Custom title not making it to device

[theducks]

Originally Posted by ElfN

I did answer the question but I'll try again.

In Calibre there is a field called "title". That's where the book title goes. It's what shows up on my device (yes, I answered my device type before as well, I have a Palm T|X).

I created a custom_title field which includes abbreviated series, title and author and stays with the 26 character limit of the PDB, though I do believe that 26 character limit actually refers to the FILE name (the Palm doesn't like spaces either, so that was a consideration as well).

Using plugboards, I have set my custom_title field to replace the title field in the meta data in "save to disk" and "convert to PDB" actions.

When I transfer a book to my Palm, I get the title field, NOT my custom_title field. Just so we're REALLY CLEAR, I'll say it again. The title shows up on my Palm's book list instead of the custom_title field I created. That means, instead of getting series, title and author showing on my Palm screen, I get the title of the book.

This is exactly what I have been telling you since the very start of this thread. If you had actually read through the thread instead of just the latest posts, I do believe this would have been clear many posts ago. The question hasn't changed.

Nori

Can you paste your save to Disk template inside code tags (the # mark icon)

[ElfN]

Let's see if images help clarify things so someone can have an "aha" moment. I don't know if I'm presenting the information to you in the right order, so bear with me.

This shows my custom_title field which is what I want as the title on my Palm.



Here's the source template for my custom_title field.

{#initials:'ifempty($,field('#genre'))'|| }{#shortened_title:||-}{author:shorten(1,,0)}{author_sort:shorten(1,,0)}

The custom_title uses shorten_title which is

{#stripped_title:shorten(16,,0)}

Here's the metadata plugboard I'm using



As you can see by the graphic, the Format is "any format". The Device is "save to disk". I use this because I drag the file from the save-to-disk directory into my Palm Install Tool utility where the Palm hotsync operation transfers it to the SD card in my Palm. I've tried different Format and Device to no avail.

Here is the Source Template in the plugboard.

{#initials:'ifempty($,field('#genre'))'|| }{#shortened_title:||-}{author:shorten(1,,0)}{author_sort:shorten(1,,0)}

As you can see, the destination field is "title". My natural assumption is, for the meta data, the field "title" will be replaced by the result of the source template.

So, what am I doing wrong? The same source template coding works perfectly to create a custom column (Custom_Title) but on my PDA, the title showing is the original title from the original metadata. Ugh.



As you can see, I have no way to tell (other than from memory) which title is in which series and where in the series it falls. So, instead of keeping all my books on my Palm and browsing through the titles as I work my way through the series I'm reading, I have to move them over to the Palm and then delete them after I read them, then move them back over when i want to read them again. I HATE that.

The output type for the Palm is PDB.

The reader software I am using is ereader Pro for Palm OS. My Palm runs the Garnet version 5.4.9 Palm OS.

Is there anything I haven't clarified to someone's satisfaction?

ElfN

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by ElfN

The reader software I am using is ereader Pro for Palm OS. My Palm runs the Garnet version 5.4.9 Palm OS.

To answer your question, someone would need to know where your reader software, ereader Pro, gets its information about the title. Only someone with the same software/device could tell you that. Your device software could get the title information from the filename on your device. If you have some sort of file browser for the Palm you can use that to check the filename. It could get the information from the folder names. Both filename and folder name are controlled by calibre when using the save-to-disk/send-to-device template, so you should check those and confirm how you are sending to the device (Send to Device? Save to Disk? Connect to Folder? Drag and Drop?) and what the save-to-disk/send-to-device template is set to.

[DoctorOhh]

Maybe your device gets its info from the filename. Go to Preferences - Saving Books to Disk and try your entering this in the save template there.

[ElfN]

I've already got a source template on the save to disk screen, so that's not the answer.

I can see the filename as I'm doing a save to disk before dragging the file into my install program. I have to format the filename as it is limited to 26 characters (mentioned this before). This is what the file name looks like. Bear in mind, I got exactly the same thing as a title on the palm before I started working with my custom title and source template. The idea that it might be getting the title from the name of the file is pretty weak.



Bear in mind, I got exactly the same thing as a title on the palm before I started working with my custom title and source template. The idea that it might be getting the title from the name of the file is pretty weak.

So let's apply some basic (programmer's) logic to this.

Is there any other field that contains the title? As far as I can tell, the only field to actually contain the content of the title is "title". If Calibre isn't updating the metadata with the custom title I've designated, the Palm would show the original title. That seems by far the most likely reason for the title I'm seeing on my Palm, the failure of an update to the title field by Calibre's save to disk.

To test to see if it's the pdb format, I'm going to convert a book to epub and save it to disk. Then I'm going to add the book to Calibre, save to disk and view it with a pc based reader and see what the metadata looks like. It's a place to start.

ElfN

[ElfN]

Okay, that did nothing. The source template IS NOT altering the metadata.

Where do I look next?

ElfN

[chaley]

I have no idea what experiment you just did, or what the software you are using will do.

I did an experiment that shows that the plugboards do what they are supposed to do. I did a save-to-disk of an epub book in my library. According to my debug log, my plugboard contains:

Save-to-disk using plugboard: epub [(u'{title_sort}bar', 'title_sort'), (u'This is a template', 'title')]

which is exactly what I put in the plugboard <any format> <save to disk>.

