Plugin ideas... add yours here

[BetterRed]

Thinking outside the square - if calibre published a URI link to books like some other database applications do, then they could not only be used within calibre itself, but in other applications too. Something like calibre://library_uuid||book_uuid.

Meantime you could put a file link into the split-off books' Comments columns (or custom long text columns) to the anthology book folder in which you have stored a book format with the metadata in a form suitable for humans - maybe an epub that just has a book jacket.

Or maybe there's a program that can present (probably in a browser) a metadata.opf in a format suitable for humans - it would need to style it somehow. You'll see what I mean if you drop a metadata.opf into a browser

BR

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Meantime you could put a file link into the split-off books' Comments columns (or custom long text columns) to the anthology book folder in which you have stored a book format with the metadata in a form suitable for humans - maybe an epub that just has a book jacket.

Actually, one might be able to leverage the new Arbitrary Identifiers feature as a place to put the file link - I'll give it a whirl in a bit and report back - if someone else doesn't beat me to it

Still leaves the problem of how to present the metadata.opf file in a form suitable for humanity, i.e something like this:-



BR

[BetterRed]

Yep - it's as easy as pie to put a link to a file or folder into an "Arbitrary Identifier"

In Look and Feel->Book Details->Arbitrary Identifiers (it's a wide button labelled "Create Rules to convert identifiers into links") enter fields such as this

Key:bookfolder | Name:Book Folder | Template:file:\\\{id}

Key and the Name can be what ever suits you, the Template shown is what worked for me on Windows, it may may need to be otherwise on OSX and/or Linux. Arbitrary Identifier rules are global, i.e. they apply to all libraries.

The first step is to get the path to the Anthology into the clipboard. Use the Click to Open link in the Book Details panel of the Anthology to open a file manager window, copy the path to that folder to the clipboard, close the file manager window.

Next for each split-off book open single Metadata Edit window. If the Identifiers field is empty you can simply type the Key, a colon, and then paste the clipboard and you will have something like this

bookfolder:D:\Calibre Libraries\_Test\Charles Dickens\Anthology 1 (367)

If the IDs field isn't empty right click in it and select "Edit Identifiers in a separate Window", the existing IDs will be listed, just tack the bookfolder:blah blah on the end. In the Book Details panel you will have a clickable link named with whatever you put in Name - eg Book Folder

Idea for a 'Book Linking' plugin, it would have a copy book folder path to clipboard item, and an Edit Identifiers item which would leverage the one in Metadata edit, it could have something to display, and maybe select from, the list of Arbitrary Identifier rules. Maybe it could have an option make the metadata.opf readable.

BR

[courtneydion]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Yep - it's as easy as pie to put a link to a file or folder into an "Arbitrary Identifier"

In Look and Feel->Book Details->Arbitrary Identifiers (it's a wide button labelled "Create Rules to convert identifiers into links") enter fields such as this

Key:bookfolder | Name:Book Folder | Template:file:\\\{id}

Key and the Name can be what ever suits you, the Template shown is what worked for me on Windows, it may may need to otherwise on OSX and/or Linux. Arbitrary Identifier rules are global, i.e. they apply to all libraries.

The first step is to get the path to the Anthology into the clipboard. Use the Click to Open link in the Book Details panel of the Anthology to open a file manager window, copy the path to that folder to the clipboard, close the file manager window.

Next for each split-off book open single Metadata Edit window. If the Identifiers field is empty you can simply type the Key, a colon, and then paste the clipboard and you will have something like this

"bookfolder:D:\Calibre Libraries\_Test\Charles Dickens\Anthology 1 (367)".

If the IDs field isn't empty right click in it and select "Edit Identifiers in a separate Window", the existing IDs will be listed, just tack the bookfolder:blah blah on the end. In the Book Details panel you will have a clickable link named with whatever you put in Name - eg Book Folder

Idea for a 'Book Linking' plugin, it would have a copy book folder path to clipboard item, and an Edit Identifiers item which would leverage the one in Metadata edit, it could have something to display, and maybe select from, the list of Arbitrary Identifier rules. Maybe it could have an option make the metadata.opf readable.

BR

I think you have just given me the best way to do this! Thanks so much!

[compurandom]

Originally Posted by courtneydion

So basically, I want to add an additional tab to the metadata editor that allows entering meta about the anthology, it would essentially look the same as the basic metadata tab, but would be additional info about the anth instead of the specific book.

Would it be enough to keep the metadata for the anthology in the original book, and then maybe add a tag to that book and all of its pieces so they can be searched for together?

I'd suggest using the series column for this, but it sounds like you might want to use that for something else too.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by compurandom

I'd suggest using the series column for this, but it sounds like you might want to use that for something else too.

