Changing the Calibre File Structure

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by just_jeepin

It's the folders in the Calibre Library. I'm on a Mac. I just realized what it is... it's adding the number to the book folder in the order that they were added to Calibre.

I'm just trying to make sense of things. I just don't know why it adds a number. Usually an OS doesn't add a number like that unless there's something else with that exact name.

We all understand your desire to make sense of what it's doing. Calibre is making its own folder to store the books, and making sure it's unique. Once you understand what its doing, you won't need to go there again. Calibre has control over those folders and will change the folder names when you update author or title in the GUI.

Everyone here has had to go through the process of understanding how it works, and has then stopped directly accessing those folders. They belong to Calibre and you won't need to go there. Better, you won't miss direct folder access once you learn to use the powerful features of Calibre. You'll be able to find any book instantly and save it with any name and in any folder structure you want with the Save to Disk or Send to Device options.

[just_jeepin]

I just assumed it would only add that IF there were two books titled the same.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by just_jeepin

I just assumed it would only add that IF there were two books titled the same.

No, it does that regardless. I'm up to the 16,000's now. You probably aren't using them, but calibre has command line tools that use those numbers, so it's convenient to see them there. The numbers are the primary reference id# that Calibre uses to refer to ebooks internally.

[Worldwalker]

I ought to put this in my sig:

Filesystems manage files. Calibre manages books. Let calibre do what it's there for, and don't go peeking up its skirt. It'll slap you.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

I ought to put this in my sig:

Filesystems manage files. Calibre manages books. Let calibre do what it's there for, and don't go peeking up its skirt. It'll slap you.

Do it!

[Worldwalker]

Did it.

[kokoshmusun]

Ok, here's why I need to access my pdfs separately from Calibre. Sometimes, I'm going to make a pdf of a chapter within a book, and I want to just evoke pdftk from Ubuntu terminal and it's harder (and maybe impossible) to try to use the command line with the way calibre stores my books (because it creates a lot of subfolders for each pdf and also both the folder name and the book name have blanks which prevent easy commands to be written ---perhaps there is a way to make calibre shorten those names at least???).

The other thing is, I want to MARK my books. I'm thinking of using Xournal for this. When I'm done marking a book, I might export to pdf from Xournal. This would change the file and might interfere with Calibre. Why am I supposed to try to work everything around how Calibre organizes my files? I just want Calibre to be organized around my files instead.

But yes, I understand... And I will either not use Calibre, or just keep Calibre separate and original copies of books separate for the above tasks, but that seems unnecessary to me. I want one ring to rule them all.

[Worldwalker]

Read my .sig. Also my original post.

Why do you tolerate how Linux organizes tracks and sectors? Wouldn't it be better if the filesystem was organized around how you like to designate disc blocks instead? Sounds silly, doesn't it? But that's what's going on here. Calibre provides a level of abstraction above the file -- namely, the ebook -- just like the filesystem provides the file as a level of abstraction over the physical disc. Interfering with how calibre manages the files that make up its ebooks can make a mess of things, just like direct disc writes can make a mess of your filesystem (I've seen it happen; thankfully, it was my boss, not me, who bricked the PDP-11). Those files need to be stored in some way that does not tempt people to confuse files with books, or confuse calibre with a file manager, and tamper with its private files.

If you want to do something to one of your pdfs, export it with whatever name you like, do your voodoo, and import it to replace the old copy. Calibre's library files ought to be a database. Treat them as if they were one.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

(I've seen it happen; thankfully, it was my boss, not me, who bricked the PDP-11).

You are showing your age.

I once destroyed the filesystem of the department's production 11/70 when I was building disk spanning for Unix V7 at BTL. Neither the department head nor my colleagues were happy with me. After some discussion, instead of firing me, he bought me my own little PDP 11/23 (I think they had been available for a month or so) so I could break things in peace. We both got what we wanted.

Moving on topic: I like your analogy. I also like kokoshmusun's final paragraph, where he states both understanding and a wish.

[hapmas77]

Actually, for me the biggest problem with Calibre was the initial setup. How to import all my books with proper titles and authors. Once I got past that, everything is very easy.
I am a very happy Calibre user now.

Maybe the next version of Calibre can have an import wizard to identify the user's organizing method to ease the import process . It can be done through Preferences right now, but I think a new user will not be aware of that function.

I believe when the import process can be done properly and easily, there will be lot less complaint about the way Calibre organizing the books.

[pepak]

Originally Posted by kokoshmusun

But yes, I understand... And I will either not use Calibre, or just keep Calibre separate and original copies of books separate for the above tasks, but that seems unnecessary to me. I want one ring to rule them all.

Since you are obviously a computer-savvy user, you might do well NOT to use Calibre for ebook management but only for conversions/metadata editing. That's how I do it, anyway, and as long as the necessary command-line tools are kept as they are now, I won't be bothered by the way Calibre stores books.

[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by chaley

You are showing your age.

You really want proof of my age?

Hollerith codes and 3-valued IFs. Also, punch cards.

I think I'll just go decay quietly in the corner now.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

punch cards.

As a Data System Technician (retired many years ago) in the US Navy I actually trained in the repair of a Card Reader Punch Interpreter (CRPI). Fortunately they were removed from service shortly after I went to my first ship, but not before I had the terror pleasure of working on one.

[kokoshmusun]

Pepak, that sounds interesting. I hadn't thought of using calibre at the CLI to edit metadata (which I occasionally would like to do). I was just figuring out that pdftk can do that, but I'll look into that aspect of calibre as well.

And also conversions... but .pdf serves all my needs. I even tried an .epub vs .pdf of the same book on sony reader prs-600 and pdf was so much better. So I decided to stick to pdf for everything.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

You really want proof of my age?

Hollerith codes and 3-valued IFs. Also, punch cards.

I think I'll just go decay quietly in the corner now.

I remember having to buff floors between the old punch card computers. That whole room of computers had less memory and storage than many modern PCs, not to mention they were as slow as dead turtles with four broken legs. And that was state of the art. Bump one of those suckers with the buffer and it "forgot" everything it ever knew. When I moved from the floor crew to warehousing, one of my first jobs was using a heat transfer machine to transfer transactions to large cards from a printout one line at a time. We also used punchcards for tracking stock balances and one of the daily jobs was to replace outdated cards with new ones.

My first computer was a Commodore C64c.