The OPF in the epub (not metadata.opf) in my library contains:

<dc:title>1633</dc:title>

and does not contain a title_sort attribute. The OPF in the epub copy saved to disk (again, not metadata.opf) contains:

<dc:title>This is a template</dc:title>
<meta name="calibre:title_sort" content="1633bar"/>

Clearly the plugboard changed the title and the title sort.

What are you doing different from the above?

[ElfN]

I was able to get a text file to save with the updated meta, but not a pdb nor a zip(html), nor an epub.

ElfN

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by ElfN

I've already got a source template on the save to disk screen, so that's not the answer.

I can see the filename as I'm doing a save to disk before dragging the file into my install program.

What can you tell us about the "install program?" Is it for transferring ebooks to ereader Pro on the Palm or is it a generic program for moving all types of files to the Palm?

[chaley]

Originally Posted by ElfN

I was able to get a text file to save with the updated meta, but not a pdb nor a zip(html), nor an epub.

Now I am even more confused. Text files do not contain metadata so the plugboard will have no effect at all, but that is the one that worked.

I may be dealing with the wrong issue. What I am trying to determine is whether or not the plugboard is updating the metadata *inside* the book being transferred, which is all a plugboard is supposed to do. My experiment shows that they work for me -- the title in the opf inside the epub book was changed by the plugboard. You should do the same experiment to see if the title inside the opf in your epub is being changed by your plugboard. If the title is changed, then plugboards work and something else is controlling what metadata your palm uses for your books. If the title is not changed, then the question becomes "why not?".

Do note that plugboards cannot change metadata on DRM-infested books.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by chaley

Now I am even more confused.

At this point, I'd be opening up the pdb files with a hex editor to see what's happening, and I'd be making minor changes (searching for the title and changing a letter therein) to see if those changes propagate to the title list he's seeing on the reader. That's assuming pdb isn't a compressed format.

[ElfN]

Nothing I've tried has worked in changing the title for my Palm T|X. My custom_title column is exactly what I want but the title when the book is transferred to my Palm is the same title as listed in the title column in Calibre. Nothing changes. I get the same thing when I convert to epub and save to disk. I open it with a different reader and the title is not changed to the custom title I created.

So . . . is there any way, other than to manually change each title one at a time, to force the title field to display the text title AND the series and author abbreviations I've created?

Thanks

ElfN

[chaley]

It works for me, at least as far as I can test it not having a Palm TX.

My experiment:

1. Create a text file containing one word, "Foobar"
2. Import that text file into calibre
3. Using edit metadata, set the author to "An empty book to delete later"
4. Set the series to "Some Series"
5. Set the series index to 42
6. Convert the book to epub
7. Set the template of a composite column to "{title} - {series}[{series_index}]"
8. Set the save template for save to disk to "{#composite}"
9. Add a metadata plugboard "any format:save_to_disk = ([{#composite}] -> title)"
10. Save the newly-added and -converted book to disk

Results:
Calibre debug log showing that the plugboard was used during save-to-disk:

Job: 4 Save books (0 of 1) finished
Save books (0 of 1)
        Save-to-disk using plugboard: txt [(u'{#composite}', 'title')]
        Save-to-disk using plugboard: epub [(u'{#composite}', 'title')]

File name in the saved-to folder showing that the save template was used:

empty book to delete later, An - Some Series[42].epub

Content of opf file inside the saved book showing that the metadata plugboard was used and the title is set as expected:

<?xml version="1.0"  encoding="UTF-8"?>
<package xmlns="http://www.idpf.org/2007/opf" version="2.0" unique-identifier="uuid_id">
    <dc:creator opf:role="aut" opf:file-as="Author, None">Author, None</dc:creator>
    <meta name="calibre:series_index" content="42.0"/>
    <meta name="calibre:title_sort" content="empty book to delete later, An"/>
    <dc:title>An empty book to delete later - Some Series[42]</dc:title>

I did the same thing with the folder device: set up the plugboard, connect to folder, send book to device. The debug log shows that the plugboard was used, and the title attribute in the epub's metadata is the same as above.

[GailSails]

Nori, I had similar problem. By trying every PDB conversion output format, I discovered that DOC with 1252 encryption file was the only format that worked to display the custom title_sort on my eReader Pro for Symbian. Means converting your existing files to the new format and deleting the original pdb, but it was worth it to me to have series in the title. Hope this helps!

Gail

[ElfN]

Gail, I found the solution that doesn't litter out title with (doc). I couldn't believe noone thought to tell me to check it. <shakes head> I had to literally stumble on the answer! First, set the output to ereader and ascii.

Then, create a directory in which to save the files you're want to transfer to your Palm.

Now open Calibre. In Preferences, go to Saving Books to Disk. Make sure the checkbox for Update meta in saved copies is checked and click apply. Close Preferences. Now select the books you want to transfer to your Palm, right click and click save to disk. In the popout menu select either of the Save only PDB selections and save to the directory you created for storing them.

When the save is complete the directory will open in a new window. Grab the files you saved and drag them into your Palm Install Tool. I have a shortcut on my quickstart bar and I drag the files straight from the window to the shortcut.

It works! I've now got 648 books on my Palm! And they're sorted by Author (last and first initials), Series Name (abbrev), Series Number and the title. I still need to do some tweaking to get just what I need as the name of the file can't exceed 26 characters and I want as much of the title as I can get in my Palm display (two separate plugboards), but I'm now at least, getting results I can work with.

Nori