Request: Ability to use more than numerals in Series-column

[Abusor]

Firstly...Hi! And thanks for an awesome piece of software.

One thing I've come across when using Cailbre is I would like to use the "-" char in the Series column.
Many of my ebooks are eBundles with books from the same series.
For example: book 1-4 in one eBundle and 5-7 in another.
Sure, I could use the comma but then a 0 is added and it just doesn't look right.

I know...it's a minor thing...but my sense of order demands me to write here and make my wish.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Abusor

Firstly...Hi! And thanks for an awesome piece of software.

One thing I've come across when using Cailbre is I would like to use the "-" char in the Series column.
Many of my ebooks are eBundles with books from the same series.
For example: book 1-4 in one eBundle and 5-7 in another.
Sure, I could use the comma but then a 0 is added and it just doesn't look right.

I know...it's a minor thing...but my sense of order demands me to write here and make my wish.

you may not enter any formula into a numeric column (1 minus 4 )
The index needs to be numeric to sort in the correct order (people never remember to pad leading 0's to keep an ASCII sort valid (1,10,2,20 vs 01,02,10,20))

If you look fairly far back in these threads, you'll see suggested work around's

I use 1.34.
the 1 sorts in the correct BEGINNING place. the .34 implies at least 3 and 4 . I have now shifted from 1.2 (vols 1 and 2) to 1.02 because of many shorts that can exist. 1.2 now means a second short story that fits after Vol 1

There is no single solution

You could use the splitEPUB PI and cure the range problem by making the omnibus into individual books

[itimpi]

Originally Posted by Abusor

Firstly...Hi! And thanks for an awesome piece of software.

One thing I've come across when using Cailbre is I would like to use the "-" char in the Series column.
Many of my ebooks are eBundles with books from the same series.
For example: book 1-4 in one eBundle and 5-7 in another.
Sure, I could use the comma but then a 0 is added and it just doesn't look right.

I know...it's a minor thing...but my sense of order demands me to write here and make my wish.

The series number is stored in the Calibre database as a floating point number, so changing that assumption would be a MAJOR change and is unlikely to happen.

[Katsunami]

Personally, I do it like this:

- If I have all the books in a series as separate books:

The Fellowship of the Ring - Lord of the Rings [1]
The Two Towers - Lord of the Rings [2]
The Return of the King - Lord of the Rings [3]

- If I have a series as two or more omnibuses (for example, LotR book 1 and 2, and book 3 + Appendices)

Lord of the Rings, Volume One (no series)
Lord of the Rings, Volume Two (no series)

- If I have a series as one huge omnibus:

Lord of the Rings Complete (no series)

Then, if I read one of the books in the omnibus, I enter an EMPTY BOOK into Calibre; it's a book without any formats or files in it, but it's completely filled out as if it was a "real" book, including series, cover and everything. In the description I put something like: "See Omnibus: Lord of the Rings Volume One, Book 1".

It's also this empty book that will be marked as Read, after I've read it; the omnibus itself will never be marked as read.

I'm actually thinking of shifting the omnibuses to their very own separate library, or create a virtual library that excludes them. I must think about that.

[peaceridge]

Originally Posted by theducks

you may not enter any formula into a numeric column (1 minus 4 )
The index needs to be numeric to sort in the correct order (people never remember to pad leading 0's to keep an ASCII sort valid (1,10,2,20 vs 01,02,10,20))

How do you get Calibre to keep the leading 0's? Whenever I enter them, Calibre strips them out - a bit of a problem sending them to Kindle as the 10 sorts with the 1, before the 2.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by peaceridge

How do you get Calibre to keep the leading 0's? Whenever I enter them, Calibre strips them out - a bit of a problem sending them to Kindle as the 10 sorts with the 1, before the 2.

Look at the sample give on the Save to Device screen:

series_index
 
The series number. To get leading zeros use {series_index:0>3s} or {series_index:>3s} for leading spaces

[theducks]

Originally Posted by peaceridge

How do you get Calibre to keep the leading 0's? Whenever I enter them, Calibre strips them out - a bit of a problem sending them to Kindle as the 10 sorts with the 1, before the 2.

What you see in the column is Not always what arrives. The template converts the numbers to strings and pads as the template directs

[peaceridge]

Originally Posted by theducks

Look at the sample give on the Save to Device screen:

series_index
 
The series number. To get leading zeros use {series_index:0>3s} or {series_index:>3s} for leading spaces

Thanks, I did find that, but I must still be doing something wrong - I entered {author_sort}/{title} - {authors} {series_index:0>3s} - is there something that goes between authors and series - I tried "and", but still nothing happening. I'm really trying to learn this language, but my only one in the past was COBOL and that was many, many years ago.