[GUI Plugin] OverDrive Libby

[DaySleeper]

I have borrowed several magazines via overdrive/libby. While most download just fine, a few download only the metadata & the cover image. The magazines are definitely checked out, and I can see the whole issue in my browser. Example title:

Using latest version of plugin & Calibre Portable 6.14.1. Windows 10 Pro 64bit.
Example titles: DIY Home - Special Edition 2011. I even checked out one magazine from two different libraries, and it fails to download in both cases.

In configuration, "include titles without downloadable formats" is unchecked. I have connection timeout = 60 seconds (default) and increased "retry attempts" to 4, which didn't make a difference. I've tried multiple times with the offending titles.

[modified]

Originally Posted by DaySleeper

I have borrowed several magazines via overdrive/libby. While most download just fine, a few download only the metadata & the cover image. The magazines are definitely checked out, and I can see the whole issue in my browser. Example title:

Using latest version of plugin & Calibre Portable 6.14.1. Windows 10 Pro 64bit.
Example titles: DIY Home - Special Edition 2011. I even checked out one magazine from two different libraries, and it fails to download in both cases.

In configuration, "include titles without downloadable formats" is unchecked. I have connection timeout = 60 seconds (default) and increased "retry attempts" to 4, which didn't make a difference. I've tried multiple times with the offending titles.

My bad for not properly documenting this properly.

Not all magazines are downloadable. Only magazines that have readable individual articles can be downloaded.

If you don't see an "Article" button near the bottom of the reader in the Libby app, that particular magazine does not support article-mode and cannot be downloaded. These are typically fixed-layout magazines (mainly heavy image-spread type magazines that cover photography, fashion, etc) and cannot be converted to reflowable epubs.

There also isn't a way to identify these magazines until a download is attempted.

[annekaelber]

Hi! Are there any plans to have the plugin recognize audiobooks? I'm currently investigating whether it's possible to manage my audiobook library with Calibre.

Anne

[modified]

Originally Posted by annekaelber

Hi! Are there any plans to have the plugin recognize audiobooks? I'm currently investigating whether it's possible to manage my audiobook library with Calibre.

Anne

For metadata, tracking, etc, the plugin does support downloading of audiobook loans as an *empty* book.

If you mean to also download audiobook loans, I have no plans to do so.

[colinsky]

Any chance you could make the columns resizable in the selection interface? At my font size I currently only get 4-5 characters of the title so basically have to read it in the footer to identify what each book is.

[miss_p1nky]

Originally Posted by colinsky

Any chance you could make the columns resizable in the selection interface? At my font size I currently only get 4-5 characters of the title so basically have to read it in the footer to identify what each book is.

Drag the window to resize it, the title would then show. The column can't be resized.

[AudioPhool]

I failed the basics., (but I appreciate the plug-in)

I managed to install the plug-in. And I scratched my head at the following instruction:

"Then add the plugin to the toolbar/menubar as you wish."

Never having used Calibre, I didn't know what that meant and thus, didn’t know how to activate the plug-in.

After some futzing around with Calibre, I finally figured it out:

I needed to select Preferences (not the drop-down)/Toolbars and Menus/the Main Toolbar (in the drop down)/I found OverdriveLibby in Available Actions and moved it to Current Actions. Voila, I was in business. Easy peasy once known.

Just obtaining my first eReader (Kobo Sage), I had only 1-book borrowed. I clicked on OverDrive Libby (now the Icon was in the menu). It displayed my borrowed book and 1 unavailable loan

The book had accurate title and author data. But when I downloaded it to Calibre, the title was a number and the author was "unknown". Is this to be expected? My guess is the number may be a borrow number....but…?

[miss_p1nky]

Originally Posted by AudioPhool

I failed the basics., (but I appreciate the plug-in)

I managed to install the plug-in. And I scratched my head at the following instruction:

"Then add the plugin to the toolbar/menubar as you wish."

Never having used Calibre, I didn't know what that meant and thus, didn’t know how to activate the plug-in.

After some futzing around with Calibre, I finally figured it out:

I needed to select Preferences (not the drop-down)/Toolbars and Menus/the Main Toolbar (in the drop down)/I found OverdriveLibby in Available Actions and moved it to Current Actions. Voila, I was in business. Easy peasy once known.

Just obtaining my first eReader (Kobo Sage), I had only 1-book borrowed. I clicked on OverDrive Libby (now the Icon was in the menu). It displayed my borrowed book and 1 unavailable loan

The book had accurate title and author data. But when I downloaded it to Calibre, the title was a number and the author was "unknown". Is this to be expected? My guess is the number may be a borrow number....but…?

You need a De-DRM plugin for the book to be displayed as epub. Otherwise it'll just be imported as an ACSM file and thus can't be read using Calibre or transferred to your device.

[Upamanyu Santra]

Hi, very new to this plugin. One quick question. Does this plugin support books which are only available in Overdrive Read. I have two loans currently that are like that and the plugin does not display them in the loans section.

[miss_p1nky]

Originally Posted by Upamanyu Santra

Hi, very new to this plugin. One quick question. Does this plugin support books which are only available in Overdrive Read. I have two loans currently that are like that and the plugin does not display them in the loans section.

No. Overdrive Read can only be read using the browser.

