Who else uses the add empty book feature?

[kiwidude]

I love this feature for adding entries that I then tag as Wishlist items to identify missing books in a series or other novels by the author I don't have yet.

However as I use it so often I made two tweaks to it in my version of the source code and wondered whether there was any interest by others as a patch.

(1) I default the author(s) for the empty books to that of the currently selected row, if any. I have always drilled down into an author before I have checked/decided a wishlist book is needed to be created. Defaulting the author saves a bunch of typing/pasting afterwards, and doesn't alter the current order on screen like the bulk metadata edit dialog does.

(2) I put it on a Ctrl+E keyboard shortcut.

I had already created a ticket with an alternative suggestion of modifying the dialog that asks how many books so also have a textbox on it with a default author name that you can overtype if needed. However that requires creating a whole new UI dialog (the existing approach gets away with a "built-in integer" dialog) which is way beyond my Python/Qt skills to help with. The behaviour I implemented above does exactly what I need instead.

If any interest/violent disagreement please say so here, otherwise it will remain as just a local patch on my copy...

[peaceridge]

It sounds awesome to me - I'd like to know how to do this - I've been keeping separate lists of missing books (outside of Calibre). Would this also be able to make Author Sort field equal to what I enter in Author field without going to Meta and copying it over?

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by peaceridge

It sounds awesome to me - I'd like to know how to do this - I've been keeping separate lists of missing books (outside of Calibre). Would this also be able to make Author Sort field equal to what I enter in Author field without going to Meta and copying it over?

Yes, the author sort field gets populated automatically when you set the author.

You don't need my patch if you want to start doing this straight away to replace your "separate lists". In the Add dropdown at the top is an "Add Empty Book" menu option. My proposed changes just remove some of the additional clicks and typing associated with using the feature.

I then (manually) add the "Wishlist" tag because it ties into some functionality in the catalogs feature apparently mentioned in the stickies for the forum above (though not something I have tried yet).

[Manichean]

Originally Posted by peaceridge

It sounds awesome to me - I'd like to know how to do this - I've been keeping separate lists of missing books (outside of Calibre). Would this also be able to make Author Sort field equal to what I enter in Author field without going to Meta and copying it over?

What kiwidude did was "just" enhancing already available capabilities- you can add an empty book entry by clicking on the dropdown button besides the add books- button and selecting empty book. As for the author sort, check the tweak author_sort_copy_method (see preferences->tweaks), you'd want to set it to copy.

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by Manichean

As for the author sort, check the tweak author_sort_copy_method (see preferences->tweaks), you'd want to set it to copy.

Very good point, I forgot I had set that tweak for it to "happen automatically" as it does for me

[peaceridge]

Thanks so much! Both author sort and empty books are now working great! I guess I could read the users manual <sigh> every so often.

[theducks]

I use the Add Empty Books (and Add from ISBN) to build my wish list and document my paper Library (I always forget to set the"Add Tag" to my "[in Paper Library]" before I do this)

I find both features usefull.

If someone evers figures out how to Auto-magically make Calibre lookup and make new "(Mostly empty) records" for all the missing book in the selected series

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by theducks

If someone evers figures out how to Auto-magically make Calibre lookup and make new "(Mostly empty) records" for all the missing book in the selected series

Haha, that would be cool. Unfortunately given just how poor the metadata quality is out there I don't rate your chances of that ever happening. I don't think I've ever had a ctrl+d get metadata for a series correctly identify the series for all the books, usually you get a mish-mash of multiple series names you have to consolidate manually. Part of the reason why I would like more control over metadata download so that it doesn't overwrite existing series tags but that's another story.

So as an avid empty book user, would it be useful or a hindrance to you to have the author auto-populated from the current selected row for all the empty books you add?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by kiwidude

Haha, that would be cool. Unfortunately given just how poor the metadata quality is out there I don't rate your chances of that ever happening. I don't think I've ever had a ctrl+d get metadata for a series correctly identify the series for all the books, usually you get a mish-mash of multiple series names you have to consolidate manually. Part of the reason why I would like more control over metadata download so that it doesn't overwrite existing series tags but that's another story.

So as an avid empty book user, would it be useful or a hindrance to you to have the author auto-populated from the current selected row for all the empty books you add?

An Annoyance if it is not easily avoided. Adds are random events, not always related.
I could see a tweak that replaces the simple "How many" box, with a Bulk Metadata template form (complete with current pull-down items), to control the "forced-fills"

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by theducks

An Annoyance if it is not easily avoided. Adds are random events, not always related.
I could see a tweak that replaces the simple "How many" box, with a Bulk Metadata template form (complete with current pull-down items), to control the "forced-fills"

Bummer. I suspected for some users that might be the case which is why I started this thread, obviously we work totally differently. I always drill down into the author to be sure I haven't got a book (the name could have a typo, be aliased etc) before I add an empty one, so for me adds are not at all "random".

