Sage Add series / series index to Kobo

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by Quoth

None, as long the the filename works.

Exactly. For what's it's worth one could even send all ebooks using sequential or random numbers and the device would function.

Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk

[dragoworld235]

Originally Posted by baursak

no, not enough at all
- I am russian and read in Russian
- but Calibre exports files with file names (don't confuse with book title) in Latin letters
- Kovid confirmed this and said he doesn't care
- but I do care
- like all of English speaking members of this forum do care about info being in English
- please advise

If you don't want to use Calibre to manage your ebook library, I'm pretty sure you can still use it to set the serie+index metadata on your reader.
I've not try your exact scenario and it may not work because of not ASCII char in the filenames, or other reasons.
You may have to try various settings for it to work, and may even corrupt your device database so be advise of the risks.

Start situation: where you are currently, with books in your reader missing the serie+index.

- you have Calibre installed on your computer, correctly configured (that's the hard part), and launched on an empty local library

- you connect the reader to your computer with the usb cable and accept the connection on the reader screen

- calibre should detect your device and switch in "device mode" (my terminology)

- calibre allows you to see the books on the reader, and you can import them to the local empty library. It's just a copy to the folder where calibre stores the library. It's a technical folder, filenames have no importance here

- you can eject (calibre has a button for it) then unplug the reader from the computer

- you set the serie+index where missing in calibre

- you reconnect the reader to the computer

- if calibre is configured correctly, it will automatically sync the metadata to the reader database

- after ejecting the reader, you will have the serie+index on it

- if you don't want to keep a copy of your books in the calibre library, you can remove them all to have an empty library for next time

--

To configure calibre, it will be in part in the KoboTouch driver plugin that is installed in calibre by default. I was saying you don't need the Extended one that needs to be installed.

[baursak]

Originally Posted by DNSB

If the author and metadata in the calibre library is in Cyrillic, books exported either via Send to device or Send to disk will have Cyrillic filenames. The files in the calibre library will not due to some old filesystems that do not support much beyond the ASCII code.

So if you are not looking at the files in calibre's library—which you shouldn't be doing, consider it a black box—the filenames would not be an issue.

For example, I've attached several images. One shows the calibre library entry for War and Peace, the other shows the filename as seen in the calibre library and the last shows the filename as seen when I use Save to disk to export the file.

There were a couple of calibre forks that did not sanitize the characters used when storing characters in the calibre library.

My question still is "Add series / series index to Kobo"
- Please advise accordingly

[baursak]

Originally Posted by PeterT

And what difference does the case / character set of a filename make on a Kobo eReader that relies on its database to display books

Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk

Because original Kobo software
- doesn't keep books as a file tree (like for instance PocketBook and Ony Boox do)
- doesn't support series upfront
So I use folder hierarchy in Google Drive to make navigation fast and simple (author - series - books).
Google Drive doesn't see metadata - it does see file names - therefore I would prefer those files' names in my native language, which is Russian.

[Aleron Ives]

If you want a directory structure, you can use KOReader instead of Nickel.

In order to get series information on sideloaded books, you must add the metadata with Calibre. You then have two options:

1) Send the books with Calibre so it can add the series information to the database
2) Use the NickelSeries mod so it can read the series information during the import process

If you want to use Google Drive, you need to use method 2, and you probably need to delete and re-import all your books, as NickelSeries has no effect on existing books, only new ones.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by baursak

Because original Kobo software
- doesn't keep books as a file tree (like for instance PocketBook and Ony Boox do)
- doesn't support series upfront
So I use folder hierarchy in Google Drive to make navigation fast and simple (author - series - books).
Google Drive doesn't see metadata - it does see file names - therefore I would prefer those files' names in my native language, which is Russian.

Actually folder/hierarchy is only good for content that has no metadata. Any decent document management or library on computer in the last 40 years uses metadata, not file browsing.

KOReader only uses files for browsing and sort of search using Calibre metadata. Ir's so slow and awkward compared to a library interface that uses title, author, series, subtitle and can filter by all, reading / unread / recent and additionally by collections (impossible with files and folders) and sort by Recent, Date Added, Title, Author, series, file size and file type. Top level of My Books is Books (Titles), Authors, Series and Collections.

I only use folder/file pre-organised hierarchy on Android and computer (workstation/laptop/server) for stuff that isn't books (so only some PDFs are managed like books).
I've about 200 G of document related files dating back to 1990s. Actual ebooks and the few PDFs that are novels (old PD scans not yet available as ebooks) are entirely managed by Calibre and viewed on Sony, Kindle, Kobo and P47L ereaders via metadata. About 6,300 PD ebook titles (going back to 2002) and about 700 bought ebooks (11 years worth).

Also I would only ever use Google Drive to temporarily share a file with someone if it couldn't be shared any other way. They scan that for their AI and you need Internet to access it. It's less secure, private and safe than your own computer / tablet and your own backups.

[Bald Eagle]

Originally Posted by baursak

Because original Kobo software
- doesn't keep books as a file tree (like for instance PocketBook and Ony Boox do)

This is irrelevant as Kobo does not use the file system for meta data, it uses its database. Think ID3 tags.

