Importing and converting html fles

[citac]

Honestly, the card is the least of my worries. The only things I didn't have backups of was information stored in my diary app and my contacts. My postgrad notes are on the university server so I can re-download, and my fic files are also on my computer. I will get another card, just to be on the safe side.

I'm much more frustrated by not being able to solve my original problem. It's driving me batty!

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by citac

What am I doing wrong???

When you're ready to work on this again, let us know. It looks like your disk errors need to be addressed first. (Which, as Helen has said, have nothing to do with Calibre.)

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by citac

These files have no author name in the title of the file because they are all saved in their author folder.

FYI, many users will use a file renaming program to rename ebooks with the folder name before import. Personally, I don't do that, but it is an option.

The files themselves are named

01 Title.htm
02 Title Coda Subtitle one.htm
03 Title Coda Subtitle two.htm
04 Title Coda Subtitle three.htm
05 Title Coda Subtitle four.htm
06 Title Coda Subtitle five.htm

After import, calibre reads the author and title tags and populates the metadata with what it finds there. It also doesn't read the order in which the fics should be read, and alphabetizes the fics, which gives me

Title.htm
Title Coda Subtitle three.htm
Title Coda Subtitle five.htm
Title Coda Subtitle four.htm
Title Coda Subtitle two.htm
Title Coda Subtitle one.htm

You are free to import them with the number as part of the title or to bring in the number as part of a series index (via filename metadata import for either). Then you can sort on the title or index to keep your order.

OK, so the files are imported now. I click Convert books, go to search and replace, enter Grzegorz Hordynski into the First expression window, the Search Regular Expression line, and enter the correct author name into Replacement text lin. I hit OK. calibre converts the files into epub.

Good so far

Author is still Grzegorz Hordynski. A simple Search for "Grzegorz Hordynski" and Replace with "Author Name" is not working.

Which "author?" Are you looking at the "author" in the author field of Calibre's metadata? (What you did won't change that - you still need to bulk metadata edit.) Are you looking at the "author" in the content of the book? (That should have changed even though Calibre won't use it now that it's been imported.)

[citac]

I'm not going to attempt sending to disk at this moment. When I do, I will use a new SD card and connect my device with the card inserted. If I have the same problem again, I will post about it here, if that's OK (or if not, ask to be pointed to the right location).

I want to work out my original problem, and I will repeat my steps and escribe them here as I'm doing them.

OK, so here goes:

1. I imported the files by using Add books > Add books from a single directory. The import went without a hitch.

2. I selected the six files I imported, clicked on Convert books > Bulk convert, then choosing Search and replace.

3. I added Grzegorz Hordynski in the first line? bar? I'm not sure of the wording.

4. I added the correct name of the author in the Replacement Text.

5. I hit OK. calibre converted the files into epub. Author(s) still shows as Grzegorz Hordynski.

What am I doing wrong here? Am I supposed to add the entire string to the first line (i.e. <meta name='author' content='Grzegorz Hordynski' />)? I tried that, and it didn't make any difference. Am I supposed to enclose it with special characters, and if so, which?

Or should I just scrap trying to do this with calibre and try to find a program that can do a search and replace of a text string inside several files at the same time?

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by citac

5. I hit OK. calibre converted the files into epub. Author(s) still shows as Grzegorz Hordynski.

Where do you see the "Author" you are referring to here that you say "still shows as Grzegorz Hordynski"?

[citac]

In the main window of the calibre library. I also opened the zip fle in the calibre library folder, opened the html file with Notepad++ and the string was still there too.

[citac]

And just for he record, I asked for advice on this some fandom people because I thought they might have some insight about where I'm making mistakes, and I've just been called entitled for complaining about a problem with a free program by an anonymous poster.

If it turns out that the problem is on my end, which is perfectly possible and quite likely, I will offer my sincerest apology to all participants of this thread for having to put up with my whining and moaning. (And I mean it quite seriously, without any trace of sarcasm.)

[itimpi]

Changing the author in the conversion search & replace fields changes any author string in the TEXT of the book - it does not touch Calibre's metadata.

If you want to change the Calibre metadata then simply select all the books by the same author(s) and select Edit Metadata. Type in the desired Author and press OK, and all the selected books will have their Calibre metadata updated to show the author you specified.

