[GUI Plugin] Kindle Collections (old)

[tlrowley]

I've tried multiple types of columns, my ⌘-R keys are getting worn out.

I'll try debug mode.

[tlrowley]

I've tried debug, and the collection part is displayed below:

============ Collection Report ============

Columns to include:
  column: tracey               prefix: -          minimum: 1

Ignore Collections:

Collections Created:

ERROR: No collections updated - no collections found

So, it's finding the correct column, that's a start. In this case, "tracey" is a column of "text, column shown in tag browser". There are 70-ish books with the value "sample" in the column "tracey", about 1000 with no value in that column.

For the sake of completeness, I'll attach the file.

I'm about to sacrifice a chicken....

[ElizabethN]

Just curious, but do you have metadata management set to automatic?

"If metadata management is set to automatic (preferences, send to device, metadata management), then the titles will be updated the next time you connect your kindle. If metadata management is set to something else, then you must resend your books."

I have this quote saved in my "calibre preferences document (older age, you know)" - it's from one of the calibre wizards, chaley I think.

p.s. - I also had to resend books when I decided to edit my plugboard template for the series format; automatic apparently didn't handle changes in plugboard expressions for files previously sent. Or I was too impatient to wait for updates to happen.

[tlrowley]

My metadata management is set to "only on send".

[ElizabethN]

Originally Posted by tlrowley

My metadata management is set to "only on send".

Are you sending to your device new copies of the files that go with the custom column and making sure that old files are deleted? Without automatic management on, I don't think that the reader ever knows changes are made unless you send the new files to it.

If you're sending over the new files with the custom column, then I'm baffled and will let more knowledge folks problem-solve.

I don't know if this important or not; Meme, Kiwidude or Chaley might know.

[tlrowley]

That was it!!! Gold stars and karma coming your way.

I'm still a little uncertain as to why I needed to re-send those files to get that column flagged, but the series info worked perfectly, but I'm going to try not to drive myself crazy(er) wondering why.

Now, let's see if I can get some useful things done.

[meme]

Originally Posted by ElizabethN

If you're in author or title mode, and for example, want to go to andre norton books (if collection is from author_sort, collection will be Norton, Andre), use either the n or o key and the bottom of the page search bar will say in faint print, "click to go to N titles or N authors". Clicking will get you to the first entry in N.

Ah - I kept testing it with a title on the same page I was on and it doesn't show that - but it worked fine for titles on later pages

[meme]

Originally Posted by tlrowley

I'm still a little uncertain as to why I needed to re-send those files to get that column flagged, but the series info worked perfectly, but I'm going to try not to drive myself crazy(er) wondering why..

Setting Calibre to automatic management seems to be necessary ( I did put it in the installation notes - but only item 4, I think I'll move it to 1 ) because the way the plugin works is it reads the metadata.calibre file that Calibre creates on the Kindle. This file contains data on all the books that Calibre sent to the Kindle, including all the columns associated with the book and the column values. So if you create a User Created column, or update tags/series or other information, that information does not get resent to the Kindle's metadata.calibre file unless you set Calibre to automatic management and you send a book to the device or reconnect.

Using Manual Management or Only on Send does not seem to trigger Calibre to keep the metadata.calibre up to date on the Kindle even if you send books to the device. I suspect this is because Kindle keeps a separate collection file and the Manual Management and Only on Send options are talking about the actual book files on the device. Kindle doesn't keep collection info in the book file so those options have no effect.

Setting to Automatic Management will keep the Kindle's metadata.calibre file up to data if you disconnect/reconnect or if you send a book to the device (any book will do, since it will update the whole metadata.calibre file).

If I can find the variable name that confirms if Automatic Management is on or off I'll consider putting up a warning message about it when the plugin is run.

[tlrowley]

I'm sorry I missed it in the installation notes.

/hangs head

I do really like the plugin - I just need to get my tags in better shape.

[crossi]

How would you exclude all tags in square brackets like [Free]. I use a lot of them for searches but I don't want them in collections

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by crossi

How would you exclude all tags in square brackets like [Free]. I use a lot of them for searches but I don't want them in collections

This should work in the tweaks:

# Collection names or patterns to ignore (e.g. [ "ignorethis", ".*Ignore.*" ]
create_kindle_collections_ignore = ["[.*" ]

That should ignore anything that starts with a square bracket.

