~The Cleanest ePub: how to?

[mmjess]

Hello everyone

I have a very simple use of Calibre; however, there are two things I would like to learn to get "super clean" ePubs:

1. Clean up unnecessary metadata

I use very little data to identify my eBooks:
Title | Author(s) | Publication date | Tag

When I delete other types of metadata in bulk (like Series), I realize that other metadata persist to exist (like Description) when I use my eBooks on other platforms.

> I would like to erase all possible metadata, apart from the four mentioned above.

2. Clean up the structure

> After the metadata adjustment of my eBooks, I would like to be able to rename all the HTML splited files automatically with their new organization and new name. Example:

From "Dick,Philip K - Counter-clock worldd_split_000.html"
To "Philip K Dick - Counter-Clock World_split_000.html"

Thank you for your help!

Jess

[JSWolf]

Question...Where did that Philip K. Dick eBook come from?

[mmjess]

Quick reply: I don't have it, it's a pure example (as I'm French I chose an English book title). I read another one a long time ago, Ubik

[JSWolf]

Don't use spaces in eBook filenames. Also use Modify ePub to do some cleaning up. Then the rest of the cleaning up do it in the Calibre editor. Also install the epubcheck plugin to validate your ePub.

[mmjess]

Thank you JSWolf!

I installed Modify ePub, but there are many options that I do not really understand, I do not want to mess up my library.. The idea is to keep only the data I need (title, author, publication date, tag). I guess I can use "Remove all metadata jackets", "Update metadata" and "Remove non dc: metadata elements"?

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by mmjess

Hello everyone

I have a very simple use of Calibre; however, there are two things I would like to learn to get "super clean" ePubs:

1. Clean up unnecessary metadata

I use very little data to identify my eBooks:
Title | Author(s) | Publication date | Tag

When I delete other types of metadata in bulk (like Series), I realize that other metadata persist to exist (like Description) when I use my eBooks on other platforms.

> I would like to erase all possible metadata, apart from the four mentioned above.

Well, I am curious about why you don't want the other metadata, but...

I can't think of anything that will remove all unwanted metadata except opening the metadata editor and going through each field and clearing them. To do multiple books, the bulk metadata editor has a search and replace function that should be able to clear one field at a time for all the books.

Other than that, there are the Clean Metadata and Cleaning Comment plugins. Maybe you can convince the authors of these to add options to remove certain metadata.

2. Clean up the structure

> After the metadata adjustment of my eBooks, I would like to be able to rename all the HTML splited files automatically with their new organization and new name. Example:

From "Dick,Philip K - Counter-clock worldd_split_000.html"
To "Philip K Dick - Counter-Clock World_split_000.html"

The editor can do bulk renames for files. You select them, specify the prefix and starting index and all the files get renamed. I don't know of a way to do this without opening the books individually.

[mmjess]

Thanks for your time, davidfor.

Well, I am curious about why you don't want the other metadata, but...

I can give you an example: I use iBooks for particular ePubs, and I have a special use of "Description" and "Comments". I am annoyed when I discover that I can not change some texts already present without getting strange results in return.

Other than that, there are the Clean Metadata and Cleaning Comment plugins. Maybe you can convince the authors of these to add options to remove certain metadata.

Unfortunately, Cleaning Comment does not seem to work, and Clean Metadata seems to be for a very specific purpose.

The editor can do bulk renames for files. You select them, specify the prefix and starting index and all the files get renamed. I don't know of a way to do this without opening the books individually.

I will check that, thank you!

[BetterRed]

@mmjess - the Sigil Editor has a simple enough to use epub metadata editor, I use it to strip everything except title, creator(s), publisher, date and language.

BR

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by mmjess

I can give you an example: I use iBooks for particular ePubs, and I have a special use of "Description" and "Comments". I am annoyed when I discover that I can not change some texts already present without getting strange results in return.

That just makes me more curious

Unfortunately, Cleaning Comment does not seem to work, and Clean Metadata seems to be for a very specific purpose.

I wasn't saying they would do what you want. But, they are the closest plugins available. Extending them would probably be simpler than writing new plugins. Of course, you would need to convince the authors to do this, or make your own versions.

[Divingduck]

Cleanup of non DC metadata is maybe helpful. It reduced the metadata to a core set of DC elements. Take a look for plugin Quality check (check for non DC metadata) and Modify ePub (remove non DC metadata).

