Metadata priority when re-downloading metadata

[truth1ness]

I notice when I run Download Metadata a second time I get different, sometimes better/worse, results. I'm trying to understand what is going on the second time around.

Another reason I ask is I installed the Extract ISBN plugin, which in theory should be giving me the most accurate book identifier. But when I run the Metadata download again it changes that Extracted ISBN to something else. So it seems other fields must be getting priority over ISBN? Is there a list and is there any way to affect the priority order? How would I go about re-running Metadata download with a new more accurate ISBN and tell Calibre to use that?

[eschwartz]

Depends on the source. For example, the Amazon metadata source plugin I think prefers ASINs -- no duh since an ASIN is a direct product page link.

[truth1ness]

So it sounds like I need to wipe out all the existing ID's so I can insert the new Extracted ISBN and have it take priority. How would I clear ISBN and Amazon/Google ID's in Bulk? I don't see any ID field in Bulk Edit Metadata.

[eschwartz]

Use the search and replace mode, to remove from the "identifiers" field.

But if you download metadata from Edit Metadata rather than the bulk download shortcut key, you can choose different editions.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by truth1ness

So it sounds like I need to wipe out all the existing ID's so I can insert the new Extracted ISBN and have it take priority. How would I clear ISBN and Amazon/Google ID's in Bulk? I don't see any ID field in Bulk Edit Metadata.

{ID} is the internal link to Title folders

/The Title(42)/<formats>

{Identifiers} is where ISBNs land

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

{ID} is the internal link to Title folders

/The Title(42)/<formats>

{Identifiers} is where ISBNs land

@theducks - on my rig (see sig) the ISBN, ASIN etc land in a column named "identifiers/IDs". I assume the internal column name 'identifiers' derives from Dublin Core, but I suspect the external label 'IDs' is a calibre specific label.

And the book number lands in column "id/?". I am not certain of the external name of the 'id' (book number) column, but I suspect it might be 'id', interestingly it can't be shown in the book list. I assume it's 'id' because that's the name row numbers (unique id within table) are assigned in relational databases - can't recall if that's a standard or convention.

Took me a while to work it out too

BR

[theducks]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@theducks - on my rig (see sig) the ISBN, ASIN etc land in a column named "identifiers/IDs". I assume the internal column name 'identifiers' derives from Dublin Core, but I suspect the external label 'IDs' is a calibre specific label.

That is what I said

And the book number lands in column "id/?". I am not certain of the external name of the 'id' (book number) column, but I suspect it might be 'id', interestingly it can't be shown in the book list. I assume it's 'id' because that's the name row numbers (unique id within table) are assigned in relational databases - can't recall if that's a standard or convention.

Took me a while to work it out too

BR

{ID} IS NOT row numbers except in a newly formed library. There are normally Gaps created by normal day to day metadata (author/title) changes

{ID} is the ID you show

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

That is what I said

{ID} IS NOT row numbers except in a newly formed library. There are normally Gaps created by normal day to day metadata (author/title) changes

{ID} is the ID you show

In respect of calibre, when I see things in braces (aka as curly brackets) I think of template variables - as far as I know they are always lower case, never upper or mixed case.

The book numbers are the id column of the book table, you are correct there will probably be gaps. The internal column name is 'id' not 'ID', as can be seen in Book Details and in the db schema. I have no idea what its external label is - external labels are shown in the book list column titles, but the id column cannot be displayed as a column in the book list.



BR

[theducks]

My bad on the uppercase (comes from years of using a scripting language that allowed 'casing' for readability. Upper was for keywords)

Yes {id} is a template value, I hang onto my Send to Device Template so I can differentiate if a duplicate appears
{series-index} {title}-{authors}-{id}
Note to lurkers: {id} is on the end as to not disturb the normal Alpha sort

id can also be seen (and USED) using the CLI

[truth1ness]

Ok, I'm a little lost. I'm on the search/replace tab of the edit bulk metadata screen. First, I used the Search Field dropdown and selected Identifiers and set the identifier type dropdown to ISBN, left the Replace field empty so it would replace with nothing and pressed apply and nothing happened. Then I cleared the Search Field dropdown and just typed {identifiers} in the Search for field, left Replace empty and pressed apply and nothing changed either (and hopefully didn't mess anything up). I'm not understanding how this works.

[Image violates Posting Guidelines for size - MODERATOR]

[theducks]

Search for is a pattern for the type Amazon

Set Search mode to REGEX
then use the pattern
\d+ (integer digits, any consecutive quantity)

[truth1ness]

Still not working. I put it in regex mode and put the regex in, set the empty output to the Identifiers field to clear the ISBN.

[Image violates Posting Guidelines for size - MODERATOR]

I don't understand, you can see in the bottom test area it is finding the ISBN in both examples, so I don't think that is the issue (although I am trying to get rid of all the Identifiers, but I'll worry about that when I can get rid of just one). I think the problem is it's not deleting the ISBN (even though it is showing a blank in the right of the test colum). Do I need to write something in the Replace field to actually get rid of it? The test area is showing what I want to do but it's not happening when I press Apply.

On a side note, why doesn't the identifiers field show in the Basic Metadata tab just like all the other basic metadata? Was it forgotten? It seems weird that it contains every field except this one and you need regex and stuff to edit it.

[theducks]

Welcome to minor UI inconsistencies

It is LABELED Ids: (not to be confused with {id}
and is near the bottom left

[theducks]

you do not need to set destination (in this case) an operation ON a field stays in the field unless
Once again: {Identifiers} is the FIELD
isbn is the field type.
(This is a relational DB. There are 0 to N records in the Identifiers table. 1 for each TYPE with the assigned value for EACH BOOK)

Since you are setting it to Nil, there is NO value with that name Leave that blank also

the test results look fine.
Try on a SINGLE pair of test books, If that flies, do more

[truth1ness]

Ok, that got it working. Emptied the Destination Field dropdown and put isbn in the second Identifier Type text box.

Now unless I'm mistaken it looks like I have to go through this process for each type of identifier one by one to clear out the field?