Custom column for "Volume" and "Version" (Revision)

[BaronKrause]

Hello! I use Caliber to manage both my ebooks and manga collection.

Manga and comic titles are usually released as separate chapters either from a magazine release or as part of a larger volume of work. Also often a release will be re released as a "v2" or "v3" indicating something was fixed from the previous.

It would be nice to be able to record that info (and in a way that caliber companion could parse into the file name if desired).

I just made 2 custom columns, 1 called "Volume" and set it to "Floating point numbers" just like how books normal numbering is (in case of some rare instance where there would be an in between standard numbering release) and made another custom column called "Version" and set it to "Integers" so I could select things like 2 or 3, etc.

While both will be parsable in calibre companion with {#volume} and {#version}, if I wanted it to look nice like "v2" at the end of a volume, or something like "Volume 4" somewhere I would need to do "v{#version}" and "Volume {#volume}" and that would leave extra garbage like "v" and "Volume " with no number in the names of all items that have that info undefined (the majority).

Also it seems once you change those values from the default "Undefined" in an item's metadata, you can't go back to Undefined, it will always show that field name and a number under a books details. Typing in "Undefined" again just goes to 0 or 0.00, and shows as such in the books info instead of the default Undefined and not shown. Is there a way to clear those fields, or once changed they are stuck until you delete that column or book?


Is this the most elegant way of doing this? Would it be better to make just 2 Columns called "Volume" and "Version" and set the type to "Long text, like comments, not shown in the Tag browser" (since it would not offer anything useful to be able to see all unrelated books labeled Volume 3 or Version 5) and just type in "Volume 3" or "v5" into the comment of that field if it has one? There doesn't seem to be any issue with clearing it after the fact either. I can also add " {#version}" to the end of the file name in Calibre Companion this way and it will add a v2/3/4, etc to the end with a space before, but if there is no version listed the file name will just end without an additional space, since a file name cannot have spaces after the last character which works out well here.

[BetterRed]

@Baron Krause - individual ints and floats can be reset to 'Undefined' in the book list by the selecting cell, pressing F2 to get into Edit mode, then Space, then Enter. That also works in the Metadata edit dialogues.

BR

[Nicolas F]

Originally Posted by BaronKrause

I just made 2 custom columns, 1 called "Volume" and set it to "Floating point numbers" just like how books normal numbering is (in case of some rare instance where there would be an in between standard numbering release) and made another custom column called "Version" and set it to "Integers" so I could select things like 2 or 3, etc.

While both will be parsable in calibre companion with {#volume} and {#version}, if I wanted it to look nice like "v2" at the end of a volume, or something like "Volume 4" somewhere I would need to do "v{#version}" and "Volume {#volume}" and that would leave extra garbage like "v" and "Volume " with no number in the names of all items that have that info undefined (the majority).

Calibre allows you to format the number has you want when you create a custom column.
So in the edit custom column dialog, in format for numbers you could enter:

• for the "Version" column (integers):

  v {0:d}

• for the "Volume" column (Floating point numbers):

  Volume {:.2f}

where {0:d} represents your integers and {:.2f} is a number with two digits after the point. Just put what you want before (v, volume, version...)

[BaronKrause]

Originally Posted by Nicolas F

Calibre allows you to format the number has you want when you create a custom column.
So in the edit custom column dialog, in format for numbers you could enter:

• for the "Version" column (integers):

  v {0:d}

• for the "Volume" column (Floating point numbers):

  Volume {:.2f}

where {0:d} represents your integers and {:.2f} is a number with two digits after the point. Just put what you want before (v, volume, version...)

Oh man that would've been so cool. I just tested it and it with an Integer set as v{0:d} to create a number that looks like "v2" for instance and it worked, but when I use that field in Calibre Companion's custom naming template, it only shows the number. I'm assuming the custom number formatting is just a change to how that number is displayed locally.

For now it seems i'm sticking with a Version column set to a Long comment like text field, and just type in things like "v2" so that way Calibre Companion will show that at the end of a file name when formatted with " {#version}" at the end of the template (If I were to use v{#version} in CC's text field, if there isn't a version number, it would still show a space followed by a "v" with no number at the end of every file).

Much rather do an Integer (or even floating point, though it would be wasted for this field) but the way its displayed is the most important thing about this one as I really would never need to sort by revisions of various community translated works.

[Nicolas F]

Originally Posted by BaronKrause

Oh man that would've been so cool. I just tested it and it with an Integer set as v{0:d} to create a number that looks like "v2" for instance and it worked, but when I use that field in Calibre Companion's custom naming template, it only shows the number. I'm assuming the custom number formatting is just a change to how that number is displayed locally.

For now it seems i'm sticking with a Version column set to a Long comment like text field, and just type in things like "v2" so that way Calibre Companion will show that at the end of a file name when formatted with " {#version}" at the end of the template (If I were to use v{#version} in CC's text field, if there isn't a version number, it would still show a space followed by a "v" with no number at the end of every file).

Much rather do an Integer (or even floating point, though it would be wasted for this field) but the way its displayed is the most important thing about this one as I really would never need to sort by revisions of various community translated works.

Ah, too bad. I don't use Calibre Companion so I didn't know.

One thing you could do that may be easier to use is using a column of type "text, but with a fixed set of permitted values" and use

v1,v2,v3

as values for example
This way you type it only once and the next time you only have to select the value you want.

And this way you can even sort ( even if it's useless!)

[BaronKrause]

Ahh very cool I might try that! Can you alter the fixed permitted values after the fact (in case I get some version with a crazy high revision number) or do I need to plan it out entirely on creation of the column?

[Nicolas F]

Yes you can change it later. And apparently you don't need to add the space value, a blank one is added automatically.

[MarjaE]

I'm running into a similar problem with other multi-volume works.

My first reaction was a volume column, but my second is a "full title" column, where I can use an abridged title in the "title" column. When browsing Calibre, the volume number wouldn't be hidden, and when exporting, the title and file path wouldn't be truncated.

[theducks]

Make use of a builtin behavior of Calibre:
title: the title (v1)
title_sort (standard Generated): title, the

Notice what did not get Auto moved to title sort when you click the copy icon

[MarjaE]

The volume number, which both of us were trying to make more visible, not less.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by MarjaE

The volume number, which both of us were trying to make more visible, not less.

Ah! Then A custom column is the way. The Template language does support custom columns