import changes foreign language to nonsense words

[dandman]

when i add books from a folder that have name in UTF8 characters (non english names) the add process identify perfectly the author, book name, metadata, cover ... etc.

but when i look at the folder of that book i see the name of the file was changed as if it tried to translate it, but the words of the name and author means nothing

can the rename process be disabled ?

i am on a windows 10 PC with portable version 7.10.0

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by dandman

when i add books from a folder that have name in UTF8 characters (non english names) the add process identify perfectly the author, book name, metadata, cover ... etc.

but when i look at the folder of that book i see the name of the file was changed as if it tried to translate it, but the words of the name and author means nothing

can the rename process be disabled ?

No.

See ==>> Want to change folder structure or file names in the Calibre library? and ==>> Why doesn’t calibre let me store books in my own folder structure?

BR

[dandman]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

No.

See ==>> Want to change folder structure or file names in the Calibre library? and ==>> Why doesn’t calibre let me store books in my own folder structure?

BR

thanks for the prompt response, but both link you provided talked about the folder structure and not the file name,

if the file name becomes nonsense then it is a data i loose, i have gigs of books, i don't want to import export just to get them back in the proper name, and i don't want to keep 2 copies just to allow caliber to hold its own name,

since this is not possible, is it possible to have caliber not "copy" the files but to maintain a link to the original files ?

i understand that this issue was talked about allot in the forum (from the links you sent), but i am asking if it is possible, not suggesting to change the way the app works,

thanks again for helping

[theducks]

Originally Posted by dandman

thanks for the prompt response, but both link you provided talked about the folder structure and not the file name,

if the file name becomes nonsense then it is a data i loose, i have gigs of books, i don't want to import export just to get them back in the proper name, and i don't want to keep 2 copies just to allow caliber to hold its own name,

since this is not possible, is it possible to have caliber not "copy" the files but to maintain a link to the original files ?

i understand that this issue was talked about allot in the forum (from the links you sent), but i am asking if it is possible, not suggesting to change the way the app works,

thanks again for helping

Simple Answer: No
Advanced answer: Mostly no... BUT there is a plugin that logs the original name in a custom column. (DURING ADD)
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=278559

Calibre can offer sooooooooo much more metadata than can be saved in a file name.
But ADD Books was where you could recover some from the file name (BUT NOT the path) by adjusting the template. This assumes your names are consistant.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by dandman

thanks for the prompt response, but both link you provided talked about the folder structure and not the file name.

Calibre is a multi-platform application, that means a combination of an Operating System -- Windows, MacOS or Linux, and a File System -- NTFS, APFS, HFS+, Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, NFS, exFat, FAT32 etc.

Some platforms only support 7 bit ASCII characters in directory & file names, others disallow certain characters, others have path length limitations, some are case sensitive … and some of those constraints on some platforms are user configurable.

In practice developing an application that provided native support for the dozens of practical combinations would be a nightmare. Hence, the decision to use a pragmatic lowest common denominator approach was taken at the outset of calibre's development.

Originally Posted by dandman

if the file name becomes nonsense then it is a data i loose, i have gigs of books, i don't want to import export just to get them back in the proper name, and i don't want to keep 2 copies just to allow caliber to hold its own name

The GetFileName plugin will store any combination of the original file path, file name, extension and file system modified date in custom columns.

The Save to Disk feature uses a 'template' that specifies the file path in terms of the metadata columns.

Originally Posted by dandman

since this is not possible, is it possible to have caliber not "copy" the files but to maintain a link to the original files ?

Short answer - No.

The problem with 'links' is that in some cases they're impractical, in other cases they're fragile, in other cases it would be a misuse. Hardlinks must be on the same 'drive', calibre supports having a library database (catalogue) and its subdirectories (shelves) on different 'drives'. Symbolic links can break if a directory or file is moved, deleted, or renamed. To use Windows shortcuts or MacOS aliases would be a misuse - they 'belong' to the operating system.

Originally Posted by dandman

i understand that this issue was talked about allot in the forum (from the links you sent), but i am asking if it is possible, not suggesting to change the way the app works,

Calibre is driven by its library database. In an ideal world the book files and cover images would be stored in the database, but for performance reasons that's impractical… hence the author and book folders.

If you want to keep a copy of the original file in its pristine state with its original name you might want to consider moving it to the book's 'data' folder… after adding it to the library.

BR

[capink]

I think adding a section about using GetFileName plugin to the sticky thread, explaining how to use the plugin to save filename to custom columns, and how to restore the file to its original name and directory structure using Save to Disk templates, will go a long way in easing people's initial apprehension of using calibre.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by capink

I think adding a section about using GetFileName plugin to the sticky thread, explaining how to use the plugin to save filename to custom columns, and how to restore the file to its original name and directory structure using Save to Disk templates, will go a long way in easing people's initial apprehension of using calibre.

Sorry, but stickies are already a bit over used. Besides, they are intended for more General Topic use, not a specific PI.

It is the younger generation that seems to have the filename obsession, not those of us that grew up with the Card Catalog out on the floor of our local Library.

[Quoth]

Also metadata is so much nicer than filenames. Pretend the files in "Calibre Library" don't exist!

[PeterT]

People need to think of the calibre Library as a database, a black box, and stop looking under the covers.

Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

Sorry, but stickies are already a bit over used. Besides, they are intended for more General Topic use, not a specific PI.

The GFN developer & I posted replies in the PI thread about how a Save to Disk template can use the custom column in which the file name is stored. Don't have to look far they're on the second page of the thread.

BR