Development suggestions for Calibre

[Faszfej]

Hi all, I couldn't find a suggestions thread so I created one, I think it's badly needed. The Calibre website itself is not easy to navigate, the layout is alright, maybe the labels could be different, like roll-down menus for users to see what's included. Still not sure where I can find current translations for download. And then it's split into these sister sites like mobileread and launchpad, it's all so unnecessarily complicated, especially as you have to register for each separately.
I have downloaded some translations in po format, but have no idea what they are or what to do with them. Is there even language support for Calibre?
In the software itself it would be a great improvement if there were some numbers rolling during conversion to show progress in percentage, kind of like in AVS document converter. And when conversion is done there is no pop-up message to inform you, no options to open file location, you don't even know where the heck it put your file. I love the donation feature, that's the only way I actually pay for any software. If it asked me to buy after evaluation I just download a crack or serial like everyone else, but if it's free and useful then here, take my money. Just wonder who exactly gets it and what they do with it, where's that info??
A menu bar on top would be useful like in most software. The buttons are confusing and their drop-down menus overcomplicated, like under remore you have remove all, remove all except, remove files, remove covers, remove matching books from device, what's that all about? If I want to remove it from the device I'll do it without Calibre, sometimes too many features is just too many. And where is the About button for version and everything? The help button has no drop menu to contain it. Sometimes a whole community "contributing" to the development of a single software can get be a hindrance to achieving a clear and simple interface.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Faszfej

Hi all, I couldn't find a suggestions thread so I created one, I think it's badly needed. The Calibre website itself is not easy to navigate, the layout is alright, maybe the labels could be different, like roll-down menus for users to see what's included. Still not sure where I can find current translations for download. And then it's split into these sister sites like mobileread and launchpad, it's all so unnecessarily complicated, especially as you have to register for each separately.
I have downloaded some translations in po format, but have no idea what they are or what to do with them. Is there even language support for Calibre?
In the software itself it would be a great improvement if there were some numbers rolling during conversion to show progress in percentage, kind of like in AVS document converter. And when conversion is done there is no pop-up message to inform you, no options to open file location, you don't even know where the heck it put your file. I love the donation feature, that's the only way I actually pay for any software. If it asked me to buy after evaluation I just download a crack or serial like everyone else, but if it's free and useful then here, take my money. Just wonder who exactly gets it and what they do with it, where's that info??
A menu bar on top would be useful like in most software. The buttons are confusing and their drop-down menus overcomplicated, like under remore you have remove all, remove all except, remove files, remove covers, remove matching books from device, what's that all about? If I want to remove it from the device I'll do it without Calibre, sometimes too many features is just too many. And where is the About button for version and everything? The help button has no drop menu to contain it. Sometimes a whole community "contributing" to the development of a single software can get be a hindrance to achieving a clear and simple interface.

PO files are built in. There is nothing addition to download TO USE Calibre.
Usually Preferences: Look and Feel: Choose Language: <pull down> is all you need to do for the MAIN UI.

Developer choose to create those for SOME plugins. There are samples and tools referenced for those that CAN help with translations. Read the Plugin Notes (plugins forum) to see if your language is supported.

[jackie_w]

If you want a menubar then just create one. Prefs - Toolbar then pick 'The menubar' from the drop-down list. Then move your preferred menu actions from the left column to the right column.

If you don't like the Main Toolbar, you can remove actions from it in a similar way.

If you want to see progress during long conversions, click the spinning sun icon, labelled 'Jobs' in the bottom left corner. Guess what, it will show a list of current jobs with % completion.

You can find the calibre version number that you're using in the bottom left corner. If there's a more recent version available, (unless you've deliberately turned this feature off) you should be able to see a message alongside the bottom right icons. If you click the message it will give you the option of downloading the new version and also point you to a 'What's New' changelog.

