Help Customizing My Library

[CConti60]

I have used Calibre on many different readers and love the ability to sync all the data to them. My biggest challenge is that I want a VERY specific way of organizing my files and I can not figure out how to configure the SW to do so.

I want all books from the same author in a single folder. Below that all books in the same series are in the same sub-folder and are titled as Author-SeriesName&#-Book Title.

If there is anyone out there that has or can do this, please reach out. I appreciate any assistance I can get.

Charles

[Sirtel]

What you want is not possible with Calibre and will never be. Calibre has its own way of organizing the files and that's not going to change. If you want to use a different file organization, use the "Save to disk" option. That will create copies of your files in another location, which you can then organize as you like.

[theducks]

You can SEND them to a device using the Template Language
but

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq...lder-structure

You have 2 choices for the Library:
1) Use Calibre with all its features and abilities (and its filing system)
2) Don't

Option 1 means you don't even need to know HOW it is filed (as long as it is on a local drive). The UI is a super card catalog and a gofer (go for and get me this book )

[CConti60]

After considerable diliberation and reading, I understand the benefits of the interface far outweigh my need to have all files named and organized as I prefer. (I still wish I could get both my organization and the UI benefits...)

Next question is about metadata. I have been selecting books and downloading both covers and metadata with mixed results. Mainly I am trying to get the Series Info populated correctly so that I am sure I have all the books in a series and know what order to read them in. However, most of the time, the series is not populating. Am I missing a process or setting?

[Sirtel]

I just enter all metadata manually. Downloading the metadata is a very iffy process and often fails in some respects, as you've noticed. That's because publishers and stores don't always bother to have correct metadata, and it varies between different retailers - particularly series names, but even the names of the authors may be slightly different.

[theducks]

Listen to Sirtel.

Tighten up your Metadata sources so you ca cherry pick better.
On the Preference:metadata download form
1)set the cover (source) priority 1 being preferred over 3

Note: the ticks on the right side are the Master (allow)
select the source: then click the Configure selected source button
I can get Tags only from source F, Comments from A,B,F by removing those item ticks from the source I DON'T LIKE
But you also have to deal with inconsistent publishers (and Authors)
The Series started out as Foo, and later changed to Bar
You need to just fix that one way or the other.
Then there is the spinoff of a series. {series} only allows 1 name and 1 Index

Again, this is you choice. I do this as Hierarchical: (there are no sites that provide it in this form)

Pern.Harper Hall
Pern.Dragon Riders

Then there are overlapping series. For these I use a Custom Column for one of them.
J.A. Jance does this with Johanna Brady and JP Beaumont
I don't bother going deeper (collections/box sets).
{series} becomes '<various>' and {#split_series} gets my fav of them

Manage Series Plugin will help you renumber the selections.
Again different sources number differently. I use N.n for shorts between issues.

Is my way Right? Is it the only way
And I guarantee there is no way that fits all conditions you will find

[JSWolf]

I don't download metadata. I edit it all by hand. Then only thing I do download is the cover if the existing cover is either a generic cover or not high enough resolution.