Newbi questions about Calibre

[gforsman]

Hi,
I would like to use Calibre to organize my ebooks, check for duplicates, convert to epub if necessary and, save them into folders on my hard drive. I just updated to the most recent version, I had something like .9 before. I ended up with filenames for titles. Is there a way of automatically separating out the author and the book title into their columns so I can search for Metadata? I would really like to avoid having to reload 15,000 books. It took almost 12 hours. I know that there will be at least 3 different steps to separating out the file names depending on the order.
I'm sure this journey of mine will be a learning experience and I thank you for your patience and any help you can give.
Gus

[DaltonST]

Originally Posted by gforsman

Hi,
I would like to use Calibre to organize my ebooks, check for duplicates, convert to epub if necessary and, save them into folders on my hard drive. I just updated to the most recent version, I had something like .9 before. I ended up with filenames for titles. Is there a way of automatically separating out the author and the book title into their columns so I can search for Metadata? I would really like to avoid having to reload 15,000 books. It took almost 12 hours. I know that there will be at least 3 different steps to separating out the file names depending on the order.
I'm sure this journey of mine will be a learning experience and I thank you for your patience and any help you can give.
Gus

@Gus:

I assume that your library is mostly Fiction, not Non-Fiction. If it is mostly the latter, then do not continue reading this post.

I am hesitant to suggest this solution, not because it is not a good solution, but because I do not know how technical you are and whether or not you meet the other requirements for using the solution.

I am referring to the QuarantineAndScrub add-on (it is not just a plug-in) found at: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=247425

Q&S was intentionally created to solve problems exactly like yours, plus much worse problems.

Q&S is a "process", not a "tool bag". You follow the Q&S "process" to fix your books. You do not pick-and-choose which Q&S tools to use, but rather use them in a predefined sequence.

As for the reasons for my hesitation to suggest Q&S to you, to quote the Original Post:

Spoiler:

This add-on is intended for use only by "Advanced Calibre Users" who are somewhat technical in nature, comfortable with ambiguity, essentially autodidactic, and also fluent in Calibre's functionality and library architecture.

The above requirement also applies to the person installing Q&S.

If someone wants to use Q&S but does not have the skills to install it, then they should not attempt to use it, nor should they have someone else install it for them. If you do not have the skills to install it, then you do not have the skills to use it.

The User Guide must be read prior to installing and using this add-on. It is 54 pages in length for a reason. Q&S Derive Genres has an additional 13 page User Guide due to its complexity. In total, the User Guides for Q&S total 67 pages.

The User Guide is your source of support for Q&S.

99.9999% of Calibre users do not need Q&S, and should not install it.

Q&S is designed for users who have already been using Calibre for quite some time, so the Q&S User Guide assumes the reader is already familiar with Calibre in great detail.

The User Guide is your source of support for Q&S.

If you are not comfortable with ambiguity, or not essentially autodidactic, then you should not attempt to install or use Q&S.

If you have an aversion to reading instructions and related examples, you should not attempt to install or use Q&S.

If you cannot understand or follow the instructions in this post or the User Guide itself, then it will be less frustrating to just uninstall Q&S rather than to continue being frustrated.

The User Guide is your source of support for Q&S.

There are many attachments to the Original Post. 2 of them refer to a mechanism to avoid reloading your 15,000 books:

For_Technical_Users_Only__Metadata_db_Swap_Instruc tions.txt
For_Technical_Users_Only__Metadata_db_Swap_special _note_about_Triggers.txt

(note: Mobileread.com automatically adds spaces to long continuous words, so blame it for any odd spaces in the above).

I created the Q&S "Metadata.db Swap" procedure for myself to avoid reloading 50,000 books with trashed-out Calibre metadata, which would have taken over 50 hours instead of taking minutes.

If you are sufficiently technical and autodidactic to understand and follow the referenced attachments, then Q&S is a good tool for you. There are currently about 1,400 users, all of whom meet the requirements stated in the Original Post.

Otherwise, you should (must) find a Standard Calibre solution.

If you have any doubts about what to do, do not use Q&S; use a Standard Calibre solution. Choose wisely.


Good luck.


DaltonST

[gbm]

My advice is to first read the manual then make a test library of several hundred books and try different methods on it. When you find a way that works then use it on a copy of your library, remember to always use a copy when trying something new.

This is the best way of determining if QuarantineAndScrub is something you wish to use, very powerful tool so use it wisely.

bernie