Newbie Question: Make library organize with author last name first

[hawt]

Whenever I add a book my Calibre Library it is storing it like this,

E:\Calibre Library\Terry Brooks\The Sword of Shannara (1)\

I want it to organize as...

E:\Calibre Library\Brooks, Terry\The Sword of Shannara (1)\

with the authors last name first. For the life of my I can't figure out how to do this, I have added and re-done my library multiple times trying to figure this out. I've searched around here and found nothing, I am lost.

It can't possibly be this difficult to do something as simple as organize by the authors last name first can it?

Here are my current settings... (which I got from here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68711)

Preferences > Add/Save > Adding Books - "Swap author first and last name" (checked)

I have tried checking and unchecking this because it seems like the most obvious answer, however the result is the same every time I add a file and look in my library folder, the authors first name is always first.


Preferences > Add/Save > Saving Books (&Sending to device) - My template is "{author_sort}/{title}/{title}"

This is the most relevant information I can think to include, please let me know if I am missing something.

I really like the idea of Calibre but it seems so damn hard to do the most basic things.

Please help me,

Thanks

[chaley]

I do the same thing you want to do. The only way I have found to make it work is to manually change the author's name to last, first by using the edit metadata function ('e') after I add the book. I also must change it (again) if I download metadata. Be sure to also set the author sort field to (probably) the same value.

According to the popup help text, the option you are playing with only works if the author's name is being inferred from the file name. If you are adding a book containing metadata, then the author's name will come from that.

Note: I have also discovered that when using the bulk metadata editor (select multiple files and press 'e'), I must enter the author's name in both the author and the author sort field. If I do not, then the author sort field is changed to the wrong value (firstname, lastname,), even if I do not check the box.

[alecE]

I don't usually pay much attention to the Calibre library on disk, but reading this thread I went and checked. My library is in the form: M:\Calibre_Library\Chesterton_G K\Innocence of Father Brown, The (600)

I've not made any special tweaks to Calibre, but, because I'm an anal-retentive ex-librarian, I've used the metadata editor in Calibre to specify that the author name and author sort name are both the same, in the format surname, forename(s). Similarly, all book titles have any indefinite articles removed from the start of the title and appended to the end. This appears to have organised the disk file structure in the same way.

(But why worry about the file structure on the disk? My only concern is how it looks inside the application)

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by hawt

Whenever I add a book my Calibre Library it is storing it like this,

E:\Calibre Library\Terry Brooks\The Sword of Shannara (1)\

I want it to organize as...

E:\Calibre Library\Brooks, Terry\The Sword of Shannara (1)\

with the authors last name first. For the life of my I can't figure out how to do this, I have added and re-done my library multiple times trying to figure this out. I've searched around here and found nothing, I am lost.

You are not the first to ask this question. Unless something has changed it might be best to think of the Calibre library has being a closed black box. Why look under the hood at how Calibre stores its files. Check the FAQ here.

If you wish to keep your source files a certain way go for it. If you want your files on your device a certain way Calibre allows for that. It seems that Kovid has made the decision, in order to maintain a level of quality control and to avoid user confusion or unintentional mischief, to keep the internal Calibre structure static.

However he provides a robust interface for sorting and finding any book in the Calibre library. Click on the big luggage tag icon in the bottom right hand corner next to jobs icon to see the various intuitive ways you can sort or explore this library.

If things have changed I may be wrong, but I don't think I am. My structure is as you describe.

If this is a must have item and you can't sleep at night then follow chaley's advice.

Good Luck

&

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by alecE

(But why worry about the file structure on the disk?

This is the right attitude. Calibre is designed to work by saving books from its library by either the "save to disk" or "save to device" option. If you use it correctly, there's no need to go directly into the Library and you can save your books with the last name first every time you want a book.

If you tell Calibre the author's name is John Smith, then it will think the sorted name (author_sort) is Smith, John. Then you can save the ebook in any folder and with any name you like. If you want it in a folder called "Smith, John" then a folder named by the book series, then have the ebook filename be "title - John Smith.ext", you can.

By telling Calibre that the name is "Smith, John," you'll have to manually change the author_sort name for every book you enter. Otherwise, it will try to sort it under "J" as "John Smith." Plus, you are deprived of the chance to use the correct author name for any purpose. If you do it correctly, and just stay out of the Library folder, you can use either the normal name order or the "Smith, John" sorted order, at your option, whenever you export a book to read it.

[hawt]

The reason I am trying to do this is because of the way the books are loading on to my nook.

The nook seems to organize books with no rhyme or reason. It looks like it depends on the order you add them, which is dumb because I usually want to read the books I just added.

I figured if I could get Calibre to organize the books correctly, I could just delete the files on the nook and re-copy over all the files over so they would at least go alphabetically.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by hawt

The reason I am trying to do this is because of the way the books are loading on to my nook.

The nook seems to organize books with no rhyme or reason. It looks like it depends on the order you add them, which is dumb because I usually want to read the books I just added.

I figured if I could get Calibre to organize the books correctly, I could just delete the files on the nook and re-copy over all the files over so they would at least go alphabetically.

Maybe you could ask how to get a useful sort over at the Nook group.
Mention you can use Calibre.

Save to disk has a Preference Save option setting that allows for file system structure on some devices. {author_sort} or {authors} are field choices you can pick from for your template.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by hawt

The reason I am trying to do this is because of the way the books are loading on to my nook.

I hope it didn't look like I was jumping down your throat. Almost everyone who starts with Calibre runs headlong into what at first seems very confusing - the first name sorting in the library. You can spend a whole lot of time at the beginning trying to "fix" that, only to later realize it's not a problem.

I'd take theducks suggestion. Nook users should be able to help you and Calibre is very flexible and getting better day by day. Trying to change the fundamental library structure of Calibre won't help you a bit. You'll be able to save to the nook both ways (first or last name first), unless you make the mistake of trying to "fix" Calibre by lying about the author's name.

[Starson17]

Double post - sorry