[GUI Plugin] Action Chains

[ownedbycats]

Another suggestion:

Along with the 'export' option on chains, another option to open the chain json in a dialog for copying. This will make it easier to post it somewhere for troubleshooting or sharing.

Speaking of, here's another useful chain I made to make bulk generation + embedding of covers over many small batches slightly less painful.

{
  "ActionsChainMenus": {
    "Menus": [
      {
        "active": true,
        "chain_settings": {
          "chain_links": [
            {
              "action_name": "Calibre Actions",
              "action_settings": {
                "disable_busy_cursor": true,
                "selection": [
                  {
                    "display": "Generate Cover",
                    "path": [
                      "Generate Cover"
                    ],
                    "paths_text": ""
                  }
                ],
                "wait_jobs": true,
                "wait_progress": true
              },
              "comment": "Open Generate Covers dialog"
            },
            {
              "action_name": "Calibre Actions",
              "action_settings": {
                "disable_busy_cursor": true,
                "selection": [
                  {
                    "display": "Polish books",
                    "path": [
                      "Polish Books"
                    ],
                    "paths_text": ""
                  }
                ],
                "wait_jobs": true,
                "wait_progress": true
              },
              "comment": "Open Polish Book dialog"
            }
          ],
          "refresh_gui": true
        },
        "image": "cleanup.png",
        "menuText": "Generate Cover",
        "subMenu": ""
      }
    ]
  },
  "schemaVersion": 1.4
}

[capink]

Originally Posted by capink

I don't think it is OS specific. If this is, most probably there is nothing I can do about it. Will test later with Windows and see if it makes any difference.

I got around to testing this on Windows today, and still it is behaving normally.

[ownedbycats]

Likely something specific to my setup then.

[capink]

Version 1.6.2

• Fix: Template Scopes: Discard book ids not currently present in library.
• Minor changes to the icons.

Since not everyone is going to be satisfied with whatever icons I choose, the best solution for those who want to change icons is to override the stock icons by putting their icons of choice in these locations:

{Calibre Config Directory}/resources/images/Action Chains/condition.png
{Calibre Config Directory}/resources/images/Action Chains/no_condition.png
{Calibre Config Directory}/resources/images/Action Chains/scope.png
{Calibre Config Directory}/resources/images/Action Chains/no_scope.png
{Calibre Config Directory}/resources/images/Action Chains/scope_unsupported.png

The last scope_unsupported.png in the plugin itself is a completely transparent png image, so by default you will not see any icon for actions that do not support scopes. If you want an icon that indicates the action does not support scopes, override it the location outlined above.

Same technique can be used if you want certain state to show no icons, you simply override the target icon with a transparent png (e.g. if you want the no_condition icon to not show like before, override it with a transparent png)

[ownedbycats]

I like the new icons

[ownedbycats]

Does a submenu always take on the icon of the first chain in it?

[capink]

Yes, for the time being it is. Adding a way to configure the icons for the submenus would be an overkill. The same goes for making the icons optional. It is either this or disabling icons for submenus altogether.

[Venia Legendi]

Hello,

I want to differentiate actions depending on the title format type of the selected books. There are lots of different actions depending on this formats. The format types change quite often.

So I want to test the title format only once at the beginning, storing the result with set_book_vars('otyp', "Title Format Type") and then setting conditions on this book var.

This does not work for me and I fear I did not understand the concept of the book vars ...

I create a "Test" chain:

1st Action: "Chain Variable" OYTP with template

program:
otyp = switch(field('title'), 
	".*\s+\(\d\d\.\d\d\.\d\d\d\d\)\s*", "Zeitung", 
	".*\s+\(\d\d/\d\d\d\d\)\s*", "Zeitschrift",
	"Unbekannt");
set_book_vars('otyp',otyp);
book_vars('otyp')

2nd Action: "Single Field Edit" "#feltes1" → template

program:
book_vars('otyp');

with condition compared as text = Zeitschrift

program:
book_vars('otyp');

3rd Action: "Single Field Edit" "#feltes2" → template

program:
book_vars('otyp');

Fortunately the book variable "otyp" is set correctly, "#feltes2" shows the correct values, everytime.

Unfortunately the condition for "#feltes1" only works as expected if only one book is selected ...

You may find the chain export attached ...