Sounds like the "form" approach will have to be the ultimate submitted solution then, as I said above I don't have the Qt skills to figure that out unfortunately. Maybe someone else will volunteer one day. I'll just keep running with my patch locally.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by kiwidude

I don't think I've ever had a ctrl+d get metadata for a series correctly identify the series for all the books, usually you get a mish-mash of multiple series names you have to consolidate manually.

Many times, bad series metadata is not the fault of the metadata sources either. I remember looking up series info (Wikipedia) for one series and got five different lists. Sometimes the author writes a book that fits into the middle. Some give it a half number, and others renumber the series.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Starson17

Many times, bad series metadata is not the fault of the metadata sources either. I remember looking up series info (Wikipedia) for one series and got five different lists. Sometimes the author writes a book that fits into the middle. Some give it a half number, and others renumber the series.

Half-number? I have resorted to fourths and in one case(that I regret doing), I used the integer for the "Cycle" and up to .99 for the books within
Then ther is the "Omnibus" issue: Where books 1,2 and 3 are re-issued in a single volume . Where do thes fir (Especially when you have a mix to fill out the series)?

There is no "clean" answer.

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by Starson17

Many times, bad series metadata is not the fault of the metadata sources either. I remember looking up series info (Wikipedia) for one series and got five different lists. Sometimes the author writes a book that fits into the middle. Some give it a half number, and others renumber the series.

I guess what surprises me most often though is given that Calibre is only getting it's series metadata from limited places how it is that books in the same series end up with either different series names (or indeed no series at all frequently, even though it may be book 1 of a trilogy or whatever). Even on the most simplest of series like a trilogy. I would "assume" that whoever bothered to add a series entry in librarything.com also populated for other books in that series but that doesn't come through consistently. My completely uneducated guess is that there are multiple ISBN's for the title and what gets given back to Calibre then resolves through to a different series or something?

On top of that absolutely there is sometimes subjectivity over exactly what constitutes a series and in which order etc that you point out. I don't mind that so much - it's the inconsistent mish-mash of data coming back into Calibre that is a pain to me. "If" there was only one golden source it was able to use at least it would have consistency. However I always end up going to either FantasticFiction or Wikipedia for every series to come up with my own series definition.

[Hence why I and others await the day of the much-longed for feature controlling metadata download that allows us to be sure our carefully constructed series data does not get trashed should we choose to populate it first.]

[theducks]

Originally Posted by kiwidude

I guess what surprises me most often though is given that Calibre is only getting it's series metadata from limited places how it is that books in the same series end up with either different series names (or indeed no series at all frequently, even though it may be book 1 of a trilogy or whatever). Even on the most simplest of series like a trilogy. I would "assume" that whoever bothered to add a series entry in librarything.com also populated for other books in that series but that doesn't come through consistently. My completely uneducated guess is that there are multiple ISBN's for the title and what gets given back to Calibre then resolves through to a different series or something?

On top of that absolutely there is sometimes subjectivity over exactly what constitutes a series and in which order etc that you point out. I don't mind that so much - it's the inconsistent mish-mash of data coming back into Calibre that is a pain to me. "If" there was only one golden source it was able to use at least it would have consistency. However I always end up going to either FantasticFiction or Wikipedia for every series to come up with my own series definition.

[Hence why I and others await the day of the much-longed for feature controlling metadata download that allows us to be sure our carefully constructed series data does not get trashed should we choose to populate it first.]

Then ther is the Publisher, that can't Even agree with themselves, what the series name is
Baen has a "Series" page
The names of the Series there does not always match the names INSIDE THE BOOKS they publish

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by theducks

Then ther is the "Omnibus" issue: Where books 1,2 and 3 are re-issued in a single volume . Where do thes fir (Especially when you have a mix to fill out the series)?

There is no "clean" answer.

Oh yeah, I would love to hear a great workaround for that one as I can't decide on it either.

Funnily enough I am sitting here trying to decide on exactly that case for Diana Wynne Jones with the Howl's Castle Trilogy. I don't have book two in the trilogy, but I do have the "Wizard's Castle" omnibus which includes books one and two. Sometimes I just put (Omnibus) after the title name and give it a series number at the end of the series (in this case 4), particularly when I have the book individually. Sometimes though I give it the same series number as the first book in the omnibus it contains. Other times I might give it a title like (Omnibus 1-2). Though that makes duplicate matching more problematic. Just too darn hard