[GUI Plugin] Goodreads Sync

[Tijntje]

I have setup Kobo Utilities with the own columns that sync: Date Read and Read Percentage, etc.
With the GoodReads Sync I can sync my read status from Calibre to GoodRead but it is not syncing the Date Read.
It seems that can only be synced from GoodReads to Calibre and not vice versa, or am I missing something?

EDIT:

Never mind I figured it out
Needed to add Shelve actions

[davidfor]

@KaMii: Firstly, a support request through a visitor message isn't practical. There is no way to actually respond to them. These threads are here for the discussion of the plugins. Please, post here with details here before trying any other contact method.

Secondly, your error is not the same as the one you picked. That one was during the Sync shelves and yours is while doing the initial authorisation.

And the error is happening because you didn't follow the instructions. When you click the "Authorize Plugin with Goodreads" button, it opens a page in your browser and displays the message "Have you clicked 'Allow access' for this plugin on the Goodreads website?" You will get the error you are seeing if you have not done this before clicking the "Yes" button on the porop

[Georgie W]

Hi. FIrst, thanks for this plug-in - really really useful!
When I type a review in Calibre, I can have it sync to GR when I shelve a book. My problem is that when the review appears in GR, it's acquired lots of extra paragraph spaces along the way. The first line of the review is always shifted down by <div>, and "simple" carriage returns in Calibre now move text down two lines (not the one I had intended). Is there a way round this?
Thanks.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Georgie W

Hi. FIrst, thanks for this plug-in - really really useful!
When I type a review in Calibre, I can have it sync to GR when I shelve a book. My problem is that when the review appears in GR, it's acquired lots of extra paragraph spaces along the way. The first line of the review is always shifted down by <div>, and "simple" carriage returns in Calibre now move text down two lines (not the one I had intended). Is there a way round this?

That is related to the changes in calibre 4.x with the control used to edit comments and long text. And that was due to changes in the underlying Qt libraries and controls. This formats the HTML code in a different way from before. It means there are line ends after these tags. GR is also at fault here, because these shouldn't be affecting the formatting.

I'll have to look and see if there is a way to stripe these line ends, but not strip any in the middle of the actual text. Or affect the formatting in some other way.

[Minotaur]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Please test the beta and tell me how it goes. If there are no issues, I'll release it in a few days.

I've just installed this beta and it seems to be working well.
Because I'm lazy AF, what I'd really like to have happen now is if Calibre detects a change in a column I have that stored the books read %age, then it should automatically update the Goodreads Reading Progress for that book. Any thoughts on how I might get this to happen?
Cheers.

[Rellwood]

Originally Posted by kenr276

Just to let you know that when you use the exclusive shelves as tags the tags themselves are not exclusive. I now have books that include both read and to-read

Create a custom "exclusive shelf" and use that to add to in the rules, and don't create a general tag for it. A tag in the browser, but not comma separated. I create comma separated columns for the individual shelves and let that be the "tags" column so if I decide to download tags as shelves it updates the coluimn but doesn't leave any old tags. Also nice that it doesn't get mixed in with my general tags. You can create the same add and sync rules using that shelf too.

ie in configuration:

shelf: Read
shelf name: blank
add rule: add to column exclusive shelf: Read
Sync Rule: add to column exclusive shelf:Read

Now your exclusive shelfs are set to their own column, and the best part is everytime you sync or add, they get reset and you don't have to go through and delete the older tag.

[Rellwood]

Originally Posted by Georgie W

Hi. FIrst, thanks for this plug-in - really really useful!
When I type a review in Calibre, I can have it sync to GR when I shelve a book. My problem is that when the review appears in GR, it's acquired lots of extra paragraph spaces along the way. The first line of the review is always shifted down by <div>, and "simple" carriage returns in Calibre now move text down two lines (not the one I had intended). Is there a way round this?
Thanks.

If you use the plugin to download your reviews, unless it has changed, be careful that you don't get truncated reviews if they are long. I had that problem when I realized my reviews were getting cut off, the same happens when you upload them.

Try exporting a Goodreads .csv file and using list import to import it into whatever column you use for your reviews. You can edit it so that the HTML formatting is removed before importing it.

[Rellwood]

I noticed that the newest plugin doesn't let me know if there is a column missing that has a rule assosicated with it.

I was testing it out in a limited blank library (because I needed to figure out why it runs slow in my main one) and I realized that it didn't have the custom columns it normally would but there was no alerts when I synced.

Nevermind, the columns were not initially filled in but they are there. Sorry.

However, it did show me that a blank library will make the plugin run much faster than my main one.

[Rellwood]

I am uploading screenshots with timestamps made today to indicate exactly what I am talking about when I say the plugin updates books slowly. I don't know if it is because of something to do with my library, or my setup, but Inoticed that when I created a blank library the books updated at the rate of 140 books 10 seconds. However when I synced the same 140 books on the shelf to another library with 4000 books (but no icon rules) it took 3:28 to finish.

The last version that worked for me (which I still use) is 1.12.1 It only runs on my Calibre 4.7 in 32 bit (I have the most recent version in 64 bit so I can use all the other programs).

