Reading history - Nook Touch General

Greets....
am I missing something but...Library doesn't tell me which books I have read or any progress through books I have started to read.
My lady has a Kobo Glo and it shows the % read of any book opened.

That's right. The closest thing to what you are describing is the "Now Reading" on the B&N home screen which shows the book most recently accessed and the page number you stopped at. However, the Nook does remember where you are in the various books you may be reading simultaneously and a touch on a book cover in the Library will take you to the page where you stopped (which might be the last page if you are done reading). And it also remembers all the various bookmarks in the individual books.
But that's about it for the stock reader and library apps.

Thanks for the confirmation nmyshkin.

Percentage read is a difficult one.
Last reading point is clearer.
If you read a book then go back to read the preface does that mean you have read 5% of the book?
Or if you have read 5 pages then go to the footnotes have you read 99% of the book?
My Library app has had listing in order of modified date (usually when it was added.)
I've updated the Last Read order in the latest (not yet released) version.

Renate NST said:
Percentage read is a difficult one.
Last reading point is clearer.
If you read a book then go back to read the preface does that mean you have read 5% of the book?
Or if you have read 5 pages then go to the footnotes have you read 99% of the book?
My Library app has had listing in order of modified date (usually when it was added.)
I've updated the Last Read order in the latest (not yet released) version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Renate, where should I put my books for your reading app? My books are now in /SDcard/Könyvek/individual_folders.
Or can I add my location to the app?
By the way I've finally learned how to edit apk's ^^ or not so much learned but found this and with it i'm able to modify aks and they are workin

Yes, I keep meaning to make that configurable.
Right now it checks the following directories:
Code:
/system/media/books recursive
/data/media/B&N Downloads/Books recursive
/media/Books recursive
/media/My Files/Books recursive
/media/Digital Editions
/sdcard/Books recursive
/sdcard/Download
/sdcard/Digital Editions
/sdcard/My Files/Books recursive

Related

[Q] How to export Notes and Highlights on Touch? Cppy and Paste?

