Shortcut ".lnk" file no longer imports as .lnk file - does actual target

[jecilop]

UPDATE: SOLVED by batch renaming file extensions to allow import.
Prior ability was actually due to a bug.
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Shortcut ".lnk" file no longer imports as before - now target import vs .lnk file

I reported this as a Bug, but I'm posting here also just in case someone has an alternative in the meantime.

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I used to be able to import mass numbers of Shortcut .lnk files into Calibre to help with ease of adding MANY files to the database.

It has been awhile since I did this. That last time would have been on Windows 10 vs 11 now. Also, it would have been many Calibre updates ago, especially prior to the last major update to 6.0.

Recently, I found trying to import the shortcuts caused Calibre to stop responding...repeatedly requiring a Task Mgr Process Stop to close it.

I played around with some things and foundd the following as approached in this order:

1) I can no longer find an interface that shows or allows choice of file types that Calibre will allow if users can choose this now. Pref/Adding Books/Auto Adding has no check marks set to ignore, but it also doesn't feature the lnk file type in listings if this matters. I seemed to recall such a preference, but I may be wrong or mixing that up with this auto add filter.

2) I created a single test text file and then a shortcut from that. I was able to drag/drop to add an entry in Calibre easily, BUT I found that it added the actual target text file and not the short .lnk (which is a file 2k in size).
I then deleted the original text, but kept the shortcut and attempted the import again. It stopped responding. THIS TELLS ME that it will only import it now IF the original reference file exists and in referenced location AND IMPORTS THE ACTUAL FILE and not the ".lnk" file instead.


It used to import the shortcut ".lnk", and it didn't matter if the original existed. This method is a HUGE timesaver for someone with my use who also doesn't want the actual large zip files in the Calibre database. HUGE!


So, is this a change in Calibre, or is it a change somehow with how Windows 11 creates shortcut links vs. 10? I doubt the latter, but I have to consider it.
Looking at the Properties of the shortcut.lnk files doesn't yield anything different than it used to indicate. It still shows File Type as "Shortcut (.lnk)" .


I can't come up with any other way to do these entries in mass (shortcuts are actually references to zip folder names). BetterRed told me about .lnks (I think it was him) a long time ago on the forums. It was exactly what I needed. I don't want the actual zip or it's contents imported.

[BetterRed]

Pretty sure, I would have have said that .lnk files can be added to an existing 'book', but not they can be used to create a new book.

If you try to create a book by adding a .lnk file to a library then Windows jumps up and does its job, hands the shortcut target to calibre just like if you open a shortcut to an image file in an image viewer.

Been ever thus.

If you renamed the .lnk files (e.g. to .mylink files) you could create the books with those files, and then rename them back to .lnk files in the book folders, drag the .lnk file into the book details panel, and remove the reference to the now non-existent mylink file from calibre. But boy-oh-boy what a palaver.

Why don't you want to keep the zips in the calibre library - a file is a file is a file wherever it is, and a calibre library is a just a common-or-garden folder with bog-standard sub-folders and sub-sub-folders.

BR

[ownedbycats]

The behaviour was changed about two years ago:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/calibre/+bug/1907410

[jecilop]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Pretty sure, I would have have said that .lnk files can be added to an existing 'book', but not they can be used to create a new book.

If you try to create a book by adding a .lnk file to a library then Windows jumps up and does its job, hands the shortcut target to calibre just like if you open a shortcut to an image file in an image viewer.

Been ever thus.

If you renamed the .lnk files (e.g. to .mylink files) you could create the books with those files, and then rename them back to .lnk files in the book folders, drag the .lnk file into the book details panel, and remove the reference to the now non-existent mylink file from calibre. But boy-oh-boy what a palaver.

Why don't you want to keep the zips in the calibre library - a file is a file is a file wherever it is, and a calibre library is a just a common-or-garden folder with bog-standard sub-folders and sub-sub-folders.

BR

It definitely worked as a .lnk import before. Did A LOT of them. But a quick fix of renaming the suffix for the file would be handy, but it takes some steps I prefer to avoid. They are really just "placeholders" where the file names are already setup based on the folders allowing easy addition of entries rather than one by one. It's just a project I've been way from for awhile. I was excited to return but ran into this problem.

It's a long story as to why I don't store the zips. Not worth going through here. I promise it's more efficient in the end and has storage limitations (even though I do often try to go back how I can do it in Calibre, it still comes back to not being the best method for me).

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

The behaviour was changed about two years ago:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/calibre/+bug/1907410

By then I had ceased using .LNK files in calibre, else I might have complained heartily that I could no longer drop them into Book Details, which IIRC worked at one time.

My usage of .LNK files:

If I need to edit the content of a format file substantively I prefer to do it outside of the calibre library, so I would add a .LNK file referencing the relevant folder in my UnderEdit area into the calibre book record. But then I had a need to edit both the comic and script format files for the same book. So, I ditched the .LNK files in favour of file:/// URLs in a long text column.

It would now seem the only way to get a .LNK file into a book folder is via a file manager->copy of the .LNK file into clipboard (Ctrl+C) and a Calibre->Add Books->Add files to selected book records from clipboard. Which is likely to be somewhat alien for anyone under a certain age

BR

[jecilop]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

By then I had ceased using .LNK files in calibre, else I might have complained heartily that I could no longer drop them into Book Details, which IIRC worked at one time.

My usage of .LNK files:

If I need to edit the content of a format file substantively I prefer to do it outside of the calibre library, so I would add a .LNK file referencing the relevant folder in my UnderEdit area into the calibre book record. But then I had a need to edit both the comic and script format files for the same book. So, I ditched the .LNK files in favour of file:/// URLs in a long text column.

