# No more metadata edit in Mobipocket Creator?



## arkay8 (Jul 23, 2009)

I just bought a new computer, and instead of transferring over Mobipocket Creator from the old machine, I just downloaded another copy.  What I got was v4.2 build 41, and much to my surprise, it is apparently no longer possible to edit metadata in this program.  

Does anyone know when and why the program was cripppled in this manner?  Although I generally prefer Caliber for conversions, Mobipocket Creator will import a Microsoft Word file and Caliber will not, which leaves a small but important role for Mobipocket Creator.


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## SusanCassidy (Nov 9, 2008)

It still works the same way it always did.  You can change the metadata when you build a book file.  There was never an Edit-only method in Mobipocket Creator.  You must be thinking of some other program.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

To my knowledge, MobiPocket Reader and Creator are no longer supported by the original developers. . . .why an apparently newer version would have missing features when compared to an earlier version I can't say.  Do make sure you found CREATOR and not READER. . .Reader apparently will convert, but doesn't do the fancy stuff at all.

Since Amazon has made the Send to Kindle applets available I haven't bothered with converting any other way so it's been a while since I played with whichever version I have.


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## kcrady (Dec 17, 2009)

arkay8 said:


> Mobipocket Creator will import a Microsoft Word file and Caliber will not


Haven't tried a doc file lately, but Calibre will import and convert rich text files nicely. You can always save your word doc as a rich text file first. Make sure you're on the latest version of Calibre.


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## arkay8 (Jul 23, 2009)

SusanCassidy said:


> It still works the same way it always did. You can change the metadata when you build a book file. There was never an Edit-only method in Mobipocket Creator. You must be thinking of some other program.


Not so, Susan. In the version I was using (and yes Ann, I do know the difference between Reader and Creator), I would import the source file and then, before doing the build, I would have the opportunity to edit metadata by clicking over on the left, where all I can do now is add a cover image or a table of contents. I don't have the version number, but the opening screen on that version had a blue color scheme, while on the version I have now the color scheme is brown or beige.

kcrady points out that I could downsave a .doc file to .rtf and use Caliber, but this is an extra step which I didn't have to deal with when I used Creator. I guess I have no other option now, but it is an annoyance when a program has features deleted in a later version.

I actually convert a fair number of Word files, since it is a convenient platform for pasting something I've copied off of the web. I use my Kindle a lot for read-shifting (putting stuff I don't want to read on a computer screen, like a long Wikipedia article, onto my Kindle so I can read it in comfort in my armchair or bed).


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Just checked, and what I have is 4.2 build 41.  It does appear to still have a 'metadata' option on the left.  I'm seeing it there both when I import a PDF and when I do a Word document.  

After importing, on the left it says:

Publication Files
Cover Image
Table of Contents
Book Settings
Metadata
Guide

They're all part of the 'View' menu; they can all be hidden by clicking the upward pointing triangle.

Maybe you just got a bad download and you should try a fresh copy?


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## SusanCassidy (Nov 9, 2008)

Maybe you didn't download the Publisher edition, which has more options?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

SusanCassidy said:


> Maybe you didn't download the Publisher edition, which has more options?


Since they've more or less abandoned it, there is only one choice now. . . .the page has links to a 'home' and 'publisher' version, but they both go to the same page, as far as I can tell; if you click 'download' on either one, you get the same file.

They do still have both 'Creator' and 'Reader', but it sounds like he does have 'Creator'.

I just checked and the currently available install file is identical to the one I have from about a year ago. Which does, for me, still have the metadata editing section.

You might ask the question at MobileRead. . . maybe someone over there can offer more insight.


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## arkay8 (Jul 23, 2009)

Thanks, Susan and Ann, I think that you have solved the problem.  I definitely have the Home edition (also v4.2 build 41), which does not allow PDF input nor metadata editing.  Apparently I previously had the Publisher edition, which allows both.  I'm not sure I understand why there are two editions, since both were free downloads.

My workaround for "read-shifting" with Caliber is to use LibreOffice Writer, a free alternative to Microsoft Word.  Writer's native .odt file format is recognized by Caliber, and it has a nice extension called My TXT Cleaner which gets rid of the paragraph mark at the end of each line in a text file (sometimes copying a web file yields a .txt-type file after pasting), allowing the text to reflow.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Glad you got it sorted. . . . interesting that it appears you were able to d/l a version that was different than I could find. As I say, all I was finding available now, were files identical to the version I already had from a year or so ago. Weird. And when I found separate links to 'Home' and 'Professional' editions, I got the same file. Hmmm.  Or maybe what looked like the same file to me was really different.

As to why there _were_ two versions, I think when it was originally developed, and still supported, it was envisioned mostly for home use. They expanded it to 'professional' which mostly enabled conversion of PDF's but also, as you've discovered, some additional customization following conversion.


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## arkay8 (Jul 23, 2009)

Actually, embarassingly enough, I probably brought all of this on myself.  I deleted Creator and tried to reload it, and it turns out that you are given a choice between the Home and Publisher editions before the install starts.  I probably checked Home for some reason, but anyhow, the same Windows .msi installer can install either - which also explains why both buttons lead to the same file.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

arkay8 said:


> Actually, embarassingly enough, I probably brought all of this on myself. I deleted Creator and tried to reload it, and it turns out that you are given a choice between the Home and Publisher editions before the install starts. I probably checked Home for some reason, but anyhow, the same Windows .msi installer can install either - which also explains why both buttons lead to the same file.


Ah! Yes. . .that does explain it. For a minute there I thought I was losing my mind!


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