Originally Posted by baursak

Because original Kobo software
- doesn't support series upfront

It does store series information if provided.

1. You can use calibre for that.
   Select the book(s), open Edit metadata and enter the series information in the appropriate field. If a series does not yet exist it will be automatically created.
   The kobo driver will insert the series information into the database after the book has been imported (i.e. at the _second_ connect). NickelSeries can add the information on the first go.
2. You can add it manually
   Go to My Books. Select the three dots in the upper right. Select Manage books. Select all books you want in the collection. Select Add to... Select the collection or choose New collection. Enter a name.

[baursak]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

If you want a directory structure...

I don't want to have a directory structure on Kobo by means of installation of additional software on eReader and don't rely on Calibre to organize my books at present

I use Sigil to edit book author in original epub file (different books of the same author have several different interpretations of author name, e.g Richard Morgan, Richard Kingsley Morgan, Richard K Morgan, making Author View in My Books on Kobo too messy) -> convert it to kepub via kepubify -> upload to Google Drive -> import from Google Drive

By doing so
1. I use lightweight Sigil and kepubify
2. I have structured library on Google Drive with series support (folder tree author - series - book)
3. I don't overload my Kobo with unnecessary software

All the approaches to set series on Kobo itself (known to me at present) - are too complex if compared to my workaround I mentioned above

[baursak]

Originally Posted by Quoth

... I would only ever use Google Drive to temporarily share a file with someone ...

Kobo doesn't support library sync if you deal with side loaded books

Since I keep my library on Google Drive - I can easily read books from my library on smartphone as well (iPhone or Android based) via mobile app (FBReader, AlReaderX, etc.)

As a result I always have well organized library at hand: both to read books via Kobo at home and mobile apps on smartphone on the road

[baursak]

Originally Posted by Bald Eagle

It does store series information if provided.

1. You can use calibre for that...
2. You can add it manually
   Go to My Books. Select the three dots in the upper right. Select Manage books. Select all books you want in the collection. Select Add to... Select the collection or choose New collection. Enter a name.

1. I don't want to use Calibre
2. I use Collections, but not to substitute series with them

[Bald Eagle]

Originally Posted by baursak

2. I have structured library on Google Drive with series support (folder tree author - series - book)

Your system breaks down the moment you have more than one author or collection per book unless Google Drive supports links.

Originally Posted by baursak

All the approaches to set series on Kobo itself (known to me at present) - are too complex if compared to my workaround I mentioned above

Fair enough. I use the calibre approach myself.

The database on device KoboReader.sqlite is a simple sqlite database. Copy it to your computer. Open in an SQL editor of your choice. Find the table Shelf and insert your collection. Open table ShelfContent and add the books to your collection. The ContentId is the fully qualifified path URL to your book (file:///mnt/onboard/[...].epub). Copy the file back to your reader. Reboot.

[baursak]

Originally Posted by Bald Eagle

Your system breaks down the moment you have more than one author or collection per book unless Google Drive supports links.

I understand the difference between one-level (flat) library with 1+ tags and multi-level library since I own Kindle / Kobo and Onyx Boox to compare those two approaches

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by baursak

1. I don't want to use Calibre
2. I use Collections, but not to substitute series with them

If you don't want to use calibre, don't want to install additional software in Kobo, and Kobo doesn't read series/series_index from metadata but from the database, I believe there is only one tool you can use: dbbrowser for sqlite, so you do something similar to KoboTouch Driver behavior and insert series/series_index in the database.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by baursak

As a result I always have well organized library at hand: both to read books via Kobo at home and mobile apps on smartphone on the road

No. It's not library because you are not using metadata. It's just organised files.

There are ways to read on a phone wiithout Google Drive. I actually have a cheap Oppo with a 256 G SD card and both Lithium and Pocketbook apps for any ebooks copied to SD card. I do have the apps from Google, Kobo, Kindle etc, but I don't use them.

If you want Series on Kobo for sideloaded ebooks you need to use Calibre or write your own application.

A hierarchical set of files is not a library. It's just files. it's like having physical books and only putting them on ordered shelves without any catalogue or indexes (which libraries had before computers and as a minimum had separate title and author indexes and often subject too).

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by baursak

My question still is "Add series / series index to Kobo"
- Please advise accordingly

I responded to your whinge about calibre not using Cyrillic in it's internal library storage.

If you want to use series/series index on a Kobo without calibre, you are going to need to enter the series/Series Index in the .opf file within the ePub manually. ePub3 has a standard for series/series index while ePub2 does not. NickelSeries does understand both the ePub3 standard and calibre's series/series index for ePub2 in order to write that information to your Kobo's database. One oddity is that many ePub3 ebooks do not have the series information entered by the publisher.

Another option is to use a SQLite database editor to manually enter the series and series which is like any manual process prone to error.

I prefer to let calibre do the heavy lifting for me rather than manually editing ePubs in order to enter the series/series index or manually editing the database.

Since Save to Disk or Save to Device will use Cyrillic when exporting ebooks from calibre and you can create a directory structure using templates for Save to Disk, I find your objection to calibre not using Cyrillic in it's internal library to be a titch silly. You did look at the images in my post showing War and Peace as a sample Russian language title?