Is There a Way to Protect Amazon's X-Ray Capability on the Kindle?

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Hi, sorry its been so long since I've gotten back.

Unfortunately, this did not work for me as far as preserving X-Ray capabilities. I tried it with two separate books, even after re-downloading the originals from Amazon.

Am I missing a step?

I have the "Original File" column, and added the code under "Customize Device", then restarted Calibre and resent the books to my Kindle (after making sure the previous versions were removed).

Seeing as this is file related, I wonder if having the APNX Generator plugin is negatively affecting the code - possibly preventing it from doing what its supposed to do?

I do have both "Send Page Number Info" and "Override apnx" selected.

If the Apnx plugin is the culprit, my next question would be: Is there a way to have both X-Ray capability and Page numbers?

After doing little more than deleting and resending a few titles, I'm now getting hit or miss results. I did find out however that the APNX plugin does notseem to be a problem, as my hits have both x-ray capability and page numbers.

What I can't figure out is why there are misses (still no x-ray capabilities despite being listed as "Enabled" on Amazon).


I have one other Question with the code: Is "Original Filename" supposed to be populated when I see it in Calibre? Regardless of whether x-ray is working, it is blank on the Metadata view.

[tilia]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

I have one other Question with the code: Is "Original Filename" supposed to be populated when I see it in Calibre? Regardless of whether x-ray is working, it is blank on the Metadata view.

I haven't read eschwartz's thread in detail, but often input in custom columns needs to be done manually. From what I could see, I think that is the case here. Are you saying that the original filename you entered in the custom column have disappeared, or did you not enter it at all?

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by tilia

I haven't read eschwartz's thread in detail, but often input in custom columns needs to be done manually. From what I could see, I think that is the case here. Are you saying that the original filename you entered in the custom column have disappeared, or did you not enter it at all?

I did not enter one, and I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be auto filled by the code (like the page count is when you run the plugin).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Hi, sorry its been so long since I've gotten back.

Unfortunately, this did not work for me as far as preserving X-Ray capabilities. I tried it with two separate books, even after re-downloading the originals from Amazon.

Am I missing a step?

I have the "Original File" column, and added the code under "Customize Device", then restarted Calibre and resent the books to my Kindle (after making sure the previous versions were removed).

Seeing as this is file related, I wonder if having the APNX Generator plugin is negatively affecting the code - possibly preventing it from doing what its supposed to do?

I do have both "Send Page Number Info" and "Override apnx" selected.

If the Apnx plugin is the culprit, my next question would be: Is there a way to have both X-Ray capability and Page numbers?

You don't actually need the APNX plugin as Calibre has this functionality built-in. You can even define a custom column for page numbers.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You don't actually need the APNX plugin as Calibre has this functionality built-in. You can even define a custom column for page numbers.

I know. I've been using it for a long while know. I had APNX installed prior to it becoming a permanent feature - I just never uninstalled it (or reinstalled it out of habit when I moved to this computer).

[tilia]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

I did not enter one, and I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be auto filled by the code (like the page count is when you run the plugin).

But there is no plugin in use here. The code you quoted in post 13 is what you are using, correct? This is just a save template, so that you can recreate the original filename when you send the book back to the kindle. For the template to work, you need to input the filename in the column you made.

From eschwartz's post:

The custom column (of the default type "Text, column shown in the tag browser") is named "#file", titled "Original Filename". In it, I store the filename that the Amazon book had when I added it from my Kindle, minus the file extension. It will be in the form of {book-title}_{ASIN}

Try that on a couple of books. Send them to your kindle and check the document folder on the kindle to see if the files have the correct filename. Then check if X-ray works on them.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by tilia

But there is no plugin in use here. The code you quoted in post 13 is what you are using, correct? This is just a save template, so that you can recreate the original filename when you send the book back to the kindle. For the template to work, you need to input the filename in the column you made.

From eschwartz's post:


Try that on a couple of books. Send them to your kindle and check the document folder on the kindle to see if the files have the correct filename. Then check if X-ray works on them.

I tried a few. Adding the original file name made no difference when I looked at the first 3 on the list. Of those 3, I saw one with the correct name, and one wasn't in the Kindle's documents folder at all, even though the book is on my Kindle. I didn't even look for the 3rd.

[tilia]

That sounds weird. I don't understand why you got three different results, but are you sure you added the template correctly?