[mmjess]

Thank you all for your help, I think we are getting closer to a solution!

Originally Posted by BetterRed

the Sigil Editor has a simple enough to use epub metadata editor, I use it to strip everything except title, creator(s), publisher, date and language.

This tool is very interesting BR, this is the kind of tool I'm looking for!
Is there a way to apply this operation to multiple ePubs at once?
I also noticed that Sigil recreates useless metadata once the changes made and the eBook saved, is there a way to avoid this?

Originally Posted by davidfor

That just makes me more curious

I use the Comments section for brief observations on some books and the Description section after completing each book to make a brief summary of the concepts that belong to it.

Originally Posted by davidfor

Extending them would probably be simpler than writing new plugins. Of course, you would need to convince the authors to do this, or make your own versions.

I am about to learn Python, maybe I will find the faith to write a little program to achieve this exact operation during the year.

Originally Posted by Divingduck

Cleanup of non DC metadata is maybe helpful. It reduced the metadata to a core set of DC elements. Take a look for plugin Quality check (check for non DC metadata) and Modify ePub (remove non DC metadata).

Quality check seems interesting to make large checks, thank you! I have been using Modify ePub since JSWolf suggested it to me but I'm not very sure about options to use. The closest solution to what I am looking for is in Sigil's metadata editor, but I have the impression that it only works for one book at a time.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by mmjess

This tool [Sigil] is very interesting BR, this is the kind of tool I'm looking for!

Is there a way to apply this operation to multiple ePubs at once?

No

Originally Posted by mmjess

I also noticed that Sigil recreates useless metadata once the changes made and the eBook saved, is there a way to avoid this?

No - it always injects its calling card - name and date, calibre editor does much the same. I suspect its an IDPF best practice guideline. You could try unpacking the epub, remove the calling card from the opf with an editor, and then re-packing the epub. None of the epub readers I use, or have used, display the calling cards, so I've never bothered getting rid of the one Sigil creates when it saves .

Originally Posted by mmjess

I use the Comments section for brief observations on some books and the Description section after completing each book to make a brief summary of the concepts that belong to it.

- calibre puts content of Comments into dc:description, i.e. they are one and the same.

I don't use Comments, firstly because they cannot be edited from the book list, secondly because they end up in dc:description, which cannot be removed by the Modify plugin. Any Comments that I download and want to keep get moved into a custom column - Blurb/#blurb, which I can edit from the book list, and remove via the Modify plugin.

Here the settings I have for the Modify plugin.



This program might be of interest ==>> New program: EPub Metadata Editor. I've never used it myself. I did look at it a long time ago but I decided I didn't need it because I could achieve what I wanted with calibre's Modify plugin and Sigil.

Note : I do other things in Sigil in addition to removing metadata items, such as spell check and ToC adjustments.

BR

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by mmjess

2. Clean up the structure

> After the metadata adjustment of my eBooks, I would like to be able to rename all the HTML splited files automatically with their new organization and new name. Example:

From "Dick,Philip K - Counter-clock worldd_split_000.html"
To "Philip K Dick - Counter-Clock World_split_000.html"

Thank you for your help!

Jess

Hmmm... don't use spaces in the filenames -- the results can get interesting (for certain values of interesting). .

Otherwise, why bother with adding the author and book name to files that are internal to the epub? For the most part, I just use Sigil's default Section0001 with auto-increment to consistently rename the files though both Sigil and calibre's editor can rename the files with a supplied text segment as part of the file name. I.e. Philip_K_Dick_Counter-Clock_World_Split_0000 as the starting file name.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Hmmm... don't use spaces in the filenames -- the results can get interesting (for certain values of interesting, .

Otherwise, why bother with adding the author and book name to files that are internal to the epub? For the most part, I just use Sigil's default Section0001 with auto-increment to consistently rename the files though both Sigil and calibre's editor can rename the files with a supplied text segment as part of the file name. I.e. Philip_K_Dick_Counter-Clock_World_Split_0000 as the starting file name.

Except I name the files for what they are - Preface, Foreword, Prologue, Chapter_1. . ., Chapter_N, Epilogue, Afterword, Endnotes, References, Index etc.

BR

Hmmm : I've never seen a Postface

[theducks]

If you want personal comments, make a custom column of Comments TYPE
AFAIK, that does not get embedded.

Then, you are free to remove all normal comments if that floats your boat