[GUI Plugin] Action Chains

[fidvo]

I'm trying to create a module that adds an empty book and fills in some default metadata. Everything works except that the book doesn't show up in the book list until I reload the library (for example by restarting Calibre or switching to a different library and back). Here is my code:

from calibre_plugins.action_chains.actions.base import ChainAction
from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import Metadata

class TestAddEmpty(ChainAction):
    name = 'Add Empty'

    def run(self, gui, settings, chain):
        db = gui.current_db
        ids, duplicates = db.new_api.add_books([(Metadata(None), {})])

        # What do I put here?

        newid = ids[0]
        gui.library_view.select_rows([newid])

I assume I have to add something at the # What do I put here? marker in order to make the new book show up, but I don't know what it is. Any ideas?

Thanks.

[Terisa de morgan]

Need help with an action chain in the same way:

1. Collect a list of dta for a specific column
2. Duplicate the selected book as many times as element in the previous list
3. For all elements in the initial list, set the column with the proper value in the duplicated book
4. Refresh the screen

For [1] I've found the proper resource
For [2] I can do a module which:

1. Collect metadata from the selected book
2. Create as many duplicates as necessary
3. Set the proper column value

I have the following doubts:

1. How do I pass the list to the module? I've found how to define vars local/global to the chain but I don't know how the module would be able to read them
2. How do you check that one and only one is selected? So you raise an error if no book is selected or more than one book is selected.

Sorry for the long post, but I've done very basic things at Action Chains till now.

[capink]

Originally Posted by fidvo

I'm trying to create a module that adds an empty book and fills in some default metadata. Everything works except that the book doesn't show up in the book list until I reload the library (for example by restarting Calibre or switching to a different library and back). Here is my code:

from calibre_plugins.action_chains.actions.base import ChainAction
from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import Metadata

class TestAddEmpty(ChainAction):
    name = 'Add Empty'

    def run(self, gui, settings, chain):
        db = gui.current_db
        ids, duplicates = db.new_api.add_books([(Metadata(None), {})])

        # What do I put here?

        newid = ids[0]
        gui.library_view.select_rows([newid])

I assume I have to add something at the # What do I put here? marker in order to make the new book show up, but I don't know what it is. Any ideas?

Thanks.

I have no idea why this is happening. I tried adding either one of these two lines, to no avail:

gui.iactions['Add Books'].refresh_gui(1,set_current_row=0)

gui.library_view.model().books_added(1)

Maybe if you post this in the development forum Kovid of chaley can help.

[capink]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

How do I pass the list to the module? I've found how to define vars local/global to the chain but I don't know how the module would be able to read them

To retrieve the variable using a python module:

chain.chain_vars.get('variable_name', '')

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

How do you check that one and only one is selected? So you raise an error if no book is selected or more than one book is selected.

If you are doing this using python:

if len(gui.current_view().selectionModel().selectedRows()) !=1:
   do_something

If you are doing it with a regular action, you can set a condition as illustrated in this post.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by capink

To retrieve the variable using a python module:

chain.chain_vars.get('variable_name', '')

If you are doing this using python:

if len(gui.current_view().selectionModel().selectedRows()) !=1:
   do_something

If you are doing it with a regular action, you can set a condition as illustrated in this post.

Thank you, I'm going to see if my ideas are working (I like to try programming new things).

[chaley]

Originally Posted by fidvo

I'm trying to create a module that adds an empty book and fills in some default metadata. Everything works except that the book doesn't show up in the book list until I reload the library (for example by restarting Calibre or switching to a different library and back). Here is my code:

from calibre_plugins.action_chains.actions.base import ChainAction
from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import Metadata

class TestAddEmpty(ChainAction):
    name = 'Add Empty'

    def run(self, gui, settings, chain):
        db = gui.current_db
        ids, duplicates = db.new_api.add_books([(Metadata(None), {})])

        # What do I put here?

        newid = ids[0]
        gui.library_view.select_rows([newid])

I assume I have to add something at the # What do I put here? marker in order to make the new book show up, but I don't know what it is. Any ideas?

Thanks.

This template contains an example of what you put "here".

python:
def evaluate(book, context):
	db = context.db

	from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import Metadata
	ids, duplicates = db.new_api.add_books([(Metadata(None), {})])
	print(ids, duplicates)

	from calibre.gui2.ui import get_gui
	gui = get_gui()
	gui.current_db.data.refresh()
	gui.library_view.model().resort()
	gui.tags_view.recount()

	gui.library_view.set_current_row(book_id=ids[0])
	return 'a string'

[fidvo]

Originally Posted by chaley

This template contains an example of what you put "here".

It worked!

Thanks, chaley. You're awesome.

I tweaked it a little, and here is the complete module code that adds an empty book, in case it's of interest to anyone else:

from calibre_plugins.action_chains.actions.base import ChainAction
from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import Metadata

class AddEmpty(ChainAction):
    name = 'Add Empty'

    def run(self, gui, settings, chain):
        db = gui.current_db
        ids, duplicates = db.new_api.add_books([(Metadata(None), {})])
        db.data.refresh()
        gui.library_view.model().resort()
        gui.tags_view.recount()
        newid = ids[0]
        gui.library_view.select_rows([newid])

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by fidvo

It worked!

