Can I have multiple libraries?

[mrgiedrnkr]

I have a large batch of free books that I want to convert to go on to my Aunt's kindle. I do not want this batch of books in my normal library. Can I create a separate library? Is this possible in Calibre?
Stacy

[Worldwalker]

You can't exactly create a separate library, but you can assign those books a tag -- say, [Aunt Susie] -- and then use a restriction to simulate separate libraries. Just save a search for that tag, and then use that saved search as a restriction, and you've effectively got an Aunt-Susie-specific library. Save a negated version of that search (everything but the [Aunt Susie] tag) and you'll have your library without her books.

[itimpi]

Yes - you can have a second library in Calibre, although in most cases it is easier to have only one physical library and create 'virtual libraries' by using tags.

If you have more than one library then every time you want to switch libraries you will need to go into the Calibre Preferences to switch to the alternative library. You can also specify the library to be used when launching Calibre by using "--with-library path_to_library_folder" as a parameter to the launch command.

[jotekman]

Try this, theoretically should work. Download one of the non-authorized USB versions of Calibre, and just set it to point to a completely new folder for your library. Then your main Calibre wouldn't be touched, nor the original library.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Because my songbook library will need different columns displayed than my e-book library, I opted to have two separate libraries. As pointed out already, I just have to go to preferences and point calibre to whichever library I want.

I just noticed, however, if one switches back and forth between libraries, the columns selected change (again). Rebooting doesn't completely fix it. I'll report it as a bug.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Because my songbook library will need different columns displayed than my e-book library, I opted to have two separate libraries. As pointed out already, I just have to go to preferences and point calibre to whichever library I want.

I just noticed, however, if one switches back and forth between libraries, the columns selected change (again). Rebooting doesn't completely fix it. I'll report it as a bug.

Not a bug , Normal "Per User" settings
Your preferences (cols,reader save templates...) are saved in your Logon ID (hidden:application settings folder)

want a total different profile, become another user ID
(me, myself and I ) and run from there.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by theducks

Not a bug , Normal "Per User" settings
Your preferences (cols,reader save templates...) are saved in your Logon ID (hidden:application settings folder)

want a total different profile, become another user ID
(me, myself and I ) and run from there.

I don't agree. At one time it was broken, then fixed, and now it is broken again.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

I don't agree. At one time it was broken, then fixed, and now it is broken again.

It isn't clear to me what was (or is) broken, but this:

I just have to go to preferences and point calibre to whichever library I want.

I just noticed, however, if one switches back and forth between libraries, the columns selected change (again). Rebooting doesn't completely fix it. I'll report it as a bug.

does not seem to me to be a bug.

To be clear, there are four distinct parts to a calibre installation. They are:

• Program Files
• Library Files
• Config Files
• Metadata database

Each of these can be in a different location (although the Library and Metadata database are usually in the same location). If you do as you posted and "go to preferences and point calibre to whichever library I want" you are only changing the combined Library/Metadata location, not the Config. Anything you set in the config will apply to both libraries, so there will be lots of overlap.

If you want to change everything when you change libraries, so they are entirely independent, then you need to change the Config directory at the same time you change the Library/Metadata directory.

You can do that by logging in as a new user, or by using an environment variable (SET CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY) and a batch file.

Search for itimpi's "CalibreRun (network).bat" file to see an example of how to completely isolate two libraries and independently control the location of all four parts of Calibre.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Sigh. Go to here and see what was said. Shortly after my last post there, the problem was fixed (now it's broken again). Nothing was said about logging in on a different user ID (I wasn't aware that I was logging in on an ID).

Btw, changing libraries by running the Welcome Wizard still works properly. It's just awkward and takes longer. Also (and calibre has always done this), changing libraries adds a "book" called "MY Books" to the list. It doesn't hurt anything and is easily deleted, but it's unreadable and is annoying.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Nothing was said about logging in on a different user ID (I wasn't aware that I was logging in on an ID).

When you start calibre, a configuration folder is created where your user ID preferences are stored. You can find this folder by going to preferences -> advanced -> Open configuration directory (or something like that).

