[GUI Plugin] EpubMerge

JimmXinu · 02-20-2012, 04:18 PM

Merging together multiple eBooks together into one eBook seems to be a common request, but there haven't been many tools to do so.

This plugin provides the ability to create new EPUBs by combining the contents of existing (non-DRM) EPUB format eBooks.

The source may be seen, and a Command Line version obtained, from the project home page.

Main Features of EpubMerge Plugin:

Select a list of books in calibre,
Order them,
Edit the metadata for the new combined eBook, and then,
Merge the contents of the EPUBs together into the new eBook, now including cover from metadata if set.
UnMerge previously merged epubs if metadata was saved during merge.
Configurably able to save the metadata for each merged book for UnMerging later if desired. (Defaults to On.)
Configurably able to populate custom columns from source books.
Options now stored inside the Library rather than an external JSON file.
CLI via calibre-debug --run-plugin

There are a few configurable options: whether or not to insert a Table of Contents entry for each merged book (with it's original TOC nested underneath it), an option to flatten the TOC down to one level only, and including the merged books comments. These options are stored by Library.

Special Notes:

Requires Calibre v3.48.0 or later.

Languages:

This plugin has (at least partial) translations for:

Catalan
Dutch
English
French
German
Japanese
Lithuanian
Norwegian Bokmål
Polish
Portuguese
Portuguese (Brazil)
Romanian
Spanish
Swedish
Turkish
Ukrainian

Command Line Interface(CLI)

Calibre offers a command-line interface (CLI) for calling plugins.

This plugin supports that option and allows the user to call the plugin's basic functionality from outside calibre without having to install Python or get the plugin's files separately.

Details:

Spoiler:

Installation Steps:

Download the attached zip file and install the plugin/add to context menu or toolbar/restart Calibre as described in the Introduction to plugins thread.

Version History:

Spoiler:

ClairePMR · 02-20-2012, 05:20 PM

Thanks, Jim! Another great tool. This will be a quick-and-dirty way for me to compile all the recipe files I have into one master book. Karma to you!

iatheia · 02-20-2012, 09:44 PM

Awesome! Will try it out immediately!

JimmXinu · 02-20-2012, 09:50 PM

Nobody's complained so far, so it must be working.

iatheia · 02-20-2012, 10:07 PM

Working great!
The one thing that I would add, though, is options for population of some custom columns, such as category or characters.

JimmXinu · 02-20-2012, 10:30 PM

Populating a custom column on the new book with the values from the same custom column in the source books?

CSV(Tag-like) columns could be doable. I'm not sure what could be done with other column types. I'll think on it.

You can do something similar with "Edit Metadata>Merge book records>Merge into first selected book - keep...". Not ideal, but somewhat works.

iatheia · 02-20-2012, 10:38 PM

Yes, something like that.

Perhaps in settings add a tab for the custom columns where one can chose what action to preform? Append for tags, add for numbers, overwrite of the latest date for dates, or use values from the first one in the order?

JaneD · 02-20-2012, 11:46 PM

I really, really need this plugin. It's like you read my mind.

Can't wait to try it out.

andyh2000 · 02-21-2012, 06:09 AM

Now that is a very cool plugin - great for making anthologies or pasting together a daily newspaper from different sources. Thanks.

Andrew

Dopedangel · 02-21-2012, 10:56 PM

Is it possible for you to go in reverse and separate one epub to many. Maybe giving the option of selecting the contents from the Toc you want to separate into different books.
I read a lot of series and many authors write short stories for anthologies that are part of a series. Would love to separate them and put them in the correct series order for each.

JimmXinu · 02-21-2012, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dopedangel

Is it possible for you to go in reverse and separate one epub to many. Maybe giving the option of selecting the contents from the Toc you want to separate into different books.

That would be a lot more challenging. Just some of the issues are:

TOC entries can point to anchors inside an xhtml file, not just the start of files, possibly requiring files to be split.
More than one TOC entry can point to the same file and/or anchor. (Start of book and first chapter, for example.)
Not every xhtml in the epub has to have a TOC entry, so more than one xhtml file may be in the same 'chapter'.
Image and CSS links would have to be scanned for so those files would end up in the correct output epubs.
Splitting nested TOC entries would be challenging.
The TOC and the 'spine' (the order the xhtml files appear) aren't required to be in the same order. I can't think of a good reason why anyone would, but they could.

It's difficult, but not necessarily impossible--now I'm intrigued by the idea just for the symmetry of it.

Right now, I'd probably use Sigil for that--make a copy for the section you want to split off and delete everything else.

davidfor · 02-22-2012, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

The TOC and the 'spine' (the order the xhtml files appear) aren't required to be in the same order. I can't think of a good reason why anyone would, but they could.

