Single click conversion form any format to MOBI using Calibre

Two year ago I developed a simple script to convert any document (PDF, RTF, TXT,...) to EPUB format, using Calibre.
The script was very simple to use, just put the script in the Calibre folder, and then drag and drop the file you want to convert on the script.

Last year I added some more feature to the script.

Today a reader asked for a script that convert in MOBI format, so I created a  new version of the script that convert to MOBI.
Click here to Download the 'anything to MOBI' conversion script.
You need to place this script in the same folder where you have the Calibre executable.

Then you can drag and drop the file you want to convert on the script:

After the conversion, you'll find the new converted EPUB file in the same folder as the original file.

Check the original articles for more information about this script, and how to use it.

Single click conversion form any format to EPUB using Calibre v2.0 - now with batch multiple files conversion, and rename instead than overwrite

One year ago I developed a simple script to convert any document (PDF, RTF, TXT,...) to EPUB format, using Calibre.
The script was very simple to use, just put the script in the Calibre folder, and then drag and drop the file you want to convert on the script.

Today a reader asked for 2 new features:

• being able to convert multiple files at once
• don't overwrite the epub file that may already exist

So I implemented these features in an updated version of the script.

Click here to Download the new version of the script.

You need to place this script in the same folder where you have the Calibre executable.

Then you can drag and drop the file you want to convert on the script:

After the conversion, you'll find the new converted EPUB file in the same folder as the original file.

Check the original article for more information about this script, and how to use it.

About the new features
Now, for example, you can select 10 PDF files and drop them on the script, and they'll get converted to EPUB (and Author and Title will be set, check the original article for more information)

If the epub file already exist, now the script will add current date/time to the filename.
Example: you try to convert a file named "Asimov - Nightfall.pdf", the script try to create a file named "Asimov - Nightfall.epub", but if this file already exist the script will then create a file named "Asimov - Nightfall 01_01_2014 21.13.52,34.epub" by adding current date/time to the filename.

This updated script, in theory, can convert up to 400 files at once.

The real limitation came from Windows max command line length, that is limited to 8191characters.
So, in real life, you probably won't be able to drag and drop 400 files on the script, because their full pathname will be longer than 8191 characters.
By "Full pathname" i mean the full path + filename of the files, so a full pathname of a file my look something like "E:\eBook\asimov books\series\Asimov - Empire 1.pdf" whick is long 52 chars.
So if you have files like that, you can convert a maximum of about 8192 / 52 = 157 files at once.
Depending on you filename and folder structure your mileage may vary.

Inside the script...
Here is a color-coded version of the EPUB conversion script, the same script you can download here.
(color coded version of the script created by the courtesy of http://hilite.me/ using the 'native' profile, and then tweaking color by hand)