• You make a custom column of the type "Text, column shown in the tag browser" with the lookup name file. The column heading can be whatever you like.

• In this column you put the original filename as it is on the kindle when downloaded from Amazon, minus the file extension. It's different on my Kindle 3 from what eschwartz mensions, so I would download a book to the kindle from Amazon, and check exactly how it is written.

• Connect the kindle, under the device icon you'll find configure this device. Copy in the template in the Save template box.
  
  

  program: 
  ifempty(
  	field('#file'),
  	template(
  		'{author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)}/{title} - {authors:sublist(0,1,&)}'
  	)
  )

If this is done correctly, when you send books from calibre the filename should be like the original. (If you don't put anything in #file, the book will be put in a folder on the kindle named after the author, and the file name will be author-title.) Make sure you delete books that are already on the kindle before you resend them from calibre.

[enuddleyarbl]

Sorry for jumping in here, but tilia, in the post above, gives a first step that says:

"You make a custom column of the type "Text, column shown in the tag browser" with the lookup name file...."

Whereas eschwartz says:

"The custom column (of the default type "Text, column shown in the tag browser") is named "#file", titled "Original Filename"."

I'm wondering about what you named the Lookup Name when you created the custom column. Personally, I'm unclear on what should go into that Lookup Name field during the custom column creation process and wonder if the problem might be there on your end as well.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by DaveLessnau

Sorry for jumping in here, but tilia, in the post above, gives a first step that says:

"You make a custom column of the type "Text, column shown in the tag browser" with the lookup name file...."

Whereas eschwartz says:

"The custom column (of the default type "Text, column shown in the tag browser") is named "#file", titled "Original Filename"."

I'm wondering about what you named the Lookup Name when you created the custom column. Personally, I'm unclear on what should go into that Lookup Name field during the custom column creation process and wonder if the problem might be there on your end as well.

Custom column lookup names can be any single word (no spaces): eg page_count
when you use the lookup name it will be #page_count (the # indicates a custom column name).

The Visible (label) Name does not have to match (and can have spaces).

Page Counts <= Column Label
#pc <= lookup

[enuddleyarbl]

Originally Posted by theducks

Custom column lookup names can be any single word (no spaces): eg page_count
when you use the lookup name it will be #page_count (the # indicates a custom column name).

The Visible (label) Name does not have to match (and can have spaces).

Page Counts <= Column Label
#pc <= lookup

Thanks. That clears it up for me. So, since in this case eschwartz's code for the template uses "#file", then the Lookup Name needs to be "#file", too.

[enuddleyarbl]

Nyssa,

When you populated the file name for your test, what did you use? On my Kindle Paperwhite, the original file structure looks something like:

Kindle ( F: )\documents\{book_title}_{ASIN}.sdr

is the name of the folder the book is in. But, inside that, there are two .azw3 files of the format:

{book_title}_{ASIN}{cruft}.azw3* (where the cruft appears to be the uuid and the * is either a f or an r for the book I'm looking at).

I assume we don't have to specify "F:\documents". But, did you:

1) use the folder name: {book_title}_{ASIN}.sdr (minus the .sdr)
2) use the full path name to the .azw3 files inside that folder: book_title}_{ASIN}.sdr\{book_title}_{ASIN}{cruft}
3) or use just the unqualified name of one of the .azw3 files: {book_title}_{ASIN}{cruft}?

[tilia]

Originally Posted by DaveLessnau

Thanks. That clears it up for me. So, since in this case eschwartz's code for the template uses "#file", then the Lookup Name needs to be "#file", too.

I'm not sure you understood. The lookup name is #file, but when you make the column, you just write file in the Lookup name field. The # is added when you use the column in templates.

EDIT: I just tested in calibre. You can do both. You can write #file in the lookup field, or just file. The result is the same. Never occurred to me before to add # when making the column

[theducks]

Originally Posted by DaveLessnau

Thanks. That clears it up for me. So, since in this case eschwartz's code for the template uses "#file", then the Lookup Name needs to be "#file", too.

That is correct.
Lookup name is the usage name
when you made the column, as tili pointed out, you typed file into the box

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by tilia

EDIT: I just tested in calibre. You can do both. You can write #file in the lookup field, or just file. The result is the same. Never occurred to me before to add # when making the column

- For some reason I've been under the impression that when adding a column a leading '#' was forbidden in the 'Lookup name'.

BR