Don't replace dot with underscore in folder name

[mfaine1]

I've searched here and seen a few posts about this but nothing that resolves the issue. On Linux, a folder name like "Rowling, J. K." is completely legal so there is no reason to replace the final dot with an underscore, is there some way I can turn this off or override it?

I think I figured this out years ago but I don't remember the solution.

Thanks

[theducks]

Ill Eagle = Sick bird

Calibre makes file names that are VALID cross (all 3) platform.
So it may be valid for Linux, but it is not for Win

[mfaine1]

I understand but this book will never see Windows operating system, so is there some way to override it?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by mfaine1

I understand but this book will never see Windows operating system, so is there some way to override it?

NO , Calibre has its goals and that would bust one

[mfaine1]

Is this Kovid's answer or just your opinion? I mean if I have to I'll write a plugin to do it myself but I hope I don't have to go that far.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by mfaine1

Is this Kovid's answer or just your opinion? I mean if I have to I'll write a plugin to do it myself but I hope I don't have to go that far.

My Answer from hanging around here for a Decade and reading Kovids replies

[PeterT]

Just to be clear; is your question referring to the copy of the book stored within the calibre library? If so check out the sticky threads in this subforun

[mfaine1]

Yes, the copy of the book in the library. I didn't see anything specific but I'll keep looking. I did see this but I'm not really wanting to change the folder structure. Best I can tell there is no linkage to the filesystem in the database, maybe I'm wrong and I'll find out if I am. That's why you make backups


For anyone that comes to this after me, for now the easiest fix that I know is to create a shell script and run it with cron or as-needed. With the rename command this is trivial.

apt-get install rename

fix-ebook-filenames.sh:

#!/bin/bash
# Calibre won't write the directory names properly, this will correct the directory names

dir="$1"
shift

if [[ "$#" -ne 1 ]]; then
echo "A directory is required"
exit 1
fi

if [[ -d "$dir" ]]; then
cd "$dir" || exit 1
rename "$@" 's/_/\./' ./*
fi

--

Then you can run it with /path/to/fix-ebook-filenames.sh /path/to/library
Any additional command line options go to the rename command.

[PeterT]

But doing that will break calibre. The standard advice is to treat the entire file structure that is the calibre library as a black box to be left alone.

If you want content in the format / structure that YOU want do a "Save to disc" and use a template that YOU select.

[mfaine1]

You're right, it does seem like there are some references in the database. I can probably just do the modifications to the database in a python script. I hear what you're saying but it's not ever going to be a black box to me.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by mfaine1

You're right, it does seem like there are some references in the database. I can probably just do the modifications to the database in a python script. I hear what you're saying but it's not ever going to be a black box to me.

You can do what you want but please don't complain or ask for help when you turn your library into a bit bucket.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by mfaine1

I've searched here and seen a few posts about this but nothing that resolves the issue. On Linux, a folder name like "Rowling, J. K." is completely legal so there is no reason to replace the final dot with an underscore, is there some way I can turn this off or override it?

You need to ask yourself why you're concerned about this.

Any use of the file outside the calibre library should be by transferring it to a device or by exporting. For both those cases you can affect the formatting of the folder and file names.

Why are you concerned with the name of the folder inside the calibre library?

[BetterRed]

@mfaine1 - the folder and file names within the library are arbitrary

Another developer might have taken an obscurantist approach by using the database author and book table row numbers to name library folders and files. Instead the developer of calibre chose to implement a solution based on author names and book titles that are acceptable to the various platforms that calibre supports (operating + file system), and be comprehensible to us mere mortals.

BR

[theducks]

Originally Posted by DNSB

You can do what you want but please don't complain or ask for help when you turn your library into a bit bucket.

There's a hole in my bucket

and all my books fell out

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by mfaine1

I can probably just do the modifications to the database in a python script.

No you can't do your modification to the database with a any script because if you do, you WILL BREAK your database. Do you want a broken database? That will make it harder to get those broken book out of Calibre and on your reading device.