[Android] Wish List

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by chaley

I have added it to the list and will look at its implementation.

Actually, it looks like what you really did was to add it to the list and make the change already.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you sir, are the greatest.

Can't wait to start testing the new version.

[Purple Lady]

Since you said something about more details in the list view with large covers for the next cycle, how about including a choice of how many authors to display for books with multiple authors? I noticed on my phone today a book with over 20 authors took up more than a full screen. Doesn't look so bad on my tablet, but definitely something I'd like to see an option for.

[kaufman]

Or, instead of cutting it off at a number of authors, add the option to stop after a certain number of characters.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Since you said something about more details in the list view with large covers for the next cycle, how about including a choice of how many authors to display for books with multiple authors? I noticed on my phone today a book with over 20 authors took up more than a full screen. Doesn't look so bad on my tablet, but definitely something I'd like to see an option for.

Added to the list.

Originally Posted by kaufman

Or, instead of cutting it off at a number of authors, add the option to stop after a certain number of characters.

Characters would be easier to build, but suffers from displaying partial author names. @Purple Lady: would that solve the problem?

Hmmmm: perhaps the best is a number of characters that controls the number of authors. If adding an author causes the count to go over the limit, an ellipsis instead of that author is added. Of course, the first author must be permitted even if the length exceeds the count.

[kaufman]

If you wanted to get really fancy, you could show something like a plus sign and then pop up a full list of authors with hotlinks.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Since you said something about more details in the list view with large covers for the next cycle, how about including a choice of how many authors to display for books with multiple authors? I noticed on my phone today a book with over 20 authors took up more than a full screen. Doesn't look so bad on my tablet, but definitely something I'd like to see an option for.

Originally Posted by kaufman

Or, instead of cutting it off at a number of authors, add the option to stop after a certain number of characters.

I did this, but cut it off at an author's name as I described above. The result is:

Originally Posted by kaufman

If you wanted to get really fancy, you could show something like a plus sign and then pop up a full list of authors with hotlinks.

Given that one can tap to go to book details and see all the authors with links, I don't see the need to add that complexity into the book list. Trying to distinguish between a tap to see authors and a tap to see book details would be hard, with results potentially frustrating for the user.

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by chaley

Given that one can tap to go to book details and see all the authors with links, I don't see the need to add that complexity into the book list. Trying to distinguish between a tap to see authors and a tap to see book details would be hard, with results potentially frustrating for the user.

My apologies. I had a brain freeze for a second and forgot we weren't talking about the book details screen.

As you may remember from previous conversations about adding more information to the book list, I don't support hotlinking anything there because of the issues of missed taps.

And now... Let the abuse begin.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by chaley

I did this, but cut it off at an author's name as I described above. The result is:
Attachment 125784 Attachment 125785

Given that one can tap to go to book details and see all the authors with links, I don't see the need to add that complexity into the book list. Trying to distinguish between a tap to see authors and a tap to see book details would be hard, with results potentially frustrating for the user.

That looks good, thanks! I agree you don't need a link to click on.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by kaufman

And now... Let the abuse begin.

[kaufman]

Wish item for the next release cycle:

Would it be possible to add a function to back up and restore the current settings? You have enough of them now that it would be great to have a way to set up a new device easily. I'm not looking to back up the book database, just the other settings.

Ideally, you would do this my using the google data backup stuff, but I would be almost as happy with the ability to write out and read in a file.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by kaufman

Wish item for the next release cycle:

Would it be possible to add a function to back up and restore the current settings? You have enough of them now that it would be great to have a way to set up a new device easily. I'm not looking to back up the book database, just the other settings.

This is part of the analysis we are doing for general backup. One of the problems we must solve is migration. What happens if a person restores a backup from 2 or 3 versions ago? We know what to do with the db, run it sequentially through the upgrades. We need to be sure that we do the same for preferences.