I did that, using the Anthology name as the series and the series_index for the story sequence (~chapter order)

[BetterRed]

I just thought of another way -

Add a long text custom column called something like Anthology Metadata

In the anthology book create a metadata-jacket in an ePUB, copy the HTML for the metadata-jacket to the clipboard.

In each split-off book paste the HTML into the Anthology Metadata column.

Custom long text columns are show in the book details panel above Comments.

BR

[courtneydion]

I decided that the best way to do what I wanted to do was to use the arbitary identifiers. Except instead of linking it to the folder that the anthology is in, I linked it to the goodreads page for that anth.
Then I created a custom column called "Anthology" and list the name of the anthology there since the identifiers just lists it as "anthology" in the details panel.
I'm also deleting the anthologies themselves out of my library as I do that. I don't feel I need it anymore since it is essentially a duplicate of all the stories I've just split off from it.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by courtneydion

I decided that the best way to do what I wanted to do was to use the arbitary identifiers. Except instead of linking it to the folder that the anthology is in, I linked it to the goodreads page for that anth.
Then I created a custom column called "Anthology" and list the name of the anthology there since the identifiers just lists it as "anthology" in the details panel.
I'm also deleting the anthologies themselves out of my library as I do that. I don't feel I need it anymore since it is essentially a duplicate of all the stories I've just split off from it.

Thanks for sharing you Solution. It just might provide an answer for someone else

[Efreak]

Two requests:

1. Grab metadata from itunes (primarily cover art, since they frequently have hi-res cover images). This should be fairly simple. Currently I use Ben Dodson's iTunes Artwork Finder (source), but it would be nicer to automate it. Given that itunes frequently has two covers (smaller and larger), it might be nice for both to be available (though I only use the larger covers myself).

2. Temporary columns. Column names are prefixed with @ instead of #, and only the column names are saved to the database; the value is only valid for the current session (or is discarded on exit). Only allowing yes/no columns is sufficient; I simply want to have multiple sets of temporary markings, so the list of books whose metadata I rejected doesn't replace the list of added books (and given the frequency I have this issue, I find it hard to believe I'm the only one).
2a. Deeper integration would allow for even more useful things, such as automated session-based lists for updated metadata, rejected metadata, new books, new/replaced formats, new covers, metadata updated internally (ie, by calibre companion), books downloaded from the content server.

tl;dr: see bold.

[BetterRed]

Temporary columns - When I occasionally want to do something like this, I create Reading Lists. Reading lists don't need extra columns and they don't create tag browser clutter.

I name them !whatever so they appear at top of the lists of reading lists - they don't auto delete at end of session but the ! enables me to remove them manually as and when...

Maybe the RL PI could be enhanced to implement temporary reading lists that are removed at end of session, although I sometimes find I keep the !whatever lists for a couple of days.

BR

[theducks]

Go with the reading list (type) idea

Adding and removing columns is major surgery to the DB and resets the {last_modified} to NOW.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

. . . and resets the {last_modified} to NOW.

. . . and every metadata.opf gets refreshed at about a book a second.

BR

[Mr.Husky]

Hey there. In Russia we have a few popular book info sources. Could you please create a metadata source plugin for them?

http://www.litres.ru/e-l-james-2/fif...-grey-3821095/
http://www.labirint.ru/books/361530/
http://www.livelib.ru/book/1000907882
https://play.google.com/store/books/...qMV2WaMC&hl=ru

[jecilop]

NOTE: Plug-in ENF does not do this, not will it be expanded per dev.

For example, say I want to know the frequency of the word "hall" in a book. This would be basic text and thus include combinations that include it such as "hallmark" as well as including any capitalized version such as "Hall" or "Hallway". I'm sure a creator could add options for exact word and such...

It would search for multiple books at once for a word or group of user specified words and return that info as specified by the user: perhaps append or prepend comments or create tags in a custom column based on results such as tag: hall-55 .
These searches and group of user specified words could also be saved as a type of search withing the PI rather than retyping each time.


Statistical info like this can be very helpful to a user. For example, in my case I'm not fond of books full of vulgarity. Sometimes, you just don't know what you are going to be reading. I'd like to take what I already do via Calibre and improve my "word existence" search to including a count of the frequency of the word I specify as well as creating tags in a customized column based on the returned info (rather than the comments - example of tag: hall-50) This will help me to better categorize books as to the content and feel of the book.

I'm sure others would have other uses if such word counts help them deduce information about a book.

I haven't found any plug-in that does this. I use Quality Check/Search epubs currently to get some of this info in groups, but I'd like a method more efficient and more informative that what I already do with that.