Calibre + Android + Aldiko integration project

[Developer58]

Originally Posted by chaley

I didn't know about chipin. Thanks for the pointer.

To chip in, go to either my aldiko/calibre chipin page or my personal calibre projects page.

Just donated a few bucks. Go for it!

[chaley]

To celebrate the new thread title and the start of contributions (), a question...

In hopes that I will eventually have a device, I have been looking at how connection might work. It seems that in at least some aldiko configurations, the database won't be visible over a USB removable-drive connection. Putting aside any Aldiko-supplied work-around (they are thinking about it), I see 3 possibilities to get around this.

The 3 ideas described below would work over-the-air, not over a USB cable. This does open the possibility of connection and library maintenance over the 'net. Is that a good idea (an extra question)?

1) A push network proxy that runs on the android device. You would start the proxy, then do something like 'connect to Aldiko' in calibre.

2) Same as above, but pull instead of push. Calibre would wait, testing for a network connection. The proxy would make one, so calibre would 'detect' the device when you start the proxy.

3) Build a Android calibre read-only client. This client would display the calibre and device libraries. You would be able to send books from the calibre library to the aldiko library. I don't know if you would be able to send books the other direction. The calibre library would be read-only. It might be possible to do some metadata editing, such as on-spreadsheet editing of tags and the like. I can't say what the performance would be, but probably about the same as the web-based content server.

Opinions?

[itimpi]

I though Aldiko already has support for OPDS catalogs, so if using 'pull' you can use the existing Calibre server.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by itimpi

I though Aldiko already has support for OPDS catalogs, so if using 'pull' you can use the existing Calibre server.

You won't get collection management if you do that.

[Dopedangel]

Originally Posted by chaley

You won't get collection management if you do that.

I don't have aldiko installed on my phone currently so am not sure but from what I remember once you put your ebook in the ebooks\import folder and import them using aldiko it creates and use its own sql database. Just like most software on Android. So you would need to manage that database with calibre and I do think the sql file is in the ebooks folder.
And I have the same gripe with it as many have with calibre it makes its own folder structure and make it harder to use other software to open the epubs you import into it.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Dopedangel

I don't have aldiko installed on my phone currently so am not sure but from what I remember once you put your ebook in the ebooks\import folder and import them using aldiko it creates and use its own sql database. Just like most software on Android. So you would need to manage that database with calibre and I do think the sql file is in the ebooks folder.
And I have the same gripe with it as many have with calibre it makes its own folder structure and make it harder to use other software to open the epubs you import into it.

Yes, Aldiko does use its own SQLite database. One of the major goals for my project is to directly update that database, managing collections and metadata.

My understanding is that Aldiko does scan the import subdirectory to add books to its library. This process does nothing with collections, and (as far as I can tell) gets metadata from the books. There isn't any way that I can see to get the equivalent of calibre plugboards -- to have the metadata in the DB differ from that in the book. This is another goal of my project.

As for where the books end up, I will live with what Aldiko requires.

[Logseman]

Just donated my wee bit.

I have another strategic proposal though: why not use FBReader? From my understanding it is not as picky concerning folders as Aldiko is, and in the long term, things that you're doing for FBReader in Android could be easily ported to the desktop version of FBReader.

Just my two cents (along with the other 998 ones ^^)

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Logseman

Just donated my wee bit.

Thanks!

I have another strategic proposal though: why not use FBReader?

The real answer is 'I must start somewhere'. No matter where that is, some other program will be second.

My choice of Aldiko should not be considered as a rejection of other readers. At this point I am far too ignorant. Once I have a device and can begin to make intelligent evaluations, I will come back here with ideas and proposals.

It might be worth noting that my goal is to design around something like plugins, with the hope that additional reader programs can more easily be integrated. This idea alone might drive me to do two programs before releasing one, so I have more confidence in the architecture.

[hakan42]

Originally Posted by chaley

The real answer is 'I must start somewhere'.

Just sent a few bucks your way. I hope that by the time I will find "The Perfect Tablet (tm) ", there will be the complete infrastructure around Aldiko, Calibre and my home server to put iTunes to shame

[Logseman]

By the way, perhaps this thread would be more fitting in the Android devices' Dev Corner?

[chaley]

First, heartfelt thanks to the six of you who contributed to this project. I very much appreciate your support and faith in my efforts. However ...

The (lack of) interest in this project within the calibre user community is evident; the amount collected is nowhere near the amount required. In addition, Aldiko has gone silent. For these reasons, I am not going forward with this or any other android integration project.

Once again, thanks to those of you who supported me. I will refund your contributions within a couple of days, once I determine the best way to do so.

[hakan42]

Originally Posted by chaley

The (lack of) interest in this project within the calibre user community is evident; the amount collected is nowhere near the amount required. In addition, Aldiko has gone silent. For these reasons, I am not going forward with this or any other android integration project.

Sorry to hear that, I was really looking forward to seeing the results you might create.

If you are discontinuing now, could you please summarize and share the differences between your work (the PHP scripts) and the Calibre Content Server as it is integrated in calibre itself? I'm thinking in direction of integrating your results into the main server, and here knowing what and why differences there are instead of analyzing your output surely helps

Originally Posted by chaley

Once again, thanks to those of you who supported me. I will refund your contributions within a couple of days, once I determine the best way to do so.

You're welcome, I really would have liked to see some different ideas to bear fruit, but also can understand how family obligations can be stronger than open source work


Regards,
Hakan

[chaley]

Originally Posted by hakan42

If you are discontinuing now, could you please summarize and share the differences between your work (the PHP scripts) and the Calibre Content Server as it is integrated in calibre itself? I'm thinking in direction of integrating your results into the main server, and here knowing what and why differences there are instead of analyzing your output surely helps

I think that this conversation is better placed in the apache/php server thread, so I put the answer there.