P.S. Puha, that plugin definitely is more capable then my template skills

[capink]

Your understanding of the concept of book_vars is fine. The problem is with your understanding of Conditions. The condition does not work per book, it works per action. So if the condition is True, the action will run for all selected books. If the condition is False the action will not run at all.

Since the condition does not iterate over all books, It only fetches one metadata object (active index in case of multiple selections). This explains what happened when you selected only one. (conditions in case of multiple selections are meant to be used for general things like selection_count, connected_device_name, current_library_name .... etc)

I am not sure whether the above is explained clearly. Anyway, to achieve what you want, the solution is to store the ids for books that should be processed in step 2. Attached below is a zip with a modified chain that should achieve this. It uses the scopes feature.

[capink]

Also another way to do this more easily is by using only two single field edit actions, and do away with the first chain variables. The single field edit actions should use a modified version of the template you used in the chain variables. The first one should modify the template to return an the same field value if if otyp != 'Zeitschrift'

Edit: Attached another chain that does the same without the need to use scopes.

[Venia Legendi]

Originally Posted by capink

I am not sure whether the above is explained clearly.

It is explained clearly, I just create a list of IDs for every format type and set the scope for the corresponding actions to these ID lists:

program:
# Get existing lists of book_ids
zeitung_ids = globals(zeitung_ids);
zeitschrift_ids = globals(zeitschrift_ids);

# Set the book variable otyp to the type
otyp = switch(field('title'), 
	".*\s+\(\d\d\.\d\d\.\d\d\d\d\)\s*", "Zeitung", 
	".*\s+\(\d\d/\d\d\d\d\)\s*", "Zeitschrift",
	"Unbekannt");
set_book_vars('otyp',otyp);

# Add to correspdonding id list
if otyp == 'Zeitschrift' then
	zeitschrift_ids = list_union(zeitschrift_ids, field('id'), ',');
	set_globals(zeitschrift_ids)
elif otyp == 'Zeitung' then
	zeitung_ids = list_union(zeitung_ids, field('id'), ',');
	set_globals(zeitung_ids)
fi

Works GREAT -

[Terisa de morgan]

I have a question, because I cannot grab all the concepts here. I want that, inside of an action chain, one of the actions only applies to books with a custom column not set or set to False. Is is possible with the current plugin? I'm sure that, if I study all the information, I will get the answer, but this is one of those situations where I prefer to ask for a summary

[capink]

You have two options depending on the action:

1. If the action supports scopes, you can do it by setting a scope in a manner similar to the post right above yours. You use template scopes, and start from the currently selected books and restrict down using whatever criteria you want.
   
   

   program:
       book_ids = '';
       for id in from_selection('id'):
           if $#my_custom_column then
               list_union(book_ids, id, ',')
           fi
       rof;
       book_ids

2. If the action does not support scopes, you can use the above template in the "Search Using Template" action. Just be sure to check the option "Template output is a comma separated list of book ids". And of-course you have to make sure the option "select all book resulting from template" is also checked

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

I have a question, because I cannot grab all the concepts here. I want that, inside of an action chain, one of the actions only applies to books with a custom column not set or set to False. Is is possible with the current plugin? I'm sure that, if I study all the information, I will get the answer, but this is one of those situations where I prefer to ask for a summary

It is certainly possible. Exactly how depends on what you want the action to do.

Assuming the action you want to run supports scopes, the simple approach is to apply a "Basic Scope" / "Act on books resulting from a search" to the action. The search would be "not #column:yes", which finds books with False or not set. The action applies to all books that match the search.

Another way to do it that is more general would be to use a "Chain Variables" action to do the computation(s) and set book variables for the metadata you want to change. The ChainVars action would process the books you want using selections or searches or whatever. Inside that action I would use two book_vars per field you want to change (#field), one saying providing the value to store (field_value) and another saying a value has been provided (field_value_provided). In this example, 'field' is the lookup name without the '#' as in 'genre_value' and 'genre_value_provided'.

You would then use Single Field Edit that would

1. Fetch the current value of the field into (for example) the variable "result"
2. Check the book var 'field_value_provided to see if there is a computed value. If so then "result = book_vars('field_value')"
3. Return whatever is in "result". Action Chains checks if the returned value equals the current value and does nothing if so.

You can avoid 'field_value_provided' if you can guarantee that the value is never empty.

EDIT: Ninja'ed by capink. But it was fun to think about it.

[capink]

Originally Posted by chaley

EDIT: Ninja'ed by capink. But it was fun to think about it.

lol. I just made seconds before you.