Calibre dropping 2nd name when there are multiple authors

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by A Lurker

As a side note, when I created thes test mobi files with fake names in the "Author sort" field, Calibre generated folders for them with BOTH authors' names.

Previously in this thread when I said that Calibre has created folders using two authors names, multiple people insisted I was wrong -- that will never happen.

Ultimate this is a non-issue. I was just a bit insulted that no one believed me. So here's your proof in the attached photo.

To disagree, the only way I am able to have calibre create a directory with multiple author names in the calibre library is to incorrectly enter the multiple authors (i.e., don't use '&', 'and' or 'with' to separate the names in the Author(s) field. See attached images. Please note that is in the calibre library itself and nothing to do with files output using Save to disk or Send to device.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by A Lurker

If you're referring to the question about "Mobidata MOBIs" versus "dual MOBI's", I have no idea. Calibre's convert function offers only one option for mobi, generically titled "mobi". It doesn't specify if it's creating a "Mobidata" or "dual", so I have no idea which type of mobi file is out-putted.

Take a look at Preferences, Conversion, Output option, Mobi output. The drop down fox has old, new and both as options.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I am assuming that you used the "save to disk" feature to create those folders. Is that the case?

AHA. that's the source of much of the confusion.

folks who are saying calibre never does that are talking about folders within the calibre library, where calibre has full control over the naming
but save to disc uses different rules and can be tweaked

I just tried save to disc on my Good Omens book and it has been written to a folder called "Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman"

back in my Calibre library , the original is in a folder called "Terry Pratchett"

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by stumped

AHA. that's the source of much of the confusion.

folks who are saying calibre never does that are talking about folders within the calibre library, where calibre has full control over the naming
but save to disc uses different rules and can be tweaked

I just tried save to disc on my Good Omens book and it has been written to a folder called "Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman"

back in my Calibre library , the original is in a folder called "Terry Pratchett"

One horrible example from shortly after I started using calibre, I saved to disk an anthology which had every author's name in the directory name. I modified the template to only use the first author name for save to disk or save to device and have been happy with that for the last 9 years or so. If nothing else, it keeps the path names shorter.

[A Lurker]

Originally Posted by stumped

AHA. that's the source of much of the confusion.

folks who are saying calibre never does that are talking about folders within the calibre library, where calibre has full control over the naming
but save to disc uses different rules and can be tweaked

Yes, in the case of the folders I created for the test this morning, they were generated via "save to disc".

However, the older .mobi files with multiple author names were not created "save to disk". I dragged-and-dropped them directly from my Calibre Library.

[A Lurker]

The "save to disk" issue made me realize there was a flaw in my tests this morning. I normally do not use files that were generated via "save to disk". I normally use the original files in my Calibre library.

With that in mind, I re-ran the experiment (adding gibberish names to the "Author sort" field), and then dragged-and-dropped the files from my Calibre Library to my Kindle. After checking how they displayed, I deleted them from my Kindle. Next I attached the files in my Calibre Library to an email and sent those to my Kindle, checking how those displayed.

The results were same as the previous tests. I expected they would be, but thought it was important to run the test under the exact conditions I normally use.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by A Lurker

The "save to disk" issue made me realize there was a flaw in my tests this morning. I normally do not use files that were generated via "save to disk". I normally use the original files in my Calibre library.

With that in mind, I re-ran the experiment (adding gibberish names to the "Author sort" field), and then dragged-and-dropped the files from my Calibre Library to my Kindle. After checking how they displayed, I deleted them from my Kindle. Next I attached the files in my Calibre Library to an email and sent those to my Kindle, checking how those displayed.

The results were same as the previous tests. I expected they would be, but thought it was important to run the test under the exact conditions I normally use.

Please note that exporting the ebook (Save to disk, Send to device, etc.) will update the metadata in the file for some formats. The files in the calibre library will not be updated unless you Polish them (and I'm note even certain that will work for mobi).

[A Lurker]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Please note that exporting the ebook (Save to disk, Send to device, etc.) will update the metadata in the file for some formats. The files in the calibre library will not be updated unless you Polish them (and I'm note even certain that will work for mobi).

