Where are my books?

[Josieb1]

I've just sent 1293 books to my Kindle Fire HD 6 Calibre Companion app using the content server on Calibre. The storage usage has jumped by 2.37GB but Calibre Companion isn't showing any books loaded.

I've connected my Fire back to Calibre via USB and Calibre is showing 1293 books on the device. All the display options in Calibre Companion say I can!t edit or view an empty library.

Does anyone know where my books are?

Thanks

Edited to say I've discovered a lot of books in the Documents folder of ES File Manager but why can't I see them in Calibre Companion? Ironically all I really want is the metadata in Calibre Companion.

[chaley]

From your description above, I think that you didn't use CC to connect to the content server but instead used the Fire's web browser or ES itself. Is this correct? Assuming I have it right ...

CC cannot "see" books that it didn't obtain itself, either using its wireless device connection or its content server connection. In addition, CC cannot "see" books that are not in the folders supplied in CC's settings. And CC cannot "see" books sent over a USB connection. The "right" way to do what you just did would be to use CC to connect to calibre's content server and download the books there. Alternatively, connect as a wireless device and send the books.

If all you want in CC is the metadata then this thread might be of interest: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=251653

If you move the books from the ES documents folder to a CC folder, or alternatively tell CC that it should store books in the ES documents folder, then the next time you connect as a wireless device CC and calibre will attempt to match those books with the calibre library. This works rather well for epubs, but does not work well for PDFs.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by chaley

From your description above, I think that you didn't use CC to connect to the content server but instead used the Fire's web browser or ES itself. Is this correct? Assuming I have it right ...

CC cannot "see" books that it didn't obtain itself, either using its wireless device connection or its content server connection. In addition, CC cannot "see" books that are not in the folders supplied in CC's settings. And CC cannot "see" books sent over a USB connection. The "right" way to do what you just did would be to use CC to connect to calibre's content server and download the books there. Alternatively, connect as a wireless device and send the books.

If all you want in CC is the metadata then this thread might be of interest: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=251653

If you move the books from the ES documents folder to a CC folder, or alternatively tell CC that it should store books in the ES documents folder, then the next time you connect as a wireless device CC and calibre will attempt to match those books with the calibre library. This works rather well for epubs, but does not work well for PDFs.

Hi Chaley

No I didn't use the Fire browser I connected my Fire to Calibre using a usb lead and opened the content server in Calibre Companion.

Since my post I reconnected my Fire to my pc and manually deleted the 1293 mobi files in the Documents folder. I want them in Calibre Companion or not on the Fire at all.

I then opened up Calibre and with the Fire still connected via usb I started both the content server and the wireless server and tried again, this time using Send To Device to only send mobi files to the main memory. This time the books did transfer directly into Calibre Companion.

Do I always need both the content server and the wireless server switched on?

[Josieb1]

Thanks for the link to the other thread, my only issue is i have a few thousand I'd like to add a text file to and they all have multiple formats. Is there a quick way of adding an empty text file to a bulk set of books?

[JSWolf]

Did you tell the driver that AZW3 are allowed?

[chaley]

There are multiple questions here.

First, CC will add books to its database that it receives or that it finds doing a book scan when it connects as a wireless device. This second method is not reliable and shouldn't be used as a general solution. What this means is that books sent using a USB cable will not be added to CC's database.

Second: CC's content server connection and wireless device connection are different. The content server connection permits you to "pull" books to the device from calibre along with the metadata. It does not update metadata for other books. The wireless device connection permits you to "push" books from calibre. It also updates the metadata for all books in CC that calibre matches to a book in the calibre library. So do you need to leave both connections enabled? That depends on your workflow, but a general answer is "no". For example, the content server for my production library is on 24/7. I turn on the wireless device connection when I want to update metadata or do some bulk operation.

Third: as for adding the empty .txt. file for a lot of books: I know of no way to do that in bulk. One must do it 1 at a time using drag-and-drop or edit metadata (single). However, if these books do have formats then there is another option (that I hesitate to suggest): you can send the books then delete the format from the device. CC doesn't need the actual book file unless you use "Read". Of course, if you ever use CC's fetch changed books facility then CC and calibre will resend all the book formats that you deleted.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

Thanks for the link to the other thread, my only issue is i have a few thousand I'd like to add a text file to and they all have multiple formats. Is there a quick way of adding an empty text file to a bulk set of books?