[Faszfej]

Thanks for these replies, very useful! I love what Calibre DOES and can do, it's just got an unusual layout. But apparently with a little help it's discoverable, and obviously one can get used to it. For me for now it's only to convert PDF to mobi, and the most crucial thing for using the mobi file is, besides HAVING it, is FINDING it. Which managed somehow the first time but can't remember how. No popup window with option, no such command in the jobs window and I can see a menu for opening a 'converted files' folder. Or there could be a menu on the left. OK just found it, it's on the right under the cover. I found it when I realised that in the main window it doesn't say what format the file is and started looking, it's under the cover as well. Not sure why there is a duplicate of the original as well though. Hey, it's a free software, and it has loads of features, I love it, and it converts better than the dozen other software I tried today, even beats AVS by a hair's breadth. Although it breaks many new lines (what you get when you press enter) into new paragraphs (as though you pressed enter twice). Looks nicer but more page turns, meaning much less battery left after a book. Still the best. Rewarded accordingly. Thanks!

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Faszfej

In the software itself it would be a great improvement if there were some numbers rolling during conversion to show progress in percentage, kind of like in AVS document converter.

You can view this by clicking "Jobs".

And when conversion is done there is no pop-up message to inform you, no options to open file location, you don't even know where the heck it put your file.

All file management is handled by calibre. Your new file will be listed as a format for the book, and there are options to save it, or open the containing folder.

You can also find all books organized into the folder you created for the library; by default this is "C:\Users\<username>\Calibre Library", and the books will be located at "author\title (calibre_id)\title - author.formatExtension".

I love the donation feature, that's the only way I actually pay for any software. If it asked me to buy after evaluation I just download a crack or serial like everyone else, but if it's free and useful then here, take my money. Just wonder who exactly gets it and what they do with it, where's that info??

Kovid Goyal gets it, it is his program. If you go to the linked PayPal page, it says so.

A menu bar on top would be useful like in most software.

What we have right now is a menu bar with pictures, are you saying you want to get rid of the pictures?

You can create a menubar by going to Preferences ==> Interface ==> Toolbar and selecting menubar from the dropdown. Every toolbar, including the menubar, is customizable -- you can choose what options to display and in what order.

The buttons are confusing and their drop-down menus overcomplicated, like under remore you have remove all, remove all except, remove files, remove covers, remove matching books from device, what's that all about? If I want to remove it from the device I'll do it without Calibre, sometimes too many features is just too many.

Clicking the remove button will perform the default action, using the dropdown is not required unless you need a more advanced option.
calibre is meant to be the ultimate ebook manager, as a result device integration is built in. It can manage your device books as well as its own. If you don't want that, you don't have to use it, but more options are always better, if they're not intrusive. And this isn't...

And where is the About button for version and everything?

Version appears at the bottom: "calibre x.xx created by Kovid Goyal"

The help button has no drop menu to contain it.

It's just a link to the online manual, there are no options...

Sometimes a whole community "contributing" to the development of a single software can get be a hindrance to achieving a clear and simple interface.

Not everyone thinks the interface has failed to be clear and simple....

In any event, the development is done entirely by Kovid Goyal, though he does accept suggestions and software patches.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Faszfej

Thanks for these replies, very useful! I love what Calibre DOES and can do, it's just got an unusual layout. But apparently with a little help it's discoverable, and obviously one can get used to it. For me for now it's only to convert PDF to mobi, and the most crucial thing for using the mobi file is, besides HAVING it, is FINDING it. Which managed somehow the first time but can't remember how. No popup window with option, no such command in the jobs window and I can see a menu for opening a 'converted files' folder. Or there could be a menu on the left. OK just found it, it's on the right under the cover. I found it when I realised that in the main window it doesn't say what format the file is and started looking, it's under the cover as well. Not sure why there is a duplicate of the original as well though. Hey, it's a free software, and it has loads of features, I love it, and it converts better than the dozen other software I tried today, even beats AVS by a hair's breadth. Although it breaks many new lines (what you get when you press enter) into new paragraphs (as though you pressed enter twice). Looks nicer but more page turns, meaning much less battery left after a book. Still the best. Rewarded accordingly. Thanks!

When you convert from one format back into the same format, it will back up the original as "original_mobi" or whatever.

Advanced options under Convert can get rid of those line breaks. If you are converting from PDF, though, you may have to get fairly complicated, under the "Search and Replace" tab.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Faszfej

And when conversion is done there is no pop-up message to inform you

See attachment

Originally Posted by Faszfej

no options to open file location, you don't even know where the heck it put your file.

