Plugin ideas... add yours here

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

You can put any type of URI in the Link field in Manage Authors, not just web page URL's. It could be link to a file, a web page, a note in a notebook app like Evernote or OneNote, or even a 'book' in another or the same calibre library using the recently implemented calibre:// URL scheme

I just converted from using Evernote notes to using the latter. I created an Authors library with various custom columns, including some long text columns. In my Books library I have 'show-book' links to the author's 'book' in the Authors library and in the Authors library I have 'search' links to the authors 'books' in my Books library.

How do you identify the author book? I'm looking at the documentation and "Show book" requires a book_id, not a parameter? How do you get that id? Manually?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

How do you identify the author book? I'm looking at the documentation and "Show book" requires a book_id, not a parameter? How do you get that id? Manually?

I use the Copy Link tools in the Book Details panel to get the link (in hex)… Link to show book in calibre, or Link to show books matching <Author Name> in calibre. Then I switch to the Books or Authors library (this is where the Switch to previous library shortcut comes into play) and paste the link just copied into the Manage <Author Name> Link field.

If you add a lot of 'new' authors, then you might want to consider automating the above via a plugin, or an Action Chain what's-it. I don't add new authors that often, so I have no need for automation.

My 'biggest' task wasn't the inter-library links, it was 'moving' the data out of the MHT files I exported from Evernote into the columns of 1,440 'books' in my Authors library. I used the MHT files to create the 'books' in the Authors library.

BR

[Terisa de morgan]

Thank you, I thought that was the way but I was not sure if there was an automated way. As I have a whole library with authors, that is not polished, I think I'll keep it for a future development... or I'll think for the future authors and I'll explore from there (I already copy through a plugin new authors to the authors library).

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

Thank you, I thought that was the way but I was not sure if there was an automated way. As I have a whole library with authors, that is not polished, I think I'll keep it for a future development... or I'll think for the future authors and I'll explore from there (I already copy through a plugin new authors to the authors library).

Generating the author links is straightforward using the calibre API. For each author in the library, find the book containing that author then write the link to standard output.

The code below generates links to a book for every author in the database. The output is 2-column CSV where column 1 is the author name and col 2 is the link.

from calibre.library import db as DB
import posixpath

lib_path = sys.argv[1]
lib_name = '_hex_-' + posixpath.basename(lib_path).encode('utf-8').hex()
db = DB(path = lib_path, read_only=True)
cache = db.new_api

# Loop through all the books in the library
author_info = cache.author_data()
for auth_id in author_info:
    auth_books = cache.books_for_field('authors', auth_id)
    print('"{}",calibre://show-book/{}/{}'.format(
            author_info[auth_id]['name'], lib_name, str(next(iter(auth_books)))))

You run this code using

calibre-debug -e script.py path-to-library

The other side to put the author links into the author table would be similar.

1. Read the data from above into a link_dict author_name:link
2. Get the author data
3. Make a list author_dict of author-name: author_id
4. Make an empty dict new_link_dict
5. for each name in link_dict check if the name is in author_dict. If so, add author_id:link to new_link_dict
6. call cache.set_link_for_authors(new_link_dict)

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by chaley

Generating the author links is straightforward using the calibre API. For each author in the library, find the book containing that author then write the link to standard output.

The code below generates links to a book for every author in the database. The output is 2-column CSV where column 1 is the author name and col 2 is the link.

from calibre.library import db as DB
import posixpath

lib_path = sys.argv[1]
lib_name = '_hex_-' + posixpath.basename(lib_path).encode('utf-8').hex()
db = DB(path = lib_path, read_only=True)
cache = db.new_api

# Loop through all the books in the library
author_info = cache.author_data()
for auth_id in author_info:
    auth_books = cache.books_for_field('authors', auth_id)
    print('"{}",calibre://show-book/{}/{}'.format(
            author_info[auth_id]['name'], lib_name, str(next(iter(auth_books)))))

You run this code using

calibre-debug -e path-to-library

The other side to put the author links into the author table would be similar.

1. Read the data from above into a link_dict author_name:link
2. Get the author data
3. Make a list author_dict of author-name: author_id
4. Make an empty dict new_link_dict
5. for each name in link_dict check if the name is in author_dict. If so, add author_id:link to new_link_dict
6. call cache.set_link_for_authors(new_link_dict)

Thank you! I can do this without problem, so I'll try this evening.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by chaley

The other side to put the author links into the author table would be similar.

1. Read the data from above into a link_dict author_name:link
2. Get the author data
3. Make a list author_dict of author-name: author_id
4. Make an empty dict new_link_dict
5. for each name in link_dict check if the name is in author_dict. If so, add author_id:link to new_link_dict
6. call cache.set_link_for_authors(new_link_dict)

Now the dumb question: How can I see this link in the book details? Or does it appears directly?

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

Now the dumb question: How can I see this link in the book details? Or does it appears directly?

In book details the tooltip for the author will show the link. You can see them all in Manage Authors (in the tag browser right-click on authors).

[Terisa de morgan]

Thank you! I already have the authors extracted, now to load them.

[nixsee]

I submitted an enhancement request that got denied, so I'm hoping someone here could be of assistance.

I'd love to have additional access to the wonderful new URIs.
1. A keyboard shortcut to copy the link to show/open a book to clipboard
2. A right click context menu option to do the same.

Is there any existing plugin or other option for doing something like this?

[ownedbycats]

If you're not already aware, you can right-click on the details pane to copy the Calibre links.

[nixsee]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

If you're not already aware, you can right-click on the details pane to copy the Calibre links.

Thanks, but I usually have the details pane minimized which is why I'm looking for extra functionality. Either way, a keyboard shortcut would be easier

Edit: looks like kovid reconsidered and added keyboard shortcuts that are off by default but can be customized. I suppose they'll be in tomorrow's release!

[CRussel]

Is there a plugin that allows me to have a book in multiple series? For example, Dana Stabenow has two active series -- Kate Shugak and Liam Campbell. The 19th book in the Kate Shugak series is also the 5th book in the Liam Campbell series. Ideally, I'd like to be able to list it as "Kate Shugak [19.0],Liam Campbell [5.0]" in the series column.

[compurandom]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Is there a plugin that allows me to have a book in multiple series? For example, Dana Stabenow has two active series -- Kate Shugak and Liam Campbell. The 19th book in the Kate Shugak series is also the 5th book in the Liam Campbell series. Ideally, I'd like to be able to list it as "Kate Shugak [19.0],Liam Campbell [5.0]" in the series column.

Only options for that are to either make custom series column to hold the second series, or use tags instead of series.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Is there a plugin that allows me to have a book in multiple series? For example, Dana Stabenow has two active series -- Kate Shugak and Liam Campbell. The 19th book in the Kate Shugak series is also the 5th book in the Liam Campbell series. Ideally, I'd like to be able to list it as "Kate Shugak [19.0],Liam Campbell [5.0]" in the series column.

I'd come at it from a different angle.

Create two books with same title and author but different series, putting the format file(s) into what I regarded as the 'primary book'. And then cross reference and share the content via a calibre://show-book and calibre://view-book links in a #related/Related long text column.

As a reminder to click the view_book link to read the content, colour the book line if it has no formats.

BR

[chaley]

Originally Posted by compurandom

Only options for that are to either make custom series column to hold the second series, or use tags instead of series.

And then use Grouped search terms (Preferences / Searching / Grouped searches) to combine the standard and custom series columns together for searching.