Calibre Viewer Default Format

slantybard · 04-28-2016, 01:26 PM

I tried to search for my issue, but the search terms are so generic that I haven't had any success. Thus, I apologize if this issue has already been answered.

When I choose to view a book using the e-book viewer, how does the viewer decide which format to open? For example, if I have added a mobi file and then converted it to epub, the viewer will by default open the mobi format and not the converted epub format. I know you can right click and choose the format you want to open, but is there any way to set a cascading list of formats to open? Ie, 1st open a converted epub, but if that's not available, open up a mobi format, etc (similar to the transfer to device cascading formats chosen to transfer).

I have looked throughout the prefs and can't seem to find any way to set this up (and I'm not talking about the behaviour prefs that ask which formats the viewer should associate with - but I could see this as a future feature where the order of the formats in this section is changeable with the top choice opening first).

Any ideas? Your help would be much appreciated.

eschwartz · 04-28-2016, 01:33 PM

IIRC it uses your preferred output format.

slantybard · 04-28-2016, 01:50 PM

I had hoped so, but for some reason it isn't using my preferred output (epub). Instead it chooses mobi before epub. I can't seem to figure out what it's cascading preferred format views are.

theducks · 04-28-2016, 04:27 PM

preferred format (order)

If you want to view a specific Format

Right click (on the books record): View: Specific format: <choose>

Alt-V is the shortcut

Note that the viewer is really EPUB and you get an OnTheFly conversion

BetterRed · 04-28-2016, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

preferred format (order)

correct - this got me really confused when I started using calibre.

To be specific its determined by Behaviour->Preferred input order. Which, I just noticed, lacks a tooltip. As well as determining the preferred formats for View, it also determines the Default input format for conversion.

I changed the shortcut so that 'V' always goes to View Specific formats. I also configured built in Open With->Keyboard Shortcuts for each of my common formats/viewers pairs - Shift+P opens a PDF in PDFXChange, Shift+D opens a DOCX in Word, Shift+E opens an EPUB in ebook-viewer, Shift+S opens and EPUB in Sigil etc.

BR

slantybard · 04-29-2016, 12:13 AM

Thanks so much for the clarification. Too bad there's no way to have it default to preferred output or to a custom cascading preference list. The advantage of such a system would allow you to view your formats after you have converted them to your liking - ie - stripped off the garbage formatting that the source material was tortured with by the poorly paid publishing gnomes making the ebook version of said source material.

;-)

davidfor · 04-29-2016, 12:49 AM

You can open any format by clicking the format name in the details pane for the book. Or right-click on the book, choose "View" and then the format from the list.

slantybard · 04-29-2016, 02:08 AM

Yes, thanks everyone for the tip about right clicking and choosing specific format. I already knew about this and used it quite a bit for poorly formatted source books. I should have been clearer when I wrote my original post. However, originally I was interested more in learning the process behind how a particular source format was chosen for the viewer and now know it's based on the input format (not sure why though). In the end, this is simply a user workflow issue that I will get used to and I have now mapped the "v" key to "opening a specific format" which will save me a workflow step of having to right click on the book. Again, thanks for all the replies. I appreciate it.

itimpi · 04-29-2016, 09:52 AM

You could also make your top entry in the list of preferred input formats be the same as the preferred output format That would result in that format being the preferred format for the viewer.

BetterRed · 04-29-2016, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itimpi

You could also make your top entry in the list of preferred input formats be the same as the preferred output format That would result in that format being the preferred format for the viewer.

But when you do that a conversion will always default to that format as the input. The formats I most often convert are anything but my preferred reading format - EPUB. I almost always convert which ever one of these I have, DOCX, HTMLZ or TXT to EPUB - I rarely convert EPUB to anything.

But as ever, particularly with calibre, YMMV

BR

slantybard · 04-29-2016, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

But when you do that a conversion will always default to that format as the input. The formats I most often convert are anything but my preferred reading format - EPUB. I almost always convert which ever one of these I have, DOCX, HTMLZ or TXT to EPUB - I rarely convert EPUB to anything.

But as ever, particularly with calibre, YMMV

BR

I am stuck with this catch-22 as well. I find the majority of ePub sources very poorly formatted/constructed. Thus, I try and find other sources (ie mobi) and when converting them, prefer to have them chosen as input formats over ePub. However, I prefer viewing the converted files in my preferred output conversion ePub. This "1st world caliber problem" is what led me to post my OP. Since I now know the cause of my problem, I have adjusted my workflow to minimize it since it is only a minor annoyance. In my "calibre utopia" the viewer would open a set preference of formats or the default output format instead of the input format.

HarryT · 04-30-2016, 05:25 AM

I've never used a menu option to invoke the viewer; I just click the format name directly in the "Book Details" pane which I always have switched on. I must admit that I didn't know there was any other way to do it

.

MarjaE · 09-25-2016, 04:44 PM

So any way to get Calibre to open the right format each time?

