How to add subtitle field in KOBO

[MashaT]

I am new in this forum and I just figured out there was an subtitle field in Kobo ebooks, so I want to add it. I tried adding new columns, then checking subtitles in the driver's advanced metadata tab (leaving template editor blank because I don't know what to add there) but whatever I do, that subtitle field does not show up on ANY books in my Kobo ereader whether blank or not
I reconnected my kobo to calibre several times, updated metadata, nothing works.

Can someone help me out?

Does my Kobo ebook even support that subtitle field? I have Glo HD, with software version 4.30.18838

[PeterT]

From memory...

Create a plugboard that will act on whichever format you are using (either Epub or kepub) and the appropriate device (kobotouch or kobotouchextended). Specify the target field as subtitle and the source as whatever you want

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[DNSB]

In my case, I went to Add your own columns and added a column called Subtitle with the lookup name of #subtitle. The column type is text and column is shown in the Tag browser. When editing metadata, this column shows in the Custom metadata tab.

On the Metadata, on device & advanced tab of the Kobo Touch or Kobo Touch extended driver configuration, I checked Subtitle and added {#subtitle} as the template.

Anything you put into the subtitle field will then show up on your Kobo as the subtitle.

[MashaT]

Originally Posted by DNSB

In my case, I went to Add your own columns and added a column called Subtitle with the lookup name of #subtitle. The column type is text and column is shown in the Tag browser. When editing metadata, this column shows in the Custom metadata tab.

On the Metadata, on device & advanced tab of the Kobo Touch or Kobo Touch extended driver configuration, I checked Subtitle and added (#subtitle) as the template.

Anything you put into the subtitle field will then show up on your Kobo as the subtitle.

Attachment 191134 Attachment 191135

Adding {#subtitle} to template did the trick. Thank you.

The only thing is that it only displays subtitle where I added them in custom Metadata edit. Where I left them blank, there was no extra blank field added between title and series or allowing extra long titles to continue on 2nd line, which I thought would happen...

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by MashaT

Adding {#subtitle} to template did the trick. Thank you.

Which correct. And if you wanted to display something else as the subtitle, such as the word count, you can use a template that does that.

The only thing is that it only displays subtitle where I added them in custom Metadata edit. Where I left them blank, there was no extra blank field added between title and series or allowing extra long titles to continue on 2nd line, which I thought would happen...

Sorry, why would you think that? Firstly, you asked for the subtitle in the field to be put on the device. It did. But, when you didn't actually have anything in the subtitle, it put nothing on the device, because there is nothing to put on the device. And hence the device didn't show anything or reserve space for it. And the wrapping of the long title happens when the space is not taken by other things. Adding a subtitle is more likely to prevent a long title from wrapping.

And please note, the title, subtitle and series info handling is done by Kobo on the device. All the driver does is populate these fields. And it is done in as close to how Kobo populates them for purchased books as I can achieve. If the device did decide a blank subtitle was something that needed to be displayed, it would do that by displaying what looked like an empty line, not by letting the title occupy that space. Because, that is what it was being told to do.

[DNSB]

@MashaT: Sorry, I had gotten the impression that you were going to be splitting the long titles between the title and subtitle field. I.e. the title field would 'The 22 Murders of Madison' and the subtitle field would hold 'May' so 26 characters for the title and 3 for the subtitle or title: 'Fried Green Tomatoes at' for 24 characters and subtitle: 'the Whistle Stop Cafe' for 22 characters.

Issues with this approach is that a search will not search across the split fields and calibre is going to have fun with the metadata when sending the ebook.

[un_pogaz]

Take note that subtitle use in the Kobo the same text field to display the series. I do not know who has priority over the 2 and what you prefer, but know it. And there is no option.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by un_pogaz

Take note that subtitle use in the Kobo the same text field to display the series. I do not know who has priority over the 2 and what you prefer, but know it. And there is no option.

No it doesn't. There subtitle and series info is stored in separate places in the database and listed on separate lines in the book details. You can definitely have both.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by davidfor

No it doesn't. There subtitle and series info is stored in separate places in the database and listed on separate lines in the book details. You can definitely have both.

Yup

[MashaT]

Originally Posted by DNSB

@MashaT: Sorry, I had gotten the impression that you were going to be splitting the long titles between the title and subtitle field. I.e. the title field would 'The 22 Murders of Madison' and the subtitle field would hold 'May' so 26 characters for the title and 3 for the subtitle or title: 'Fried Green Tomatoes at' for 24 characters and subtitle: 'the Whistle Stop Cafe' for 22 characters.

Issues with this approach is that a search will not search across the split fields and calibre is going to have fun with the metadata when sending the ebook.

Search issues don't really worry me since I organize my books into series, so I only had to use search several times during years I had my Kobo book, and I search by author.

What do you mean by "calibre will have fun with metadata"?

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Issues with this approach is that a search will not search across the split fields and calibre is going to have fun with the metadata when sending the ebook.

There's a search grouping option that might be helpful, though it's easy to forget it's there.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by MashaT

Search issues don't really worry me since I organize my books into series, so I only had to use search several times during years I had my Kobo book, and I search by author.

What do you mean by "calibre will have fun with metadata"?

When sending an ebook to your device or saving it to disk, calibre will update the metadata if the file format supports it. In this case, the title will end up split into two fields.

[MashaT]

Final question, is there any way to edit Metadata font size in Calibre?

[Sunlite]

The size and font used to display the meta data on your Kobo device is controlled fully and only by the software on the device.

You can not change it by any external software.

[MashaT]

Thank you for letting me know. Thats too bad. I noticed some titles' font in a collection are slightly different from others so I thought it might be possible to change them.