[GUI Plugin] Consolidate All Library Metadata (CALM)

[DaltonST]

You were very, very lucky. Please do not skip any steps.

If it continues to happen, please send me a Calibre Debug log for the Generation process.

Thanks.

DaltonST

[Terisa de morgan]

I'll try to get the calibre debug later because the error is exactly the same after following the steps you have told me. Do you know where I can get a previous version of this plugin, so I can check?

BTW, the problem is happening with a custom column: "Text, with fixed values"

Thank you very much

[DaltonST]

Yes, I saw that from your previous post. Calibredb does not like the valid values for that CC. I need the debug log as a .txt file to figure out exactly why. Easy to fix afterwards.


DaltonST

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by DaltonST

Yes, I saw that from your previous post. Calibredb does not like the valid values for that CC. I need the debug log as a .txt file to figure out exactly why. Easy to fix afterwards.


DaltonST

I'll try to get it later but... I have a suspicion... Checking the column which is failing, I see that I have too "enumeration" columns, with the same name, and one of them has an additional value. I'll correct that at the library and I will be back at you.

[DaltonST]

Version 2.0.28 -2016-08-24 'Purge_all_enumerations' message fixed.

This message will appear if you have Custom Columns of 'Text, with a fixed set of permitted values' (i.e., enumerations) that are invalid due a lack of standardization.



DaltonST

[DaltonST]

Originally Posted by Tanjamuse

... Also I would probably end up having to use more than one CALM library and I'm pretty sure that that's not possible.

Yes, you may have multiple CALM Target Libraries. You just have to specify a different "parent" directory for each one.

Examples:

X:\Libraries\Fiction\Science\CALM\metadata.db
X:\Libraries\Fiction\Romance\CALM\metadata.db

X:\Libraries\FanFiction\Science\CALM\metadata.db
X:\Libraries\FanFiction\Romance\CALM\metadata.db

X:\Libraries\Factual\History\CALM\metadata.db


The main purpose of CALM is to standardize metadata across multiple libraries. Just adding a few new books should not warrant refreshing a CALM Target Library and running a Consolidation for 50,000 books.

Here is an idea to consider:

Perhaps adding new books (and legacy old, "dirty" books) to a special "scrubbing" Library, and then consolidating that "scrubbing" Source Library with a special "Clean Metadata Only" reference Source Library that is mostly static. It would contain only 1 book per type of metadata in your ecosystem.

Just like some people have a static book that has every Tag that is valid for them personally, you could have a single static Library that has every valid metadata value for you personally. Nothing more, and nothing less.

You could create the static reference Library by copying selected books from various other Libraries, and allowing Calibre to automatically add missing Custom Columns to the static Library.

The value of that is that your Consolidation jobs would run very, very fast because you would have relatively few books to be consolidated.

After you standardized the new books in the "scrubbing" Library, you would copy them to their proper Source Library and then delete them from the "scrubbing" Library.

Just an idea.

I use QuarantineAndScrub instead, but that is because all of my Libraries are already Q&S Libraries. If they were not, and if I did not already need and use Q&S, I would use the approach described above.

Q&S is for automated scrubbing of extremely bad metadata, including Authors, Title, Series, Series Index, Tags, and ISBNs.

CALM is far less automated than Q&S, and has far fewer scrubbing tools. However, CALM is a great tool to use by someone for whom that particular shoe fits.


DaltonST

[Tanjamuse]

I did not understand any of that except: "Yes you can"

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by DaltonST

Perhaps adding new books (and legacy old, "dirty" books) to a special "scrubbing" Library, and then consolidating that "scrubbing" Source Library with a special "Clean Metadata Only" reference Source Library that is mostly static. It would contain only 1 book per type of metadata in your ecosystem.

Thank you, perhaps I'll use this approach to update my calibre library (there're a lot of books missing because I began to use calibre much later than purchasing ebooks).

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by DaltonST

Version 2.0.28 -2016-08-24 'Purge_all_enumerations' message fixed.

This message will appear if you have Custom Columns of 'Text, with a fixed set of permitted values' (i.e., enumerations) that are invalid due a lack of standardization.



DaltonST

I haven't seen if this release works because, as I guessed. the problem where the different values in the custom column (previous to the normalization, it was trying to create 4 columns, and later 3 ones, and it worked in this case). Thank you for the fix.

[KyBunnies]

Will someone please tell me how to use this plugin. I would like to merge/delete duplicates across my libraries.

No the FAQ's does not help me any.

[DaltonST]

In a nutshell...

1. Create a CALM Target Library.
2. Run a Consolidation job for up to 50 Calibre Libraries at once.
3. Switch to the newly created and consolidated CALM Target Library.
4. Use the Find Duplicates plug-in to find all duplicates in the Target Library.
5. Use the CALM Target Library Tools to move your duplicate books among your real Source Libraries.

The User Guide is embedded in the CALM plug-in, along with exhaustive ToolTips. Read the ToolTips for each grey area and pushbutton. Also see the OP attachment named Slideshow.

Good luck.


DaltonST

[KyBunnies]

Originally Posted by DaltonST

In a nutshell...

1. Create a CALM Target Library.
2. Run a Consolidation job for up to 50 Calibre Libraries at once.
3. Switch to the newly created and consolidated CALM Target Library.
4. Use the Find Duplicates plug-in to find all duplicates in the Target Library.
5. Use the CALM Target Library Tools to move your duplicate books among your real Source Libraries.

The User Guide is embedded in the CALM plug-in, along with exhaustive ToolTips. Read the ToolTips for each grey area and pushbutton. Also see the OP attachment named Slideshow.

Good luck.


DaltonST

If I could find a User Guide then I would not be posting a question here. All I can access is the FAQ's. I can only access the following tabs in the plugin: Source Libraries, Target Library, and FAQs. No where does it show a User Guide.

Honestly is it to hard for someone to actually answer a question and not get technical so someone who does not understand computer language understands?

[Ravensknight]

Wow, that IS the way to get free help. Complain. Works every time.

[DaltonST]

The User Guide is decentralized, and is comprised of the ToolTips of every area and every button, plus the OP textual description plus the OP attachments.

[KyBunnies]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

Wow, that IS the way to get free help. Complain. Works every time.

Considering this is the third time I have ask for help and I keep getting directed to post somewhere else by the same person yeah I am annoyed.