Sure, I understand now. That's why I ran the test both ways, to see if it made a difference. In this particular case, it did not -- the metadata in the exported file was the same as the metadata in the Calibre library file.

To be clear, the problem I identified (and jhowell replicated) where Calibre drops the second author in the "Author sort" field occurs to files in the Calibre Library. That is not an artifact of exporting to a disk/device. I tested that by adding the original Calibre Library file back into my Library (as though it was a new book). When I added it back, the second author was missing. That file had not been exported or further processed in any way after its initial creation (coveting a Word file to a mobi file) by Calibre.

[Bookstooge]

So what kind of mobi file are you creating?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

So what kind of mobi file are you creating?

An excellent question, 39 posts before yours I wrote this:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

. . .

@other responders - as previously implied I know diddlysquat about MOBI and Kindles, but I have read enough here to know that there are plain ol' Mobidata MOBIs, and there are dual MOBI's - which contain a MOBI format and an AZW3 (KF8) format. It's not immediately apparent to me which of the two we're dealing with here.

If the OPs Kindle can read AZW3 (files), would he/she not be better off converting to that, then the Book Editor could be used to examine the AZW3's innards?

Apologies if I'm on the wrong side of the road. Stay safe everyone

BR

[A Lurker]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

So what kind of mobi file are you creating?

I just checked the mobi output preferences... "Old" appears to be the default selection, so that must be what I've been creating.

I'm open to switching to "New", but Calibre has a warning that says some Kindles have trouble displaying the new format.

It also says if you want to use the new format you should use awz3 instead. As I mentioned earlier, the problem is that when you use "Send to Kindle" awz3 files are rejected as unsupported file types... Which is crazy because Amazon created the format! All I can figure is that Amazon thinks an awz3 file without DRM is likely to be bootleg, so it summarily rejects them all?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by A Lurker

I just checked the mobi output preferences... "Old" appears to be the default selection, so that must be what I've been creating.

I'm open to switching to "New", but Calibre has a warning that says some Kindles have trouble displaying the new format.

It also says if you want to use the new format you should use awz3 instead. As I mentioned earlier, the problem is that when you use "Send to Kindle" awz3 files are rejected as unsupported file types... Which is crazy because Amazon created the format! All I can figure is that Amazon thinks an awz3 file without DRM is likely to be bootleg, so it summarily rejects them all?

That's why I asked you what sort of Kindle you are using.

And why I followed up by asking everyone else whether you would be better off using AZW3

Didn't know coronavirus effected people's comprehension - maybe I'll report to the WHO Ψ³

BR

[Bookstooge]

I thought I'd read in past posts that the "both" option was what was needed to mail it to a kindle over email and retain some of the metadata stuff.

You can always test it with "both" and with "new" and see what happens...

[A Lurker]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

An excellent question, 39 posts before yours I wrote this:

Yes, you asked that question. And I explained multiple times that I use whatever Calibre's default mobi format is. How was I supposed to know what the default format is off the top of my head? I needed someone knowledgeable with Calibre to say "this is the default mobi output in Calibre." Or, alternatively, I needed someone to point me to the place in preference where I could figure it out.

Thankfully in post #62 DNSB told me where to look.

Do you understand your question was literally impossible for me to answer unless someone told me where to look? In other words, do you understand that before post #62 your question was unanswerable?

Perhaps I'm reading the tone of your message wrong, but it comes across as condescending, like I'm some sort of idiot for not answering your question. Which would be ironic.

[A Lurker]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Didn't know coronavirus effected people's comprehension - maybe I'll report to the WHO Ψ³
BR

I comprehended your question. You didn't comprehend my answer.

If you insist that you did indeed comprehend my answer, that makes it worse for you... because that would mean you fully understood that I didn't know where to look for the answer, yet you still expect me to answer it.

How could you expect me to answer a question when you knew full well I didn't know where to find it? Why would you keep asking it without giving me a further pointer?

Smart.