Ideally, you would do this by using the google data backup stuff, but I would be almost as happy with the ability to write out and read in a file.

Would Google's backup service really be the right thing to use? It seems to depend on the files being identical across all devices, which is clearly not true for CC. I can't find any way to control what data set get restored or to have multiple data sets.

There is also a lot of chatter on the 'net saying that the service is fundamentally unreliable. I don't know the truth of that, but given that backups and restores "magically happen" at unknown points, I can see lots of room for problems.

[kaufman]

Originally Posted by chaley

This is part of the analysis we are doing for general backup. One of the problems we must solve is migration. What happens if a person restores a backup from 2 or 3 versions ago?

To me, this makes the most sense for backing up settings. People can always transfer their books again. If it was an older version of the backup, you could just apply the settings that still exist and ignore the other ones.

I wasn't thinking of the backup as strict copy of the internal data structures, but as a set of preference pairs that you could reapply as the file was loaded. I used an app once that generated this in text as an email that could be copy/pasted into the app later. Then the app parsed the text and reset the settings.

Having said all this, if you wanted to backup the book database too, I wouldn't mind. Although, then you would also have to backup the books for people who keep them on internal storage.

It seems to me that there are two use-cases for this.

1) I lost my device
2) I am upgrading my device.

If you are only doing this to support usecase 2, you can just insist that the user upgraded to the current version before starting the migration. For people with books on an external SD card the work would be:

1) Make sure CC is up to date on old device.
2) backup settings and book db to SD card
3) Move SD card to new device
4) Install CC on new device
5) Load settings and book database

For people without an SD card, I am not sure what the easiest way to do 2 and 5 would be. Plus you would also have to backup and restore the books for them.

For usecase 1, the settings book db and books would need to be stored off device to be of any use, and since (except for the settings) they are already in calibre, would anyone really do that?

I think I am back to my first position. Just backup and restore settings. Its small enough to move around, and gives most of the value that people might be looking for.

[drmadhupk]

This might have been wished for earlier.

Ability to add books to cc directly on device with ability to download metadata and save it on device just like on calibre. These books and metadata can be synced with calibre later.

I download a lot of books on my mobile. I have to copy them to pc... add to calibre.... download metadata.... connect cc wirelessly/content server..... then add book and metadata to cc on device. If it was possible to add books to cc library directly on device we could just sync with calibre later when connected wirelessly. This way cc can also be used as a standalone app (if intentions are to have cc never as a standalone app, please ignore)

sorry if this was dealt with earlier.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by drmadhupk

This might have been wished for earlier.

Ability to add books to cc directly on device with ability to download metadata and save it on device just like on calibre. These books and metadata can be synced with calibre later.

I download a lot of books on my mobile. I have to copy them to pc... add to calibre.... download metadata.... connect cc wirelessly/content server..... then add book and metadata to cc on device. If it was possible to add books to cc library directly on device we could just sync with calibre later when connected wirelessly. This way cc can also be used as a standalone app (if intentions are to have cc never as a standalone app, please ignore)

sorry if this was dealt with earlier.

This is one that won't happen for the reason you gave. As soon as we start moving CC toward a standalone app we will be required to support editing metadata. We would be pressured to be compatible with calibre, including things like the template language, saved searches, multi-format, and so on; to download metadata; and to update metadata in books. Calibre does all these things very well.

From time to time Kovid has talked about making a client/server calibre. If that happens then we would certainly provide a client. A desktop client/server implementation would need to come first so that we know that the protocol is complete and so we have a stable test bed. That is calibre-side work I would almost certainly help with if/when the idea percolates up to the top of Kovid's infinitely deep stack.

[pickyaxe]

Request: option to make it so that the sidebar doesn't animate when opening/closing. This makes it better for e-ink readers. Even better if this option keeps the "show sidebar" button but disables swiping right altogether (because swiping is a pretty lousy user experience on screens with low refresh rates).

Fantastic product, by the way!