[citac]

"changes any author string in the TEXT of the book"

which is what I am after, but for some reason I am not able to do it. I don't understand why I'm not seeing any changes in the text. I even opened the zipped file in calibre's resulting folder, and opened the file with Notepad++, but the original string is still there.

If it helps, here's the content of the head tag:

<head>
<meta name="author" content="Grzegorz Hordynski"/>
<title> Darling by agelade </title>
<meta content="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"/>
</head>

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by citac

In the main window of the calibre library. I also opened the zip fle in the calibre library folder, opened the html file with Notepad++ and the string was still there too.

1) The "main window" of calibre won't show the replaced text. It will show "Grzegorz Hordynski" until you change it. You changed the content of the ebook during the conversion process, not what calibre read as the author during import.

2) If the "html file" you opened is the source, it won't show any change either if you converted to epub. Did you try converting from html to html? The final html should be correct, unless calibre rewrote the wrong Author. If that happened, you just need to reverse the order - fix the author in the calibre database and convert. You wouldn't even need to do the S&R if calibre is overwriting those tags during conversion.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by citac

If it helps, here's the content of the head tag:

I suppose it's possible that calibre is ignoring the content of the head tag (i.e., doesn't consider it to be part of the book "text" subject to change during the S&R of the conversion process.) If that's what's happening, then do as I suggested above. Fix the author in calibre first. Subsequent conversions as well as Save to Disk or Send to Device will then use the correct author.

[citac]

Originally Posted by Starson17

FYI, many users will use a file renaming program to rename ebooks with the folder name before import. Personally, I don't do that, but it is an option.

(Sorry, I didn't notice your reply at first) I think I will have to do that.

You are free to import them with the number as part of the title or to bring in the number as part of a series index (via filename metadata import for either). Then you can sort on the title or index to keep your order.

Where do I find filename metadata import? This would mean that calibre will disregard any meta tags inside the files themselves and use the title as the source of metadata, yes? (Also, the resulting epub I get is named Title - author; where do I go to revert that to Author - Title?)

What naming convention would I have to apply to make sure that calibre imports information on author, title, series? I have some fics which are parts of series with multiple parts (Book 1 - Title - Part 1 - Subtitle.txt I mentioned in a comment on page 1). How do I treat those?

Good so far

Which "author?" Are you looking at the "author" in the author field of Calibre's metadata? (What you did won't change that - you still need to bulk metadata edit.) Are you looking at the "author" in the content of the book? (That should have changed even though Calibre won't use it now that it's been imported.)

I was looking at the author in the content of the book, and it didn't change. That tag is still there.

I hope I've managed to explain myself properly this time. I feel like there's some sort of a communication breakdown going on. I really want to make this work, even if it's just for conversion because I can't handle anything else at this moment.

[citac]

Originally Posted by Starson17

1) The "main window" of calibre won't show the replaced text. It will show "Grzegorz Hordynski" until you change it. You changed the content of the ebook during the conversion process, not what calibre read as the author during import.

2) If the "html file" you opened is the source, it won't show any change either if you converted to epub. Did you try converting from html to html? The final html should be correct, unless calibre rewrote the wrong Author. If that happened, you just need to reverse the order - fix the author in the calibre database and convert. You wouldn't even need to do the S&R if calibre is overwriting those tags during conversion.

OK, I just did as you suggested and bulk edited the metadata to the correct author. Now I convert the books again, this time to html, yes? :crosses fingers:

OK, so the resulting file is HTMLZ, and trying to open it tells me that Windows can't open the format. What about CoolReader? I don't remember this being one of the formats it reads? What do I do with this file type now?

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by citac

(Sorry, I didn't notice your reply at first) I think I will have to do that.

It's one option. There are several dedicated ebook filename renamers out there.

Where do I find filename metadata import?

Preferences Import/Export Adding Books - it's a clickbox option to get the metadata from filename or metadata in the file.

This would mean that calibre will disregard any meta tags inside the files themselves and use the title as the source of metadata, yes?

Yes

(Also, the resulting epub I get is named Title - author; where do I go to revert that to Author - Title?)

You control that in your Save to Disk options.

I hope I've managed to explain myself properly this time. I feel like there's some sort of a communication breakdown going on.

It's partly just crossposting. Get up to speed on my last posts, then ask if it's not clear.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by citac

OK, so the resulting file is HTMLZ, and trying to open it tells me that Windows can't open the format.

Calibre's viewer can read it. Tell calibre to open it. It's just a zip file with all html files from the original source put into a single html.