Saving to disk file name - using just the first author

[Horus68]

I wasn't able to find a previous answer to this, so here it goes!

I think I know how to change file and folder names when saving to disk.
I have a book with 2 authors but I want only the first one be used in the folder/file name when saving to disk

The author_sort and the author fields outputs as

Doe, John & Jane, Mary

but I want it to just outputs the first author as in

Doe, John

Saving to disk template:
using

{author_sort}/{author_sort:.80}{title:.60| - |}/{author:.70}{series:.25| - |}{series_index:0>2s| - |}{title:.50| - |}

Doe, John & Jane, Mary\Doe, John & Jane, Mary - My own history\John Doe & Mary Jane - My collection - 01 - My own history.pdf

Note: In metadata editor I do have for authors

John Doe & Mary Jane

and the author sort field as

Doe, John & Jane, Mary

Is it supposed to have just one name in the author sorted field?

[theducks]

Author sort is normally just the sort version of the Authors field.
2 names = 2 sort names (and these are really 2 name entries in the Authors Table)
The DB stores an Author Index record for each one separated by the &

& is a separator to Calibre Authors parsing.
I know you can use the advanced sublist function for Tag-like (,) But I don't know if you can use it on Authors

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/gen...-val-separator

[DNSB]

You might try this as part of your template: {author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)} which I use as part of my save to disk and send to device templates. I'm not certain from what you wrote if you want this to show in the calibre library list view or in a save to disk template. If you use a custom author sort column built from other columns, this should work for the calibre library view.

Edit: added image of custom author sort column.

[Horus68]

Thanks for both replies.
I'm ok with the way Calibre displays the information and also how it organizes (the calibre directory file names)
I just want to change the file name after "saving to disk" feature.
This because sometimes I have more than one author for a book but I want to export the pdf file for sharing with others and I do not want to have a long file name

[Horus68]

Using the tip from @DNSB I was able to "save to disk" a pdf file using only the first author for the file and folder names:

My save to disk tempalte:

{author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)}/{author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)}{title:.60| - |}/{author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)}{series:.25| - |}{series_index:| - |}{title:.55| - |}

The file and folder structure output is:

Doe, John\Doe, John - My own history\Doe, John - My collection - 1 - My own history.pdf

Note:
I can't use in this template, to always saves the series number with 2 number format, the code

{series_index:0>2s| - |}

I can only use

{series_index:| - |}

The series code for numers as "01, 02, 03) instead of 1,2,3 works fine in the template if I don't use the sublist code

{author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)}

more than once in the template code.
But I can live with that!

[theducks]

The reason for using fixed number of digits in the series index is so:
it will (alpha) sort in the correct order, instead of 1,10,2,20...
If you don't care about sort order

[Horus68]

Originally Posted by theducks

If you don't care about sort order

I do care... only I'm not able to implement it with the "save to disk" template I used.
Take my statement "I can live with it" as in" its not perfect but is the best I can do"!
I don't know any language code so I was not able to make it work in full!

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Horus68

I do care... only I'm not able to implement it with the "save to disk" template I used.
Take my statement "I can live with it" as in" its not perfect but is the best I can do"!
I don't know any language code so I was not able to make it work in full!

You say you don't want 2 digits, but you want it to sort
NOTHING on Calibres end is going to change FILESYSTEM sorting rules

A filename is always Alpha-numeric: sorted by character weight, left to right
That is why it is 02 and not just a 2 (<space>2 would sort, but this causes cross platform and passing filename issues. So we avoid it )

[Horus68]

I'm not an English user so something was lost in translation.
See attached print screens!

I want to sort series the proper way when saving to disk.
In Save to disk I used

{series_index:0>2s| - |}

taken from here... https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/template_lang.html

It works fine and the output is a proper two digits with trailing zeros

- 02 -

BUT... when using that code in my template it doesn't allow to save the code as there is a parsing error when hitting the button APPLY (the template editor do not shows any error)

This code can be saved in Calibre "Save to disk" template

{author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)}/{author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)}{title:.60| - |}/{author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)}{series:.25| - |}{series_index:| - |}{title:.55| - |}

BUT this code (with trailing zeros for series) cannot be saved in Calibre "Save to disk" template

{author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)}/{author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)}{title:.60| - |}/{author_sort:sublist(0,1,&)}{series:.25| - |}{series_index:0>2s| - |}{title:.55| - |}

In the editor popup it works fine but in the main window, the apply button fires an error:
The error says something like "The template contains no {fields}"

So I know that something is wrong... only I don't know what!
Note: Using Calibre 3.48.0 windows x86

[theducks]

Ah! Leading Zeros. They are in front.

I have never used the type (.##) of formatting you show \ (You can tell I am not an expert)

I use (but my other requirements are simpler)

{series_index:0>5.2f}

is what I use so I get: 12.34 (2 leading and 2 trailing the . )

BTW spaces in file names should be avoided ( - ) ->(-)

{title:.60| - |}/

You are ending a title with a - then making a folder?

[Horus68]

Just for an update, this is my actual template (and a work in progress!)

Example book:
Title: The Working Title: in Progress
Authors: John Doe Livingstone & Jane Doe Bernadette
Series: My series title with several words
Series Number: 1.00
Date: 2019


"Save to disk" Template

{author_sort:.20s:sublist(0,1,&)}/{author_sort:.28s:sublist(0,1,&)}{title:re(\,,_)|--|}/{author_sort:.28s:sublist(0,1,&)}{pubdate:| (|)}{series:.20s| [|}{series_index:0>2s|-|]}{title:.50:re(\,,_)|--|}

Output is

Author Sort/Author Sort--Title/Author Sort [Series-03]--Title

or live folders and file:
Livingstone,_John_Do
Livingstone,_John_Doe--The_Working_Title__in_Progress
Livingstone,_John_Doe_(2019)_[My_series_title_with-01]--The_Working_Title__in_Progress.epub


Tweek applied:

author_sort_copy_method = u'invert'
save_template_title_series_sorting = u'strictly_alphabetic'

Save to disk pptions:
- Format date as: %Y
- Replace Space with undersores (Check)

Thank you all for sharing ideas and helping in this and other posts!