I hit a couple of epubs like this last week. They were scanned versions of old paperbacks. As well as the front cover, they included images of the back cover and the pages up to the title page. When I read the epub, these were all at the end, but in Sigil they listed in the logical order. It took me a while before I realised how this had been done with the "spine" and "guide".

Quote:

It's difficult, but not necessarily impossible--now I'm intrigued by the idea just for the symmetry of it.

Wasn't that how this plugin came about? Someone asked "Would it be possible to ...?" I would warn you not to fall into that trap, but I think it's to late.

Hmmm..

Split the epub on "H1" (or a selectable header level) and take all files between the H1s, use the contents.opf for each new file but strip out references for files not in the current one and do the same for the TOC. Maybe keep the coverpage all of them? Run the results through the Calibre conversion process to do some clean up... Damn, now you have me doing it

TMF · 02-24-2012, 01:25 AM

Wow, that was fast! Thank you very much for this useful plugin!

JimmXinu · 03-06-2012, 05:47 PM

@iatheia - When you get a chance, try out this version and see if it does what you were hoping for with custom columns.

Updated with fixes.

iatheia · 03-07-2012, 02:22 PM

Something like that, yes =)

Although, "take value from the first/last source book" doesn't seem to be working.

02-20-2012, 09:44 PM	#3
iatheia Zealot Posts: 139 Karma: 21754 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle 3, Icarus Illumina XL, Boyue T62	Awesome! Will try it out immediately! Last edited by iatheia; 02-20-2012 at 09:46 PM.

03-06-2012, 05:47 PM	#14
JimmXinu Plugin Developer Posts: 6,584 Karma: 4277523 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Midwest USA Device: Kindle Paperwhite(10th)	@iatheia - When you get a chance, try out this version and see if it does what you were hoping for with custom columns. Updated with fixes. Last edited by JimmXinu; 03-23-2012 at 05:07 PM. Reason: Clean up old beta version

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02-20-2012, 05:20 PM	#2
ClairePMR Groupie Posts: 164 Karma: 1030058 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New England Device: PocketBook Color, Kindle, EB1150, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Surface Pro 2017	Thanks, Jim! Another great tool. This will be a quick-and-dirty way for me to compile all the recipe files I have into one master book. Karma to you!

02-20-2012, 09:50 PM	#4
JimmXinu Plugin Developer Posts: 6,584 Karma: 4277523 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Midwest USA Device: Kindle Paperwhite(10th)	Nobody's complained so far, so it must be working.

02-20-2012, 10:07 PM	#5
iatheia Zealot Posts: 139 Karma: 21754 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle 3, Icarus Illumina XL, Boyue T62	Working great! The one thing that I would add, though, is options for population of some custom columns, such as category or characters.

02-20-2012, 10:30 PM	#6
JimmXinu Plugin Developer Posts: 6,584 Karma: 4277523 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Midwest USA Device: Kindle Paperwhite(10th)	Populating a custom column on the new book with the values from the same custom column in the source books? CSV(Tag-like) columns could be doable. I'm not sure what could be done with other column types. I'll think on it. You can do something similar with "Edit Metadata>Merge book records>Merge into first selected book - keep...". Not ideal, but somewhat works.

02-20-2012, 10:38 PM	#7
iatheia Zealot Posts: 139 Karma: 21754 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle 3, Icarus Illumina XL, Boyue T62	Yes, something like that. Perhaps in settings add a tab for the custom columns where one can chose what action to preform? Append for tags, add for numbers, overwrite of the latest date for dates, or use values from the first one in the order?

02-20-2012, 11:46 PM	#8
JaneD Addict Posts: 322 Karma: 1057749 Join Date: May 2010 Location: LA, CA Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2013	I really, really need this plugin. It's like you read my mind. Can't wait to try it out.

02-21-2012, 06:09 AM	#9
andyh2000 Avid reader Posts: 866 Karma: 6399168 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: UK Device: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 / Kindle Paperwhite / TCL Nxtpaper 14	Now that is a very cool plugin - great for making anthologies or pasting together a daily newspaper from different sources. Thanks. Andrew

02-21-2012, 10:56 PM	#10
Dopedangel Wizard Posts: 1,763 Karma: 30063305 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Singapore Device: Boyue	Is it possible for you to go in reverse and separate one epub to many. Maybe giving the option of selecting the contents from the Toc you want to separate into different books. I read a lot of series and many authors write short stories for anthologies that are part of a series. Would love to separate them and put them in the correct series order for each.

02-24-2012, 01:25 AM	#13
TMF Enthusiast Posts: 42 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2009 Device: PRS-505	Wow, that was fast! Thank you very much for this useful plugin!

03-07-2012, 02:22 PM	#15
iatheia Zealot Posts: 139 Karma: 21754 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle 3, Icarus Illumina XL, Boyue T62	Something like that, yes =) Although, "take value from the first/last source book" doesn't seem to be working.

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