[GUI Plugin] Template Catalog

[Comfy.n]

Template Catalog Plugin for Calibre!

A powerful template management plugin for Calibre that helps you organize, store, and reuse your templates.

Features

• Template Organization: Store and categorize your templates in a structured way
  
  Import Capabilities:

• Import composite column templates
• Import Calibre's built-in rules (color rules, icon rules, cover grid emblems)
• Import/Export entire template catalogs

Smart Template Management:

• Organize templates into categories
• Add tags for easy filtering
• Add descriptions to document your templates
• Test templates directly on selected books
• Save templates to files for sharing

Advanced Search & Filter:

• Filter templates by name, category, or tags
• Full-text search within template content
• Support for case-sensitive, whole word, and regex search

Python Template Mode Support:

• Special handling of Python Template Mode (PTM) templates
• Visual distinction of PTM templates in the interface

Category Management:

• Create, rename, and merge categories
• Auto-categorization of imported templates

Installation

1. Download the latest release zip file
2. In Calibre, go to Preferences → Plugins → Load Plugin from File
3. Select the downloaded zip file
4. Restart Calibre

Usage:

Basic Operations

• Click the Template Catalog icon in the toolbar to open the manager
• Use "Add" to create new templates
• Double-click a template to edit it
• Use "Test" to try a template on a selected book
• Use tags and descriptions to organize your templates
• Use the filter box to quickly find templates

Importing Templates

• From Composite Columns: Select templates in the Composite Columns section and click Import
• From Calibre Rules: Use the Import From menu to import various Calibre rules
• Bulk Import: Use "Import All New" to import all new composite templates at once

Managing Categories

• Use the "Manage template categories" button to organize your catalog
• Create new categories as needed
• Merge categories to consolidate similar templates
• Templates can be moved between categories during editing

Template Testing

1. Select a book in your library
2. Select a template in the catalog
3. Click "Test" to see the template results
4. Use the template tester dialog to try variations


Search Features

• Use the filter box to find templates by name, category, or tags
• Use the search box to search within template content
• Enable regex mode for advanced pattern matching

Tips & Tricks

• Use descriptive tags to make templates easier to find
• Add detailed descriptions to document template behavior
• Export important templates to files as backups
• Use categories to group related templates
• Test templates before using them in columns or rules

Requirements

• Calibre 6.25 or later
• Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux (I've only tested on Windows, feedback is welcome)

Support

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions, check this MobileRead thread!

License

This plugin is licensed under the GNU GPL v3.

Latest updates

Version 2.0:

1. Markdown export:

- The markdown export feature generates a structured documentation of the template catalog. It's acessible in the Transfer menu.
- Exported file can then be:

• Added to Calibre library
• Converted to DOCX or other formats using Calibre's converter

2. Backup Creation:
- Creates backups in a dedicated folder at `[calibre config dir]/plugins/TemplateCatalog/backups`
- Automatically generates backup files with timestamps in the format `template_catalog_backup_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.json`
- Creates backups before major changes like:
- Bulk template deletion
- Category merges/renames
- Full catalog imports

3. Backup Management:
- Keeps only the 5 most recent backups
- Automatically removes older backups when this limit is exceeded

4. Backup Restoration:
- Added a "Restore Last Backup..." option in the Transfer menu
- Shows a confirmation dialog before restoring
- Restores from the most recent backup file

Screencaps

Main dialog:



Quick access to Calibre's Template Tester:



Edit:



Manage template categories:

[Comfy.n]

(Reserved for future use)

[Terisa de morgan]

Thank you, using it now because I've got to create some templates lately.

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

Thank you, using it now because I've got to create some templates lately.

I saw your template that checks if there are non-ascii characters in a title and it works just fine! Now I've saved it and tagged it with 'transliterate' and 'Terisa'.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by Comfy.n

I saw your template that checks if there are non-ascii characters in a title and it works just fine! Now I've saved it and tagged it with 'transliterate' and 'Terisa'.

Glad it helps you. I'm using your plugin (and included that template too ), and the function to import templates from custom columns and icon/colouring column is very, very useful, thank you. I think I'm going to be able to clean some custom functions that usually give me pain. So, thank you again.