This folder is in theory independent of the library you are using, but in fact the configuration and library are a pair. There are several things in the configuration folder that are library specific. Some that come to mind are saved searched (can depend on custom columns), column layout, and saved sorts.

For various reasons related to how I do development, I want to be able to choose between 4 different configurations/libraries. Because I marry a configuration folder to a library, what I can do is choose between 4 different configuration folders and let the information in the configuration choose the library. I have four command file (shell on linux, bat on windows) that set the CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY variable then starts calibre: 'calibre_small.bat' (a tiny library), 'calibre_test.bat' (a larger test library), 'calibre_temp.bat' (a library used for radical experimentation), and 'production.bat' (my real library).

My recommendation is to not use the wizard to switch between libraries, because it isn't designed for that. In particular, it doesn't understand what settings need to change. Instead, set up different command files and switch that way. Starting with itimpi's scripts will help with this process.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Sigh. Go to here and see what was said. Shortly after my last post there, the problem was fixed (now it's broken again). Nothing was said about logging in on a different user ID (I wasn't aware that I was logging in on an ID).

Btw, changing libraries by running the Welcome Wizard still works properly. It's just awkward and takes longer.

I see I missed something. I thought you were seeing a saved configuration that held over between library switches. That would be normal for the reasons I listed and could be solved by the two methods mentioned. (You are logged in as a user in Windows and *nix. Calibre keeps the configuration settings for each user separately, so if you log in as a different user, you get a different stored set of configs, which would have solved what I thought was your issue.)

Instead, you seem to be seeing a problem related to the fact that switching libraries via Preferences doesn't fully reinitialize the way that switching via the Wizard does. I'm still not sure what the problem is? I read where you wrote that "the columns selected change" but couldn't figure out what that meant. You also wrote that rebooting didn't help, but it's surprising that you can fix something with the Wizard that a reboot won't fix, unless you're saying it corrupts when switching via Preferences, and the reboot doesn't fix that

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by chaley

When you start calibre, a configuration folder is created where your user ID preferences are stored. You can find this folder by going to preferences -> advanced -> Open configuration directory (or something like that).

This folder is in theory independent of the library you are using, but in fact the configuration and library are a pair. There are several things in the configuration folder that are library specific. Some that come to mind are saved searched (can depend on custom columns), column layout, and saved sorts.

For various reasons related to how I do development, I want to be able to choose between 4 different configurations/libraries. Because I marry a configuration folder to a library, what I can do is choose between 4 different configuration folders and let the information in the configuration choose the library. I have four command file (shell on linux, bat on windows) that set the CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY variable then starts calibre: 'calibre_small.bat' (a tiny library), 'calibre_test.bat' (a larger test library), 'calibre_temp.bat' (a library used for radical experimentation), and 'production.bat' (my real library).

My recommendation is to not use the wizard to switch between libraries, because it isn't designed for that. In particular, it doesn't understand what settings need to change. Instead, set up different command files and switch that way. Starting with itimpi's scripts will help with this process.

I am terribly sorry, chaley, but that made absolutely no sense to me. Please keep in mind I'm not a geek and you have to explain things to me in very, very simple terms.

One of the things I do know is switching libraries with preferences once worked and now it doesn't. And until it does, using the wizard is the only way I understand.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Starson17

I see I missed something. I thought you were seeing a saved configuration that held over between library switches. That would be normal for the reasons I listed and could be solved by the two methods mentioned. (You are logged in as a user in Windows and *nix. Calibre keeps the configuration settings for each user separately, so if you log in as a different user, you get a different stored set of configs, which would have solved what I thought was your issue.)

