Evolution request: accept/reject updated metadata

[Patrick Derwael]

Hi there,

Here is my 2nd evolution request:
Add a button to accept/reject updated metadata

The idea is very simple: I either download metadata from various sources, or load it from the book
As I do now know in advance if the new metadata (loaded from the book or downloaded), I would like to have the option to either accept it or to discard it and keep what I already have without having to go back to the main display

Currently, if I do not want to keep the metadata I have just downloaded, I have to <Cancel>, confirm, and then again <right-click>, <edit metadata>, <edit metadata individually>

Would it be possible to add 2 buttons to ease this process: <save metdata> and <reload metadata from DB> ?

Thanks!

[kovidgoyal]

If you download metadata from the edit metadata download dialog you can cancel it at any time by simply clicking cancel. If you download it in bulk then there is a dedicated review metadata tool that allows you to view and accept reject changes.

[BetterRed]

Moderator Notice

Thread moved - see PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING - Purpose of Development subforum

BR

[Patrick Derwael]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

If you download metadata from the edit metadata download dialog you can cancel it at any time by simply clicking cancel. If you download it in bulk then there is a dedicated review metadata tool that allows you to view and accept reject changes.

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your feedback, but I guess my explanation was not crystal clear: I have done a series of bulk metadata download, which I'm now refining book by book

So, when I download metadata for one book, I do not know in advance if the newly downloaded information will be any better than what I already have
Sometimes, I keep the description but not the tags, sometimes I want to keep the tags, but not the description, etc...

If I want to keep, say the tags, but not the description, I need to copy what I want to keep, then exit (<Cancel> & confirm), edit it again (<right-click>, <edit metadata>, <edit metadata individually>) and finally paste the data I want to keep

Adding a <save metadata> & <reload metadata> would replace 5 clicks ( <Cancel>, confirm, and then <right-click>, <edit metadata>, <edit metadata individually>) by one single click (<save/reload metadata>)

[theducks]

Try Ctrl-D (metadata download for selected books): Then use the Review button. THIS does 1 book of the list at a time

It shows New on the Left, Old on the Right and the < (make the new, the old value for each field. Except Tags has a small down arrow that allow a Merge)
If the left is blank, the right will Auto-Copy upon accept
The Left side also supports the standard lookup (existing DB values)

What it does NOT do is offer a Block/don't copy if the left is blank and you have bad/wrong data in the Right (existing values)

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Patrick Derwael

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your feedback, but I guess my explanation was not crystal clear: I have done a series of bulk metadata download, which I'm now refining book by book

So, when I download metadata for one book, I do not know in advance if the newly downloaded information will be any better than what I already have
Sometimes, I keep the description but not the tags, sometimes I want to keep the tags, but not the description, etc...

If I want to keep, say the tags, but not the description, I need to copy what I want to keep, then exit (<Cancel> & confirm), edit it again (<right-click>, <edit metadata>, <edit metadata individually>) and finally paste the data I want to keep

Adding a <save metadata> & <reload metadata> would replace 5 clicks ( <Cancel>, confirm, and then <right-click>, <edit metadata>, <edit metadata individually>) by one single click (<save/reload metadata>)

You can right-click in any metadata field in the dialog and choose undo. That will revert the change for that field. You can also change the preferences for the each metadata source to not download particular fields, and for the whole metadata download process.

[Patrick Derwael]

Originally Posted by davidfor

You can right-click in any metadata field in the dialog and choose undo

Hi,

I was not aware of the undo possibility (except in the comments field), thanks for the pointer!

For the rest, I really prefer to perform udpates one field at the time
It happens to me all the time that a metadata download updates field(s) I want to keep

The typical example is the author name: I have normalised them to "first_name last_name" (which is the normal use in French)
When downloading metadata, most of the time this field comes as "last_name, first_name"
I have had countless books subrepticely been "moved" to an incorrect author name

ANyway, my initial proposal was meant to ease my metadata management (and maybe some other's as well), and although I would have appreciated more flexibility, I can leave with what the application provides

Thanks!

[BetterRed]

You can configure what gets downloaded - globally and by site.

Look in Preferences->Download metadata

BR

[Patrick Derwael]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

You can configure what gets downloaded - globally and by site.

Look in Preferences->Download metadata

BR

Yes I know that. I wish to be able to do it by field, and potentially differently book by book (which makes it impossible to use the preferences)

Thanks anyway

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Patrick Derwael

The typical example is the author name: I have normalised them to "first_name last_name" (which is the normal use in French)
When downloading metadata, most of the time this field comes as "last_name, first_name"
I have had countless books subrepticely been "moved" to an incorrect author name

What metadata sources are you using that set the author name as "last_name, first_name". None of the ones I use do. They set the author as "first_name last_name". The author sort is set to "last_name, first_name", but that is separate.

Also, instead of editing the metadata and downloading from there, try the bulk-metadata download. That is done by right-clicking the edit metadata icon and choosing the metadata download option. Follow the prompts and eventually you will see a side-by-side comparison of the current metadata and the downloaded. You can choose which bits to use.

[Patrick Derwael]

Originally Posted by davidfor

What metadata sources are you using that set the author name as "last_name, first_name". None of the ones I use do. They set the author as "first_name last_name". The author sort is set to "last_name, first_name", but that is separate.

Actually, I have inherited of a massive library (>20K ebooks) which I have imported in Calibre and I'm now in the (lenghty) process of cleaning them up

I have no idea about the original metadata source
In the existing metadata, the description is very often better (than in what I find in download), but the author is structured as "last_name, first_name"

This means that if, after a single book metadata download, I don't want to keep the information just downloaded and revert back to the original metadata, the "last_name, first_name" is back and if I do not notice it...

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by Patrick Derwael

In the existing metadata, the description is very often better (than in what I find in download), but the author is structured as "last_name, first_name"

You can use the Quality Check plugin to fix those (Check Metadata -> Authors with Commas, then Fix -> Swap)

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Patrick Derwael

Actually, I have inherited of a massive library (>20K ebooks) which I have imported in Calibre and I'm now in the (lenghty) process of cleaning them up

I have no idea about the original metadata source
In the existing metadata, the description is very often better (than in what I find in download), but the author is structured as "last_name, first_name"

This means that if, after a single book metadata download, I don't want to keep the information just downloaded and revert back to the original metadata, the "last_name, first_name" is back and if I do not notice it...

That's a completely different situation. You are starting with bad data and just want to fix that and not necessarily the rest. @mbovenka suggestion of using Quality Check plugin to fix this is probably the best for a bulk fix. You could also edit the name in the Manage Authors tool. That would fix the author one at a time but update all books by that author. This is also useful if you are there are various spellings of a name to fix. You could also use the metadata download. If you trust one of the sources to get the author correct, configure it to get just the author and run it in bulk for a set of books and fix the author. And do the rest of the metadata later.