When I use merge as an option during ADD my "add tags" don't get added

LadyKate · 11-05-2016, 02:40 PM

Because no tags are added when my add settings are "Automerge added books if they already exist in the calibre library:" I have found that "Tags to apply when adding a book" are not added. That means when I add a book that has a tag indicating where I got it and it is automerged I don't have that info tag available. Really wish there was a way to add tags to all books added even those that automerged.

I understand. The tags are not added because it is an automerge. This makes sense BUT I really want to see a way to add tags to these. I want to go back to each of the automerged books and take a quick look to ensure I have not overwritten something important (If I had, I would then go and pull the book from a backup).

Actually, I would really like a better way to check for duplicates between libraries and to indicate which one to keep based on a value in a custom column. Sometimes I have two copies of a book in my library. The tags and all the series information/comments/ids/ratings etc that I like to keep are filled in as well as information such as date read and my own personal comments etc. The quality of the book may be poor and the added book may be very good. I would really like to see a way to import the duplicates and during the "eyes on" portion of cleaning duplicates be able to merge two records based on some "click this as the record to keep" and then "click this as the book/cover to keep"

I know, I'm lazy. Currently I am dealing with this by "going under the skirts" so to speak and opening the record with the best book/cover and copying it to the record with crappy book/cover and good info.

HUMMM... perhaps some kind of plugin to copy book/cover from record 1 to record 2? Batch based using a custom column that would indicate which is the "KEEP" record and which is the "DESIRED" content?

Just daydreaming about what would cut down on my "Under the skirts" copy and pasting.

Does anyone else tend to have to do the under skirts copy of better versions of books to older records?

Using automerge all the time for these things isn't possible as some of the "new and improved" versions need to be eyeballed to discover if they really are better. (an example being a comic that was newer based on date but ended up being black and white and lower rez than the original which was quite old.)

Not having updated for quite a long time on one of my libraries I find myself manually copying almost 500 records due to the information on the older record and the good version of the book on the new record. Teach me to do a massive add new books!

BetterRed · 11-05-2016, 05:03 PM

Firstly I don't add hundreds of books as a group - at most two dozen a day.

If I identify that Book A and Book B are in fact the same book, I Mark them and then Show Marked books. I first decide which of the two has the 'better' metadata, that will be the one I keep - let's assume it's Book B. If Book A has a 'better' cover I open its book folder and drag/drop cover.jpg to the Book Details panel of Book B. I do the same with the book format files. If Book A had a format that I didn't have for Book B (that I wanted to keep) it too would be drag/drop copied to Book B.

Obviously 'better' is a subjective judgement - e.g. cover A might be a higher quality image than cover B, but if I find its design to be awful, I would probably keep cover B - unless it was similarly awful

I then delete the unwanted book (Book A). My backup process will archive the deleted book and replaced covers and formats, the process purges archived items greater than 90 days old.

I add to an Intake library, ensure the metadata basics are correct (authors, title) and add a '!newbook' tag. I then use the Find Duplicates plugin's Find library duplicates feature to check for duplicates in the target library. Because I am dealing in small numbers I deal with duplicates by not moving the 'duplicate' in my Intake library to the Target library. I don't use the Automerge or the tags to apply feature in Add Books. I deal with any books that get left in the in the Intake library after moving the non duplicates much the same as I deal with in-library duplicates, and then I delete them.

My target libraries have VL for books tagged with '!newbook', once I've done whatever needs to be done for a book I remove the '!newbook' tag.

Regarding tagging books with the source. I have started to use the GetFileName to assist in this, I get it to record the full path from which I can usually determine the source.

BR

LadyKate · 11-11-2016, 10:26 PM

BetterRed, I do mine a tad different. I add a tag Duplicate Flag to all the books in my temporary add library that show as library duplicates. I also have a custom column that includes update information I like to have such as type and date added etc.

I just wondered why the "tag to add when adding books" isn't included if the book merges with an older record. It would be useful to see that a newer version has been added to a record.

I was just trying to reduce the "under the skirt's" drag and drop copying I have been doing. Such as when the new addition is much better quality but the metadata added is much better for the original. I have sometimes ended up opening an ebook multiple times before being able to "capture" it to drag and drop it.

theducks · 11-12-2016, 10:59 AM

I suspect

Add is a bit literal. It creates a NEW record

Merge just changes the Format contents of book

I also suspect that there are slight differences in how the different 'Merges' behave:
Merge (within same Library)
Copy to Library: Merge (Formats)

LadyKate · 11-18-2016, 06:03 AM

Ok. Glad to know that add is literal. It would be wonderful if it wasn't but.

I'm still wishing for a way to check the two ebooks (when library duplicates are found) to see which I want to keep or if I want to keep both.

Short of having a second computer available to check the second library it is impossible I guess.

BetterRed · 11-18-2016, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyKate

Ok. Glad to know that add is literal. It would be wonderful if it wasn't but.

