Feature Request: custom column assignment for locked status (created on behalf of MontanaHarper)

[GRiker]

(created on behalf of MontanaHarper, moved from iOSRA issue 65)

I'd love the ability to have a book automatically set to "locked" status when I send it to Marvin (like I can automatically apply collection assignments and word count). I was thinking a custom column assignment with a y/n switch would work, maybe?

Right now my workflow includes sending things to the device, then using Marvin XD to set the newest items as locked, which is workable but slow, since I have Marvin XD set to automatically refresh the custom column content.

[GRiker]

@MontanaHarper, A couple of questions about how you envision this feature working:

• You want to have a custom Y/N column in calibre 'Locked'. If that column is checked, when sending a book to Marvin, also set its locked status in Marvin. Is that correct?
• What behavior do you expect in Marvin XD when synchronizing custom columns? In other words, what should happen if the 'Locked' column is checked in calibre but the book is currently unlocked in Marvin? What should happen if 'Locked' is unchecked in calibre, but the book is locked in Marvin?

To support locking when sending a book via iOSRA, Marvin would need to be modified. I will communicate with Marvin's developer to see if he has any issues with adding support for this feature.

You were correct in creating the issue under iOSRA, since you want the behavior when a book is sent, but it has broader implications, which is why I moved it here.

[ghost]

1 - Correct. 2 - I would think that the most restricted state would be the best default, so locked would be preferred over unlocked: if it was locked in either Calibre or Marvin, syncing custom columns would make it locked everywhere. For my own use, it doesn't make any difference, since I would never be locking or unlocking something on the device after I sent it, so there'd never be a disparity in states between my Calibre and my Marvin, but based on the logic that people lock books to maintain their privacy, then it seems better to err on the side of that privacy than the other way around, right? Worst case scenario, someone would have to unlock both on their device and in Calibre to get a book unlocked.

Thanks for considering this (and for checking with Kris re: the changes required in Marvin). And thanks, too, for letting me know the reasoning for moving the feature request; I thought I'd figured out the right place to put it, so it's good to know that you had dev reasons for wanting it here instead.

[GRiker]

Kris supports this change. I'm currently working through the implementation in the iOSRA plugin. I expect it will be available in the next release of Marvin in the App Store. I'm not sure what his timeline is for the next release.

This feature could definitely cause confusion for a user not paying attention. Consider the following sequence:

• Enable restrictions in Marvin (hiding locked books).
• Set 'Locked' status to Y in custom column for book to be sent to Marvin.
• Send locked book to Marvin.
• Exit calibre connector, and … "Uhm, where's my book?"

Hopefully, anyone using this feature would remember to check whether or not restrictions are enabled before filing a bug report.

I'm still thinking about the logic in MXD. Possible options:

• Use your logic of 'most restricted' wins. That makes sense if automatic syncing is desirable.
• Don't try to sync locked status automatically. Instead, user explicitly sets it (as it currently works), but the updated state is applied to both Marvin and calibre (if a custom column is assigned).

I'm leading toward the second option for simplicity and clarity, but I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.

[ghost]

I do see the potential for "lost book" issues, but I think it would be fairly uncommon if the option was off by default. There would be two steps required to get books into Marvin with a locked status: setting the option in iOSRA, and marking a book as locked in Calibre. And the book would still be visible in MXD, with the lock icon next to it.

As far as the logic in MXD, I think that might be a better question for the MXD user community at large. My own use for it would be super basic, and my needs would be met either way, I think.

My scenario: I have two separate libraries, one for professionally published books and one for fanfiction downloaded using the FFDL plugin. It's the latter that I want locked by default, and it will always be locked, while the profic will never be locked. I won't ever be changing the state on a per-book basis once the default is set. (I can get FFDL to auto-populate a "locked" column for me when it downloads, so I won't even have to think about it after the initial setup.)

[GRiker]

I have things working in both iOSRA and MXD with a pre-release version of Marvin. Kris estimates that he will be releasing this update to the App Store in about two weeks. I opted to go with your 'most restricted' logic when automatically updating custom column content, plus the user has the option of manually setting Locked directly from the MXD interface for selected books. I'll leave this issue open until you have a change to test the changes.

[ghost]

Great, thank you! I'll test it as soon as the new version of Marvin is available, and let you know how it works for me.

[GRiker]

Marvin 2.7 is now available in the App Store. Please update the iOS reader applications plugin as well as Marvin XD. Please close this issue if everything's working for you as expected, otherwise post a new comment with any problems you're having specific to this feature request.

[ghost]

It seems to be working perfectly. Thank you! (I can't close the issue, sorry. Probably because you recreated it here based on my original issue?)

[GRiker]

Yay! Thanks for the quick feedback and the good suggestion.