Merge books, how to select FIRST book or MERGE metadata?

[rboatright]

I have unfortunately created many duplicates in my calibre library. No problem, find duplicates works well.

BUT one set of these have excellent, well cleaned and specified metadata, and the other set don't. So, when I hit "m" and merge the two book records, I want the metadata to be merged.

Instead, what's happening is that whichever copy is the upper one of the pair in the list, is being designated as the "first" and so all the metadata in the second is being dropped. The meta data is NOT being merged, and I can't find a setting that allows it to be.

And, I can't figure out how to have the SECOND book in the list be the "first" selected, so I'm losing the well curated metadata.

I'm quite sure there's something I'm doing wrong, or a setting I've missed.

Help?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by rboatright

I have unfortunately created many duplicates in my calibre library. No problem, find duplicates works well.

BUT one set of these have excellent, well cleaned and specified metadata, and the other set don't. So, when I hit "m" and merge the two book records, I want the metadata to be merged.

Instead, what's happening is that whichever copy is the upper one of the pair in the list, is being designated as the "first" and so all the metadata in the second is being dropped. The meta data is NOT being merged, and I can't find a setting that allows it to be.

And, I can't figure out how to have the SECOND book in the list be the "first" selected, so I'm losing the well curated metadata.

I'm quite sure there's something I'm doing wrong, or a setting I've missed.

Help?

change the sort direction on Title Column

And, yes, this is the way it works. Not the First selected

[BetterRed]

Would be better if doco/tooltip read 'topmost in list' rather than 'first selected'

BR

[theducks]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Would be better if doco/tooltip read 'topmost in list' rather than 'first selected'

BR

If that is indeed the way it works.

I had always read it as 1st (clicked) rather then order of appearance.

as rboatright noticed, it can be difficult to force the order.

[eschwartz]

I don't know how Find Duplicates handles things, but the sort order doesn't matter when manually selecting items and merging them -- just like the documentation says, it is the first-clicked item that gets priority.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I don't know how Find Duplicates handles things, but the sort order doesn't matter when manually selecting items and merging them -- just like the documentation says, it is the first-clicked item that gets priority.

The PI only identifies potential Duplicates (what/how it ID's is based upon settings)

Te user needs to always review the results and make the proper resolution choice: Delete, Ignore, Merge Into


Maybe I mis-remembered that it was Upper most.
I do know Custom fields do not merge. Mstr Format is blank in Target and it stays that way upon merging . (I keep empty books as a Wish List and Merge the purchased books after Intake processing)

[BetterRed]

I don't use Merge because of Find Duplicates.

It's because I discover, usually via an external content search, that the same text was published under two different titles in different publications.

I mark the two books, show Marked books, sort list so the book I want to remain in place (target) is topmost, select using ctrl+A and do the merge.

Trying to control which book is the target via the order of selection has never worked for me - maybe it does if you use mickey mouse clickety clicks

BR

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Trying to control which book is the target via the order of selection has never worked for me - maybe it does if you use mickey mouse clickety clicks

Funny; it always works for me Select the 'master', ctrl + click the rest, merge. Done. Never fails to do the right thing...

[rboatright]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

Funny; it always works for me Select the 'master', ctrl + click the rest, merge. Done. Never fails to do the right thing...

So, if your calibre is in author sort, and there are 3 books scattered throughout the author sort that you want to merge, and you click the middle one, then CTRL-CLICK the outer two, and then do keyboard M and Enter, it keeps the middle one, deletes the other two and merges the metadata from the outer two into the center on those fields that are blank in the center one.

Right?

Cause that's what I'm trying and it doesn't seem to work for me.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

Funny; it always works for me Select the 'master', ctrl + click the rest, merge. Done. Never fails to do the right thing...

As I said - maybe it does if you use mickey mouse clickety clicks - for various reasons I avoid using pointing devices.

I installed the Temp Marker PI soon after I started using calibre, so that I could Mark books, and list them for doing merges in the manner described via the keyboard.

BR

[rboatright]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

As I said - maybe it does if you use mickey mouse clickety clicks - for various reasons I avoid using pointing devices.

I installed the Temp Marker PI soon after I started using calibre, so that I could Mark books, and list them for doing merges in the manner described via the keyboard.

BR

Ahhh keyboards... cool, I'll try that

[Tarana]

Yay! I always thought it was first in order, not first clicked too! This will save me some annoyance.