KA1 crazy sort order for Author

[Katsunami]

Hi

I'm in the mood to read some Stephen King, so I've put some of his books on my reader. To be able to see series, I have Calibre append the series at the end of the author's name, like so:

Lastname, Firstname - Series name 01.

(Author name and author sort are both set as "Lastname, Firstname".)

However, the KA1 sorts like this, when choosing "Sort by Author":

King, Stephen - Bill Hodges 01
King, Stephen - The Dark Tower 01
King, Stephen - The Shining 01
King, Stephen - Bill Hodges 02
King, Stephen - The Dark Tower 02
King, Stephen - The Shining 02

What the hell... That's not the right sort order. (I also noticed that the KA1 refuses to display () in the author's name, for example.)

Any insights?

I've been used to using the author name space for series, so I can sort on author and series at the same time on the Kindle, and I'd like to do the same on the KA1.

[Katsunami]

Edit: it seems to have something to do with the comma, and/or spaces around the hyphen. It looks like the reader tries to create its own author sort, instead of just using the entire string.

edit: even replacing comma-space (", ") with an underscore, as I did with the Kindle, changes nothing. I've replaced it in Authors as well as Author_Sort. Maybe the Kobo also removes "_" for space, and then does its own sorting.

edit: I've put the series in the title, like so:

Series Name 01 - Book Title.

The reader just ignores everything before the hyphen. Why does this have to be so difficult?!

[Katsunami]

As of now, it doesn't even put the number of pages behind the title anymore; a part of the plugboard that has been working for ages, and hasn't been touched.

edit1: came to the conclusion that it was actually the EPUB plugboard making the changes, even though I have the Extended driver convert the file to KEPUB.

edit2: Replacing comma-space by underscore makes the KA1 hang when going to the book list. Using author:swap_around_comma() reverses "LN, FN" into "FN LN", but then the reader ignores everything after LN.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Edit: it seems to have something to do with the comma, and/or spaces around the hyphen. It looks like the reader tries to create its own author sort, instead of just using the entire string.

Yes, that's what it is doing. It is assuming the author is "FN LN" and using the sort as "LN, FN". It's more complicated than that as it does handle multiple authors. There has been discussion on it in the past if you want to do a search. Adding the series info to the author is probably confusing it.

edit: even replacing comma-space (", ") with an underscore, as I did with the Kindle, changes nothing. I've replaced it in Authors as well as Author_Sort. Maybe the Kobo also removes "_" for space, and then does its own sorting.

If it does, it's a new thing. At least one person has used it as a way to set the author for sorting.

edit: I've put the series in the title, like so:

Series Name 01 - Book Title.

The reader just ignores everything before the hyphen. Why does this have to be so difficult?!

That's a new one and I'm surprised by. If you said it ignored everything after the hyphen, I could see it as that is a common way to do subtitles. But, I don't use a plugboard for this, so I don't see it. I was fiddling with the title sort over the weekend and didn't see any issues. I'll try and have a play tonight to see what I can see. Unless someone who does normally use the plugboad pops in first.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

As of now, it doesn't even put the number of pages behind the title anymore; a part of the plugboard that has been working for ages, and hasn't been touched.

edit1: came to the conclusion that it was actually the EPUB plugboard making the changes, even though I have the Extended driver convert the file to KEPUB.

That is expected. As far as calibre is concerned, it is sending epubs. The extended driver is the one that is fiddling with the book and changing it to a kepub. And, from memory, this is done after the metadata plugboards are applied.

Of coarse, if you convert the book to kepub first and send that, the kepub plugboard is used.

edit2: Replacing comma-space by underscore makes the KA1 hang when going to the book list.

I have lots books by authors with underscores in their names. I don't see any problem on any of the lists with any of the sorting methods.

Using author:swap_around_comma() reverses "LN, FN" into "FN LN", but then the reader ignores everything after LN.

I can't think what you are doing to need "author:swap_around_comma()". "author" should be just "FN LN" in the metadata plugboard (but not the save template).

But, it looks like something has changed with sorting, so I'll have to have a play and see what is going on. Could you post the metadata plugboards you are using? That will help to make sure we are doing the same thing.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by davidfor

That's a new one and I'm surprised by.

I've been changing the KEPUB plugboard which is why the changes did not show up, or nothing changed. Months ago I made an EPUB and a KEPUB plugboard because I ddin't know yet what I wanted to use.

I didn't know I had to change the EPUB plugboard for the changes to take effect even if you have the driver convert the book.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by davidfor

That is expected. As far as calibre is concerned, it is sending epubs. The extended driver is the one that is fiddling with the book and changing it to a kepub. And, from memory, this is done after the metadata plugboards are applied.

Of coarse, if you convert the book to kepub first and send that, the kepub plugboard is used.

I came to the same conclusion

I have lots books by authors with underscores in their names. I don't see any problem on any of the lists with any of the sorting methods.

Still, in my case, the KA1 hung. I was experimenting with one book only. It could have been a coincidence.

I can't think what you are doing to need "author:swap_around_comma()". "author" should be just "FN LN" in the metadata plugboard (but not the save template).

I have my authors as LN, FN in Calibre. I don't want it displayed like FN LN when it's sorted like LN, FN. I was testing what the reader was doing with the comma and/or other stuff in the author name.

But, it looks like something has changed with sorting, so I'll have to have a play and see what is going on. Could you post the metadata plugboards you are using? That will help to make sure we are doing the same thing.

Now I'm just using this one:

{series:|| }{series_index:0>2s|| - }{title}{#pages:| (|)}

It creates "Series Name 01 - This is a title (315)".

It works. The KA1 has enough space (two lines) to show the series and te title. The kindle cuts the title short, which is why I put the series in the authors field on that reader.

[GeoffR]

The author sort also treats the word "and" as an indicator of multiple authors, so any series including the word "and" is likely to cause problemm. There might be other special words like this.

I think putting the series name in the author field is just asking for trouble.

Edit: E.g. if you included "The Adventures of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" in the author field, when the Kobo sorts by author it would parse that into something like "White, The Adventures of Snow and Dwarves, the Seven".

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

I think putting the series name in the author field is just asking for trouble.

I've adapted the plugboard to put the series before the title. It works well on the KA1; it doesn't on the KPW1, as that one just cuts the title short.

Maybe it would be worthwhile to put a sticky or something somewhere that you need to create an EPUB plugboard if you have the KA1 Extended driver doing the converting. As Davidfor said, Calibre is sending an EPUB, and thus uses the EPUB plugboard. It took me a few tries to realize that.

[Bald Eagle]

If you have a rule that works for the KA1 and another for the KPW you can make the plugboard rules device dependent. Of course you will have different names on different devices then.

[Katsunami]

I already did so.

The Kindle turns everything into FN LN without a comma, but I don't like that. I like it less if a name is displayed FN LN, but sorted by last name.

On the Kindle, I've got a plugboard that creates the following:

Book Title (315)
Lastname_Firstname (Name of Series 01)

On the KA1, the plugboard does this:

Name of Series 01 - Book Title (315)
Lastname, Firstname

In both cases, the books are sorted by author last name and then by Series when I select to sort by author. Good enough for me