Error No available formats

[sespr]

Originally Posted by theducks

formats:false only works for a validated Library (which you said it did), because it really is checking the DB formats field, not that the actual file is/or is not really present.


Btw
The Quality check PI has a FIX; Check and rename book paths

That might fix the path length change

Thanks for the suggestion. Tried it but still get the same error.

[sespr]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

That's right - once you have the new library, I suggest you remove the old library from calibre's view (Library->Remove library) it will NOT delete anything, it'll just remove it from calibre's list of known libraries.

Add from what's left if they have anything worth adding, eg if they have no format files then maybe not

Incidentally to find all books with no format files search for formats:false

BR

Thanks for that tip. Once you conduct that search is there a way to get all of them to group together? It appears that there are far more than I thought but I have no idea how many. Based on the advice here it seems that I am looking at spending a lot of time trying to sort this out.

What if I went through the library folder, delete all the empty folders, uninstall Calibre then re-install it and point it at that folder?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by sespr

Thanks for that tip. Once you conduct that search is there a way to get all of them to group together? It appears that there are far more than I thought but I have no idea how many. Based on the advice here it seems that I am looking at spending a lot of time trying to sort this out.

What if I went through the library folder, delete all the empty folders, uninstall Calibre then re-install it and point it at that folder?

Searches follow the normal Search rules in Preferences: Look and Feel: Searching

Turn OFF highlight (the blue bars-with a red slash, icon near the standard search box, if enabled)

[sespr]

Originally Posted by theducks

Searches follow the normal Search rules in Preferences: Look and Feel: Searching

Turn OFF highlight (the blue bars-with a red slash, icon near the standard search box, if enabled)

So now I learn that 472 books are listed with no formats.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by sespr

So now I learn that 472 books are listed with no formats.

Either way would show that (### selected on the status bar)

All those are legitimate 'Empty Books',. So someone told Calibre to delete Formats for those books.
With the Highlight mode ON (as you were), this would leave you mostly unaware the multi books were selected, when you really intended to remove it from only 1 book. Always check the STATUS LINE at the bottom


You can Drag and drop an actual book format i(from your backup-Archive) into the Details pane or into the Metadata Edit window for that book, leaving the covers and metadata intact Use care, you can drop ANY book there, it does not check that it belongs

[sespr]

Originally Posted by theducks

Either way would show that (### selected on the status bar)

All those are legitimate 'Empty Books',. So someone told Calibre to delete Formats for those books.
With the Highlight mode ON (as you were), this would leave you mostly unaware the multi books were selected, when you really intended to remove it from only 1 book. Always check the STATUS LINE at the bottom


You can Drag and drop an actual book format i(from your backup-Archive) into the Details pane or into the Metadata Edit window for that book, leaving the covers and metadata intact Use care, you can drop ANY book there, it does not check that it belongs

For what its worth. No one has deleted any of those books. I'm the only person who handles the library and probably haven't deleted more than a handful of books and never more than one at a time. I always look at the popup to be sure I am only deleting one. Moreover, the books are still in the Calibre folder and not deleted.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Given the number of books and time involved it will be some time before I get around to fixing it if I ever decide to take the time. In the meantime I will just manually copy them when I want to read them.

Let me know if there is an easier way but it appears I can move the books that are visible to Calibre to a new library. Prior to that I need to create a list of the 472 so that I can add the formats back to the new library. The only way I know of to create a list is to take multiple screenshots as I scroll through them. Then doubleclick or drag and drop each book to the Calibre app?

[BetterRed]

@sespr - try doing this

Create a virtual library (Empty Books) for formats:false. Now create a CSV or TXT catalogue for the Empty Books library

FWIW : I would create a CSV and look at it with Nir Sofer's CSVFileView

BR