[DaySleeper]

KeyError: error synchronizing data

calibre, version 6.14.1
ERROR: Unhandled exception: <b>KeyError</b>: Error synchronizing data

calibre 6.14.1 Portable embedded-python: True
Windows-10-10.0.19045-SP0 Windows ('64bit', 'WindowsPE')
('Windows', '10', '10.0.19045')
Python 3.10.1
Windows: ('10', '10.0.19045', 'SP0', 'Multiprocessor Free')
Interface language: None
Successfully initialized third party plugins: DeACSM (0, 0, 16) && Gather KFX-ZIP (from KFX Input) (2, 6, 0) && DeDRM (10, 0, 3) && Package KFX (from KFX Input) (2, 6, 0) && Access Aide (0, 1, 13) && Action Chains (1, 18, 19) && Annotations (1, 17, 13) && Calibre Power Search Plugin (2, 2, 0) && CalibreSpy (1, 0, 92) && Count Pages (1, 12, 1) && DOC Input (1, 0, 1) && Ebook Translator (2, 0, 3) && Editor Chains (0, 8, 3) && EpubMerge (2, 17, 0) && EpubSplit (3, 6, 0) && FanFicFare (4, 20, 0) && FictionDB (1, 4, 1) && Find Duplicates (1, 10, 7) && GetFileName (0, 2, 0) && Goodreads (1, 7, 3) && Goodreads_Rating (4, 0, 0) && Job Spy (1, 0, 205) && KFX metadata reader (from KFX Input) (2, 6, 0) && KFX Input (2, 6, 0) && Set KFX metadata (from KFX Output) (2, 3, 1) && KFX Output (2, 3, 1) && Kindle Collections (1, 7, 29) && KindleUnpack - The Plugin (0, 83, 1) && Mass Search-Replace (1, 7, 1) && Media File Importer (1, 0, 27) && Modify ePub (1, 8, 2) && Open With (1, 8, 1) && OverDrive Libby (0, 1, 9) && Overdrive Link (2, 57, 0) && Reading List (1, 15, 1) && Save To Format (0, 0, 6) && Search The Internet (1, 10, 4) && Standard Ebooks (1, 0, 0) && TTS to MP3 (0, 6, 0) && View Manager (1, 10, 2) && Wiki Reader (2, 2, 1) && all recipes Recipe Reader (1, 0, 2) && Overdrive Link Metadata Source (2, 57, 0)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "calibre_plugins.overdrive_libby.workers", line 432, in run
File "calibre_plugins.overdrive_libby.workers", line 436, in <listcomp>
KeyError: 'parentMagazineTitleId'

I exited & restarted Calibre (I'm running Portable 6.14.1) and this is the first time this problem has occurred. Restarting Calibre didn't fix the issue.

The following day, it was working again, so I'm guessing this was a transient error on Libby's side of things.

[DaySleeper]

The error has resurfaced. "Key error: error synchronizing data; parentMagazineTitleID"

[mowing-imperial]

Looks like the publish date on this book does not have a Z at the end, and that blows up the download call

calibre, version 7.5.1
ERROR: Unhandled exception: <b>ValueError</b>: Failed to download e-book

calibre 7.5.1 embedded-python: True
macOS-14.3.1-arm64-arm-64bit Darwin ('64bit', '')
('Darwin', '23.3.0', 'Darwin Kernel Version 23.3.0: Wed Dec 20 21:31:00 PST 2023; root:xnu-10002.81.5~7/RELEASE_ARM64_T6020')
Python 3.11.5
OSX: ('14.3.1', ('', '', ''), 'arm64')
Interface language: None
EXE path: /Applications/calibre.app/Contents/MacOS/calibre
Successfully initialized third party plugins: DeACSM (0, 0, 16) && Gather KFX-ZIP (from KFX Input) (2, 8, 1) && DeDRM (10, 0, 3) && Package KFX (from KFX Input) (2, 8, 1) && Action Chains (1, 19, 4) && Count Pages (1, 13, 4) && Extract ISBN (1, 6, 0) && Find Duplicates (1, 10, 8) && KFX metadata reader (from KFX Input) (2, 8, 1) && From KFX (2, 8, 1) && KFX Input (2, 8, 1) && Set KFX metadata (from KFX Output) (2, 6, 1) && KFX Output (2, 6, 1) && Modify ePub (1, 8, 2) && OverDrive Libby (0, 1, 9) && Quality Check (1, 13, 8) && Reading List (1, 15, 1) && TextDiff (1, 2, 4) && View Manager (1, 10, 2)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "calibre/gui2/threaded_jobs.py", line 82, in start_work
File "calibre_plugins.overdrive_libby.ebook_downloa d", line 59, in __call__
self.add(
File "calibre_plugins.overdrive_libby.download", line 253, in add
metadata = self.update_metadata(
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
File "calibre_plugins.overdrive_libby.download", line 97, in update_metadata
LibbyClient.parse_datetime(loan["publishDate"])
File "calibre_plugins.overdrive_libby.libby.client" , line 337, in parse_datetime
raise ValueError(f"time data '{value}' does not match known formats {formats}")
ValueError: time data '2012-09-11T00:00:00' does not match known formats ('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', '%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S.%fZ', '%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z', '%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S.%f%z', '%m/%d/%Y')

[mowing-imperial]

can't seem to edit my post but it looks like there's an issue open here: https://github.com/ping/libby-calibre-plugin/issues/20

[mowing-imperial]

There's an issue open here: https://github.com/ping/libby-calibre-plugin/issues/20 and proposed fix https://github.com/ping/libby-calibre-plugin/pull/17