Updated metadata on PC - Should I reconvert?

melvynadam · 09-26-2010, 07:41 AM

My preferred format for all of my books is Mobi.

When I first installed Calibre I converted many books from other formats (mainly lib and zip) to mobi.

Since then, I've updated the metadata of most if not all of those books. Should I reconvert the books to mobi in order to ensure the mobi books have all the updated data and covers? If so, I'd like to make a feature request: it would be great if Calibre tracked the books it had converted so that updates to the metadata cause a prompt to reconvert that title.

Perkin · 09-26-2010, 07:50 AM

An option, to 'touch' the selected files, updating all metadata (stored in the files), would be nice.

With possibility of checking if cover (filesize?), in file matches one in database

DoctorOhh · 09-26-2010, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perkin

An option, to 'touch' the selected files, updating all metadata (stored in the files), would be nice.

Whenever you Send books to Device, connect to Folder or Save to disk metadata is updated on the fly...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perkin

With possibility of checking if cover (filesize?), in file matches one in database

... and if the cover is properly labeled in the ePub I believe it gets updated (0.7.11) en-route too.

Scott Nielsen · 09-26-2010, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Whenever you Send books to Device, connect to Folder or Save to disk metadata is updated on the fly...

How marvelous. Is this new? I remember there was a time when I *had* to re-convert to update the metadata.

melvynadam · 09-26-2010, 10:16 AM

I don't "send books to device". I manually copy them to the SD card which I use in my Palm. I'm using Calibre for conversion and also to organize and present (to myself) my collection of 200+ ebooks in the most helpful and usable way.

Are you saying that whenever I edit metadata all of the formats of a book are automatically updated?

Starson17 · 09-26-2010, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melvynadam

I don't "send books to device". I manually copy them to the SD card which I use in my Palm. I'm using Calibre for conversion and also to organize and present (to myself) my collection of 200+ ebooks in the most helpful and usable way.

Are you saying that whenever I edit metadata all of the formats of a book are automatically updated?

If you "manually copy" directly out of the Calibre library, then you won't get updated metadata. Calibre is designed to use "Save to Disk" for this job. If you use that, it will update the metadata before the save. "No," all formats in the library are not updated when metadata is changed. None are updated inside the library, but metadata is updated when using any of the methods Calibre provides to export book formats out of the library.

theducks · 09-26-2010, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melvynadam

I don't "send books to device". I manually copy them to the SD card which I use in my Palm. I'm using Calibre for conversion and also to organize and present (to myself) my collection of 200+ ebooks in the most helpful and usable way.

Are you saying that whenever I edit metadata all of the formats of a book are automatically updated?

"Save to disk" (point it at you SD Card, wherever it is connected, will update the metadata as it is sent.
My experience is,reconverting (epub to epub) will destroy some of the manual edits made to an ePub

itimpi · 09-26-2010, 10:27 AM

The only time the copies of files held inside the library are updated is currently when a conversion is run. As mentioned the various export options update the exported file but leave the internal file alone.

ClairePMR · 09-26-2010, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwanthny

Whenever you Send books to Device, connect to Folder or Save to disk metadata is updated on the fly...

... and if the cover is properly labeled in the ePub I believe it gets updated (0.7.11) en-route too.

What if I've already sent the book to my device, then do some additional metadata clean-up? If I re-send the book, will it duplicate the title, or update the metadata? Or neither? I have a nook.

PatNY · 09-26-2010, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

My experience is,reconverting (epub to epub) will destroy some of the manual edits made to an ePub

Oh no! Precisely which ones? I do epub-to-epub conversions quite often and am wondering if it's changed my epubs in some way I've not discovered yet.

On subsequent conversions, I do usually turn off some of the options I may have used on an initial conversion -- like paragraph indent.

theducks · 09-26-2010, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatNY

Oh no! Precisely which ones? I do epub-to-epub conversions quite often and am wondering if it's changed my epubs in some way I've not discovered yet.

On subsequent conversions, I do usually turn off some of the options I may have used on an initial conversion -- like paragraph indent.

I had styled chapter headers, centered, background color, border=> Plain Left justified

, All my text changes were intact. Might have been a glitch, but I would prefer to have a tiered "convert overwrite" lockout: Never, Metadata only, Cover Only, Cover and Metadata, unlocked

09-26-2010, 07:41 AM	#1
melvynadam Connoisseur Posts: 69 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Israel Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPhone, iPad	Updated metadata on PC - Should I reconvert? My preferred format for all of my books is Mobi. When I first installed Calibre I converted many books from other formats (mainly lib and zip) to mobi. Since then, I've updated the metadata of most if not all of those books. Should I reconvert the books to mobi in order to ensure the mobi books have all the updated data and covers? If so, I'd like to make a feature request: it would be great if Calibre tracked the books it had converted so that updates to the metadata cause a prompt to reconvert that title.

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09-26-2010, 07:50 AM	#2
Perkin Guru Posts: 657 Karma: 64171 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Kent, England, Sol 3, ZZ9 plural Z Alpha Device: Sony PRS-300, Kobo Aura HD, iPad (Marvin)	An option, to 'touch' the selected files, updating all metadata (stored in the files), would be nice. With possibility of checking if cover (filesize?), in file matches one in database

09-26-2010, 10:16 AM	#5
melvynadam Connoisseur Posts: 69 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Israel Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPhone, iPad	I don't "send books to device". I manually copy them to the SD card which I use in my Palm. I'm using Calibre for conversion and also to organize and present (to myself) my collection of 200+ ebooks in the most helpful and usable way. Are you saying that whenever I edit metadata all of the formats of a book are automatically updated?

09-26-2010, 10:27 AM	#8
itimpi Wizard Posts: 4,553 Karma: 950151 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Sony PRS-950, iphone/ipad (Marvin/iBooks/QuickReader)	The only time the copies of files held inside the library are updated is currently when a conversion is run. As mentioned the various export options update the exported file but leave the internal file alone.

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