[Comfy.n]

I have uploaded a new version with Shortcuts support for accessibility.

From what I've seen on tests, it might be necessary to uninstall previous version for the plugin shortcuts to take effect.

[BetterRed]

It's always puzzled me how people who use templates extensively go about managing them.

Q. Is the Template Catalogue global (i.e spans multiple libraries) or per library? I suspect the latter, not a loaded question, just want to confirm.

BR

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

It's always puzzled me how people who use templates extensively go about managing them.

BR

Yep. I always wanted to have a catalogue for this. My original idea was to scrape MobileRead posts and create this big Word document. Never got around to do it.

Q. Is the Template Catalogue global (i.e spans multiple libraries) or per library? I suspect the latter, not a loaded question, just want to confirm.

It's global, but it can import Composites from each library! So you may select the detected composites across different libraries, then do multiple select in template list and import them. (shift key works to do multiple selection)

[BetterRed]

So can I assume it stores the catalogue in the %appdata%/calibre/plugins folder?

Edit: - yes it does.

BR

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

So can I assume it stores the catalogue in the %appdata%/calibre/plugins folder?

BR

Yes, catalogue filename is template_catalog.json.

I confirm the path is config dir/plugins

[BetterRed]

If I export the icon rules from Look and Feel I can see the column to which the icon is attached e.g.

[
"icon",
"authors",
"program:\n# BasicColorRule():5b226d6167617a696e652e706e67222c2 05b5b22666f726d617473222c2022686173222c20224550554 24649584544225d5d5d\ntest(str_in_list(field('forma ts'), ',', \"EPUBFIXED\", '1', ''), 'magazine.png', '');\n"
],

I cannot see that column name in Template Category list or in the Edit/Save dialogue.

Could the name if the column to which the icon is attached be incorporated into the Template Name e.g.… rather than "From column_icon_rules: Rule 1" something like this "authors: Rule 1".

And something similar for column colour templates.

BR

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

It's always puzzled me how people who use templates extensively go about managing them.

Q. Is the Template Catalogue global (i.e spans multiple libraries) or per library? I suspect the latter, not a loaded question, just want to confirm.

BR

Global, and I can say it detects duplicate templates

[Terisa de morgan]

And there is another field where this is going to be useful to catalog: Action Chains

[DrChiper]

Originally Posted by Comfy.n

I saw your template that checks if there are non-ascii characters in a title and it works just fine! Now I've saved it and tagged it with 'transliterate' and 'Terisa'.

Yes, it is a nice check: well found . However, I do also have sub-titles, so I had to rework the template a little bit.

program:
	if (field('title')!=transliterate(field('title')))
	then
		if (field('#subtitle')!=transliterate(field('#subtitle')))
		then
			'true1, true2'
		else
			'true1'
		fi
	else
		if (field('#subtitle')!=transliterate(field('#subtitle')))
		then
			'true2'
		else
			'false'
		fi
	fi

It returns true1 for title, true2 for subtitle, or false when neither contains non-ASCII chars.

The reason I didn't use intermediate vars is because I noticed that the formatter stops processing/evaluating in case of a nil situation, so this seems to be fastest way to process. But as always, correct me if I'm wrong

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by DrChiper

Yes, it is a nice check: well found . However, I do also have sub-titles, so I had to rework the template a little bit.

program:
	if (field('title')!=transliterate(field('title')))
	then
		if (field('#subtitle')!=transliterate(field('#subtitle')))
		then
			'true1, true2'
		else
			'true1'
		fi
	else
		if (field('#subtitle')!=transliterate(field('#subtitle')))
		then
			'true2'
		else
			'false'
		fi
	fi

It returns true1 for title, true2 for subtitle, or false when neither contains non-ASCII chars.

The reason I didn't use intermediate vars is because I noticed that the formatter stops processing/evaluating in case of a nil situation, so this seems to be fastest way to process. But as always, correct me if I'm wrong

You can add author For me, I'm using only title or author because they add an icon to the column. About nil variable... no idea.