Calibre .mobi file never used if using Kindle for Mac?

[1611mac]

Kindle for Mac is my default .mobi reader. It requires it's own library and whenever I launch a .mobi file from Calibre it (Kindle) copies the mobi file from the Calibre lib to the Kindle lib. This Kindle lib is also where the mbp file will exist for the book.

I'm I correct in thinking that if the ONLY app I ever used to read mobi files was Kindle, then the mobi file in Calibre would NEVER be used, yet it needs to be there for management purposes?

(And either one could be my download .mobi to my iPad?)

[user_none]

Originally Posted by 1611mac

I'm I correct in thinking that if the ONLY app I ever used to read mobi files was Kindle, then the mobi file in Calibre would NEVER be used, yet it needs to be there for management purposes?

calibre is an ebook management application. The Kindle for Mac application is also an ebook management application. Pick one for managing your files. Since both need to have a copy in it's respective library you will end up with two copies. Any changes you make in calibre will not be available in the Kindle app and vise versa.

Originally Posted by 1611mac

(And either one could be my download .mobi to my iPad?)

If you use calibre to send the file to your iPad then only the calibre file will be used / matter.

[1611mac]

Originally Posted by user_none

calibre is an ebook management application. The Kindle for Mac application is also an ebook management application. Pick one for managing your files. Since both need to have a copy in it's respective library you will end up with two copies. Any changes you make in calibre will not be available in the Kindle app and vise versa.

If you use calibre to send the file to your iPad then only the calibre file will be used / matter.

Yes.. I had to change my thinking as for months I have been using Stanza (desktop and iPad) and it has no library so when launched from Calibre it was using he Calibre file. "Rut thinking" (stuck in rut) I call it. Had to start using Kindle so I could manage my annotations as Stanza has no way to retrieve from iPad.

I typically download my books thru iTunes (usb connection) and not via Calibre.

I'll continue to use calibre and manage my .mbp file separately as calibre is one of my favorite programs.

Again... thanks for your information. I think I'm getting a working "system" in place. I didn't want to highlight, note, and bookmark dozens of books only to not have something NOT work...... and only to NOT understand exactly what's going on.

[nynaevelan]

I am a little confused, the mobi file is the ebook, the mbp file is just the file that stores the data for your notes, bookmarks, highlights and last read page info in the mobi file. You cannot use the mbp without the mobi file being available.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by 1611mac

I typically download my books thru iTunes (usb connection) and not via Calibre.

I'm confused by this statement. Most folks that use calibre and an iPad use iTunes (USB connection) to transfer books from calibre to the iPad. The Connect to iTunes feature is the recommended method for getting books from calibre to the iPad.

[1611mac]

Originally Posted by nynaevelan

I am a little confused, the mobi file is the ebook, the mbp file is just the file that stores the data for your notes, bookmarks, highlights and last read page info in the mobi file. You cannot use the mbp without the mobi file being available.

yes I know... but if you delete the "book" in Kindle for Mac (the mobi and the mbp on the Mac) and then at some later time Launch it from Calibre there is no mbp anymore and you've lost your annotations. When you launch from Calibre Kindle copies the file from the Calibre lib to the Kindle lib, but there is no mbp file. Therefore, the mbp must be managed (saved) and never deleted. I wish it were stored also in Calibre lib.

Does that make sense?

[1611mac]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

I'm confused by this statement. Most folks that use calibre and an iPad use iTunes (USB connection) to transfer books from calibre to the iPad. The Connect to iTunes feature is the recommended method for getting books from calibre to the iPad.

Not sure what you are confused about. The Calibre download sends ePubs to the "Books" device section of iTunes (where iBooks ePubs go). Kindle books need to be placed into the "Kindle Documents" pane of Kindle (unders "apps"). This is done either thru dropping the file onto the Kindle File sharing pane in iTunes or using the Kindle Documents "add" feature.

Likewise, once the book is marked (annotated) on the iPad the mbp file can be copied from the Kindle Documents pane back to the Kindle Lib on the iMac desktop.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by 1611mac

Not sure what you are confused about.
...
Kindle books need to be placed into the "Kindle Documents" pane of Kindle (unders "apps"). This is done either thru dropping the file onto the Kindle File sharing pane in iTunes

That clears things up.

I wonder how hard it would be to adjust the Connect to iTunes feature to support mobi to the iPad Kindle App?

[1611mac]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

That clears things up.

I wonder how hard it would be to adjust the Connect to iTunes feature to support mobi to the iPad Kindle App?

The issue is not getting the files back and forth. The issue is keeping a good copy of the mbp file along with the "currently being read/marked" copy of the mobi file.

This is reference and research reading/marking and once I mark books I want to be able to go to it and have the same annotations even if 5 years later. Therefore, I wish I could keep the mbp with the mobi in calibre. For me, the Kindle lib is just a temp lib while the book is "active." I don't want to maintain two libraries.

[itimpi]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

That clears things up.

I wonder how hard it would be to adjust the Connect to iTunes feature to support mobi to the iPad Kindle App?

I very much suspect it would be non-trivial! The current capability uses the interface that iTunes exposes for handling media (of which ePub books is one type). This exposes a set of attributes that can be set for the media, and the ebook metadata is mapped onto these. The Kindle app uses a different file transfer facility, and that has no concept of the attributes that can be set.

In fact if any such development were ever done I see no reason why it should be specific to a particular app as the Transfer of files to/from an app is a generic iTunes capability, and would sensibly be treated as more closely aligned with the "Connect to Folder" facility in Calibre. Having said that, I have no idea if iTunes exposes this file transfer capability in any useful manner.