Autopopulate a custom column from specific tags already in place

[Rellwood]

Probably an easy fix, but how can I make a colum that auto populates from specific tags? I have tags (ITC, NITC, Read, etc.) that I would like to be isolated into their own colums. I have already made the colums and if I want them to be populated, I have to enter the info individually. I suspect this falls under information taken from other columns, but I have yet to figure out how that works.

[eschwartz]

You'll need a column built from other columns, using a template that probably includes a str_in_list() or switch() call or two.

Can you provide more details as to exactly what you want to see happen.

[chaley]

As eschwartz said, you haven't made it clear exactly what you want to do. Do you want to leave the tags in "Tags" (the column) but have another column that automatically indicates the presence or absence of the tags? Do you want to leave the tags in Tags while copying them to new column(s)? Do you want to move the tags from Tags to new column(s)? Do the tags appear in more than one new column? Do the new columns contain more than one tag? If each column contains only one tag, is it a yes/no column or a text column? And so on...

[BetterRed]

@Rellwood - if the 'tags' - ITC, NITC, Read etc - relate to categorising 'library administration' rather than categorising 'book content' then the first thing I would suggest is to put them in their own custom column (e.g. admintags/Admin Tags). If you should ever want download tags from a metadata site then you could lose your admin tags.

BR

[theducks]

I also use a 'admin' type tag system that is hidden from the content server via preferences.

I prefer Saved Searches and Virtual Libraries instead of bloating the DB with custom columns built from the same info.

[Rellwood]

@Chaley
@eschwartz
This is an example of a book in my library

Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian

tags: 2-tro-vamps, Contemporary, Fantasy, Amazon, Midnight Breeds, NITC, PNR, PNR Series, Romance, to-read-own, Unread, Vampires

Now these tags are both from my GR shelves that have been synced and my own added metadata. I know that they need to be weeded through and cleaned up, but I am not on that part of my project. I do think that having the admin parts of the tags auto populated in their own colums will do a lot of the work.


My desire is to have individual colums that would popluate from tags above. The tags are only listed in "tags" and I would like the tag removed once it's in it's column. I want no admin type tags in my tags. I do not want a column that indicates the presence or absence of a tag. I want that tag moved to it's own column and deleated from the tags column.

This would clear up the metadata. Most of my books have extensive lists of tags comprised of GR shelves (since I cannot for the life of me get those tags into their own column unless I import them from a CSV file from GR and merge them from one library to the next individually book by book)

I have managed to get the columns added "book source" which was made as "Text, column shown in the tag browser" meaning did I get the book from Amazon, SmashWords, Library.

Column "Location" which is also "text, column shown in tag browser" for the location of the book (ITC, NITC)

Finally I have column "Status" for reading status (read, not read, etc) which is also "text, column shown in tag browser"

As far as saved searches and virtual libaries, they don't really work for my needs. Each book listed in my library is attached to an actual book that I either have in the cloud and do not need to download to my Kindle from the computer, or I don't.

I have about 1000 books (I read about 6 to 12 hours a day- don't judge me) and I want them in a catalogue that I can look at on my Kindle to see what I want to read next, and figure out if I need to download it off my computer or the cloud.

I have very little compuer knowledge that would allow me to even make columns that are more than just simple text. However, I know that I can do it if someone can show me how. No matter how many times I read the Calibre instructions pages I still can't understand what to do.

Not interested in YES/No columns .

[Rellwood]

@BetterRed, this is a good idea...

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Rellwood

@BetterRed, this is a good idea...

@Rellwood - if you want to do it, here's how I would do it

Backup your library - you'll understand why in a minute, see this ==>> How do I backup calibre?. Close calibre first of course.

Create an Admin Tags column thus;



Restart calibre - you should get a Restart calibre now option after creating the column and clicking the Apply button.

First select all your books (ctrl/a) in the book list with no active VL or search. Copy the existing Tags column to the new Admin Tags column with Bulk Metadata Edit thus (Note the warning at the top of the dialogue box ) :



Now you need to remove the 'admin tag' values from the Tags column, and the 'content tag' values from the Admin Tags column. I would do that via the Manage <categories) feature. In the left sidebar (Tag Browser) right click the Tags heading and you'll get something like this



Remove the 'admin tag values' - multiple items can be selected.

Now do the same thing for the Admin Tags by removing the 'content tag values'

Perhaps the single Admin Tags column might be sufficient. You could group source, location, and status values using first character - e.g. '!' for sources, '#' for locations and '@'for status - I call this bang, crunch, and snail tagging.

You can edit the values in the Manage Admin Tags dialogue by hitting F2 on Tag column cells.

Now you should have two columns each serving there own specific purpose.

I come from the school that says don't overload the same column/field/property/attribute... whatever, with different purposes.

BR

[chaley]

@BetterRed: that is a clever way to clean up the tags. I would have used Search/Replace.

