm on calibre 0.9.33). Edit: I now see it was mentioned halfway through this thread already...

2. I have my workflow set-up to create Shelves from series and author_sort. Everything works like a charm, the only gripe I have is that the number of Shelves can / will quickly skyrocket. So my question is this: is it possible to have nested Shelves, i.e. under Shelves, first have a division in Author and Series, and below those their respective Shelves?

[PeterT]

You're right. I never explicitly said to use the Create Bookshelves option; will go back and add that.

Support for nested shelves would have to come from Kobo themselves; nothing at all we can do for that. And unfortunately, I would not hold my breath hoping for that option to come at all soon (if ever).

** UPDATES MADE TO ORIGINAL POST **

[AJvK]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Support for nested shelves would have to come from Kobo themselves; nothing at all we can do for that. And unfortunately, I would not hold my breath hoping for that option to come at all soon (if ever).

I was afraid of that... Well, thanks anyway. Maybe I'll adapt the method for adding books to one shelf or the other for my purpose - i.e. if added to a series-shelf, then it's not to be added to the author-shelf.

[taming]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Support for nested shelves would have to come from Kobo themselves; nothing at all we can do for that. And unfortunately, I would not hold my breath hoping for that option to come at all soon (if ever).

I use my "series" shelf with things like, "Sandford, Davenport" "Sandford, Flowers" , and then in the shelf column, I have "Sandford, no series". All the Sandford shelves are alphabetically gathered onto the shelf pages on the device close to each other.

I use a text field instead of comma delimited for my shelves. Not on purpose. I didn't know any better when I set it up.

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by AJvK

I was afraid of that... Well, thanks anyway. Maybe I'll adapt the method for adding books to one shelf or the other for my purpose - i.e. if added to a series-shelf, then it's not to be added to the author-shelf.

You could probably handle this with a custom column which you would use as the source for the shelf column. Something like

{:'first_non_empty(field('Series'), field('author_sort'))'}

This would return the Series name if set, else, the author_sort field.

In case a book has no author (not sure if this IS possible) you could also use

{:'first_non_empty(field('Series'), field('author_sort'),'Uncategorized')'}

to ensure that books ended up on an Uncategorized shelf.

This would all be defined as a custom column in calibre preferences of type Column built from other columns, and then the lookup name would be used in the driver's shelf definition field (prepeneded by a # mark of course).

[AJvK]

Originally Posted by PeterT

You could probably handle this with a custom column which you would use as the source for the shelf column. Something like

{:'first_non_empty(field('Series'), field('author_sort'))'}

This would return the Series name if set, else, the author_sort field.

This would all be defined as a custom column in calibre preferences of type Column built from other columns, and then the lookup name would be used in the driver's shelf definition field (prepeneded by a # mark of course).

Works like a charm!

[PeterT]

So glad it worked It seemed to work in my testing, but always nice to get feedback.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by PeterT

You could probably handle this with a custom column which you would use as the source for the shelf column. Something like

{:'first_non_empty(field('Series'), field('author_sort'))'}

This would return the Series name if set, else, the author_sort field.

In case a book has no author (not sure if this IS possible) you could also use

{:'first_non_empty(field('Series'), field('author_sort'),'Uncategorized')'}

to ensure that books ended up on an Uncategorized shelf.

This would all be defined as a custom column in calibre preferences of type Column built from other columns, and then the lookup name would be used in the driver's shelf definition field (prepeneded by a # mark of course).

Thank you by the tip about "first_not_empty".