Thanks, chaley. You're awesome.

I tweaked it a little, and here is the complete module code that adds an empty book, in case it's of interest to anyone else:

Thank you, as I'm going to use it as the base for duplicating empty books (I use it from time to time).

[fidvo]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

Thank you, as I'm going to use it as the base for duplicating empty books (I use it from time to time).

I actually have a different module that does exactly that. It suffered from the same problem as the other one, which is now fixed.

This one creates the book with the metadata already copied from the book that was selected when you activate the plugin, so it's probably more efficient than creating a new book and copying over metadata fields afterward.

A couple of notes:

1. It only allows you to duplicate one book at a time, because I didn't need anything more robust when I wrote it. The code is simple enough though that if you're at all familiar with Python it shouldn't be too hard to modify it to handle multiple books, if that's what you need.

2. It only duplicates the metadata; it doesn't copy the book formats. Since you mentioned duplicating empty books, I figure that shouldn't be a problem for you.

Here is the source code:

        
        
from calibre_plugins.action_chains.actions.base import ChainAction

class DuplicateBook(ChainAction):

    name = 'Duplicate Book'
    
    def run(self, gui, settings, chain):
        
        db = gui.current_db
        rows = gui.current_view().selectionModel().selectedRows()
        book_ids = [ gui.library_view.model().db.id(row.row()) for row in rows ]
        #Only applies if exactly one book is selected.
        if len(book_ids) == 1:
            book_id = book_ids[0]
            #get the metadata from the existing book.
            meta = db.new_api.get_metadata(book_id)
            ids, duplicates = db.new_api.add_books([(meta, {})])
            newid = ids[0]
            db.data.refresh()
            gui.library_view.model().resort()
            gui.tags_view.recount()
            gui.library_view.select_rows([newid])
        else:
            raise Exception("Please select only one book first.")

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by fidvo

I actually have a different module that does exactly that. It suffered from the same problem as the other one, which is now fixed.

This one creates the book with the metadata already copied from the book that was selected when you activate the plugin, so it's probably more efficient than creating a new book and copying over metadata fields afterward.

A couple of notes:

1. It only allows you to duplicate one book at a time, because I didn't need anything more robust when I wrote it. The code is simple enough though that if you're at all familiar with Python it shouldn't be too hard to modify it to handle multiple books, if that's what you need.

2. It only duplicates the metadata; it doesn't copy the book formats. Since you mentioned duplicating empty books, I figure that shouldn't be a problem for you.

Here is the source code:

        
        
from calibre_plugins.action_chains.actions.base import ChainAction

class DuplicateBook(ChainAction):

    name = 'Duplicate Book'
    
    def run(self, gui, settings, chain):
        
        db = gui.current_db
        rows = gui.current_view().selectionModel().selectedRows()
        book_ids = [ gui.library_view.model().db.id(row.row()) for row in rows ]
        #Only applies if exactly one book is selected.
        if len(book_ids) == 1:
            book_id = book_ids[0]
            #get the metadata from the existing book.
            meta = db.new_api.get_metadata(book_id)
            ids, duplicates = db.new_api.add_books([(meta, {})])
            newid = ids[0]
            db.data.refresh()
            gui.library_view.model().resort()
            gui.tags_view.recount()
            gui.library_view.select_rows([newid])
        else:
            raise Exception("Please select only one book first.")

Thank you! I've got an additional step changing one custom column, but that's easy. I'm going to create more than one book but that's quite easy to modify.

[Alinara]

I have a basic question because I dont understand why it do not work as I want it to. Asfar as I understood you can set conditions before a specific task or a chain starts. But my condition do not work. If I have 2 Books where one is in a"Series" and the other is a "Single". It do not get the two right.

My Code condition A:

program:
ifempty(field('series'), 'text_if_empty')

text
=
text_if_empty

chain -> edit Single field choose in field XY "Single"



My Code condition B:

program:
ifempty(field('series'), 'text_if_empty')

text
!=
text_if_empty


chain -> edit Single field choose in field XY "Series"


Here also screenshots:



What do I understand wrong here? Does is not check the condition at every Book selected? Or is the Text check with = and != not possible?

Its my first try with the plugin and I tested some possibilitys and read the instructions but dont get what I understood wrong.

[capink]

Conditions does not check all selected books because they are meant quick branching tool based on things that can be tested quickly like selection_count etc.

If you want to check every book, and only process books that have series column (I suppose that what you want to do), you add a "Search using template" Action and do the following:

• Make sure the "Select all books resulting from this search" checkbox is ticked.
• Make sure you select the "template output is a list of book ids" radio button.
• Use the following template:
  

  program:
      book_ids = '';
      for book_id in from_selection('id'):
          if book_field(book_id, 'series') != '' then
              book_ids = list_union(book_ids, book_id, ',')
          fi
      rof;
      book_ids

This will deselect all books that are not part of a series.

As an aside, attach your screenshots to the post instead of using external sites as they are not showing.