I'm still wishing for a way to check the two ebooks (when library duplicates are found) to see which I want to keep or if I want to keep both.

Short of having a second computer available to check the second library it is impossible I guess.

Not at all, run a standalone server against the other library by typing something like this into a command box.

Code:

calibre-server --port 8082 --with-library "D:\Calibre Libraries\_Main"

Then in a browser type the following into the url bar.

Code:

http://localhost:8082

You can see the metadata by clicking the Details link, and the formats via the Get button.

BR

theducks · 11-18-2016, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyKate

Ok. Glad to know that add is literal. It would be wonderful if it wasn't but.

I'm still wishing for a way to check the two ebooks (when library duplicates are found) to see which I want to keep or if I want to keep both.

Short of having a second computer available to check the second library it is impossible I guess.

The standalone content server ru- Browser is a good tip
or you could (with a bt of effort) use the stand-alone Viewer to open the second (library) book for a side-by-side

BetterRed · 11-18-2016, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

The standalone content server ru- Browser is a good tip
or you could (with a bt of effort) use the stand-alone Viewer to open the second (library) book for a side-by-side

You'd have to do it via a file manager though, and the metadata has to be in the book (I strip it back to DC with Modify), and if its not a book format, then there's vanishing little chance even of that

BR

LadyKate · 11-19-2016, 12:10 AM

Ummm I'll have to try that although I would want to look at the book itself as well as the metadata ... still thinking I really want a new laptop for those times I can't be at my computer. Just watching for the sales this month.

BetterRed · 11-19-2016, 07:49 PM

@LadyKate - as I already wrote, you can look at the format files from a browser via the server, it will open in the OS default - e.g. calibre ebook-viewer for ePUB, Acrobat for PDF, WMP for MP3 etc.

To make my life easy I keep a book folder in each of my 'permanent' calibre Libraries with -- Author: 'zzAdminstrivia', Title : 'Server on NNNN', Tags : '_administrivia'. And into that I drop a .CMD file containing the calibre-server command and a .LNK file containing the command to start a browser with the matching port number. This is what it looks like:

Click image for larger version

Name: 1.jpg
Views: 174
Size: 158.9 KB
ID: 153109

Two clicks is all it takes. And the 'book' is easy to locate in a file manager, so if calibre desktop is busy accessing another library (e.g. my Intake library), I can invoke the .CMD and .LNK files from it.

And it only needs baseline calibre and Windows - no plugins, custom columns, regex expressions, calibre templates, shell extensions, TSR gadgets etc etc.

BR

11-05-2016, 02:40 PM	#1
LadyKate Fanatic Posts: 515 Karma: 1470724 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Quebec CA Device: android 4 (samsung tablet and asus tablet)	When I use merge as an option during ADD my "add tags" don't get added Because no tags are added when my add settings are "Automerge added books if they already exist in the calibre library:" I have found that "Tags to apply when adding a book" are not added. That means when I add a book that has a tag indicating where I got it and it is automerged I don't have that info tag available. Really wish there was a way to add tags to all books added even those that automerged. I understand. The tags are not added because it is an automerge. This makes sense BUT I really want to see a way to add tags to these. I want to go back to each of the automerged books and take a quick look to ensure I have not overwritten something important (If I had, I would then go and pull the book from a backup). Actually, I would really like a better way to check for duplicates between libraries and to indicate which one to keep based on a value in a custom column. Sometimes I have two copies of a book in my library. The tags and all the series information/comments/ids/ratings etc that I like to keep are filled in as well as information such as date read and my own personal comments etc. The quality of the book may be poor and the added book may be very good. I would really like to see a way to import the duplicates and during the "eyes on" portion of cleaning duplicates be able to merge two records based on some "click this as the record to keep" and then "click this as the book/cover to keep" I know, I'm lazy. Currently I am dealing with this by "going under the skirts" so to speak and opening the record with the best book/cover and copying it to the record with crappy book/cover and good info. HUMMM... perhaps some kind of plugin to copy book/cover from record 1 to record 2? Batch based using a custom column that would indicate which is the "KEEP" record and which is the "DESIRED" content? Just daydreaming about what would cut down on my "Under the skirts" copy and pasting. Does anyone else tend to have to do the under skirts copy of better versions of books to older records? Using automerge all the time for these things isn't possible as some of the "new and improved" versions need to be eyeballed to discover if they really are better. (an example being a comic that was newer based on date but ended up being black and white and lower rez than the original which was quite old.) Not having updated for quite a long time on one of my libraries I find myself manually copying almost 500 records due to the information on the older record and the good version of the book on the new record. Teach me to do a massive add new books!

