Library feature for ebooks

[nokel]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
A QoL feature to keep ebooks (and files) in a simple place so you don't need to go looking for them in different folders on the computer

Describe the solution you'd like

Feature searches the device for ebooks and pdf files and sorts them into "shelves" based on the book series, type of books, and type of files. Searching algorithm uses information on the files to link similar phrases and information between books to link series' and spin-offs so that they're in the same cluster (e.g. Animorphs as the main series, chronicles, megamorphs, Alternamorphs, and Vegemorphs are all spin-offs. All Book series' would be clustered under the one shelf called "Animorphs" with the user being able to click on the series respective titles to show all the books in that series.) Books contain metadata information such as "Chapters", "Overview", "Related media" (Tv shows, movies etc), "Location on device", "Times opened", "Time spent reading", "Book's last read position", "Date file was created", "Date file was modified", "Book's fingerprint" (Used for detection of doubles), "Date last read", "How many pages", "How many words", "Online rating of book", "Genre of book" etc. Metadata features are reminiscent of programs like windows media player, itunes, plex etc.

"Deskpan" feature shows all pdf files found on device that are non-book related and can be placed into the library if the user desires (or just ignored)

Describe alternatives you've considered
Readera, Kindle

Additional context
Started on code, most of library functions are in place, sorting has been difficult to implement correctly

[nokel]

I know in the wireframe I have book title in the left under series, but I've changed it so that only the collection name is shown instead, it's a bit cleaner than just showing everything...

[GitHubRulesOK]

The best way to use a documentation library for epub etc is Calibre that is what it was designed for see #108
But you can also use NATIVE Windows Libraries and in both cases use SumatraPDF as a viewer see #5507

[nokel]

I feel the point of having a library is having one easy place to find everything.
The point of the feature I'm suggesting (and have developed on my fork) is to provide a single location for the user, as well as provide them a widened access to extra information, similar to going to a library (or a book store) and asking an assistant about a book or book series. What I've done is essentially expand the scope of what the "recent files"/Home tab did and improved on it. As a side note, I've also not removed the ability to use windows explorer on purpose so that if people just want to use sumatrapdf as a regular pdf reader, they're still able to without jumping through any extra hoops. The library is there if people wish to use it, just like the ones in the street.

The thing with relying on windows explorer (unless I'm misunderstanding what you're trying to say) as the library is that yes, of course, you have it already there, but the feature I'm suggesting automatically organises all the books you have wherever they might be (including ones you might have forgotten about in weird locations) and puts them all into one convenient place, and adds metadata that windows doesn't have the ability to account for. One of the benefits of this added data you can conveniently tack on (to pdf files at least), means that the user is able to move files between devices and never forget their place in the book that they were reading.

I'll post the library branch here instead of making a PR like I did last time in case you want to just look first... https://github.com/nokel/sumatrapdf/tree/library

I've updated the repo so that it's using your current work as of 17/08/26 4:23pm Australian time

[kjk]

@nokel I do want to do it, I'm just particular about the UI and implementation.

To give you my current thoughts.

For storing data I would almost certainly re-use our SquareTreeParser.cpp that we use for storing settings, in a separate file e.g. SumatraLibrary.txt

We would need to store lots of .png thumbnails. For that I would use appendstore.cpp which I just added.

Then there's UI, which I would need to think about / research.

What are other programs that you think implement such feature well?

Can you post screenshots of how other programs implement it, which ideas are particularly good?

[nokel]

In regards to the UI/UX I was trying to get the same feeling/look as an ereader meets plex/windows media player, funnily enough the kobo ui seems to have made a similar look and I wasn't aware until last night when I asked some friends if they could give me some photos of what their ereaders looked like.

Plex:

Kobo:

kobo app:

It would actually seem as though readera has a similar interface to kobo:

Quite honestly in regards to apps that have library features, I haven't seen many pdf readers (on windows, anyway) that tout a library feature other than adobe acrobat, but I wouldn't even really call it that... it's really more of a file browser...

I don't really know many applications that are doing what I'm thinking of when I think "library" outside of ereaders and media players, which was where the idea came from and why I thought it would be a good idea to implement...

Also the way that I've been doing the thumbnails is the blob is stored inside the pdf file and the library pulls the image from the file and displays it for the user, if the book doesn't have an image then it's stored on the file as metadata...

[nokel]

I've updated https://github.com/nokel/sumatrapdf/tree/library-work which should be using the right files you've added for the library now...