How terrible (or not) is the relatively recent quick-highlight feature?

[kleinjar]

Asking mainly out of concern for how the “quick highlight” feature tends to litter the MyClippings.txt file with accidental or erroneous highlights. Edit: Please note that deleting a highlight does not remove it from MyClippings.txt. I use MyClippings a lot and I even have a script for processing it according to my needs.

I don’t have quick-highlight on my PW2 yet. It’s still on older firmware. On my device, you have to tap on “Highlight” in the popup menu before your selection is highlighted and copied to MyClippings.txt. This is how I prefer it. But I’d like to update my firmware to be able to use the newer font options (bolding and sideloaded fonts).

Main question: Is it easy to avoid/prevent accidental and misselected highlights with the current firmware? I don’t want MyClippings.txt littered with mistakes.

I understand you can first select a single word and then modify the selection to avoid quick-highlighting. But how reliable or mistake-prone is that method?

[barryem]

I didn't realize there was a quick-highlighting feature but not long ago I began to notice that I sometimes got highlights when I was trying to look something up and I was clumsy. I find the feature mildly irritating now that I know it's a "feature". That said, it's easy to get rid of. I can just tap it and in the menu that pops up I tap X and it goes away.

Barry

[kleinjar]

Originally Posted by barryem

That said, it's easy to get rid of. I can just tap it and in the menu that pops up I tap X and it goes away.

Barry

That would still have littered your MyClippings.txt though, which is what I’m concerned about most. Deleting a highlight does not remove it from MyClippings.txt.

[tomsem]

Quick highlight is a setting. You can turn it off in Reading Options.

Myclippings.txt is just a log file and so it is going to collect some junk. If you store your documents in the cloud then you can export notes and highlights using iOS, Android or Fire devices. I never use it myself and wish there were a setting to turn it off.

[johnnyb]

I find the quick highlight option quite good and use it a lot and with success.
However I am sure that success depends on the text-size/finger-size ratio of the individual user.

[kleinjar]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Quick highlight is a setting. You can turn it off in Reading Options.

I think that only affects whether the popup appears or not, after highlighting. No menu == “quicker” because less taps.

Originally Posted by tomsem

Myclippings.txt is just a log file and so it is going to collect some junk. If you store your documents in the cloud then you can export notes and highlights using iOS, Android or Fire devices. I never use it myself and wish there were a setting to turn it off.

I do know exactly what myclippings is, hence this thread. And the cloud stuff you’re describing does not work for sideloaded books.

In future please take care to understand what a thread is about and confirm your answers for yourself before posting.

[barryem]

I'm jealous because I also gave you an answer that didn't precisely fit your original query and I didn't get chewed out for it. Next time I'll try to be a little farther from the mark.

Barry

[kleinjar]

Originally Posted by barryem

I'm jealous because I also gave you an answer that didn't precisely fit your original query and I didn't get chewed out for it. Next time I'll try to be a little farther from the mark.

Barry

Thanks for the laugh. What a temper this one has.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by kleinjar

I think that only affects whether the popup appears or not, after highlighting. No menu == “quicker” because less taps.

There are two cases:
1) 4 words or less: you always get prompted with pop up menu and have to select Highlight explicitly
2) 5 or more words: with ‘highlight menu’ setting Off, highlight gets created (and I assume it is logged to myclippings); with ‘highlight menu’ setting On, the pop up menu includes Undo. I assume that if you Undo then no highlight will get logged to myclippings. So the suggestion was to set it On, so that you have a chance to avoid creating (and logging) highlights accidentally. Of course if the aim was to select text and then invoke Sharing/search/Wikipedia/Translation/Report Content Error, then it is going to create a highlight as well (which is something I don’t like)

I do know exactly what myclippings is, hence this thread. And the cloud stuff you’re describing does not work for sideloaded books.

In future please take care to understand what a thread is about and confirm your answers for yourself before posting.

Your previous posts said nothing about sideloading books. Which is why the statement is qualified with “if you store your documents in the cloud...’. Maybe the comment is of no use to you, but you are not the only person reading posts here. It just seemed to me worth noting.

[macsek]

Originally Posted by kleinjar

I understand you can first select a single word and then modify the selection to avoid quick-highlighting. But how reliable or mistake-prone is that method?

It works most of the times and I do like quick-highlight; I don't use MyClippings.txt at all, just the GOTO menu.

Originally Posted by macsek

It works most of the times and I do like quick-highlight; I don't use MyClippings.txt at all, just the GOTO menu.

Same. Also, as implied in another post above, I like to use Amazon's cloud services for reading annotations, so I have no reason to use MyClippings. I never 'sideload' books (meaning here: install them only locally on the Kindle device). I always send non-Kindle books to my Kindle account so that I can sync books, notes, and reading data across all devices, and keep all my notes in the Kindle Notebook. I actually love using Amazon's cloud services for reading, to me, it's one of the most useful and attractive reasons to use their reading ecosystem.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by maximus83

Same. Also, as implied in another post above, I like to use Amazon's cloud services for reading annotations, so I have no reason to use MyClippings. I never 'sideload' books (meaning here: install them only locally on the Kindle device). I always send non-Kindle books to my Kindle account so that I can sync books, notes, and reading data across all devices, and keep all my notes in the Kindle Notebook. I actually love using Amazon's cloud services for reading, to me, it's one of the most useful and attractive reasons to use their reading ecosystem.

That's exactly how I feel, and it's what keeps me coming back to my Kindles. My Kobo is a great piece of hardware with a beautiful screen, but I absolutely *hate* that I have to connect it to my PC to load content that's not bought from Kobo.

Shari

[Quoth]

I ONLY ever load ANY ereader via USB.
I want to make sure I have a backup. Time & experience has proven that NOT one Internet depending service or company or "Cloud" is to be trusted.

Any one depending on "the Cloud" for content or functionality is going to get burnt. Like stupid Tesco Tablets that brick if factory reset as you can't reload via USB. Pebble Watch. MS Plays for Sure. Archos Internet Radio. Logitech & Sonos gear.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by shalym

That's exactly how I feel, and it's what keeps me coming back to my Kindles. My Kobo is a great piece of hardware with a beautiful screen, but I absolutely *hate* that I have to connect it to my PC to load content that's not bought from Kobo.

Shari

Can't scp (or sftp) be set up on a Kobo?

Originally Posted by FrustratedReader

I ONLY ever load ANY ereader via USB.
I want to make sure I have a backup. Time & experience has proven that NOT one Internet depending service or company or "Cloud" is to be trusted.

Any one depending on "the Cloud" for content or functionality is going to get burnt. Like stupid Tesco Tablets that brick if factory reset as you can't reload via USB. Pebble Watch. MS Plays for Sure. Archos Internet Radio. Logitech & Sonos gear.

Is it not possible that someone can use convenient cloud services for reading, AND backup their ebooks offline and keep them in Calibre at the same time? (Hint: yes).