Calibre - Colour my Star yes/no Column?

[Nicolas F]

You can even use calibre ebook editor to search for a character you like:
Open the ebook editor, click on insert special character and use the search bar. When it is inserted, copy the character and copy it in you column.

Or you can select the star you want in my first post, left click, copy and paste where you want

*And I'm not using a special font, stars and books for exemple are included in windows font by default

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Nicolas F

Or you can select the star you want in my first post, left click, copy and paste where you want

Why did some of the symbols you included in post 17, show up as '�'s when the OP quoted your post?

BR

[Nicolas F]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Why did some of the symbols you included in post 17, show up as '�'s when the OP quoted your post?

BR

That's a mystery of the computer world!
It might be the forum process the text when quoting and only recognize some specials characters? I don't really know!

[Jo69]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

The stars and so on are unicode characters or html entities. I don't know them by heart, I usually search in google "unicode star" or something like that.

Did that and found this webpage

http://xahlee.info/comp/unicode_stars.html

Sorry to be thick lol.. But this is all new to me
But how do I save them and where do I put them?

[Jo69]

Originally Posted by Nicolas F

If all you want is a star or a book icon, you could use text instead for better performance:
Create a column but choose text with a fixed set of values.
Then you can define which characters are allowed, and which color (see image)

star characters :⋆⍟★☆✪⭐������������
book characters :������������
(they may not look the same in calibre since it's only text it will depend of the font used)

I decided to try this
All new to me the characters. But I did a bit of research and found the character map where I found and saved a few there.
I followed your instructions from the clips you uploaded here. (Text but with a fixed ...)Strangely it worked and I had a gold star?
But I could not find a way to make it go if I wanted to
Unlike the yes/no columns I did before.

[Nicolas F]

Originally Posted by Jo69

I decided to try this
All new to me the characters. But I did a bit of research and found the character map where I found and saved a few there.
I followed your instructions from the clips you uploaded here. (Text but with a fixed ...)Strangely it worked and I had a gold star?
But I could not find a way to make it go if I wanted to
Unlike the yes/no columns I did before.

To make it go away, you click on the value and select the blank line (in blue on the screenshot)

[Jo69]

Originally Posted by Nicolas F

To make it go away, you click on the value and select the blank line (in blue on the screenshot)

Thanks. Was thinking it was the same as a Y/N and there were 2 alternatives.

My main problem, was that the lovely icons I added on Y/N column are very slow to load.

15 secs or more for just one.

So was thinking of testing a character I found instead, for a Y/N column to see if it worked faster.
However is that possible? Don't they have to be pngs?

[Nicolas F]

Originally Posted by Jo69

Thanks. Was thinking it was the same as a Y/N and there were 2 alternatives.

My main problem, was that the lovely icons I added on Y/N column are very slow to load.

15 secs or more for just one.

So was thinking of testing a character I found instead, for a Y/N column to see if it worked faster.
However is that possible? Don't they have to be pngs?

If it's a character it's like wanting to use the letter A instead of an image, you can't do that.
I think you have everything you need, several alternatives with advantages and drawback. So I will let you choose what you think is best for you!

[Jo69]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Nor am I.

But I think you have to find a font with characters you want and make that the calibre interface font, and then copy paste from the font manager into a fixed set of values column definition, or figure out the key sequence (Alt+something I guess) and type them in.

Hopefully Nicolas can give you precise instructions.

BR

Sounds a bit complicated to me But like most things it often isn't if explained , maybe with pictures lol:

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Jo69

Sounds a bit complicated to me But like most things it often isn't if explained , maybe with pictures lol:

In my opinion it is complicated. Firstly, you have to cut and paste the specific symbol you want from the configured calibre interface font as seen in a font-viewer (or know the unicode value's key sequence - e.g. Alt+Numeric Pad 1234). Secondly, I don't know what would happen if you changed the calibre interface font in Preferences->Look and Feel to a font that didn't have the symbol. Thirdly, the symbol might not render in every place you might want to see it, such as in a book-jacket or on the calibre server pages. As in the case where you quoted Nicholas F's post earlier in the thread.

I'm wondering if the performance hit you were suffering is due to the fact that you attached an icon to a Yes/No column, which already has symbolic representations for Yes and No in the form of a of green tick and a red cross . So try this:

• Create a custom column of type "Text, but with a fixed set of permitted values", and make the allowable values 'Yea' and 'Nay' (or something similar)
• Attach an icon using the png image you want to see for 'Yea'.

BR

[Jo69]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

In my opinion it is complicated. Firstly, you have to cut and paste the specific symbol you want from the configured calibre interface font as seen in a font-viewer (or know the unicode value's key sequence - e.g. Alt+Numeric Pad 1234). Secondly, I don't know what would happen if you changed the calibre interface font in Preferences->Look and Feel to a font that didn't have the symbol. Thirdly, the symbol might not render in every place you might want to see it, such as in a book-jacket or on the calibre server pages. As in the case where you quoted Nicholas F's post earlier in the thread.

I'm wondering if the performance hit you were suffering is due to the fact that you attached an icon to a Yes/No column, which already has symbolic representations for Yes and No in the form of a of green tick and a red cross . So try this:

• Create a custom column of type "Text, but with a fixed set of permitted values", and make the allowable values 'Yea' and 'Nay' (or something similar)
• Attach an icon using the png image you want to see for 'Yea'.

BR

Thanks. Yes it does sound complicated lol
Will try that thanks.

Just found this also -- https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=203422

[Jo69]

Tried what you said Better read
I created a column called test.
But there is no option in the list for column is true.
That I had to do with the normal Yes/No columns I have already created

[BetterRed]

@Jo69 - I'm not sure what you did, so I'll spell out what I was suggesting i detail. Firstly create a column like this:



Then set up your column icon rules, like this:



Your custom column would have a name such "have_read/Have Read", and you probably don't need an icon for 'N' or Undefined.

Why am I suggesting you try this ? Its a long shot, but . . . attaching an icon to a Yes/No column is a bit oddball - it already has icons, the green tick and the red cross. So, I'm wondering if overriding those icons is what's making it slow on your system.

BR

[Jo69]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@Jo69 - I'm not sure what you did, so I'll spell out what I was suggesting i detail. Firstly create a column like this:

Attachment 162147

Then set up your column icon rules, like this:

Attachment 162148

Your custom column would have a name such "have_read/Have Read", and you probably don't need an icon for 'N' or Undefined.

Why am I suggesting you try this ? Its a long shot, but . . . attaching an icon to a Yes/No column is a bit oddball - it already has icons, the green tick and the red cross. So, I'm wondering if overriding those icons is what's making it slow on your system.

BR

And its getting slower lol.
It is the icons on the read and loved Y/N columns I have created that are so slow.
But still want to call the columns that. Not My Yes/No

[BetterRed]

You can call the columns whatever you like: 'loved' and 'read', 'war' and 'peace', 'simon' and 'garfunkel', 'batman' and 'robin'.

All I am suggesting is that their type should 'Text with a fixed set of values' (rather 'Yes/No') with permissible values as 'Y, N'. Then if value is 'Y' apply the desired icon. This way you're not replacing a pre-defined symbol with an icon.

I have no idea if this will be faster - if I were a betting man, I would say probably not, but I thought it was worth a shot.

BR