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#1 |
Connoisseur
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Karma: 142
Join Date: Jul 2008
Device: Kindle 1 & Kindle 2
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Add'l formats for existing book(s)
I sometimes get an additional format of an existing book. Is there a way to add this new book to one that already exists in my library?
Example: I have a book already in in epub format in my library, but get another one in .mobi. I haven't yet checked out either for formatting or errors, so I'd like both before I decide which version I am going to keep. How do I add the 2nd one without deleting and then adding both at the same time. |
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#2 |
Comparer of the Ephemeris
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Karma: 424697
Join Date: Mar 2009
Device: iPad
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Select the book, click 'Edit meta information', click the book icon with the '+' in the top right corner of the 'Edit Meta Information' dialog.
G |
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#3 | |
Wizard
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Karma: 177841
Join Date: Dec 2009
Device: WinMo: IPAQ; Android: HTC HD2, Archos 7o; Java:Gravity T
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Quote:
For this to work, you need the following: The option in Preferences|Add/Save needs to be turned on. It's the one that says "If books with similar titles and authors found .." Second, your book has to actually have a sufficiently similar author and title to the existing book. I prefer to leave the option to "read metadata only from filename" on, then make sure the regex will correctly read the author and title from the filename. All 3 of these (2 options and regex) are on the same page: Preferences|Add/Save. Kovid improved my code (as usual), by adding a notification of all mergers, and handling multiple authors better. He also changed it so it no longer overwrites formats you already have. (I preferred to overwrite older copies with the newer copy of the same format, but I understand why he preferred the opposite.) |
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#4 | |
Comparer of the Ephemeris
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Karma: 424697
Join Date: Mar 2009
Device: iPad
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Quote:
So what happens if you drag a new mobi into an entry that already has a mobi? You're saying it won't overwrite the old one? Would the sequence then be to first delete the old mobi, then drag the new one in? G |
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#5 | |
Wizard
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Karma: 177841
Join Date: Dec 2009
Device: WinMo: IPAQ; Android: HTC HD2, Archos 7o; Java:Gravity T
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Quote:
Before the new code, you could drag a duplicate format ebook into the metadata edit screen and it would replace an ebook of the same format, so I suspect that method will still work - or you could do it the way you suggest. |
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#6 |
Addict
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Karma: 59872
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New York, USA
Device: Kindle 3 (wifi) + nokia n900 tablet phone
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Does this allow you to merge books already added to the database? For example, I have three copies of "Affair" by Amanda Quick, two show up as .zip files and the third as a .lit file. Poking around, I find I have a rocketbook file, a palmdoc file, and that lit file. I'd like to merge these all into one directory. I don't care that this will drop two numbers from the database. I also don't care that those numbers won't be re-used. I'm happy to let Calibre manage my library behind the scenes.
If this option doesn't exist, is it in the works? |
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#7 | |
Wizard
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Karma: 177841
Join Date: Dec 2009
Device: WinMo: IPAQ; Android: HTC HD2, Archos 7o; Java:Gravity T
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Quote:
Now that he has added the previous one, I need to understand his changes. Each time he rewrites one of my efforts, I learn a lot. I currently have a "Merge" button and a right click "Merge" option implemented into the interface, and I have it collecting all except the first selected record into a list in a format that's exactly compatible with the way that I merged a new book into an existing record (after I had matched the new book by author title to the existing book). In theory, that's almost there, but I've had to go a step backward, now that Kovid has rewritten some of my code. My "Merge " code is in the 0.6.44 code, while his changes are in 0.6.45, so I need to reconcile the conflicts, fix anything necessary, then add the final steps. This is all part of my long term project to add features I need to move my library into Calibre. The one prior to the one described here (new book formats sorted into existing records) was the one that locked title/author during metadata fetch. The one before that was the one that split author names at the comma when the author had middle names or initials. It's great that Kovid has allowed me to add these features to the main code, but in doing so, I've already added three option checkboxes, and "option creep" is a serious concern. I've promised myself I will not add any more option boxes. I'm pretty sure I can implement "Merge existing records" without another option. As for when you may see it - as usual, it will be done when it's done. I have to study Kovid's improvements on my last code. I learn something each time he rewrites my code, and I try to minimize the effort he has to put in to make my code acceptable. Since he's gone, and I'm not yet back to writing code, just studying and reconciling code, it will probably be a while. Even after I write something that works for me, and send it in, he'll have to review, fix then issue the release. |
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#8 | |
Addict
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Karma: 59872
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New York, USA
Device: Kindle 3 (wifi) + nokia n900 tablet phone
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Quote:
Thanks so much for your hard work! |
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#9 |
Fanatic
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Karma: 27509
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Greater Vancouver Area, BC, Canada
Device: Nexus 7, Sony Xperia z3 tablet, Kobo Glo, Boyue T63
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I love the idea of being able to merge existing books within Calibre.
The way it works currently, if I import a folder with many titles, some the same but different in formats, would they merge during import or would I have to delete 1 and manually add it to the other using one of the above methods? |
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#10 | |
Wizard
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Karma: 177841
Join Date: Dec 2009
Device: WinMo: IPAQ; Android: HTC HD2, Archos 7o; Java:Gravity T
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Quote:
First, turn on the option in Preferences|Add that allows this function. When Calibre processes the first book, Calibre determines the author name and title according to the settings you have given Calibre. I prefer to tell Calibre to get the author/title from the filename, but it can get them from metadata inside the book if you set it that way. The next book is then processed. If it has the same author and a similar enough title to the first book or any other record, but is a different format, it gets added to the matching record. If title/author differ, a new record is created. This continues book by book to the end. (If the new option is off, it behaves as it used to behave.) New code that I'm now completing will allow you to merge records. For example, the code above will never add two books into the same record if the author names differ by a single character. You'll get two different records for a book by Arthur C Clarke and one by Arthur Clarke, no matter how similar the titles are. The merge code will let you put them into a single record by selecting them both and choosing merge. The author name kept is the one in the record you select first. |
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#11 |
Fanatic
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Greater Vancouver Area, BC, Canada
Device: Nexus 7, Sony Xperia z3 tablet, Kobo Glo, Boyue T63
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Thank you for the quick reply, that is exactly what I was hoping would happen. It makes me much less nervous about importing my 800+ ebooks now. I have been putting it off for quite a while due to all the hand work I would have to do. It looks like my manual updating has been significantly reduced now.
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#12 | |
Wizard
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Karma: 177841
Join Date: Dec 2009
Device: WinMo: IPAQ; Android: HTC HD2, Archos 7o; Java:Gravity T
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