Double Shelves

[kevenv]

Originally Posted by selina4books

I've got it. On three devices...my Mini, Glo and Aura. And my Glo is still on 2.5.2 so it wasn't caused by 2.6.1

I use Calibre to side load books but nothing to do with my shelves...all of them were created on the devices themselves. If I have a calibre plugin that creates shelves on the Kobo i've never used it and didn't knowingly install it.

As someone else stated I can't delete the duplicate shelves. If you add books to a shelf with duplicates you don't get a save button, you get a create button. And then voila! You have ANOTHER duplicate shelf. All with the same books plus the new ones you just added. It's weird and annoying. I can delete shelves without duplicates.

Syncing on the desktop got rid of one set of duplicates on the Mini, but one set of duplicates remained. Synced again, same thing, that one set just won't go away. Haven't synced the Glo, I've been keeping the wireless off because I like the way the light works in 2.5.2 and I want it to stay that way. It seems like a step backward to me.

When I first had the same problem as you (months ago) someone here suggested I log out of my account and log back in. This creates a new database I believe, which solved the problem. No such luck for me this time though. For now I,m just running with mostly double shelves.

[selina4books]

Originally Posted by kevenv

When I first had the same problem as you (months ago) someone here suggested I log out of my account and log back in. This creates a new database I believe, which solved the problem. No such luck for me this time though. For now I,m just running with mostly double shelves.

I had read that too somewhere (probably here) and decided to live with the doubles for now rather than having to download all those books again on three devices. So I'm with you, for now I'll just keep the double shelves.

[TechniSol]

I think you need to get Kobo to fix the multiple shelves issue on your account, as they sync the shelves even for side loaded content, just the shelves -not the books from what I've read when people have had this problem in the past.

[kevenv]

Thanks everyone for your time and suggestions. I'm not really a patient kind of guy so I found a database editor and did some googling and went into the Kobo database and deleted the extra shelves. (I backed up the original!) Worked like a charm! I won't lie, I was a bit nervous lol. I will refrain from syncing with Kobo again.

Regards
Keven

[davidfor]

@kevenv: Glad to see you have a solution, even if it is direct editing like that. Could I have a look at the database backup? The initial symptoms sound like an issue on the Kobo server that I thought had been fixed months ago. But, the duplicates turning up again after the factory reset and the sync with calibre is a bit different. I'd like to check the database to see if I can workout were they came from.

Could you send me a copy of the database backup? Either put it somewhere that I can download it and send me a PM with the link, or send me a PM for an email address to send it to. Looking at it will help me work out if there is something in the driver that needs to be fixed.

[John F]

Originally Posted by kevenv

Thanks everyone for your time and suggestions. I'm not really a patient kind of guy so I found a database editor and did some googling and went into the Kobo database and deleted the extra shelves. (I backed up the original!) Worked like a charm! I won't lie, I was a bit nervous lol. I will refrain from syncing with Kobo again.

Regards
Keven

I'm guessing syncing thru the desktop is probably OK (don't quote me on this. ).

I had duplicate shelves and used the database editing method to get rid of them. I sync'd a couple times the past two weeks (I wanted the update) using the desktop, and my shelves have been fine.

[kevenv]

@davidfor - check your pm's

@John - thanks for the heads up. At the very least I know what to do if it does come back!

[davidfor]

@kevenv: I think you sent the fixed version of the database. There are no duplicates in Shelf table. I'd like to see the broken one to check some values in the table.

[kevenv]

Originally Posted by davidfor

@kevenv: I think you sent the fixed version of the database. There are no duplicates in Shelf table. I'd like to see the broken one to check some values in the table.

New Pm sent. Sorry!

[davidfor]

I have had a look at the database. It is weird.

From most of the dates, you did a factory reset on the 22nd. That agrees with the post.