• Press 'o' to open folder for current book,
• or right click and select Open containing folder (you might have to put that into your context menu via Preferences->Toolbars)
• or click on Click to Open in the Book Details panel (normally on the right but can be on the bottom) click brown shiny book cover in the status line if you can't see it.

Version number is also in status line

If you don't like the GUI you might want to try the command line programs that ship with calibre. Most (all ?) of the core features are accessible via the command line, including quite a few of the plug-ins.

Happy New Year - BR

Apologies if I've repeated something

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Faszfej

Hi all, I couldn't find a suggestions thread so I created one, I think it's badly needed.

A general suggestions thread is not needed they just end up unwieldy. If someone has a suggestion they can start a new thread and if the suggestion bears fruit an enhancement request can be submitted as outlined here.

Originally Posted by Faszfej

The buttons are confusing and their drop-down menus overcomplicated, like under remore you have remove all, remove all except, remove files, remove covers, remove matching books from device, what's that all about?

If you want to remove a book, select the book and click the big remove button.

Originally Posted by Faszfej

If I want to remove it from the device I'll do it without Calibre, sometimes too many features is just too many.

Do not remove books from calibre's library using the tools other than calibre itself. Deleting books in the library via the OS will cause calibre's database to show books that no longer exist.

[fidvo]

Originally Posted by Faszfej

Thanks for these replies, very useful! I love what Calibre DOES and can do, it's just got an unusual layout. But apparently with a little help it's discoverable, and obviously one can get used to it. For me for now it's only to convert PDF to mobi, and the most crucial thing for using the mobi file is, besides HAVING it, is FINDING it. Which managed somehow the first time but can't remember how. No popup window with option, no such command in the jobs window and I can see a menu for opening a 'converted files' folder. Or there could be a menu on the left. OK just found it, it's on the right under the cover. I found it when I realised that in the main window it doesn't say what format the file is and started looking, it's under the cover as well. Not sure why there is a duplicate of the original as well though. Hey, it's a free software, and it has loads of features, I love it, and it converts better than the dozen other software I tried today, even beats AVS by a hair's breadth. Although it breaks many new lines (what you get when you press enter) into new paragraphs (as though you pressed enter twice). Looks nicer but more page turns, meaning much less battery left after a book. Still the best. Rewarded accordingly. Thanks!

It sounds to me like you have a bit of a misunderstanding about what Calibre is. It's not an ebook conversion tool; it's an ebook library tool with conversion features.

When you convert a book, where does it go? Into the library. Try to avoid thinking about it as a file at that point. It's now an entry in a database, that's all.

If you want to get the book out as a file at that point, you need to save to disk or send to device, from within the Calibre program itself. If you want to delete the book, you need to delete its entry in the library.

If you're not interested in Calibre's library features, then your workflow to convert a book should be something like this:

1. Import the book into Calibre. (This makes a copy of the book in the library. It leaves the original alone)

2. Convert the book using Calibre.

3. Save the book to disk.

4. Delete the book from Calibre. (It will only delete the copy of the book in Calibre's library. The original and the one you saved to disk will still exist as files to do with as you please)

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by fidvo

It sounds to me like you have a bit of a misunderstanding about what Calibre is. It's not an ebook conversion tool; it's an ebook library tool with conversion features.

When you convert a book, where does it go? Into the library. Try to avoid thinking about it as a file at that point. It's now an entry in a database, that's all.

If you want to get the book out as a file at that point, you need to save to disk or send to device, from within the Calibre program itself. If you want to delete the book, you need to delete its entry in the library.

If you're not interested in Calibre's library features, then your workflow to convert a book should be something like this:

1. Import the book into Calibre. (This makes a copy of the book in the library. It leaves the original alone)

2. Convert the book using Calibre.

3. Save the book to disk.

4. Delete the book from Calibre. (It will only delete the copy of the book in Calibre's library. The original and the one you saved to disk will still exist as files to do with as you please)

Or convert vias the command-line. Instructions are in the manual here: http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/cli/ebook-convert.html