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@echo off setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion rem find script path set scriptPath=%~dp0 set scriptPath=%scriptPath:~0,-1% rem "%scriptPath%\pyprogram.exe" /myparam=123_abcd IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL :epubConvert "%~1") SHIFT IF EXIST "%~1" (CALL 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:endOfBatchfile rem start of a sub function :epubConvert set filename=%~n1 REM split authors from title using the first "-" as separator REM using ! and EnableDelayedExpansion instead of % so that filename containing parenthesis wont cause issue FOR /F "usebackq tokens=1* delims=-" %%a in ('!filename!') do ( set autore= %%a set titolo= %%b ) rem trim authors name extra space from left/right for /f "tokens=* delims= " %%a in ("!autore!") do set autore=%%a set autore=%autore%## set autore=%autore: ##=##% set autore=%autore: ##=##% set autore=%autore: ##=##% set autore=%autore: ##=##% set autore=%autore: ##=##% set autore=%autore:##=% echo. Authors: "%autore%" rem trim titles extra space from left/right for /f "tokens=* delims= " %%a in ("!titolo!") do set titolo=%%a set titolo=%titolo%## set titolo=%titolo: ##=##% set titolo=%titolo: ##=##% set titolo=%titolo: ##=##% set titolo=%titolo: ##=##% set titolo=%titolo: ##=##% set titolo=%titolo:##=% echo. Title: "%titolo%" echo. echo. REM if the filename doesent contains any "-" then %titolo% will be empty IF "%titolo%"=="" ( set titolo=!autore! set autore=unknown ) set InputfileParameters=--remove-paragraph-spacing set PDFInputfileParameters= set EpubInternalHTMLsplitSize=--flow-size 50 IF "%~x1"=="PDF" set PDFInputfileParameters=--unwrap-factor 0.25 set outputFileName=%~dp1%autore% - %titolo%.epub REM If filename alrteady exist, use a different name (I'll append current date/time to create a uinique filename) IF EXIST "%outputFileName%" ( rem Get current date SET DT=%date% rem remove character invalid for filename SET DT=!DT:\=_! SET DT=!DT:/=_! SET DT=!DT:-=_! SET DT=!DT:.=_! SET DT=!DT::=_! rem Get current time SET TM=%time% rem remove character invalid for filename SET TM=!TM:\=.! SET TM=!TM:/=.! SET TM=!TM:-=.! SET TM=!TM::=.! set outputFileName=%~dp1%autore% - %titolo% !DT! !TM!.epub ) "%scriptPath%\ebook-convert.exe" "%~1" "%outputFileName%" %InputfileParameters% %PDFInputfileParameters% %EpubInternalHTMLsplitSize% --authors "%autore%" --title "%titolo%" IF %ERRORLEVEL% NEQ 0 pause rem end of sub function goto :eof rem end of the batch file :endOfBatchfile

This batch file is very similar to the old one.
All the main code to do the conversion is included in a Sub function called epubConvert.
At the beginning of the file I've added about 400 lines of command like Switch / Call epubConvert %1- Switch / Call epubConvert %1 - Switch / Call epubConvert %1 - ...


By implementing these feature I even discovered a new batch command (shift) that I've never used before, it's very useful if you need to manage more than 9 command line parameters :-)

Eclipse: Create project from existing source - How to import existing Java/Android Project into Eclipse

It seem that a lot of material on the internet, and even some Android books, refer to a mystical "Create project from existing source" option of the new project wizard in Eclipse.
I didn't know how Eclipse looked in the past, but now, in Eclipse Juno, there is no such option.
But you can still "Create project from existing source", and I'll show you how to do it :-)

I created a simple step-by-step visual guide about how to create a new project from existing source.
In this guide I've used Eclipse Juno (from the Android SDK)

1) Start Eclipse and open a new/empty workspace 

2) Click the Import command, in the File menu

3) Choose "Android\Existing Android Code Into Workspace" and click "Next"

4) The following screen will appear, we need to insert the folder path of the source files we want to use as base for our new project: we can use the "Browse" button or...

5) We can simply Copy/Paste the path of our source files :-)

6) Paste the path of our source project folder

7) Click the "Refresh" button: this will update the list of source project(s)

8) Eureka! Now we have the list of our much wanted source project(s)

9) Now, don't be hungry, click the "Deselect All" button, to uncheck all the projects

10) and now select the project you really want. I'll go for the AccelerometerPlay, I always liked the interesting things you can do with modern smartphone sensors... :-)

11) Check the option "Copy projects into workspace" so you'll work on a copy of the original project. It's best to not mess up with the original SDK samples, you never know when you'll need them again :-)

12) Click "Finish" aaaaand....

13) You are done! Welcome your new project freshly copied from the SDK source :-)

P.S.: Can you guess that the first programming language I learned was Borland Turbo Pascal 5?
The blue background IDE of those good old days left a sign in my infancy... and even 22 years after, I still feel at home with a dark blue background, yellow keywords, and white identifiers! :-)

In case you like it, here is a link to my Eclipse color theme (MaxDarkBlue Eclipse theme), It's a work in progress... but for my eyes it seem better that other themes I've checked :-)