Re-importing updated books into Calibre. How do you do it? Do you do it?

[BetterRed]

@TheArtfulDodger - curious: why are you running calibre "as a different user such as administrator". DnD of a file into the book details of a portable I have on my data drive works fine.

Running calibre as administrator shouldn't be necessary.

BR

[TheArtfulDodger]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@TheArtfulDodger - curious: why are you running calibre "as a different user such as administrator". DnD of a file into the book details of a portable I have on my data drive works fine.

Running calibre as administrator shouldn't be necessary.

BR

Hello, BR:

I wasn't even aware I was. At sometime in the distant past I must have had a problem and clicked the box in properties. It's now unchecked!

Thanks for the heads up - I thought Kovid was talking about the fact that my account in Windows is as an Administrator.

Sparky

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by TheArtfulDodger

Hello, BR:

I wasn't even aware I was. At sometime in the distant past I must have had a problem and clicked the box in properties. It's now unchecked!

Thanks for the heads up - I thought Kovid was talking about the fact that my account in Windows is as an Administrator.

Sparky

I assume you can now DnD into the Book Details panel.

Coincidentally I was another application support site today, and someone there had had a similar DnD problem. They also had the Run As Admin box checked in the programs Properties->Compatibility tab for some inexplicable reason. After they unchecked it their DnD problems were solved.

<rant>In my experience it's rarely a real solution to a problem, might be a workaround pending a fix, or a diagnostic aid. If it's really needed the application installer should set it and the application doco should say why its needed.</rant>

BR

[diamante]

When the publisher has updated an ebook, is it possible to add the updated version and keep both the old version and the new version in Calibre? My understanding is that the old version is replaced when the file formats are the same.

[BetterRed]

Until recently I kept previous versions, other editions, other translations etc, in a separate set of folders identified by library name and book number e.g. "..\Books\1234"

But I've moved them into the recently introduced book 'data' folders. When a new version is released I copy the current version into book's 'data' folder before dropping the new version onto the Book details panel. The names of files and sub-folders in the book 'data' folder are defined by the user. If a book gets regular new versions I create a 'Versions' sub-folder and add something to the file names e.g. "2023-Q1 - blah-blah".

BR

[ownedbycats]

Sometimes, but not always, I keep separate book records for different editions. This is mostly for paper books though, which just have a 0-byte dummy file.

For fanfiction that had undergone heavy revisions/restructuring, I used to maintain a separate copy of the original version. However, now I just throw the old copy in the extra data files folder, though this means it won't come up in full-text search. (That reminds me of an enhancement request I want to make: 2025228.)

[JSWolf]

Why do you want the old version? Mostly the changes are text errors corrected and code changes. Sometimes a change is to add advertising for the author's other books or to add a teaser for the next book in the series.

I see no reason to keep the previous version.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why do you want the old version? Mostly the changes are text errors corrected and code changes. Sometimes a change is to add advertising for the author's other books or to add a teaser for the next book in the series.

I see no reason to keep the previous version.

That is You, Jon. (But you are 90% correct on updates)
Baen reissued (Modernized- more PC ?) a number of SF classics and offers the originals in the Free Library.
I simply added (original) suffix to the title of the first, (Second ed) to the latter.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by theducks

That is You, Jon. (But you are 90% correct on updates)
Baen reissued (Modernized- more PC ?) a number of SF classics and offers the originals in the Free Library.
I simply added (original) suffix to the title of the first, (Second ed) to the latter.

Have you a list of what not to read because it's been ruined? Those books are a classic with the text as it was. They are no longer classics with the modifications.

But for books that have not had the text changed other then errors or formatting, or changing the graphics to hi-res, I stand by no need to keep both.

[diamante]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Until recently I kept previous versions, other editions, other translations etc, in a separate set of folders identified by library name and book number e.g. "..\Books\1234"

But I've moved them into the recently introduced book 'data' folders. When a new version is released I copy the current version into book's 'data' folder before dropping the new version onto the Book details panel. The names of files and sub-folders in the book 'data' folder are defined by the user. If a book gets regular new versions I create a 'Versions' sub-folder and add something to the file names e.g. "2023-Q1 - blah-blah".

BR

This is really helpful; thank you! I am still using Calibre 4.13, mostly because I haven't wanted to deal with setting up DeDRM in a newer version, if this is even possible. Your suggestion makes me think it's time to upgrade. Also, I think your precise description of how you use the feature will save me some trial and error that would have awaited me otherwise.

[diamante]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Sometimes, but not always, I keep separate book records for different editions. This is mostly for paper books though, which just have a 0-byte dummy file.

For fanfiction that had undergone heavy revisions/restructuring, I used to maintain a separate copy of the original version. However, now I just throw the old copy in the extra data files folder, though this means it won't come up in full-text search. (That reminds me of an enhancement request I want to make: 2025228.)

Thanks very much for replying. I like your enhancement request, and I had looked for something like it exactly where you said it might go. I guess we're a niche market as far as this functionality is concerned.

[diamante]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why do you want the old version? Mostly the changes are text errors corrected and code changes. Sometimes a change is to add advertising for the author's other books or to add a teaser for the next book in the series.

I see no reason to keep the previous version.

In most cases you would be right, but sometimes I've wanted to look and see what changes were made.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by diamante

This is really helpful; thank you! I am still using Calibre 4.13, mostly because I haven't wanted to deal with setting up DeDRM in a newer version, if this is even possible. Your suggestion makes me think it's time to upgrade. Also, I think your precise description of how you use the feature will save me some trial and error that would have awaited me otherwise.

Setting up the new DeDRM is just a matter of installing the new version. It's that easy.

So there's no reason not to upgrade calibre tot he current version.

[diamante]

Do you mean the new version of Calibre, or the new version of Calibre and the new version of DeDRM? Will my device identification numbers (PIDs?) be carried over automatically? Should I leave the old Calibre installed until I have the new one working properly? I haven't found the time to look into this and I would appreciate any advice.