But the shelves are what are strange. There is a set with timestamps around 2013-06-09T18:31:31Z. Then there is another set with timestamps from before this. The timestamps for these range over several months, so they are probably the ones that should be there.

The theory I wanted to check was that the shelves didn't sync from the Kobo server after the factory reset. Then, you connected to calibre and it created a set of shelves. After that, you did a Kobo sync that recreated the shelves you had before.

That could end up with duplicate shelves as the sync to Kobo is based on an id rather than just the name. But, because of the timestamps, that doesn't work. Unless the clock on your computer had the wrong date.

So, I don't know what happened.

I'm not sure, but I think if you do a sync, the shelves you deleted from the database will come back. If they do, change the value of "_IsDeleted" to "true" for the ones you want to get rid of. With that, the duplicates should disappear on the device. At the next sync the rows should be removed from the database and the server.

[kevenv]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I have had a look at the database. It is weird.

From most of the dates, you did a factory reset on the 22nd. That agrees with the post.

But the shelves are what are strange. There is a set with timestamps around 2013-06-09T18:31:31Z. Then there is another set with timestamps from before this. The timestamps for these range over several months, so they are probably the ones that should be there.

The theory I wanted to check was that the shelves didn't sync from the Kobo server after the factory reset. Then, you connected to calibre and it created a set of shelves. After that, you did a Kobo sync that recreated the shelves you had before.

That could end up with duplicate shelves as the sync to Kobo is based on an id rather than just the name. But, because of the timestamps, that doesn't work. Unless the clock on your computer had the wrong date.

So, I don't know what happened.

I'm not sure, but I think if you do a sync, the shelves you deleted from the database will come back. If they do, change the value of "_IsDeleted" to "true" for the ones you want to get rid of. With that, the duplicates should disappear on the device. At the next sync the rows should be removed from the database and the server.

Thanks for taking the time to look at this. My computer date/time is bang on.

I sync'd with Kobo desktop and the double shelves came back. I edited the database as you suggested to delete the shelves. Then I sync'd again and the problem didn't return.

Again many thanks for your time.

Regards
Keven

[foxwilly2010]

I have this problem and I have found a solution. Using Calibre you can install a Kobo plug in that will delete double shelves. However, everytime you sync with Kobo on line the double shelves will reappear. Again you can go into Calibre and using sthe Kobo plug in delete the double shelves. I know its not the best solution but it does work.

[davidfor]

foxwilly2010: When you use the plugin to to clear the duplicate shelves, are you selecting the "Purge duplicate shelve" option? If so, don't select it. The next sync should tell the Kobo server to remove all the duplicates and prevent them coming back.

[TechniSol]

No offense to the effort put forth by third parties attempting to solve(or at least salve) the problem through a Calibre add-on, but when the hell is Kobo going to start fixing crap that's been happening so long no one precisely remembers when it all started? I'd accuse them of hiring staff and copying management techniques from under $100 android tablet makers from 4 years ago, but I have a nearly six month old 8" dual core Android tablet that cost under a Franklin with none of these issues!(granted a quad core would be more, but not necessarily better)

It's enough to make you want to start an online media crusade in the holiday buying season just to strongarm them into taking responsibility for their shortcomings -being accepting and waiting seems to have accomplished very little on certain issues that continue to return and plague users from firmware to firmware. Granted, this one is not a show stopper, but the fact that many of us seem to still have a list of pet peeves from firmware after firmware has to have meaning attached.

[foxwilly2010]

Originally Posted by davidfor

foxwilly2010: When you use the plugin to to clear the duplicate shelves, are you selecting the "Purge duplicate shelve" option? If so, don't select it. The next sync should tell the Kobo server to remove all the duplicates and prevent them coming back.

Thanks Davidfor, it worked great. When I contacted KOBO they told me to do a Factory Reset. Bad solution. Fortunately I did not take their advice. Again thanks for the help. Maybe KOBO help desk should hire you as a consultant and avoid giving out bad advice.