It would now seem the only way to get a .LNK file into a book folder is via a file manager->copy of the .LNK file into clipboard (Ctrl+C) and a Calibre->Add Books->Add files to selected book records from clipboard. Which is likely to be somewhat alien for anyone under a certain age

BR

I used the rename method you suggested, and it works well. I'm told the prior ability was actually a bug

I did get renaming 1000's at once working now. Command prompt with the old DOS approach likes the basics better than Powershell which was giving me problems. So, it's not a big extra step to rename them now. They import with any other "junk" extension I choose. I'm just really glad to have found a way to make it work.
I delete the file formats form the entries it creates for me, so whether it was the prior .lnk or whatever I call it now, it doesn't matter in the libray. It was just a method to import a considerable number of entries all at once with no actual files yet to create the placeholders or update existing entries by later matching duplicates and combining if it applies.

Thanks for you input. It's ALWAYS appreciated.

[ownedbycats]

Another option, which BR's post made me think of: .url files will import intact (tested with a desktop shortcut generated by Steam), and you can use file:// to point to local files.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by jecilop

It definitely worked as a .lnk import before. Did A LOT of them. But a quick fix of renaming the suffix for the file would be handy, but it takes some steps I prefer to avoid. They are really just "placeholders" where the file names are already setup based on the folders allowing easy addition of entries rather than one by one. It's just a project I've been way from for awhile. I was excited to return but ran into this problem.

It's a long story as to why I don't store the zips. Not worth going through here. I promise it's more efficient in the end and has storage limitations (even though I do often try to go back how I can do it in Calibre, it still comes back to not being the best method for me).

The change was made in version v5.8 which was released on Dec 24 2020, and documented here calibre - What's new

I'd stopped using .LNK files long before that so I would have seen it and shrugged. Given it was almost two years ago I wonder if you and I were the only people who ever put .LNK files to productive use.

My suggestion about changing the .LNKs to .MYLNKs was tongue in cheek. If you want to persist with .LNK files it would may be easer to create empty books and cut and paste the .LNK files into the empty books - but I think it would have to be one at a time.

I have set a keyboard shortcut for Add Books->Add files to selected book records from clipboard of Shift+Alt+V. I use it most days of the week.

BR

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Another option, which BR's post made me think of: .url files will import intact (tested with a desktop shortcut generated by Steam), and you can use file:// to point to local files.

And following on from that you could put a link to the ZIP into a long text column, the long text editor has an insert link tool with a File browse button. It will generate the file:///UNC in an <a ref - - - > tag and there's a slot to type a display label.

If the library doesn't have the the actual format file within it, might as well not pretend it does.

BR

[jecilop]

I'm a little OCD, so I'll share what I do with these "shortcuts" also.

Simply, I have too many large audio files to store in Calibre due to storage & backup issues and nothing to do with Calibre's ability. I'd love to use just Calibre, even on portable storage, but for my uses and situation it doesn't yet work out best. I tried. If the time comes, it's a relatively easy changeover although a bit time consuming if important enough.

So, my streamlining project for various audio & other (some associated with books and many not) gets done in batches resulting in hundreds of zip files created at a time based on folder content and using the same naming structure. These are then stored away and easily found or updated when needed. I know what I have based on cataloging them in Calibre. The trick is how to get in the info into Calibre without individual entry. This is akin to transferring records of your entire massive print library into Calibre.

So:
1) Given the number of entries, it is a waste of time to enter one by one. I've already spent the necessary time on creating the folders which become zips. This step is required for my purposes.
2) Since my zip format matches by preferred format for book imports to autofill author, series, and title, I just needed to get the info quickly into Calibre without actually bringing in the zip. For a time, creating the shortcut .lnk for the zips worked since it came in as a .lnk file which I then batch deleted leaving the empty entries. I apply my custom tags column for management/info and then I'd run file duplicated to combine any for which there is an already an associated entry (book and/or metadata etnry previously created).
3) I create the shortcuts in a directory, separate the zips to their storage location, then run a rename in command prompt: Ren *.lnk *.entries or whatever I feel like using as it's temporary anyhow. This step takes 30 seconds max.
4) Simply drop them all into Calibre, add my management tags (I call the column Meta), and proceed to clean it up from there with a series of already saved commands in bulk metadata edit such as Search and Replace with REMOVE ".zip - Shortcut" from file names as it imports with that. There are other things I add in bulk from the file name to my Meta mgmt tags before easily cleaning up the file names. Then it's on to duplicate management.

Examples of audiobooks, lectures, and various:
Biology 1 -Chapter 8- Microbiology LECTURE(mp3-1).zip - Shortcut.lnk
Jane Doe -Quantum Mechanics Seminar 1- Quirky Quarks (mp3-m).zip - Shortcut.lnk
Physics -Chapter 10.3- Dynamicsefinitions & Applications LECTURE (mp3-m).zip - Shortcut.lnk
Physics -Chapter 10.3- Teaching Resources.zip - Shortcut.lnk
Physics -Chapter 10.4- Dynamics:Measurement & Error LECTURE (mp3-1).zip - Shortcut.lnk
J.R. Tolkien -Lords of the Rings 1- Fellowship of the Ring(m4b)(NOchpt).zip - Shortcut.lnk
Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice (m4b)(chpt).zip - Shortcut.lnk
Lee Child -Jack Reacher 01- The Killing Floor (mp3)(chpt).zip - Shortcut.lnk



I can store everything together and easily get to it when needed. I can keep track of it all in Calibre. I can quickly add these to Calibre entries and manage easily from there.

Truly, Calibre is a brilliant program. It allows basic use to power user and everything in between.