2 Quick Questions

[Cozette]

I hope this is the proper place to ask my questsions. Forgive me if it's not. My first question is this:
I recently updated my Calibre version and somehow I've lost my ability to designate whether or not I want the word 'The' or 'A' to be placed in it's proper order in the book title. I don't know why it is I like the titles to read exactly as they are written but I do. As an example if the title is 'The Hogarth Conspiracy', in metadata and the way I want it, it now wants to read 'Hogarth Conspiracy, The'. This may be to correct way to show the file title...but I liked having it read exactly as the cover image and as the author wrote it. I've looked through the preferences as well as the edit metadata sections and cannot find how or where it was I selected it prior to my up-grading. Where is it?
My final question is this...I ran a check for duplicates in my library...and discovered several files I had added without using the 'add' book feature. I think I thought at the time that it would sorta be dropped directly into the original folder of the author. Example is perhaps my first file had been a pdf file and I found an epub or mobi of the same book. After thinking on it I suppose it made sense. Sorta like different transactions/withdrawals of $20.00 but on different days etc. Is it possible to sorta merge the added file into the original file folder, after the fact, without dragging a mobi file to the desktop and then adding via the editing metadata?
Thank you all so very much for being here. I'm deeply grateful for any help you can give me.


*Never mind about th first question...I've just found another post asking how to reverse that order that was answered by BetterRed.

[theducks]

The few time I needed to repair lost books in the library (the perils of using multiple OS versions on a single library), I did as you did.

Tap O, drag the offender off to a holding cell (folder ),
then add
to the DETAILS pane (the one showing at the bottom or side) for that book.

No need to open the metadata editor for this. Do Be Carefull, you can drop any book there. There is no title verification.

[Cozette]

Originally Posted by theducks

The few time I needed to repair lost books in the library (the perils of using multiple OS versions on a single library), I did as you did.

Tap O, drag the offender off to a holding cell (folder ),
then add
to the DETAILS pane (the one showing at the bottom or side) for that book.

No need to open the metadata editor for this. Do Be Carefull, you can drop any book there. There is no title verification.

Yeaaaa!!! It worked! *massive hugs* Thank you!
I do so understand completely about multi OS on a single library. My Library has grown large enough now that I'm actually trying to work out the logistics on how to separate by genre into their own libraries. Think I'll need a lemon, salt and Jose to work up the nervous system first, though...and soon.
Might I ask another couple of questions, please?
First off...I discovered a wonderful little stand alone file renamer app that allows me to open up my Calibre Library, see the files and auto select stuff that will swap left to right author names and titles as well as remove weird unnecessary stuff in the file naming, especially all those underscore things like The_Shining_-_Stephen etc. on the actual file, removes or adds spacing and other simple editing stuff. Theoretically speaking...will that affect Calibre's abilities to "see" these altered files? I've done a handful so far...just name fixing, removal of unwanted characters etc. Then I pulled up Calibre and went to the 'corrected' file, which it did indeed see, and opened up the file to read, which it did do. Will my tinkering like this cause Calibre to become confused? Of course, I have things backed up...but I need to know at what point will my library become cantankerous? I'm trying to catch these poorly named files before I include them into the Library...but there are so many already done, I'm sorta worried.
Another question...I have figured out how to proof read my books to a small degree in Calibre. Is it possible to correct 'on the fly' so to speak as I read? As it is...if I see a teensy error such as 'there' in place of 'their'...I have to stop everything, go to the html whatever...find the correct line it's in and 'fix' it that way. Kinda stops the mood of the moment when reading. I know Calibre is a management program and not an editor...but I was just wondering what the long time users do without resorting to an actual editor like Sigil. It's not a problem in rtf or txt but epubs and mobis etc. give me nightmares. I sorta wish the book reader functioned like word or text...just highlight the error and correct. It sorta occurred to me perhaps a different 'reader' might just have that feature. I just need to find it.
Better stop now before I wear out my welcome. Thanks again for the drag and drop hint. Worked like a charm.

[itimpi]

The moment you rename a book in the Calibre file store without doing it via Calibre, then Calibre will lose track of it. You will find that Calibre still has an entry in its database, but can no longer find the underlying eBook file.

[Cozette]

Originally Posted by itimpi

The moment you rename a book in the Calibre file store without doing it via Calibre, then Calibre will lose track of it. You will find that Calibre still has an entry in its database, but can no longer find the underlying eBook file.

Okay, that makes sense. Perhaps I misworded that little bit. Not 'renaming' as much as re-ordering said file. Calibre must have the ability to recognize words. It will usually take a messed up name and right it in a metasearch.
I am only 'swapping about the order of the names on the file. As in author first, title second as to the opposing title first, author second. I have even 'corrected' spelling in a title. That is a type of renaming. It hasn't posed a problem so far. At least as I can recall.
Perhaps it's worth noting that I do not understand any of this file structure stuff. I view my ebooks exactly as if they were hand held bonafide papered books. Am I correct in assuming that Calibre isn't 'looking' at my actual virtual book file? Is what it sees in the other additional files and that's where the problems might start?
So far it has had no trouble seeing my reordered files and still pulling up everything correctly spelt and opening the reader for me to read the book. Are you saying this will eventually cease and it won't find the books?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Cozette

Are you saying this will eventually cease and it won't find the books?

According to what you said, calibre should not know where they are right now.

The best way to use the calibre library is to leave it alone and don't change anything, no matter what. In the best-case scenario, calibre would change it back. (If you just changed capitalization, on Windows. You should be so lucky, that that is all you did...)

Use calibre to change the title and stuff. If you want actual files you can move and change and do stuff to by hand, you can export your library using "Save to disk".

Also, before, you mentioned fixing little errors. You would have to open the book in an editor, but fortunately calibre now has one, as of v1.15, so you can pull up the book in calibre and click "T" to edit. There is also a right-click menu option, and a toolbar icon. Though you may have to add it under Preferences ==> Toolbar.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Cozette

Might I ask another couple of questions, please?
First off...I discovered a wonderful little stand alone file renamer app that allows me to open up my Calibre Library, see the files and auto select stuff that will swap left to right author names and titles as well as remove weird unnecessary stuff in the file naming, especially all those underscore things like The_Shining_-_Stephen etc. on the actual file, removes or adds spacing and other simple editing stuff. Theoretically speaking...will that affect Calibre's abilities to "see" these altered files?

I don't know where you got the idea to rename files inside a database, but renaming files in the calibre library will break those books in calibre's gui.

DO NOT mess with anything within the calibre library.

Follow @eschwartz advice in the post above.