MapleRead - eBook Reader and Server for iOS

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by culytera

I'm looking to replace KyBook 3 since I've been getting issues with syncing my Calibre library on Dropbox. MapleRead seems like it's the closest to having most of the features I want. Firstly, I'm going to explain my setup with KyBook then I have a few questions for how to setup MapleRead the way I'd like or if there's a better setup for it.

My KyBook setup:

• Download fic from Ao3 using FanFicFare
• My FanFicFare settings make the first page's font large which means Calibre's auto-generated cover (using the first page) has fairly readable letters when I see the books on KyBook
• I connect Calibre to my Dropbox folder then send the epub to my Dropbox folder
• I have a user stylesheet installed on KyBook so the first page's style from FanFicFare's settings gets overriden, making the first page readable on my phone
• When I finish reading the book, I delete it from KyBook which will also delete it from my Dropbox folder
• I open Calibre and connect it to my Dropbox folder. I can then see the deleted books based on the "On Device" column
• If I don't want to keep the copy, I delete the book from my Calibre library. If I want to keep the copy, I add a "Finished:yes" tag to the book

Attachment 194653

I hope I was able to explain my setup properly. It's rather particular, but I'm willing to adjust for MapleRead. I'll get used to it eventually.

For my questions about MapleRead:

1. Does its library view have a large cards option (or something similar)?

- The large cards options lets me read the summary of the fic from the book's icon on the library view. On MapleRead, the book's cover is too small on the current available views.

2. Is there a way to setup my library on MapleRead so that when I delete the fic after I finish reading it, I will easily know which ones are finished when I open Calibre?

3. Can I upload my own font to MapleRead?

4. Can I use Dropbox as a library server on MapleRead without having to import the books through the Files app?

iOS (since 13 I think) lets you install additional fonts that can be used by any app, but to my knowledge no reading apps have taken advantage of this capability (not even Apple Books).

IPadOS supports multiple documents as well. Why don’t any reading apps support this (and I don’t mean the kludge of running 2 ‘editions’ side by side in Split View like you can with Mapleread SE and CE)? It’s probably enough for most people but it would be cleaner to support it with a single app, and with that, more than 2 instances.

I haven’t tried Mapleread yet myself but it does have calibre support, and should obviate need to use Files. Having finally calibre-ized my ebook library, I’m looking for ways to leverage it, so I’ll probably give it a try myself.

I cannot tell from the App Store description but it seems you should be able to AirDrop .ePub/.PDF files and also use wireless file transfer initiated from PC/Mac if you have iTunes/Finder wireless access for the device set up.

[mark_e_h]

2. Is there a way to setup my library on MapleRead so that when I delete the fic after I finish reading it, I will easily know which ones are finished when I open Calibre?

I didn't read your long list. But unlike syncing Calibre with a Kindle (a real Kindle, not the app on your iPad) there is no information interchange between Calibre and MapreRead. You are stuck keeping track of what is in MapleRead's library.

MapleRead is a nice and useful product, but compared with using a Kindle there are a lot of "rough edges" in the UI, minor bugs, and missing features.

The advancement of MapleRead proceeds, at a slow pace.
.

[culytera]

I'm slowly learning MapleRead's UI and so far, I've figured out how to search for my unfinished books from my OPDS catalog. It follows the same syntax as searching in Calibre (e.g. my custom column has a lookup name of #finished so I just search for #finished:no to see all unfinished books in MapleRead's interface. The problem is changing that to either finished:yes or deleting it once I'm done reading from MapleRead. I can't easily do the latter since I only use my laptop as the content server and it can't always be on. I wouldn't have this issue if Dropbox could just act as a server directly.

Looks like you can also upload your own fonts, I could do it via PC upload but I need the pro version.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

This may just be me, but I've never thought that the backup/restore on any iPad device actually restores anything but the programs, settings and passwords. Not the database of the programs itself. Not any information that you could load through the 'file share' option on that device.

Since most apps aren't actually owned by iTunes, the info isn't going to be transferred.

I don't think 'backup' is meant to keep a clone of the iThing. I have a handful of iThings, and have never come across the backup restoring everything. Just the apps and settings.

But if there's a way around that, I'd love to hear it. It's a real PITA to have to reload libraries and other data.

iTunes only shows content that was loaded using iTunes File Sharing (or at least in the app’s internal folder designated for iTunes File Sharing). Mind, these actually get restored by iCloud/encrypted iTunes backup restore for me.

The backup over iTunes/iCloud depends on the app.

Apps can categorize the data they’re using into user data and downloadable data. I’m not familiar with the exact jargon but at least that’s my understanding based on my favorite comic app (ComicGlass) which gives me two main folders for comic storage: [Documents] and [Downloads]. User data [Documents] gets backed up to iCloud/iTunes. Downloadable data [Downloads] does NOT.

If the app categorizes ebooks as user data (e.g. Marvin, Kobo), the ebooks get backed up to iCloud/iTunes via normal device backup. If the app categorizes ebooks as downloadable data (e.g. Kindle, Comixology), then the ebooks do NOT get backed up to iCloud/iTunes.

Not sure where MapleRead falls. From posts here though, it seems like it might be similar to ComicGlass but you can’t choose to move/recategorize ebooks to/from user data and downloadable data.

[romad]

I have a problem with a few ePubs where the left margin is larger than the right and would like to "equalize" them somewhat.

[culytera]

I've moved my library to MapleRead. I just wish it could sort the books by published date from Calibre's metadata instead of date added from Calibre's last modified data. I thought about copying the Published Date data to Modified Date data, but I don't know if that's possible.

Originally Posted by romad

I have a problem with a few ePubs where the left margin is larger than the right and would like to "equalize" them somewhat.

Do the margin options in Page Layout options fix your issue? Although it looks like the option is exclusive to the Modern Book view.

[romad]

Originally Posted by culytera

I've moved my library to MapleRead. I just wish it could sort the books by published date from Calibre's metadata instead of date added from Calibre's last modified data. I thought about copying the Published Date data to Modified Date data, but I don't know if that's possible.


Do the margin options in Page Layout options fix your issue? Although it looks like the option is exclusive to the Modern Book view.

Sorry for the delay in responding. No, they didn't but it seems the problem is with Amazon. I contacted the author of some of the books showing this problem. After explaining that I had converted the books from Amazon's MOBI format to ePub, he said the problem might be caused by the conversion process. Why? because Amazon requires books be uploaded in ePub format which they then convert to MOBI format! Apparently either the ePub to MOBI does something or the reconverting to ePub does it. He sent me ePub versions of the books and after installing them into MR SE, the problem wasn't there. I'm not sure why it was only in a very few books out of the few thousand I have in MR SE, though.

[romad]

Differences in MR SE shelf display on new iPad Mini 6 vs iPad Mini 5. On all my iPads up through the Mini 5 they displayed 5 books per shelf. Now on my new iPad Mini 6, only 4 books are displayed per shelf. Is this change a conscious decision by MaplePop, or was it forced on them by Apple? There is now a lot of wasted space between the books.