Yes, via the command-line.

for i in $ids; do
    calibredb add_format $i /path/to/empty.txt
done

should work in bash, so that covers linux and OSX. Something similar would work on Windows, but I can never keep batch syntax straight.

You would need to replace ids with a list of all ids in calibre, when I get back to a computer I will try to make a search that produces the ids, something with calibredb list, maybe, but it might require jshon or some other bash json parser, and I have no idea on windows.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Yes, via the command-line.

for i in $ids; do
    calibredb add_format $i /path/to/empty.txt
done

should work in bash, so that covers linux and OSX. Something similar would work on Windows, but I can never keep batch syntax straight.

You would need to replace ids with a list of all ids in calibre, when I get back to a computer I will try to make a search that produces the ids.
Something with calibredb list.

Excellent suggestion!

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by chaley

There are multiple questions here.

First, CC will add books to its database that it receives or that it finds doing a book scan when it connects as a wireless device. This second method is not reliable and shouldn't be used as a general solution. What this means is that books sent using a USB cable will not be added to CC's database.

Second: CC's content server connection and wireless device connection are different. The content server connection permits you to "pull" books to the device from calibre along with the metadata. It does not update metadata for other books. The wireless device connection permits you to "push" books from calibre. It also updates the metadata for all books in CC that calibre matches to a book in the calibre library. So do you need to leave both connections enabled? That depends on your workflow, but a general answer is "no". For example, the content server for my production library is on 24/7. I turn on the wireless device connection when I want to update metadata or do some bulk operation.

Third: as for adding the empty .txt. file for a lot of books: I know of no way to do that in bulk. One must do it 1 at a time using drag-and-drop or edit metadata (single). However, if these books do have formats then there is another option (that I hesitate to suggest): you can send the books then delete the format from the device. CC doesn't need the actual book file unless you use "Read". Of course, if you ever use CC's fetch changed books facility then CC and calibre will resend all the book formats that you deleted.

Thanks for trying to help, all I know is I did use the content server with Calibre and Calibre companion and it sent the books to the device file manager not into CC, so i've no idea why it did that. This time connecting via both the content server and as a wireless device it did work.

If anyone can figure it out I'd be grateful

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Did you tell the driver that AZW3 are allowed?

No need I work quite happily with mobi, unless of course mobi is the problem here.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Yes, via the command-line.

for i in $ids; do
    calibredb add_format $i /path/to/empty.txt
done

should work in bash, so that covers linux and OSX. Something similar would work on Windows, but I can never keep batch syntax straight.

You would need to replace ids with a list of all ids in calibre, when I get back to a computer I will try to make a search that produces the ids, something with calibredb list, maybe, but it would require jshon or some other bash json parser, and I have no idea on windows.

Thanks again for your help, but you might as well be talking a foreign langauage as I haven't got a clue what you're talking about

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

No need I work quite happily with mobi, unless of course mobi is the problem here.

You will lose features like embedded fonts, some of the more advanced formatting like proper blockquotes and other things. There may not be a noticeable difference with most eBooks, but some will be noticeable and you won't know if you go Mobi.

When an eBook is supposed to have text offset on both the left and right margin, the Mobi way of just the left margin is noticeable and not nice. A lot of eBooks have such text.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

Thanks again for your help, but you migt as well be talking a foreign langauage as I haven't got a clue what you're talking about

My goal is to give you a copy-paste-into-a-command-prompt solution.

What OS do you use?

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You will lose features like embedded fonts, some of the more advanced formatting like proper blockquotes and other things. There may not be a noticeable difference with most eBooks, but some will be noticeable and you won't know if you go Mobi.

When an eBook is supposed to have text offset on both the left and right margin, the Mobi way of just the left margin is noticeable and not nice. A lot of eBooks have such text.

I've never used AZW3. I buy books in mobi format and normally that's what I send to Kindle. I just want the books metadata in Calibre Companion. The actual book is secondary to that goal tbh.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

My goal is to give you a copy-paste-into-a-command-prompt solution.

What OS do you use?

I'm a Windows 7 girl I'm afraid. I don't understand coding at all, I can barely program some of the plugins

I'm sorry if I'm sounding ungrateful, I'm really not, and I appreciate all the help. I just have no idea what went wrong the first time and I got quite frustrated. I'm much happier now it seems to be working. I just hope I can do it again tomorrow as I only got a third of the books loaded now and it's late so I can't continue tonight.

If I could add a text file to all my books in bulk, or at least by tag or something it would be wonderful.