Importing and maintaining title, author

[ashleyparker]

Originally Posted by chaley

If you are happy with calibre's default 'firstname lastname' author ordering, don't read on.

If you want to use "Lastname, Firstname" for authors, then you probably also want to change how calibre copies the author names to the author_sort field. If you don't, then you must manually edit author_sort every time you import a new book or change an author's name to avoid sorting by author displaying the list in a very strange order.

You can control how the copy using a calibre 'tweak' that changes how author_sort is generated from author. In the file tweaks.py, change author_sort_copy_method to either copy or comma (see below for more detail). Tweaks.py is found in your settings directory, which for me on windows 7 is C:\Users\charles\AppData\Roaming\calibre.

From tweaks.py:

# The algorithm used to copy author to author_sort
# Possible values are:
#  invert: use "fn ln" -> "ln, fn" (the original algorithm)
#  copy  : copy author to author_sort without modification
#  comma : use 'copy' if there is a ',' in the name, otherwise use 'invert'
author_sort_copy_method = 'invert'

I use 'copy'.

If the current author_sort fields are not correct, then once you set the tweak you can reset all the author_sort fields in one swoop. First, verify that the author names are all as you want them. Then select the books you want to change, press E to get the bulk metadata editor, check the box "automatically set author sort", and push OK. The author_sort field for all the selected books will be recomputed from the author field according to the value of the tweak.

This is exactly what I was looking for. However, after editing and saving the tweaks file. It's still inverting. What do I need to do to have Calibre load the new file?

[kovidgoyal]

You have to regenerate the sort strings. Right click on any aithor in the tag browser and select manage authors and then click recalculate author sort

[ashleyparker]

Thank you kindly!

[PaxtonReader]

I've read all of these and am still confused. What setting(s) do I have to set in order to import books and have it automatically make the author field be set to "Last Name, First Name" order, and have the stored directory on the PC list the author directory as last name, first name? Or can Calibre not do this? I have the new version 2.0.

And I'm talking about books where the internal metadata lists the author as last name, first name.

[itimpi]

Originally Posted by PaxtonReader

I've read all of these and am still confused. What setting(s) do I have to set in order to import books and have it automatically make the author field be set to "Last Name, First Name" order, and have the stored directory on the PC list the author directory as last name, first name? Or can Calibre not do this? I have the new version 2.0.

And I'm talking about books where the internal metadata lists the author as last name, first name.

If you tell Calibre to use the files internal metadata when adding the books, then the author will be set however the ebook file metadata is set.

Most people store author as FirstName LastName (and have author_sort as Lastname, FirstName) as this is the way virtually all the web based metadata sources (and most ebooks) provide the author. If you use a different scheme then you are quite likely to have to be continually massaging the author field to your preferences.