Metadata storage/upload

yacoob · 03-03-2009, 04:53 PM

I've faced a weird behaviour that I'd like to verify.

Scenario: I don't want to keep a local library on my disk. All I want to do, is to prepare an ebook and transfer it to device (PRS505) with calibre, to make sure all metadata is there. In order to get that, I do the following:
* connect the device
* launch calibre
* add books to calibre
* edit the metadata
* send books to device
* disconnect the device
* delete books from calibre
So far so good, books are there, and titles/authors/collections are there. But then, I go for a second batch.
* connect the device, launch calibre...
Boom. "media database on device looks corrupted" says calibre, suggesting that disconnecting the reader should help. I do this, and now calibre stops complaining... but the tags are no longer there and my collections on the device are gone.

Does calibre makes any assumptions on what happens to the content of the device and my local library? Is the thing I've described at the beginning (using calibre only for uploading new books) even possible? Does the xml gets created on computer side and overwrites the one on device every time upload is performed? Or are the entries added to xml on the device one by one?

A bonus, unrelated question: when I launch OSX version of calibre, it asks for my login password. What for?

pilotbob · 03-03-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yacoob

I've faced a weird behaviour that I'd like to verify.

* delete books from calibre

Why do you do this step? Why not keep the books in your library?

Sorry, I don't know why this is happening.

Quote:

Originally Posted by yacoob

A bonus, unrelated question: when I launch OSX version of calibre, it asks for my login password. What for?

This will only happen the first time. Or, with new versions when a new command line program is added. Calibre is createing symbolic links in your /usr/bin folder to the command line utilities so you can run them from terminal. It needs root (your password) access to do that.

BOb

yacoob · 03-03-2009, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Why do you do this step? Why not keep the books in your library?

I don't want/need a local library. And a few other reasons (including 'I don't like fact that Calibre is using numbers to distinguish books dirs'

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Calibre is createing symbolic links in your /usr/bin folder to the command line utilities so you can run them from terminal.

That's useful, but IMHO should be configurable. And it's not really needed, from GUI point of view - people that would like to use cli, would most of the time be clueful enought to modify their PATH variable. Plus, there's no information about that anywhere in the program itself. First thing a newly downloaded program is doing? "Give me your admin password"

pilotbob · 03-03-2009, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yacoob

That's useful, but IMHO should be configurable. And it's not really needed, from GUI point of view

That's true but it doesn't hurt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by yacoob

Plus, there's no information about that anywhere in the program itself. First thing a newly downloaded program is doing? "Give me your admin password"

Did you not read the Note section on the OS X download page?

http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/download_osx

BOb

kovidgoyal · 03-03-2009, 05:23 PM

Something is corrupting the media.xml file on your reader. How are you disconnecting the reader? Are you ejecting/unmounting it first?

yacoob · 03-03-2009, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Something is corrupting the media.xml file on your reader. How are you disconnecting the reader? Are you ejecting/unmounting it first?

Yes, I'm trying to remember about trivial, yet crucious things like that

At the same time, I've just ran through the scenario I've described, and no corruption this time. Looks like it's not that reproducible

Can you please answer my question from original post, about way calibre does updates to device xml?

kovidgoyal · 03-03-2009, 06:27 PM

calibre makes no assumptions about content. it's meant to operate completely independently. You can manage content using a file explorer and calibre without any ill effects for example.

yacoob · 03-04-2009, 03:05 PM

...and I've just lost my collections again. Metadata corrupted.
FWIW, I've plugged in the device, removed a book from device, then uploaded exactly the same book (but in different format) from Calibre. After umounting and unplugging the device, my collections were gone.

Is there any debug mode I can enable to pinpoint the reason for this behaviour?

kovidgoyal · 03-04-2009, 03:09 PM

There's likely something wrong with your hardware. One (laborious) way to check is to always copy the media.xml file from the device to your local harddisk before unplugging it (all collection information/metadata) is stored in it. When this file gets corrupted, the reader regenerates te metadata, losing collections etc. So something is causing the corruption of that file

yacoob · 03-04-2009, 03:27 PM

I'd be guessing that it's either calibre or something on my mac that messes up the xml, as it happens exactly during/before/after connection. I haven't experienced any problems with the device itself, ie. collections disappearing during reading. Any debug mode in calibri that could help here?

kovidgoyal · 03-04-2009, 03:34 PM

no there isn't. Like I said look at before and after versions of media.xml to try to debug this.

03-03-2009, 04:53 PM	#1
yacoob Zealot Posts: 120 Karma: 1326 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: none	Metadata storage/upload I've faced a weird behaviour that I'd like to verify. Scenario: I don't want to keep a local library on my disk. All I want to do, is to prepare an ebook and transfer it to device (PRS505) with calibre, to make sure all metadata is there. In order to get that, I do the following: * connect the device * launch calibre * add books to calibre * edit the metadata * send books to device * disconnect the device * delete books from calibre So far so good, books are there, and titles/authors/collections are there. But then, I go for a second batch. * connect the device, launch calibre... Boom. "media database on device looks corrupted" says calibre, suggesting that disconnecting the reader should help. I do this, and now calibre stops complaining... but the tags are no longer there and my collections on the device are gone. Does calibre makes any assumptions on what happens to the content of the device and my local library? Is the thing I've described at the beginning (using calibre only for uploading new books) even possible? Does the xml gets created on computer side and overwrites the one on device every time upload is performed? Or are the entries added to xml on the device one by one? A bonus, unrelated question: when I launch OSX version of calibre, it asks for my login password. What for?

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03-03-2009, 05:23 PM	#5
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,169 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Something is corrupting the media.xml file on your reader. How are you disconnecting the reader? Are you ejecting/unmounting it first?

03-03-2009, 06:27 PM	#7
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,169 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	calibre makes no assumptions about content. it's meant to operate completely independently. You can manage content using a file explorer and calibre without any ill effects for example.

03-04-2009, 03:05 PM	#8
yacoob Zealot Posts: 120 Karma: 1326 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: none	...and I've just lost my collections again. Metadata corrupted. FWIW, I've plugged in the device, removed a book from device, then uploaded exactly the same book (but in different format) from Calibre. After umounting and unplugging the device, my collections were gone. Is there any debug mode I can enable to pinpoint the reason for this behaviour?

03-04-2009, 03:09 PM	#9
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,169 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	There's likely something wrong with your hardware. One (laborious) way to check is to always copy the media.xml file from the device to your local harddisk before unplugging it (all collection information/metadata) is stored in it. When this file gets corrupted, the reader regenerates te metadata, losing collections etc. So something is causing the corruption of that file

03-04-2009, 03:27 PM	#10
yacoob Zealot Posts: 120 Karma: 1326 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: none	I'd be guessing that it's either calibre or something on my mac that messes up the xml, as it happens exactly during/before/after connection. I haven't experienced any problems with the device itself, ie. collections disappearing during reading. Any debug mode in calibri that could help here?

03-04-2009, 03:34 PM	#11
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,169 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	no there isn't. Like I said look at before and after versions of media.xml to try to debug this.

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