02-15-2011, 12:56 AM | #1 |
Fat Guy
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Web Server XML data
Caveat: Please read my entire post before saying this isn't a Calibre thing!
I recently purchased an android phone, and was excited to see an android app that ostensibly would sync with my calibre library through the web service that's built into calibre. For readers' edification, this is the app: https://market.android.com/details?i...breLibrary.apk The app performs very well, syncing just fine, with minimal setup, with calibre...with one little problem: it would only show .epub, .pdf, and a few other lesser formats. This was dismaying to me because I am a kindle owner, and the vast majority of my 1000+ ebooks are in .mobi format. After much back and forth with the app's author, basically, it came down to this, according to him: Calibre doesn't push xml info for other formats such as .lit, .mobi, .azw, etc. 1. Is this so? 2. If it is, why doesn't it? Understand, I am NOT trying to get any of the authors here to do the guy's work for him, I'm simply asking if he's correct in that statement. If he is, is there a good reason that calibre doesn't include other formats in the xml push? I'm asking as a layperson with no knowledge, so if someone tells me that there is a good reason, I'll accept it and move on. I'm hoping, however, that it's a legacy issue that might be updated in a future release. To be clear, I'm just wondering if, and or why, the xml push doesn't include the other formats. It clearly DOES include them in some other manner, because they show up just fine in any web browser used to access the server. If kovid or someone other developer thinks it would be helpful to see the emails, I'd be happy to provide them, or open a ticket if one of you thinks it would be helpful. Steps I took to confirm various aspects of my post, here: 1. I used calibre's built-in test function (in the web server section) to ensure that, in fact, all of my books are being pushed, including .mobi and .epubs. There were, of course. 2. I checked that this was so in my android's browser. It was so. 3. I tested the app author's statement that his app was showing the xml scrape that calibre is putting out, by going to http://server:8080/stanza/ in my browser, where server is my local access to it. He was correct, the stanza server was only displaying epubs et al. Last edited by gweminence; 02-15-2011 at 01:33 AM. |
02-15-2011, 01:05 AM | #2 |
Fat Guy
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I feel compelled to say that the more I think about this, the more I begin to think that this is a case of the app author simply being unwilling to do the work necessary to pull ALL of the information that calibre is pushing -- because clearly, calibre is doing IT'S job within the webserver, by serving up all formats for perusal.
I'll leave my post up, however. Perhaps it will engender a good answer for someone else trying to write such an app. |
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02-15-2011, 01:18 AM | #3 | |
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Last edited by DoctorOhh; 02-15-2011 at 01:22 AM. |
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02-15-2011, 01:21 AM | #4 | |
Fat Guy
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Ah, well. Edit: In his defense, that's not an actual access address, so I don't know that it's quite THAT simple. Last edited by gweminence; 02-15-2011 at 01:24 AM. |
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02-15-2011, 01:23 AM | #5 | |
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02-15-2011, 01:30 AM | #6 | |
Fat Guy
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It just seems to me that a well-written app would take this into account. The information is THERE...it just needs be scraped. It makes me wish I was a developer because lo...here's an unaddressed niche... |
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02-15-2011, 01:41 AM | #7 |
creator of calibre
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calibre makes all formats available as long as you use the correct address
http://server/stanza is stanza only formats http://server/opds is all formats |
02-15-2011, 01:51 AM | #8 |
Fat Guy
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Ah, thanks Kovid, hopefully that'll be helpful.
Just curious, how come YOU don't write an android/ipod/et al app? It seems like it has the potential to become a good income stream, as the 'official' interface-from-your-phone app. Last edited by gweminence; 02-15-2011 at 01:55 AM. |
02-15-2011, 01:55 AM | #9 |
creator of calibre
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I get enough income from calibre, and I like to write powerful software, that is likely to remain useful for decades. Mobile phone apps just dont fit the bill.
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02-15-2011, 01:58 AM | #10 | |
Fat Guy
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Anyway, thanks yet again for your help. |
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02-15-2011, 06:00 PM | #11 | |
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I've sent gweminence (well I assume you're the one I've been emailing with since midnight last night ;-) a test build that uses the opds interface to see if it works for him. |
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02-15-2011, 06:30 PM | #12 |
Fat Guy
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Tony, it's showing .lit files. The app FC's upon clicking one, however.
You're SOO close to getting it. Edit: It seems to be working with every format but lit, which it shows if lit is the only format available for a given book. Clicking on it causes the FC. If a .lit is present with another format of the same book, .lit does not show up. Hope that helps Tony. Thanks for writing this great app. Last edited by gweminence; 02-15-2011 at 07:33 PM. |
02-17-2011, 10:11 AM | #13 | |
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And really, most of the props should go to Kovid - he did all the hard work! |
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