I want to be able to click on the book and open the format I use, instead of an extra format Calibre created? I don't know what the book details pane is, but it adds an extra step. I tried clicking on the right format in the list of formats, but (1) I have coordination trouble, so it adds to the difficultry and (2) it opened the other format instead anyway. I can't find the appropriate setting in the preferences, but it's probably in there somewhere.

theducks · 09-25-2016, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarjaE

So any way to get Calibre to open the right format each time?

I want to be able to click on the book and open the format I use, instead of an extra format Calibre created? I don't know what the book details pane is, but it adds an extra step. I tried clicking on the right format in the list of formats, but (1) I have coordination trouble, so it adds to the difficultry and (2) it opened the other format instead anyway. I can't find the appropriate setting in the preferences, but it's probably in there somewhere.

Post 4

04-28-2016, 01:26 PM	#1
slantybard my parent's oops... Posts: 489 Karma: 1477572 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Vx->Handera->Clie-> Axim->505->650->KPW/Aura ->L2->iOS/CBW	Calibre Viewer Default Format I tried to search for my issue, but the search terms are so generic that I haven't had any success. Thus, I apologize if this issue has already been answered. When I choose to view a book using the e-book viewer, how does the viewer decide which format to open? For example, if I have added a mobi file and then converted it to epub, the viewer will by default open the mobi format and not the converted epub format. I know you can right click and choose the format you want to open, but is there any way to set a cascading list of formats to open? Ie, 1st open a converted epub, but if that's not available, open up a mobi format, etc (similar to the transfer to device cascading formats chosen to transfer). I have looked throughout the prefs and can't seem to find any way to set this up (and I'm not talking about the behaviour prefs that ask which formats the viewer should associate with - but I could see this as a future feature where the order of the formats in this section is changeable with the top choice opening first). Any ideas? Your help would be much appreciated.

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04-28-2016, 01:33 PM	#2
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,421 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	IIRC it uses your preferred output format.

04-28-2016, 01:50 PM	#3
slantybard my parent's oops... Posts: 489 Karma: 1477572 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Vx->Handera->Clie-> Axim->505->650->KPW/Aura ->L2->iOS/CBW	I had hoped so, but for some reason it isn't using my preferred output (epub). Instead it chooses mobi before epub. I can't seem to figure out what it's cascading preferred format views are.

04-28-2016, 04:27 PM	#4
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 30,853 Karma: 59840450 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	preferred format (order) If you want to view a specific Format Right click (on the books record): View: Specific format: <choose> Alt-V is the shortcut Note that the viewer is really EPUB and you get an OnTheFly conversion

04-29-2016, 12:13 AM	#6
slantybard my parent's oops... Posts: 489 Karma: 1477572 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Vx->Handera->Clie-> Axim->505->650->KPW/Aura ->L2->iOS/CBW	Thanks so much for the clarification. Too bad there's no way to have it default to preferred output or to a custom cascading preference list. The advantage of such a system would allow you to view your formats after you have converted them to your liking - ie - stripped off the garbage formatting that the source material was tortured with by the poorly paid publishing gnomes making the ebook version of said source material. ;-)

04-29-2016, 12:49 AM	#7
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,905 Karma: 47303824 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	You can open any format by clicking the format name in the details pane for the book. Or right-click on the book, choose "View" and then the format from the list.

04-29-2016, 02:08 AM	#8
slantybard my parent's oops... Posts: 489 Karma: 1477572 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Vx->Handera->Clie-> Axim->505->650->KPW/Aura ->L2->iOS/CBW	Yes, thanks everyone for the tip about right clicking and choosing specific format. I already knew about this and used it quite a bit for poorly formatted source books. I should have been clearer when I wrote my original post. However, originally I was interested more in learning the process behind how a particular source format was chosen for the viewer and now know it's based on the input format (not sure why though). In the end, this is simply a user workflow issue that I will get used to and I have now mapped the "v" key to "opening a specific format" which will save me a workflow step of having to right click on the book. Again, thanks for all the replies. I appreciate it.

04-29-2016, 09:52 AM	#9
itimpi Wizard Posts: 4,553 Karma: 950151 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Sony PRS-950, iphone/ipad (Marvin/iBooks/QuickReader)	You could also make your top entry in the list of preferred input formats be the same as the preferred output format That would result in that format being the preferred format for the viewer.

04-30-2016, 05:25 AM	#12
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I've never used a menu option to invoke the viewer; I just click the format name directly in the "Book Details" pane which I always have switched on. I must admit that I didn't know there was any other way to do it .

09-25-2016, 04:44 PM	#13
MarjaE Guru Posts: 934 Karma: 53902736 Join Date: Jun 2015 Device: multiple	So any way to get Calibre to open the right format each time? I want to be able to click on the book and open the format I use, instead of an extra format Calibre created? I don't know what the book details pane is, but it adds an extra step. I tried clicking on the right format in the list of formats, but (1) I have coordination trouble, so it adds to the difficultry and (2) it opened the other format instead anyway. I can't find the appropriate setting in the preferences, but it's probably in there somewhere.

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