Pocketbook PB740 collection support

[ajki]

This has been asked before - but the answers ("no support") don't convince me.

After many years with an Aura HD I moved on to a larger display (mainly for some needed pdf). After searching for some specs like SD-Card or "Collection"-support I ended up with a "Pocketbook InkPad 3" or internally "PB740".

This reader supports "Collections" (internal search name: "collection").

On the Aura HD I was able to configure the Calibre Kobo Driver to take a user defined column (say e.g. "#sammlung") as a cross reference value for the device data field. Thus any transmission from Calibre to the Aura HD updated the "collection" field in accordance with the Calibre data base. And the books on the Aura HD were categorized as "Collections" accordingly.

As the PB740 is recognized within Calibre, has a "driver" and supports "Collections" (on the device) I thought that the same functionality as with the Aura HD would be present on the Pocketbook.

Alas, it isn't.

The PB740 Calibre "driver" doesn't offer an option to crossreference a user defined column with the "collection" field on the device.

My hope is that the Calibre driver for PB740 could be adjusted on this matter.

Thanks for the great support to all Calibre developers.

[PeterT]

The challenge is that we need to know HOW the device supports collections.

For instance Kobo eReaders store the info in a database that is accessible when the device is connected, and all that is needed is to update the database with the corresponding collection names.

On the other hand the Tolinos retrieve collection data from the location that the Epub is stored.

So firstly we need to know HOW the collection info is stored, then ideally a developer with the device needs to tweak the driver.

Sent from my SM-T290 using Tapatalk

[ajki]

I'm pretty sure that all management functions are db-based (sqlite3).

But any further discussions seem meaningless as - for the moment - there seem to be no active developers with access to a PB740 in charge.

So, instead of using the PB740 with the current Calibre "driver" (in fact more like a stub), I'll keep using the Aura HD for any "serious" library access.

[Poppaea]

You'll find the books listed on a Kobo under "collections" now listed as "genre" in your Pocketbook. At least that's where Calibre sets them up in mine when I give them a tag like "History" or "Crime". The collections I think have to be filled manually, but the genre gets filled automatically - same thing as with the Kobo, just under another name.

[ajki]

No, I don't.

I'm using Calibres "tags" as catchwords/-phrases and per book there may be many of them. My Calibre library is on the top level (= virtual library) organized as "Collections" or "Book Shelves" and below that are all the other possible differenciations (Author, tags, publisher.....).

I could simulate this on the PB740 by using the "Folder" method (PB740 offers a folder view). I think it would even be possible to write a kind of function within Calibre that sends books into folders on the device based on the user defined column "collections".

But in the end this all would be not the same functionality as given by a device driver that supports this reader as good as on the Aura HD.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by ajki

No, I don't.

I'm using Calibres "tags" as catchwords/-phrases and per book there may be many of them. My Calibre library is on the top level (= virtual library) organized as "Collections" or "Book Shelves" and below that are all the other possible differenciations (Author, tags, publisher.....).

I could simulate this on the PB740 by using the "Folder" method (PB740 offers a folder view). I think it would even be possible to write a kind of function within Calibre that sends books into folders on the device based on the user defined column "collections".

If you want to organise by folder, you can use the save template. The default is to create a folder for each author, but, you can change this to anything else.

But in the end this all would be not the same functionality as given by a device driver that supports this reader as good as on the Aura HD.

To do that requires two things. Firstly, the collections on the device must be in a place that is accessible. They are on the Kobo, but, not on most of the other devices. Then you need someone capable of coding the plugin, or willing to learn. Having access to the device is pretty much mandatory to do this.

[ajki]

"...the collections on the device must be in a place that is accessible"

As written above: I think they are. There are two accessible db on the PB740 in contrast to the Aura HD, where one db (I suppose: the current book-values) is secured while the management db is accessible. The management functions and values for the user interface on the PB740 seem to be the db in a folder named "explorer-3" or something like this. I was able to skim both db with a freely available sqlite-Manager while the Pocketbook was connected to my PC.

"...access to the device is pretty much mandatory..."

My hope is that one of the developers will get to the Pocketbook series as successor to Kobo or Tolino devices in the future ;-)

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by ajki

"...the collections on the device must be in a place that is accessible"

As written above: I think they are. There are two accessible db on the PB740 in contrast to the Aura HD, where one db (I suppose: the current book-values) is secured while the management db is accessible. The management functions and values for the user interface on the PB740 seem to be the db in a folder named "explorer-3" or something like this. I was able to skim both db with a freely available sqlite-Manager while the Pocketbook was connected to my PC.

That sounds hopeful. Though the database name seems a bit weird for what it is. Unless it matches the name of the application.

"...access to the device is pretty much mandatory..."

My hope is that one of the developers will get to the Pocketbook series as successor to Kobo or Tolino devices in the future ;-)

I don't see myself moving from Kobo, especially as the other devices are not readily obtainable here. But, if someone wants to send me one...

[kovidgoyal]

calibre is open source, you dont have to depend on one of the existing developers getting a pocketbook, you just need someone who knows how to code to get one and be willing to contribute an improved driver for it to calibre.

[Photonoxx]

Hi, I bring my words to the talk.

I own a Vivlio Touch HD plus (french name of the PB632 Touch HD 3) which probably have the very same software as PB740.

I do some test by adding manually a book in a bookshelf, and check which db is impacted.

In did, it seems the concerned db is /system/explorer-3/explorer-3.db

It is readable and there's two tables in this database which apparently manage the bookshelves.

the first one :"bookshelfs", for managing the bookshelves themselves id, name of the shelf, is_deleted et timestamp (i copy the create command here)
CREATE TABLE bookshelfs( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, name TEXT, is_deleted INTEGER, ts INTEGER, UNIQUE(name) ON CONFLICT FAIL)

And the second one, "bookshelfs_books", which links books to their bookshelf
CREATE TABLE bookshelfs_books( bookshelfid INTEGER, bookid INTEGER, ts INTEGER, is_deleted INTEGER, PRIMARY KEY(bookshelfid, bookid))

bookshelfid correspond to the bookshelf id attributed in the first table "bookshelfs"
bookid correspond to the books id attributed in the "books_impl" of the same database (i copy the create info for this table)

CREATE TABLE books_impl( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, ext TEXT, title TEXT, first_title_letter TEXT, author TEXT, firstauthor TEXT, first_author_letter TEXT, series TEXT, numinseries INTEGER, size INTEGER, creationtime INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0, updated INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0, date_added TEXT, ts_added INTEGER, isbn TEXT )

Sadly, I don't have coding ability (or very limited one like some PHP CSS or HTML).

So, may be these informations could give some materials to developers.

I could make some test if any and hope it could help.

[marceltrou]

Hi,

I would like to extend the pocketbook 740 driver to add info for the shelves.
I know how to match the calibre book to the inkpad explorer-3 db and retrieve the info I want.

I tried to update the value of the custom field I created in calibre in the metadata returned by the books function, but calibre gui custom field is not updated after the syncro.

How do I access the custom field in the calibre database to update the info.
How do I access the calibre database from the USBMS driver ?

[kovidgoyal]

You will want to convert tags to shelves and vice versa, no need for custom columns.

[marceltrou]

ok, I modified the 'tags' metadata for the books to add the shelves found in the inkpad.
But the tags are not shown in calibre after the synch

[kovidgoyal]

What sync?? there is no two way metadata sync, calibre works by sending metadata to the device, not vice versa

[marceltrou]

Ok, so how can I send to calibre info from the device as the shelves info on the inkpad 3 ?
You told me to set this info in the tags metadata of the books returned by the 'books' function of the USBMS driver.