"Add a book" template like "Save to disk"?

[vr8ce]

Save to disk has a template where the folder and filename structure can be specified. Does "Add a book" have the same sort of template?

I would like to use author sort instead of author as the directory names in Calibre's directory structure, and I don't want author names on the books' filenames.

I'm aware of "Calibre won't use your folder structure". I don't want it to. I just want slight control over what Calibre does, similar to "Save to disk" options. (I don't even want that many options, just the two above.)

Is that possible?

[theducks]

NO
Save to Disk, Send To Device and Save to Folder all are for EXPORTING books from the Library.
There is absolutely no r(normal) eason to need the Library folder structure in any particular arrangement. The 'Calibre Librarian' will deliver your book from wherever it was saved.

[vr8ce]

No it won't. Calibre hasn't talked to an iPad for years.

I'm not sure why this community is so rabid about this subject. I use it to convert books from one format to another, period. There is absolutely nothing to be lost by Calibre providing choices on the structure (which is, again, not the same as me trying to specify a structure that Calibre has to work within), just as it does with saving files. It not doing so forces me to do things with, e.g., author, that I don't want to do.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by vr8ce

I'm not sure why this community is so rabid about this subject.

Unfortunately you walked into a nearly decade old decision that determined the calibre file structure will not be user configurable. Multiple folks over the years have brought bad blood to the debate and there is obviously still tension in the air.

Originally Posted by vr8ce

It not doing so forces me to do things with, e.g., author, that I don't want to do.

There is no reason to do gymnastics with your metadata. I don't have an ipad so I might be off base.

But I see 3 simple options to avoid the gymnastics.

1. I would use a cloud account to get my books to my iPad. I would connect to the folder of my choice on my computer via the connect to folder option. This treats the folder as a device and allows me to use the sending books to a device template to arrange things exactly to my specs. Once this folder has my books I can use a sync program to place it in the cloud and access the structure from my iPad.

2. I would use Calibre Companion App to wirelessly transfer books to my iPad from calibre. Or use it to access my calibre library stored in the cloud. This is how I currently access books from my Android tablet. I have my calibre library stored in Dropbox and I access it whenever I want from my tablet using Calibre Companion.

3. Use an appropriate app to access the calibre content server from your iPad.

There is also whichever way experienced iPad users use to get their books to their iPad.

Best of luck

[fidvo]

Originally Posted by vr8ce

I use it to convert books from one format to another, period.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you're saying, but if you only use Calibre to convert books from one format to another, then isn't the solution obvious? Use the following workflow:

1. Import book into Calibre.
2. (optional) Fix metadata.
3. Convert book.
4. Save book to disk, and delete from Calibre.
5. Do whatever you want with the exported file, including moving it to the iPad.

My guess is that you're skipping Step 4 and expect to just grab the file from Calibre's library folder. With a proper Save to Disk template, you shouldn't have to. It's trivial to save it somewhere else.

[PeterT]

I believe that if you do conversions using the command line tools that books don't even have to be in the calibre library.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by PeterT

I believe that if you do conversions using the command line tools that books don't even have to be in the calibre library.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

You are correct, they don't. I sometimes use the Calibre eBook editor with eBooks not in any Calibre library.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by PeterT

I believe that if you do conversions using the command line tools that books don't even have to be in the calibre library.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

IMHO it is way easier to fix metadata in the GUI.

I still don't see the reason to NOT leave the books in the Library . This helps keep the metadata Normal. No more 6 ways of spelling variations for <Author name here>

[shalym]

Originally Posted by theducks

IMHO it is way easier to fix metadata in the GUI.

I still don't see the reason to NOT leave the books in the Library . This helps keep the metadata Normal. No more 6 ways of spelling variations for <Author name here>

But not everyone *cares* about the metadata. The OP has stated that he only uses Calibre for conversion. Possibly using the command line conversion that PeterT mentioned would be the best solution.

Shari

[theducks]

Originally Posted by shalym

But not everyone *cares* about the metadata. The OP has stated that he only uses Calibre for conversion. Possibly using the command line conversion that PeterT mentioned would be the best solution.

Shari

OPs bullet #2 (optional) Fix metadata
My answer was ON point

[shalym]

Originally Posted by theducks

OPs bullet #2 (optional) Fix metadata
My answer was ON point

Hmmm...that post was not written by the OP. This is the post with the bullets:

Originally Posted by fidvo

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you're saying, but if you only use Calibre to convert books from one format to another, then isn't the solution obvious? Use the following workflow:

1. Import book into Calibre.
2. (optional) Fix metadata.
3. Convert book.
4. Save book to disk, and delete from Calibre.
5. Do whatever you want with the exported file, including moving it to the iPad.

My guess is that you're skipping Step 4 and expect to just grab the file from Calibre's library folder. With a proper Save to Disk template, you shouldn't have to. It's trivial to save it somewhere else.

These are the posts from the original poster:

Originally Posted by vr8ce

Save to disk has a template where the folder and filename structure can be specified. Does "Add a book" have the same sort of template?

I would like to use author sort instead of author as the directory names in Calibre's directory structure, and I don't want author names on the books' filenames.

I'm aware of "Calibre won't use your folder structure". I don't want it to. I just want slight control over what Calibre does, similar to "Save to disk" options. (I don't even want that many options, just the two above.)

Is that possible?

Originally Posted by vr8ce

No it won't. Calibre hasn't talked to an iPad for years.

I'm not sure why this community is so rabid about this subject. I use it to convert books from one format to another, period. There is absolutely nothing to be lost by Calibre providing choices on the structure (which is, again, not the same as me trying to specify a structure that Calibre has to work within), just as it does with saving files. It not doing so forces me to do things with, e.g., author, that I don't want to do.

Shari