[pchrist7]

Guess this is mostly for meme, but any one else, feel free to chip in.

Hi All

Been in this world for approx 6 months.

Have a weird mix of Amazon ebooks sent directly to K3, some via K4PC, and most by "other sources" via Calibre to K3.

Been reading this, and other threads, over & over.
Still, I'm not sure whether I dare to go for this plugin.

I WAN'T TO, but ....

IF I was a brand new Kindler, it would be SO good,

Now I have approx 600 book on my K3, sorted in Collections.
(manually, other tools)

Meme: Any thoughts / PLANS for merging your brilliant, versitile plugin with existing Kindle collections.json file ?

If I'm way out of line, I appologise,
just tired

BUT IF .. dreams might come through ?

( Sorry for any spelling errors ... )

[meme]

Originally Posted by pchrist7

Meme: Any thoughts / PLANS for merging your brilliant, versitile plugin with existing Kindle collections.json file ?

Not really at this time. I'd have to think about how it would work - but it would defeat the whole purpose of just using Calibre to manage things, unless I import the existing collections into Calibre in some custom column. Which could end up being a different plugin. Something to think about.

[kiwidude]

Originally Posted by meme

Not really at this time. I'd have to think about how it would work - but it would defeat the whole purpose of just using Calibre to manage things, unless I import the existing collections into Calibre in some custom column. Which could end up being a different plugin. Something to think about.

I haven't tried your plugin just yet (hoping to soon) however I would second the preserving request for a slightly different reason. If you read the Kindle forums one of the common things Kindle users do is create a collection that they put the current book(s) they are reading into so that it appears at the top of the list, like "~Reading~" in my case. Without this you have to keep switching your sort orders all the time to get back to your book which gets very annoying very fast.

So such users (e.g. me ) would want that collection untouched by the action of adding some new books from Calibre. It is not a collection they would want to "manage" within Calibre in any way shape or from, it represents a "state" of reading on the Kindle and should exist only there.

One of the ideas I had heard mentioned on other Kindle collection manager threads was allowing the ability to specify a list of collection names to be "preserved". So you read the json file, and throw away any not on the "preserved" list. Now I don't know how easy it is to read that json file and I havent looked at your code as yet but it "seems" a simple enough approach. There are of course still issues to be addressed (like what to do if a Calibre collection from your plugin matches one on the preserve list). But at least if I could name my preserve collections uniquely enough there shouldn't be an issue.

I also have other books on my Kindle that are not in Calibre for various reasons (non-fictional reference books) - they are hidden away in another collection on my Kindle that also I would like preserved and not have to recreate each time.

[meme]

Version 1.2 is now available and the first post of this thread has been completely updated. New features:

• Rewrote code to support GUI customization instead of tweaks
• You can now specify case-sensitive collection names/patterns to ignore/include and prefixes per column
• Warns if Automatic management is set or not
• Test implementation for adding built-in dictionaries to collections

If you setup tweaks already, they'll be completely ignored so you should delete them from the tweak list, and then use the GUI to add your settings - there's more flexibility this way and its easier to read.

The customization GUI shows all the columns available to select for collections, including user created columns. However, it doesn't show all Calibre columns even though it can - most of them (like comments, timestamp) would not create meaningful collection names. If you find one missing that you want, or think one shouldn't be on the list, just let me know and I'll update the defaults.

The ability to put dictionaries in collections is a work in progress. Its a bit of a kludge but it works find for the 2 UK dictionaries I have. I need to get more codes for dictionaries (or even applications - I'd like to try these) to expand the defaults and to see if its worth allowing them to be customized outside the code. If you can help collect codes for me I'd appreciate it. The books/apps I need are the ones that don't show up in the Kindle's directory structure so can't be put into collections in the normal way. You can get the codes as follows:

• On your Kindle add one special book (dictionary or app) to a new collection (name the collection to match the title of the book/app)
• Repeat for each of the special files/apps that you have on your Kindle
• Connect your Kindle to your PC and go to the systems directory
• View the collections.json file and copy just the lines for the new collections you created (I don't need all your books ) and paste them here
• I can then add the codes to the plugin and release a new version for testing
• Remember that this plugin will overwrite the collections you just manually created when you run it again

There are still a few things I want to look into: adding more dictionary/application codes, supporting multiple configurations/kindles, showing the collection report without using debug mode, and using classes better in the code. Other suggestions are welcome.

Have fun