Copy to library, where book already exists

[MerlinMama]

Sometimes I've added a book or modified an existing one, and when I go to copy it to its final Library (add and modify are in a sort of intake library), I find there is already a copy there. Usually I will want to replace it (not always, but usually). When the dialogue pops up telling me that the book already exists - showing title and author to be sure it really is the same - is there an option I've missed telling it to replace/remove the existing file with the new one?

This mostly happens if a book belongs (in my sorting) in more than one library. If modifying it, I will remember to get it from one library, but not always remember to get it from the second one.

I just want to know if we can do this from that dialogue that comes up. I currently either run duplicate, or just go into the library and search for the title and remove the old one, but it would be nice to do it right then, if possible.

[theducks]

Preferences: Adding Books:Copy to Library
has a duplicate disposition setting and a Automerge tick box and setting

[MerlinMama]

Originally Posted by theducks

Preferences: Adding Books:Copy to Library
has a duplicate disposition setting and a Automerge tick box and setting

No, I really don't want automerge. I'd rather be asked to confirm before merging. I'm also slightly leery of 'merging'. To my mind, that is more about combining than replacing.

I had hoped for something a bit more along the lines of File Explorer. "There is a duplicate title/author in the destination library, which do you want to keep: A, B, or both"

No worries, I'll keep on going into the library and deleting the old copy when I forget to remove it beforehand.

[BetterRed]

@MerlinMama - I work around this a little differently, but I hasten to add I don't get many incoming duplicates....

If Find Duplicates->Library Duplicates reports a duplicate and the 'final' and 'intake' libraries have a format in common I open the two format files from my file manager and decide which one to keep. If the 'intake' version wins I manually replace the format in the 'final' by drag 'n' dropping the format file from the 'intake' book folder into the relevant Book Details panel in the 'final' library.

I then remove the duplicate format file from the 'intake' book (with calibre) and decide what to do next - with 'intake' formats that I don't have in 'final', and the 'intake' metadata.

Sometimes, I want to keep both versions of the duplicated format (e.g. different translations), but that's another discussion.

BR

[MerlinMama]

Not quite where I'm coming from @BetterRed, but that is good to know for other situations.

Mine is normally I have a book sorted in LibraryA and LibraryB. I take the book and remove it from LibraryA and put it in IntakeLibrary (I use this for books I'm reading, to add new books, and modify existing books - in all cases, it's for books I'm going to read). I modify it for whatever reason (it's now part of a series; I want the section breaks to be in my preferred format, etc). Sometimes while reading I'll find a bad mistake and I correct it.

Once that's done, I want to copy this new version (edited version) back to LibraryA and LibraryB, but sometimes I forget to remove that initial copy from LibraryB. So when it tells me I already have a copy there (which is now old copy) I'd like to simply tell it to replace what is in LibraryB with what I am trying to copy.

[BetterRed]

I use Reading Lists (To Be Read, To Be Edited, Being Edited, Fix Metadata etc) within my main library - a book can be in multiple Reading Lists.

If a book needs substantial editing I take a copy of the 'easiest-to-edit' format elsewhere, which may not be my preferred output format (ePUB), and edit it there. Once done I replace the existing 'easiest-to-edit' format in the library with the new one and do conversions, word counts, etc.

To help me keep track of 'things to be done' I drop a pro-forma .one file into a book, where I define what needs to edited, fixed, etc - mostly by ticking pro-forma check boxes. If it exists, I also insert a link to the format file I'm editing elsewhere.

.one files are free standing Onenote notes - i.e they're not in a Onenote Notebook. I keep a symlink to the pro-forma (BookEditCheckList.one) on my desktop which I drag and drop into the Book Details. Once I've done what's needed I delete the ONE format, and remove the book from relevant reading lists.

In truth I no longer need the To Be Edited, Being Edited etc Reading lists, their existence pre-dates my usage of the .one pro-forma - I should get rid of them. I show an icon in the book list (quill) if a ONE format exists.

BR