Instead, you seem to be seeing a problem related to the fact that switching libraries via Preferences doesn't fully reinitialize the way that switching via the Wizard does. I'm still not sure what the problem is? I read where you wrote that "the columns selected change" but couldn't figure out what that meant. You also wrote that rebooting didn't help, but it's surprising that you can fix something with the Wizard that a reboot won't fix, unless you're saying it corrupts when switching via Preferences, and the reboot doesn't fix that

Frankly, I have no clue why anything works or doesn't, just when something works or doesn't. To (hopefully) better explain the problem... Library A has a Title, Author, Series, and custom column selected for display. Library B has (for now) a Title, Author and Series column selected for display. Using Preferences, switching from Library A to Library B works just fine. But when I switched back Library B, using Preferences, all I had was Title, Author, and Series. Title and Author had the correct content but the Series column was empty. Rebooting restored the missing content but I had to reselect which columns I wanted displayed.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Rebooting restored the missing content but I had to reselect which columns I wanted displayed.

You don't need to reboot. You can restore columns by right-clicking on any column heading and selecting 'show', then the column. Selecting 'Restore default layout' will bring all the columns back if, for some reason, unhiding columns doesn't work (which has happened to me).

Switching between libraries without also switching your preferences is asking for difficulties. There are several configuration items besides column layout that might not make the transition easily. For example, saved searches might depend on a column that is no longer there. The saved sort might sort a column that isn't there, or sort the wrong column. Saved user categories might reference items that no longer exist. Tag browser hidden categories might not make sense with the new library, referring to categories that no longer exist. The geometry (shape) of the window might not make sense for the new window. Any of these problems could cause calibre to die mysteriously.

As for using the welcome wizard, as far as I can tell from looking at the code, the fact that it 'works' is an accident. I can't find anywhere that it deals with the problems discussed in the previous paragraph. Because it isn't intended for the purpose you are using it for, changes to calibre could easily make it no longer work as you wish.

To put all of this in perspective and to avoid the 'geek' label (which to me is mildly pejorative), consider a car. A car may actually work with one wheel missing. Of course, it might depend on the weight and placement of passengers, or on never turning toward the side with the missing wheel. But hey, it works with me driving and going in clockwise circles. Or consider a radial arm saw with a dado attachment that isn't tight. It might work with pine, but try it on oak and the blade could fly apart, possibly with disastrous consequences. A more prosaic case might be using a screwdriver as a chisel. It works, until the handle or shaft cracks because of the shocks.

In all three cases, the tool isn't being used as designed. It might work in a particular situation, but that is accidental. The same is true for calibre. Some things might 'work' in the sense that calibre does something, but if that something is not part of calibre's design, then it might not always do the same something. It also might be doing other things that you don't immediately see, and that you would rather it doesn't do.

[troymc]

Originally Posted by chaley

Switching between libraries without also switching your preferences is asking for difficulties. There are several configuration items besides column layout that might not make the transition easily. For example, saved searches might depend on a column that is no longer there. The saved sort might sort a column that isn't there, or sort the wrong column. Saved user categories might reference items that no longer exist. Tag browser hidden categories might not make sense with the new library, referring to categories that no longer exist. The geometry (shape) of the window might not make sense for the new window. Any of these problems could cause calibre to die mysteriously.

Would it make sense then to store any library specific preferences within the libraries' DB itself? That way switching libraries gets you the new preferences, too?

Originally Posted by chaley

In all three cases, the tool isn't being used as designed.

Not trying to nit-pick or argue - you guys are doing a *GREAT* job - so take this with a large grain of salt.

But maybe the tool isn't being design the way people need to use it? (Sorry, that's not meant to be as snarky as it sounds!) What I mean is that people have been wanting/needing & using Calibre to support multiple libraries since about day one. Kovid even coded in the --with-library command line option so we could point it at whichever library we want. I personally have a situation where one system runs libraries for two different groups of co-workers as well as an individual library for me. I cannot simply dump them into one library & use tags/saved searches. The libraries have to be kept separate for internal, legal & ethical reasons (eg. content purchased by one group cannot be available to the other.) I had never before heard the requirement that these should be run as different users. (that raises it's own issues for me since I would need to request application specific user accounts and would need to get them approved through security. And I used to support 8 libraries - oh happy, happy, joy, joy! 8 sets of paperwork & approvals...thankfully saved searches has allowed me to merge those 8 down to 3.)


Troy