[GUI Plugin] Polish ISBN

stanking · 09-22-2014, 02:28 PM

This little plugin validates ISBN-10s and converts them to the newer standard, ISBN-13. Some sites that pull metadata are not great at matching the two versions, so ISBN-13 may get more and more current information.

The plugin will handle multiple selections, and will skip blank or invalid ISBNs.

This is my first plugin, and my first real venture with Python as well, so I welcome the feedback.

Special Notes:
Requires Calibre v0.8.57 or later.

Installation Steps:

Download the attached zip file and install the plugin/add to context menu or toolbar/restart Calibre as described in the Introduction to plugins thread.

stanking · 09-22-2014, 04:00 PM

Thanks for checking in on this plugin. If you try it out, let me know how it works for you, and also what other ISBN-related utilities you wish Calibre had. I might get adventurous and add features.

BetterRed · 09-22-2014, 06:29 PM

@stanking - Did/have you considered folding this into the Extract ISBN - would be nice to have a one stop solution.

I'm thinking of an option in the Extract to do the Polish.

BR

JSWolf · 09-22-2014, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@stanking - Did/have you considered folding this into the Extract ISBN - would be nice to have a one stop solution.

I'm thinking of an option in the Extract to do the Polish.

BR

That's a very good idea.

stanking · 09-22-2014, 06:54 PM

Yeah, I started from Kiwidude's plugin, which was very helpful since the Calibre code is not the most intuitive and barely commented (no insult intended; it's a robust workhorse!). I intend eventually to branch out and include a group of ISBN-related utilities, but Grant has a lot of irons in the fire, so a collaboration may not work. I felt it was better to test and expand this as a separate effort for now, and then maybe combining a number of current plugins in the future would be more natural. But you're right; it's a good idea.

Some of the enhancements I'd like to pursue include suggesting publisher and language info, not pulled from various websites, but based on ISBN itself, since certain blocks of ISBNs are assigned by country and by publisher. There are also possibilities to link to information on OCLC and DOI identifiers since they have a relationship to ISBN.

And then my wild dream is to develop a hueristic algorithm to suggest corrections to invalid ISBNs. Most invalid ISBNs I've seen are the result of poor scans where a 1 becomes an I or a 0 becomes an O, or there's an extra digit or a missing one or two numbers are transposed. It should be possible to suggest alternatives and then look up metadata for the alternates to see if one matches title/author. Or that's the dream. If I could implement this, it would improve the capture ability of Extract ISBN as well.

BetterRed · 09-22-2014, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That's a very good idea.

Thanks Jon

@stanking - I think it's due to work pressures that kiwidude hasn't been so active of late. Maybe you could send him a PM asking if he's amenable to letting you make the change to the Extract ISBN. There is a precedent, in recent months enhancements were made to kiwidude's Modify PI by Rev. Bob.

But here's maybe a better idea if your interested. A PI that would allow the user to string a series of actions into a 'work task' - eg Extract ISBN, Polish ISBN, Download Metadata - or another one might be Convert, Count Pages, Modify.

Anyway I should have said thanks for the PI - so

BR

stanking · 09-22-2014, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

But here's maybe a better idea if your interested...

Dang. Way to think big. That might be too ambitious a project for me and my one plugin's worth of experience. (But I'll consider it; I love a challenge.

) And a plugin that allows you to pipe tasks is a brilliant concept; more useful than just hardlinking a couple of plugins.

stanking · 09-23-2014, 12:49 AM

Anybody willing to tell me how the plugin does on a Mac or Linux system? I don't expect any problems, but I'd like to know for certain. Meanwhile, until I hear a bug report, I'm going to work on enhancements.

Terisa de morgan · 09-23-2014, 03:22 AM

I totally agree with BetterRed. To be able to start a chain of plugins/actions would be a very nice addition.

09-22-2014, 04:00 PM	#2
stanking Noob Developer Posts: 25 Karma: 219932 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Texas Device: Amazon Fire 7	Thanks! Thanks for checking in on this plugin. If you try it out, let me know how it works for you, and also what other ISBN-related utilities you wish Calibre had. I might get adventurous and add features.

09-22-2014, 06:54 PM	#5
stanking Noob Developer Posts: 25 Karma: 219932 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Texas Device: Amazon Fire 7	Yeah, I started from Kiwidude's plugin, which was very helpful since the Calibre code is not the most intuitive and barely commented (no insult intended; it's a robust workhorse!). I intend eventually to branch out and include a group of ISBN-related utilities, but Grant has a lot of irons in the fire, so a collaboration may not work. I felt it was better to test and expand this as a separate effort for now, and then maybe combining a number of current plugins in the future would be more natural. But you're right; it's a good idea. Some of the enhancements I'd like to pursue include suggesting publisher and language info, not pulled from various websites, but based on ISBN itself, since certain blocks of ISBNs are assigned by country and by publisher. There are also possibilities to link to information on OCLC and DOI identifiers since they have a relationship to ISBN. And then my wild dream is to develop a hueristic algorithm to suggest corrections to invalid ISBNs. Most invalid ISBNs I've seen are the result of poor scans where a 1 becomes an I or a 0 becomes an O, or there's an extra digit or a missing one or two numbers are transposed. It should be possible to suggest alternatives and then look up metadata for the alternates to see if one matches title/author. Or that's the dream. If I could implement this, it would improve the capture ability of Extract ISBN as well. Last edited by stanking; 09-22-2014 at 07:02 PM.

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09-22-2014, 06:29 PM	#3
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 20,550 Karma: 26954694 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	@stanking - Did/have you considered folding this into the Extract ISBN - would be nice to have a one stop solution. I'm thinking of an option in the Extract to do the Polish. BR

09-23-2014, 12:49 AM	#8
stanking Noob Developer Posts: 25 Karma: 219932 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Texas Device: Amazon Fire 7	Anybody willing to tell me how the plugin does on a Mac or Linux system? I don't expect any problems, but I'd like to know for certain. Meanwhile, until I hear a bug report, I'm going to work on enhancements.

09-23-2014, 03:22 AM	#9
Terisa de morgan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,227 Karma: 11768331 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: Kobo Clara/Aura One/Forma,XiaoMI 5, iPad, Huawei MediaPad, YotaPhone 2	I totally agree with BetterRed. To be able to start a chain of plugins/actions would be a very nice addition.

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