5.31.1 will not import from single folder

[abrogard]

I only called it a 'trick' because that's what you called it. 'if you want to try my trick'.

so in that case I don't need it. I had calibre.exe in the list of 'send to' targets.

I just tried it again for a test. It opens calibre but there's no indication that calibre is accepting any books from the folder. i.e. it is not doing the 'send'.

[BetterRed]

You have to send a file, it won't work with a folder -- as per the calibre — command doco.

The Send To effectively executes the following command for the current file.

calibre [path_to_ebook]

BR

[abrogard]

Ah, right, thank you. We've been talking at cross purposes then. My whole query was about importing from a single folder - i.e. a folder import.

So it is still not solved.

To be clear I want to import all the contents of a given folder but none of the contents of any sub folders it may have.

[kovidgoyal]

You cannot. Importing from a folder will import from sub folders as well. If you really want to do this, open the folder in windows explorer. drag and drop one of the ebook files onto the calibre book list. It will create a new book with that file. Then select the remaining files in the folder and drag and drop them onto the book details panel with the newly created book selected to add them as extra formats to that book.

Or if you dont like using drag and drop, first add the one file as normal and then right click the add books button and choose add files to existing book and select the remaining files.

[abrogard]

thank you for that, Kovid.
I don't quite understand what you've said.

"Then select the remaining files in the folder and drag and drop them onto the book details panel with the newly created book selected to add them as extra formats to that book."

What would that do? Copy all my books over to Calibre under the name of that first book??? Can't be right, surely.

You mean a number of different books can be kept within Calibre as 'extra formats' to an existing book?

I always uncheck the option 'assume all ebook files in the folder are the same book in different formats' because the books in my windows folders are all different. Only in Calibre would I expect to find two or more versions of a book because only there might I have a .txt, a .pdf. an epub or something of the same book.

Have I got the wrong idea? I am now confused.

Let's be clear about what I want to do:

copy the 'books' ( could be anything from .txt to .epub )from a windows directory into Calibre one directory at a time, no subdirectories.

And not looking to create any directories in Calibre. Just want to get the books into Calibre, is all.

Does it help if I say why the problem? it is because I have many sub folders in many of my folders that have stuff I don't want in Calibre. That's all.

[kovidgoyal]

Just do exactly what I said and see what happens.

[abrogard]

When I said I didn't understand I meant I didn't understand this bit:

drag and drop them onto the book details panel with the newly created book selected to add them as extra formats to that book.

I don't know what the 'book details panel' is. I see no panels. Just have the booklisting is all. Is that it?

And I didn't/don't understand 'add them as extra formats to that book'

I don't want any 'extra formats' for any one book. So the whole thing had me puzzled.

So I gave it a try anyway, as you said to do.

I have three books in the folder. So I drag one across. It imports it and the highlight remains on it so's I know where it is. So far so good.
then I highlight the remaining two and drag them over to a random point in the book list.
It imports them. No questions about 'extra formats' or anything.
So I now I have the three books in there.
And I did two drag and drop exercises.
Where's the benefit in that as against doing a single drag and drop of the whole lot in the first place, I wonder?

And: I always knew to do that in the beginning anyway. The point was to do something easier, quicker. Simply click on a folder and have all the books in it copy to Calibre. Just like the other option does, the one that takes sub folders too. Just do that. But don't recurse. Don't take subfolders.

What have I missed? You've shown me some benefit I'm not seeing?

[kovidgoyal]

click the add books button.
Add one file.
Right click the add books button
choose "Add files to selected book records"
Select the remaining two files

you are done. This will give you one book with three files in it.

[kovidgoyal]

And as I said in my previous response, you cannot add a folder without adding its sub folders.

[abrogard]

Yep. Thanks for your help.