@BetterRed & @Rellwood: It looks like what is desired is a column per purpose where that column can contain at most one value. The purposes listed are source, location, and status. If I am right then it seems to me that the columns should be "Text with a fixed set of values" with appropriate values, and that they should be populated using bulk metadata edit. One way to populate them that is somewhat repetitive but straight forward would be:

1. Search for one of the tags to move.
2. Select all books found by the search.
3. Open bulk metadata edit (normally E)
4. Enter the tag searched for into "Tags to delete".
5. If using columns with a fixed set of values, select the correct value in the custom column. If using plain text columns, enter the tag searched for into the column.
6. Press OK. That tag will be moved.
7. Repeat from step 1 for each tag.

Of course the above could be done in two steps per tag category (move then delete) using Search/Replace, but doing so would require using a rather fancy regexp as the search pattern.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by chaley

@BetterRed: that is a clever way to clean up the tags. I would have used Search/Replace.

@BetterRed & @Rellwood: It looks like what is desired is a column per purpose where that column can contain at most one value. The purposes listed are source, location, and status. If I am right then it seems to me that the columns should be "Text with a fixed set of values" with appropriate values, and that they should be populated using bulk metadata edit. One way to populate them that is somewhat repetitive but straight forward would be:

...

Of course the above could be done in two steps per tag category (move then delete) using Search/Replace, but doing so would require using a rather fancy regexp as the search pattern.

@chaley - I'm too lazy to work out one-off RE's, also they can have corner cases that one doesn't stumble upon until 3 days after you've applied the RE to a full set of data.

An alternative route after the initial copy would have been to use the Alter Tag Browser->Manage Tags feature, but there's no Alter Tag Browser->Manage <Custom column> feature.

The best route, IMO, would be to have the Tag Editor one gets in Single Metadata Edit available from the Book List - maybe via Shift/F2.

I too wondered if fixed list values might suit. But I also thought with a bit of smart tag naming, that the single Admin Tags column might suffice. Group source, location, and status values using first character - '!' for sources, '#' for locations and '@' for status - I call this bang, crunch, and snail tagging

BR

[chaley]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

An alternative route after the initial copy would have been to use the Alter Tag Browser->Manage Tags feature, but there's no Alter Tag Browser->Manage <Custom column> feature.

The "Manage" dialog for custom columns is available by right-clicking on the column.

The best route, IMO, would be to have the Tag Editor one gets in Single Metadata Edit available from the Book List - maybe via Shift/F2.

I seem to remember you mentioning this before.

I am not fond of that editor. I think it conflates two very different operations: editing tags for a single book and editing (deleting) tags from all books. The second is strange given the single-book context. But I freely admit that I too am strange, so ignore me.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by chaley

The "Manage" dialog for custom columns is available by right-clicking on the column.

Of course it is, should I revise my post... I think I will.

Originally Posted by chaley

I am not fond of that editor. I think it conflates two very different operations: editing tags for a single book and editing (deleting) tags from all books. The second is strange given the single-book context.

I quite like it, but left column deletes only for obvious errors. I used it here because a) I forgot right click Cat name->Manage cats and b) I wanted to use one feature to do same thing to the Tags/Admin Tags columns.

Originally Posted by chaley

But I freely admit that I too am strange, so ignore me.

Indeed I have previously mentioned getting at Tag Editor from the Book List

Added : @rellwood - chaley & I spun a related thread ==>> [Enhancements] Manage Tags

BR

[DaltonST]

Originally Posted by Rellwood

... how can I make a column that auto populates from specific tags? I have tags (ITC, NITC, Read, etc.) that I would like to be isolated into their own columns...

Version 3.6.82 of the QuarantineAndScrub add-in to Calibre will provide this capability when it is released in the near future.


DaltonST

[Rellwood]

Thank you for the advice. I ended up doing a search and replace in the Bulk Metadata field. It really wasn't that hard or time consuming. Now I have the joy of doing Genres....

Quick question...I saw mentioned in another thread about setting metadata to automatic?

Apparently doing this "unlocks" certain features in custom columns? I looked everywhere, but there is no feature that I can see in preferences to set the metadata to autopoulate...unless of course this is the "download metadata" I am about to redo every book's downloaded metadata, and this might be helpful..if it is something other than the simple bulk download or the regular download metadata.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Rellwood

Quick question...I saw mentioned in another thread about setting metadata to automatic?

Apparently doing this "unlocks" certain features in custom columns? I looked everywhere, but there is no feature that I can see in preferences to set the metadata to autopoulate...unless of course this is the "download metadata" I am about to redo every book's downloaded metadata, and this might be helpful..if it is something other than the simple bulk download or the regular download metadata.

The automatic metadata setting has no effect on either calibre custom column behavior or metadata downloading. It is used on some devices such as sony and kobo when sending books to the device, where it can affect how metadata on the device is updated.