Kobo Touch loses UNREAD/FINISHED status after disconnecting from Calibre

[DragonflyKing]

When I connect my Kobo Touch to Calibre and add books, when I disconnect again all books are marked as UNREAD, even ones that I have not changed.

Is there a way to show the read status in Calbre and sync this with my Kobo Touch?

I already know how to create a column to flag read status (e.g. Yes/No column) - I just want a method that will allow my device to remember that I have FINISHED a particular book.

In case it makes any difference: All my books are epub files downloaded via Calibre to the main memory of the device using this save template
{#class}/{title_sort} - {authors_sort}
Where #class is my classification for the book (Fiction.classic, Fiction.Sci-Fi etc.)

Thanks for any help

[PeterT]

How is metadata management set in Preferences | Sending books to Device?

I know when I had it set to Automatic I would see all status reset on the Kobo; now I use Manual management and books stay as they were on the Touch.

[DragonflyKing]

Thanks PeterT, that did the job of not over-writing the read status in the Kobo Touch.

Is anyone aware of how to sync this status between Calibre and a Kobo Touch. I keep reading snipets about "Im_reading", "Read" and "Closed" tags but am not sure how to use this. Can someone post a method (in detail) please. I assume that these are Calibre tags that are linked to equivalent field values within the Kobo. Or are these keyword tags that go in the Tags field.

Calibre really needs another word other than tag. There is the 'Tag Browser', 'Tags' field and XML like 'tags' used in filters and headings. All of these are completely different and makes it hard to follow short instructions offered in forums like this one.

[davidfor]

I just had a play with the status synching. If you want to use this, it appears to be only one-way. It goes from Calibre to the KT.

Here is how it appears to need to be configured:

- With the KT connected, open the device configuration.
- Enter the collections you want to use. The list "Im_Reading, Read, Closed, Shortlist" is all that you can use can be entered like that.
- Save the configuration and eject the device.
- For each book on the device, add one or more of the above list as a tag.
- Change "Sending books to Device" to the automatic option.
- Connect the device.

Calibre will then do its work in connecting to the device. In doing this, it will clear all the "collections" on the device and then for each book with one of the above tags, it will update the device database to put them in the collection. It does not pull this from the device and apply them to the Calibre library.

I think the above is correct. It is based on my tests today and a quick look at the code. I have probably missed something, and will be happy to be corrected on it. I wasn't using this before and I won't be in the future as I don't like how it works. I would like to have this done automatically, but it would need to be two way. I'd also like to be able to put the status in field other than the tag field. I might have a look at this myself sometime, but I have something else I am working on at the moment.

[DragonflyKing]

Brilliant David - I'll give that a try.

Many thanks.