11-05-2016, 05:03 PM	#2
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 20,583 Karma: 26954694 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	Firstly I don't add hundreds of books as a group - at most two dozen a day. If I identify that Book A and Book B are in fact the same book, I Mark them and then Show Marked books. I first decide which of the two has the 'better' metadata, that will be the one I keep - let's assume it's Book B. If Book A has a 'better' cover I open its book folder and drag/drop cover.jpg to the Book Details panel of Book B. I do the same with the book format files. If Book A had a format that I didn't have for Book B (that I wanted to keep) it too would be drag/drop copied to Book B. Obviously 'better' is a subjective judgement - e.g. cover A might be a higher quality image than cover B, but if I find its design to be awful, I would probably keep cover B - unless it was similarly awful I then delete the unwanted book (Book A). My backup process will archive the deleted book and replaced covers and formats, the process purges archived items greater than 90 days old. I add to an Intake library, ensure the metadata basics are correct (authors, title) and add a '!newbook' tag. I then use the Find Duplicates plugin's Find library duplicates feature to check for duplicates in the target library. Because I am dealing in small numbers I deal with duplicates by not moving the 'duplicate' in my Intake library to the Target library. I don't use the Automerge or the tags to apply feature in Add Books. I deal with any books that get left in the in the Intake library after moving the non duplicates much the same as I deal with in-library duplicates, and then I delete them. My target libraries have VL for books tagged with '!newbook', once I've done whatever needs to be done for a book I remove the '!newbook' tag. Regarding tagging books with the source. I have started to use the GetFileName to assist in this, I get it to record the full path from which I can usually determine the source. BR Last edited by BetterRed; 11-05-2016 at 05:07 PM.

11-19-2016, 07:49 PM	#10
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 20,583 Karma: 26954694 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	@LadyKate - as I already wrote, you can look at the format files from a browser via the server, it will open in the OS default - e.g. calibre ebook-viewer for ePUB, Acrobat for PDF, WMP for MP3 etc. To make my life easy I keep a book folder in each of my 'permanent' calibre Libraries with -- Author: 'zzAdminstrivia', Title : 'Server on NNNN', Tags : '_administrivia'. And into that I drop a .CMD file containing the calibre-server command and a .LNK file containing the command to start a browser with the matching port number. This is what it looks like: Two clicks is all it takes. And the 'book' is easy to locate in a file manager, so if calibre desktop is busy accessing another library (e.g. my Intake library), I can invoke the .CMD and .LNK files from it. And it only needs baseline calibre and Windows - no plugins, custom columns, regex expressions, calibre templates, shell extensions, TSR gadgets etc etc. BR Last edited by BetterRed; 11-20-2016 at 12:20 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Request: Add'l "Clear Search Histories" Option	Nyssa	Library Management	2	10-28-2014 11:46 PM
how to add "added" column?	iakovl	Library Management	5	09-12-2014 11:35 AM
RSS feeds: Kindle option "Add to Collection..." not available(?)	bonnzo	Calibre	3	02-08-2012 07:23 AM
Tags appearing when "Add Empty Book"	fio_smiles	Library Management	2	03-11-2011 03:43 AM
Calibres "Add merge book feature" in the new release	SirBC	Calibre	8	05-04-2010 12:11 AM

11-11-2016, 10:26 PM	#3
LadyKate Fanatic Posts: 515 Karma: 1470724 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Quebec CA Device: android 4 (samsung tablet and asus tablet)	BetterRed, I do mine a tad different. I add a tag Duplicate Flag to all the books in my temporary add library that show as library duplicates. I also have a custom column that includes update information I like to have such as type and date added etc. I just wondered why the "tag to add when adding books" isn't included if the book merges with an older record. It would be useful to see that a newer version has been added to a record. I was just trying to reduce the "under the skirt's" drag and drop copying I have been doing. Such as when the new addition is much better quality but the metadata added is much better for the original. I have sometimes ended up opening an ebook multiple times before being able to "capture" it to drag and drop it.

11-12-2016, 10:59 AM	#4
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,816 Karma: 54830978 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	I suspect Add is a bit literal. It creates a NEW record Merge just changes the Format contents of book I also suspect that there are slight differences in how the different 'Merges' behave: Merge (within same Library) Copy to Library: Merge (Formats)

11-18-2016, 06:03 AM	#5
LadyKate Fanatic Posts: 515 Karma: 1470724 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Quebec CA Device: android 4 (samsung tablet and asus tablet)	Ok. Glad to know that add is literal. It would be wonderful if it wasn't but. I'm still wishing for a way to check the two ebooks (when library duplicates are found) to see which I want to keep or if I want to keep both. Short of having a second computer available to check the second library it is impossible I guess.

11-19-2016, 12:10 AM	#9
LadyKate Fanatic Posts: 515 Karma: 1470724 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Quebec CA Device: android 4 (samsung tablet and asus tablet)	Ummm I'll have to try that although I would want to look at the book itself as well as the metadata ... still thinking I really want a new laptop for those times I can't be at my computer. Just watching for the sales this month.

Advert

Advert