The plugin that I downloaded today is the one that these screenshots refer to.

So, exactly what I am doing it syncing from a shelf
exactly what the plugin says "Updating Books"
Exactly what the performance problem is? - it takes 3 minutes to update 140 books

I am running on an HP Envy 17, with Windows 10, Calibre 64 latest version, 1TB SSD and 12G Ram. I am not using any other features. The quantity of books on the shelf make no difference. They update at the same rate. However, the plugin version 1.12.1 which is no longer supported will update the same books on the same shelf in the same library instantly.

A plain library with no other books but the ones I am syncing in will take 10 seconds. However, that is just for 140 books, I have many more shelves with more books, and my library has more columns.

The "hang time" that no one noticed because there wasn't a scroll bar to show, was less than 15 seconds for shelves holding 1000 books or less. I would never try and use this new version with anything near that. 140 books almost 3 and a half minutes. Also, that shelf was just a plain shelf without any rules except to upload a tags column.

Does this explain better?

[davidfor]

@Rellwood: One of the reasons I have never been able to look at this and fix it is that you never give any real information. As many times as you have reported this, this is the first time you have actually said "syncing from a shelf". And I have repeatedly asked you to tell me this. And while the screenshots a great, they don't tell me much, just that you are seeing a problem. Which you have stated before and I have never doubted was happening. Surprises yes, but, I have had no reason to not believe what you are stating.

I have asked for detailed steps of what you are doing, and never been told. You might think it is obvious, but, when the problem cannot be reproduced, you need to go back to basics and make sure everyone is on the same page. A simple thing, this is the first time you have even hinted whether the issue is with the communications with Goodreads, or when the calibre library is actually being updated.

I have asked for a debug log, and not received one. That will have accurate timings of what is happening. Then I can look at where exactly the time is being used. And, ideally, a debug log from the fast version as well.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Minotaur

I've just installed this beta and it seems to be working well.
Because I'm lazy AF, what I'd really like to have happen now is if Calibre detects a change in a column I have that stored the books read %age, then it should automatically update the Goodreads Reading Progress for that book. Any thoughts on how I might get this to happen?

For the second part, sorry, I don't know of a way to do this. Sorting by the modified column will get recent changes, but, it will also show other edits.

Well, there is an exception to this. I fetch the reading status from my Kobo devices and that triggers the GR progress update for any books that have changed status. But, no other devices (that I know of) can do this as they don't store the status in a way that can be fetched from the devices.

[Rellwood]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I have asked for detailed steps of what you are doing, and never been told. You might think it is obvious, but, when the problem cannot be reproduced, you need to go back to basics and make sure everyone is on the same page. A simple thing, this is the first time you have even hinted whether the issue is with the communications with Goodreads, or when the calibre library is actually being updated.

I have asked for a debug log, and not received one. That will have accurate timings of what is happening. Then I can look at where exactly the time is being used. And, ideally, a debug log from the fast version as well.

Ok, exact steps. We are using my "g-f-horror" shelf (genre.fiction.horror)

This shelf has only one sync rule "add to '#currentbookshelves' genre.fiction.horror" it currently has

Sync from shelf. That's it. I am doing nothing else.
Click on the plugin,
Click on sync from shelf.
Select shelf. Wait for the following "Syncing from shelf g-f-horror" Page 1 (this is the status bar quick popup that shows before the list of shelves pops up)

Sync from shelf popup showing all the shelves, and the rules

Select "OK"

Now, this is where it takes time. This is the part from the screenshots.

Now that is all that I am doing. I am not doing anything else.

I can PM you the bug logs.

[Rellwood]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I have asked for detailed steps of what you are doing, and never been told. You might think it is obvious, but, when the problem cannot be reproduced, you need to go back to basics and make sure everyone is on the same page. A simple thing, this is the first time you have even hinted whether the issue is with the communications with Goodreads, or when the calibre library is actually being updated.

It didn't ocur to me that you were not the plugin's developer, so when I PM'ed you about this a while ago, a very long, detailed message answering those questions, it went to him.

I only just now saw the response, and now forwarded the convo to you.

I have also sent you a copy of the bug log from new plugin because it didn't list the steps taken for each book, and so was shorter and was allowed in the space.

However, it seems the older version shows each step for each book and is much longer.

So, I don't know how to get it to you.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Rellwood

I only just now saw the response, and now forwarded the convo to you.

I have also sent you a copy of the bug log from new plugin because it didn't list the steps taken for each book, and so was shorter and was allowed in the space.

However, it seems the older version shows each step for each book and is much longer.

So, I don't know how to get it to you.

From memory, I removed some of the display of the conversation with GR. That will have shortened the log. But, for the larger log, upload it somewhere and send me a link to that that location. If you have problems with that send some snippets:

Find the line with "sync_shelves - start" and send then next 100 lines.

Find the line with "sync_shelves - returned from ChooseShelvesToSyncDialog" and send up to the line with "sync_shelves - finished _update_goodreads_ids". That should only be a few lines.

[Macondo]

Latest plugin doesnt work for me.