Automatic adding books to same folder as Calibre Library

[Beemer3]

I want to use my existing Calibre library folder to receive new books. I note that if I set this as the "Automatically add books folder" it says that the originals will be deleted. Of course on import the files will be put into a new folder for each book. It does not say whether any files in these folders will also be deleted! I don't want to risk losing all my files by setting the Calibre library folder as also the automatic add folder.
Would someone please advise me.
Ian

[theducks]

The Auto Add folder SHOULD not be inside the Library.

It can be anyplace on the Local drive (that you and the account that Calibre use, that has FULL rights.)
The FILE will be removed from that folder upon successful processing by Calibre.
IMHO keep a copy,at least until you are sure it landed intact.

[jhowell]

The auto add folder is where Calibre takes books FROM. It is not the destination! That is your library.

[Beemer3]

Although not presently set to be the Auto import folder I have been manually loading new books into the Calibre Library folder. I then have been selecting these same books when importing. The books do get imported but then I have to manually delete them. This process has not seemed to affect the general operation of Calibre.
It was because of this that I thought about using the same Calibre library folder when Auto importing. I had thought that in doing this only the files in the Calibre library root folder would be subsequently be automatically deleted but not any in the library sub folders.
If there is truly a danger of doing this I would have expected Kovid to have said so in his user manual.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Beemer3

Although not presently set to be the Auto import folder I have been manually loading new books into the Calibre Library folder. I then have been selecting these same books when importing. The books do get imported but then I have to manually delete them. This process has not seemed to affect the general operation of Calibre.
It was because of this that I thought about using the same Calibre library folder when Auto importing. I had thought that in doing this only the files in the Calibre library root folder would be subsequently be automatically deleted but not any in the library sub folders.
If there is truly a danger of doing this I would have expected Kovid to have said so in his user manual.

ABSOLUTELY THE MOST WRONG WAY to do anything with Calibre .

NEVER add /change or Remove anything in the Library folder tree using the OS.

OK Now the save:
Right Click the Library Icon: Create/Switch: <make a new Library (pick a name) in a NEW place: (tick Copy the structure if you have done any customizing)
Now Right click the Icon and select the old Library: Select ALL Books (ctrl-A): right-click: Copy to Library: <the new one>(Delete after copy ):
When that is done, what you see should be empty
(if you get errors, it is because you violated the basic rule and Calibre could not find something. sorta expected in this case)
Now Switch back to the NEW ONE.

OK The old one is no longer a real Library. What is left, is the lost souls
Right-click the Add Books Icon: Add from Directories: pick the MULTIPLE books one, since what you had was not an official structure
That should add those (it will leave everything in the old place. It is your choice what to do WITH THOSE After YOU VERIFY SUCCESS TO YOUR SATISFACTION )