“calibredb” is a command-line tool that forms part of the Calibre e-book library software. It provides a means to manipulate and manage your e-book database programmatically, offering a command-line interface for various operations related to e-books and their metadata.
Here are the key features and functionalities of “calibredb”:
- E-book Database Management: “calibredb” allows you to interact with your e-book database directly from the command line. You can perform operations such as adding e-books, deleting e-books, editing metadata, updating formats, and managing tags. It provides a powerful set of commands to manipulate your e-book collection programmatically.
- Metadata Manipulation: “calibredb” enables you to modify metadata associated with your e-books. This includes attributes such as the book title, author, publisher, publication date, cover image, description, and more. By using the tool’s commands, you can easily update and maintain accurate metadata information for your e-books.
- Format Conversion: The command-line tool offers the capability to convert e-books between different formats. You can use “calibredb” to convert e-books to popular formats such as EPUB, MOBI, PDF, or AZW3. This feature allows you to ensure compatibility with various e-book readers or devices.
- Importing and Exporting E-books: “calibredb” supports importing e-books into your Calibre library and exporting them as well. You can import individual e-books or entire directories of e-books, making it easy to add new content to your library. Similarly, you can export e-books, providing a means to back up your library or transfer e-books to another Calibre installation.
- Search and Filtering: The command-line tool includes commands for searching and filtering e-books based on specific criteria. You can search for e-books by title, author, tag, format, or any other metadata field. This functionality allows you to quickly locate specific e-books or create custom queries for batch operations.
- Integration with Scripts and Workflows: “calibredb” can be integrated into scripts and automation workflows. This allows you to automate tasks, perform bulk operations, or integrate with other tools and services. For example, you can write scripts to automatically update metadata, convert formats, or synchronize your e-book library with external devices.
“calibredb” extends the functionality of Calibre by providing a command-line interface for managing your e-book database. With its wide range of commands, you can efficiently manipulate metadata, convert formats, import and export e-books, and integrate the tool into custom scripts and workflows. It offers flexibility and control for managing your e-book collection from the command line.
calibredb Command Examples
1. List e-books in the library with additional information:
# calibredb list
2. Search for e-books displaying additional information:
# calibredb list --search search_term
3. Search for just ids of e-books:
# calibredb search search_term
4. Add one or more e-books to the library:
# calibredb add file1 file2 ...
5. Recursively add all e-books under a directory to the library:
# calibredb add -r /path/to/directory
6. Remove one or more e-books from the library. You need the e-book IDs (see above):
# calibredb remove id1 id2 ...