Lost ALL Book Covers

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Tipiford

I don't believe the graphics can be extracted from the .mobi files, and the backup I have is minus some 1,000 changes (updates to ratings and covers), so it will be a 'bear' of a project to update the backup.


I don't see how anything other than Calibre could have deleted every single graphic from that many separate folders (there's a folder for each author, and a sub-folder for each book for that author).

Covers can be extracted from mobi files if they exist. There's a button in calibre's metadata panel that does just that.

Admittedly, for a whole library I'd be looking for a scripted option. I have no idea why the covers are not there.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

Calibre does have the ability to Remove covers from Selected Books

That needs serious user (bad) actions (more than 1 place/chance to abort) to get done.
First you would select All (there is a sea of blue in front of you)
Then you right clicked to get the Context Menu for that Sea
...

I never knew the option existed, but I see it does.

I also see that it lacks an "Are you sure?" popup, and that the deleted covers are not put in the Trash/Recycle bin.

BR

[Tipiford]

Originally Posted by PeterT

If you look under the covers in the Calibre library, what files do you see in a typical folder?

.opf / azw and or .mobi / and the cover.jpg files

[Tipiford]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Covers can be extracted from mobi files if they exist. There's a button in calibre's metadata panel that does just that.

This may be my restoration. Also in the metadata panel are all kinds of options, including 'download metadata and covers,' singularly or in bulk, metadata and covers, or metadata only or covers only─never knew it was there. It's now working in the background; I'll post back when it's finished to let all who've contributed know the results.
Thanx for the info on the metadata tab.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Tipiford

.opf / azw and or .mobi / and the cover.jpg files

Then they are not gone.
Hang on!
Where are you looking.???????
1) Cover browser (a pane with many covers the flip)
2) Metadata Details (the book icon in the lower corner activates)
3) Grid view (9 cubes icon)
4) Metadata editor window

If they do not show on ANY of 1-4, then try and perform Library Maintenance:Rebuild ...
This takes a bit of time, but way less than reconstruction

[Tipiford]

Originally Posted by theducks

Then they are not gone.
Hang on!
Where are you looking.???????
1) Cover browser (a pane with many covers the flip)
2) Metadata Details (the book icon in the lower corner activates)
3) Grid view (9 cubes icon)
4) Metadata editor window

If they do not show on ANY of 1-4, then try and perform Library Maintenance:Rebuild ...
This takes a bit of time, but way less than reconstruction

I was inferring to what is normally found in the subject folder, not what is currently present. Currently present in each of the 2,400+ folders is merely the .opf file and the .mobi and/or .azw file(s), no .jpg file.

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by Tipiford

I was inferring to what is normally found in the subject folder, not what is currently present. Currently present in each of the 2,400+ folders is merely the .opf file and the .mobi and/or .azw file(s), no .jpg file.

You sure make it hard to help you! We know what is normally in a calibre folder. Maybe I misphrased it but the idea was to see what YOU had in a typical folder.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[theducks]

You sure had 2 folk who have been here for a long time, confused.

[Tipiford]

Originally Posted by PeterT

You sure make it hard to help you! We know what is normally in a calibre folder. Maybe I misphrased it but the idea was to see what YOU had in a typical folder.

My apologies, but unless you were specific, I had no clue as to what you knew about the Calibre structure. I was going by, "what files do you see in a typical folder?" Guess that's the programmer in me.

Incidentally, Calibre's download of the covers has finished, and produced NO COVERS in the several that I looked at. It's individual download of covers, has worked well in the past.

[BetterRed]

Pretty sure, this is not the first time someone has reported mass loss of cover images. IIRC on those occasions instructions were give on how to recover them from format files.

Until I read post #15 from theducks I didn't realise how easy it was to remove covers from books en-masse. What if the format files don't have embedded covers, I have a library of over a 1,000 letters that don't have the covers I made embedded in the format files.

IMO the remove actions should have "Are you sure?" popups. And remove actions that don't move the files to the Rubbish Bin (such as Remove covers from selected books) should not have "Show this this again" checkboxes on those popups.

BR

[kovidgoyal]

Adding confirmation for remove covers is a good idea, done.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Admittedly, for a whole library I'd be looking for a scripted option.

Control-A -> Edit metadata -> Change cover -> Set from e-book files.

[Tipiford]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

Control-A -> Edit metadata -> Change cover -> Set from e-book files.

That was the trick, issue resolved, Thanx muchly, mbovenka