Extending Author Metadata

[Soap-dodger]

I would like to have the ability to add extra columns to the author table, for example, email address, dates of birth/death, real name (c/f pen name), social media links.

Is there a way to do this?

[DaltonST]

The "Entities Manager" plugin at https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=313935 allows you to add as many different links, different notes, and relationships with other "Entities" as regards a single "Entity" that you wish.

"Author" is an "Entity Type", and if you wish, a selected Author could be an "Entity" within EM.

Read the Original Post and view the attached examples for more details.

• 'Entities Manager' allows Links and Notes to be created for any 'Entity', and to 'Associate' those Entities with other Entities without reference to any book.
• An 'Entity' is the name of a Calibre Standard or Custom Column plus a value of that Column. The name is its 'Entity Type'.
• Standard Columns: Authors, Series, Publisher, Tags and Title are valid 'Entity Types'.
• Custom Columns: All are valid as 'Entity Types' as long as they are textual and not composite/built-from-others.
• 'User Defined' Entity Types may be created, the values for which are manually assigned.
• Associations themselves may be created as a valid Entity, inheriting all of the functionality normally available to all Entities.
• Any existing value in any valid Entity Type may be used to create a new Entity.
• An Entity may be attached to/linked with/associated with any other Entity or Entities.
• Entity 'Column Icon Rules' may be automatically created, maintained, and removed.
• Entity 'Column Color Rules' may be automatically created, maintained, and removed.

DaltonST

[Soap-dodger]

Thanks, though I was hoping this might be possible without the need of a plugin.

[skb]

Plugins are the cherry on top of the delight that is Calibre. Give a plugin (or two) a serious thought.

[theducks]

Plugins are the way to prevent (base) program bloat. You load what YOU want, without being dragged down by what others want.
It is pretty awesome, the many ways folk use Calibre that differs from what I do (pretty Vanilla).

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Soap-dodger

I would like to have the ability to add extra columns to the author table, for example, email address, dates of birth/death, real name (c/f pen name), social media links.

Is there a way to do this?

If you right click an Author name in Book Details or Tag Browser and select Manage <Author name> you'll get a list like this:



That's my Test Library, as you can see I have links to Evernote and Onenote pages, a text file, and a mailto address.

In my 'real libraries', when I want to keep supplemental data for an Author I create a page in an Evernote Authors notebook (using a pro-forma template) and paste the page link into the Link field, when I click the Author name in Book Details the Evernote page opens up.

You could create web server pages for authors and paste 'html:blah-blah' URLs into the Link field, they would open in your browser when you clicked an Author name in Book Details.

An "Open Author link" tool with a keyboard shortcut would be handy. IIRC CalibreSpy has one.

BR

[Soap-dodger]

Originally Posted by skb

Plugins are the cherry on top of the delight that is Calibre. Give a plugin (or two) a serious thought.

I have no aversion to plugins; in fact I use many every day.

It just seems strange to me that Calibre arbitrarily restricts author information to just two fields: name and a single link.

[Soap-dodger]

Originally Posted by theducks

Plugins are the way to prevent (base) program bloat. You load what YOU want, without being dragged down by what others want.
It is pretty awesome, the many ways folk use Calibre that differs from what I do (pretty Vanilla).

I get plugins and appreciate how they extend Calibre functionality in so many ways. However, what is lacking here is simply the ability to add columns to the Authors table, which is a core DBMS function, surely.

[Soap-dodger]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

If you right click an Author name in Book Details or Tag Browser and select Manage <Author name> you'll get a list like this:
BR

Thanks for your suggestion. However, I prefer to maintain all book-related information within Calibre, without recourse to external facilities and tools.

I understand that Calibre already separates author-related information into its own table, as is proper under standard database design. It's just that the permitted author information is so sparse. There ought to be a way to extend author-related information via custom columns, just as there is for book-related information.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Soap-dodger

However, what is lacking here is simply the ability to add columns to the Authors table, which is a core DBMS function, surely.

Adding a column to a DBMS schema is easy enough, but new columns will often create the need to add new indices, views, triggers, foreign keys etc.

Propagating the changes across multiple database instances is difficult in the best of circumstances - e.g. within a corporate branch structure. But it is orders of magnitude more difficult when there are millions of them, over which the developers have very limited control, no access, nor knowledge of the plethora of backup regimes in play.

BR

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Soap-dodger

Thanks for your suggestion. However, I prefer to maintain all book-related information within Calibre, without recourse to external facilities and tools.

I was always a strong advocate for Open Systems, so having interoperating applications is second nature to me. I just don't get today's closed-shop/eggs-in-one-basket/walled-garden/ mentality. But I appreciate that's what most folks prefer.

Originally Posted by Soap-dodger

I understand that Calibre already separates author-related information into its own table, as is proper under standard database design. It's just that the permitted author information is so sparse. There ought to be a way to extend author-related information via custom columns, just as there is for book-related information.

Calibre is open source. It shouldn't be too hard to to create a private fork that had the specific Author columns you want, along with attendant maintenance functionality etc.

BR

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Soap-dodger

Thanks for your suggestion. However, I prefer to maintain all book-related information within Calibre, without recourse to external facilities and tools.

I understand that Calibre already separates author-related information into its own table, as is proper under standard database design. It's just that the permitted author information is so sparse. There ought to be a way to extend author-related information via custom columns, just as there is for book-related information.

It's a matter of what the tool is for. Calibre is an ebook management system. It lets you collect your ebooks and maintain the information about them. With that is the goal, does having the authors date of birth actually help with book management? Do you really need to know this when deciding what book to read? And, personally, I have no interest in maintaining the information. Configuring the link associated with an author to go to an appropriate author page is probably enough for most of us. But, a plugin that fetched the page and displayed it in a dialog would be a good addition if someone is interested in creating it.

[theducks]

Clicking on the Author Name in the details pane, will take you to the authors Wikipedia page

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

Clicking on the Author Name in the details pane, will take you to the authors Wikipedia page

Assuming Preferences->Look and Feel->Book Details->Clicking on author names should: is set to Search for the author on Wikipedia, other options include - Google, Goodreads, Amazon etc.