Hello,
Thanks in advance. I searched the forum and elsewhere for these answers.
Can one export Notes and Highlights with a rooted Nook Touch. If so, how and which app should one download? Which are best?
If one puts Kindle app on a Nook Touch, does one get the functionality of exporting notes that I believe the Kindle app has?
Is there an a reader app that allows for Copying/Pasting/exporting? There is this unanswered thread that I think covers the same topic or similar:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1180368
Much to my dismay, I just discovered that I can not export or backup Notes and Highlights that I create on a Nook Touch. I wonder what % don't realize this when they buy the device.
I do not think that "Nook For PC" does any of this as it only syncs bookmarks across devices:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook-for-pc/379002322/
Once again thank you
I've been able to export from moon reader plus on my nook color - if this app works on nook touch it's the best solution I've found.
any solution found?
I want to root my nook, but I don't want to lose my highlights...!!!
I have been on the same quest for a few days now. I have not found a particularly good solution, but I do have a way to preserve highlighting.
When you use the kindle app on android and sideload a book in .mobi format (i.e. you place the .mobi file in /sdcard/kindle folder), and then make highlights or notes, it creates a .mbp file in the same directory. You can then move the .mobi and .mbp file into other kindle apps (other device, pc, etc), and your notes and highlights are preserved.
If I could find a way to get the .mbp file in /sdcard/kindle to automatically sync to the appropriate PC folder, it would be nearly perfect.
The advantage of .mobi files have over .epub is that .epub standard does not seem to include annotations. At the moment, you are somewhat confined to the Amazon ecosystem, but for now, this seems the best solution I've found so far.
---------- Post added at 10:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:04 AM ----------
I have been on the same quest for a few days now. I have not found a particularly good solution, but I do have a way to preserve highlighting.
When you use the kindle app on android and sideload a book in .mobi format (i.e. you place the .mobi file in /sdcard/kindle folder), and then make highlights or notes, it creates a .mbp file in the same directory. You can then move the .mobi and .mbp file into other kindle apps (other device, pc, etc), and your notes and highlights are preserved.
If I could find a way to get the .mbp file in /sdcard/kindle to automatically sync to the appropriate PC folder, it would be nearly perfect.
The advantage of .mobi files have over .epub is that .epub standard does not seem to include annotations. At the moment, you are somewhat confined to the Amazon ecosystem, but for now, this seems the best solution I've found so far.
Any updates
Does anybody have any updates on this? I've been looking at how to save my highlights and notes because I want to update to 1.1.
I noticed that Calibre is testing saving notes from the Kobo reader. I think this would be the best way if they ever do it for the NST. However, that would be a long term solution because I don't see them doing it within the next month or so.
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
The first post in this thread shows how to backup highlights and annotations. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1346748 I haven't tried it yet but I will check back when I do it.
this is a a feature really needed...anybody working on it??
Here's a direct link to the post referenced above. Highlights and notes are stored in databases.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20069243&postcount=5
I haven't tested it yet.
Anyone interested in exploring -- you may want to look into some of the apps in the Android Market that allow for viewing and editing databases on a rooted device:
https://market.android.com/search?q=root+database+viewer&c=apps
Please post any findings!
MJ
mjj777 said:
Please post any findings!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It’s easy to write SQL script, but it’ll be few manual steps - not for everybody.
I’m not good enough yet to write GUI app, but it looks like nice and easy one to start with.
The problem is B&N doesn’t provide any API to work with nook specific features, like display book thumbnail, get books in library, get books on shelf, etc.
Once this framework is available, “assembling” apps should be piece of cake.
Manual Solution...
Besides backing up highlights and annotations (mentioned above) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20069243&postcount=5
I am following this thread that just started on somebody asking a possible way to do this automatically to dropbox or something similar. Which I think would be awesome! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1676579. However, this really doesn't solve the issue of easily reviewing highlights and annotations or exporting them to excel or word for a more pleasant viewing experience.
In the meantime as I am reading I have my iPhone open and I am writing down comments and passages and then marking the page number. I am doing this in the Onenote app which can be synced to my computer.
It makes reading not as fun when you have to go to a different device and type something in. However, I am guaranteed not to loose it, and it stays organized in a onenote folder I named "books" and section is the books title. Putting the page number also allows me to later go back and go to that specific page for further details and it is my understanding it should also match with the paper-bound version page number.
I find it amazing there is not an easier way. However, I have heard rumors the backing up a annotations and highlights might/could happen in Calibre. I think they began trying it with the Kobo reader. I think this would be ideal.
CoolReader can highlight, take notes and export.
The only problem is that it doesnt have DRM so it cannot read
books with DRM (purchased or rented books).
--
Is there any news on this side?
to me would be enough to having the possibility to share via mail.
does anyone knows if an app for android would work for this and if it feasible ?
Ok
i've just create a very basic app that export the highlithed text to an txt file inside the sd card.
source code is here (i started yesterday with android, so it's crappy).
https://github.com/esseti/NookTouchExporter
here the apk https://github.com/esseti/NookTouchExporter/tree/master/bin
it requires root permission.
feedbacks/collaborations anything is welcomed.
Off-hand, you might want to use a constructor for Annotation instead of setting things:
Code:
public class Annotation
{
private String book;
private String hltext;
public Annotation(String book, String htltext)
{
this.book = book;
this.hltext = hltext;
}
}
question
Hi, first, thanks for placing the apk and second, how do I use it?
I already install, I gave root permission, but nothing happens when you touch the icon
thanks
I forgot to subscribe to the thread. i made some changes, now it should have a button.
apk is here https://github.com/esseti/NookTouchExporter/tree/master/out/production/NookExporter
esseti said:
I forgot to subscribe to the thread. i made some changes, now it should have a button.
apk is here https://github.com/esseti/NookTouchExporter/tree/master/out/production/NookExporter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just tried this (md5sum: fc31f1bd16a95ebd5c41823cb9bbc57d) on my 1.2.1 UK Nook rooted with NookManager, and it has some problems.
When I start it, it asks for root via SuperUser and I grant it root permissions permanently. However, the attempt to copy annotations.db fails:
Code:
I/ActivityManager( 788): Starting activity: Intent { act=android.intent.action.MAIN cat=[android.intent.category.LAUNCHER] flg=0x14000000 cmp=it.stefanotranquillini.nookexporter/.TestDatabaseActivity }
I/System.out(24021): books 1here we are
W/System.err(24021): io ex
W/System.err(24021): java.io.FileNotFoundException: /data/data/com.bn.nook.reader.activities/databases/annotations.db
E/TC ( 1035): KPICollector: 1368871897842 ActivityManager background {"component":"com.harasoft.relaunch/.AllApplications"}
E/TC ( 1035): KPICollector: 1368871897875 ActivityManager foreground {"component":"it.stefanotranquillini.nookexporter/.TestDatabaseActivity"}
Needless to say, the file does exist:
# ls -l /data/data/com.bn.nook.reader.activities/databases/annotations.db
-rw-rw---- app_0 app_0 11264 2013-05-07 15:57 annotations.db
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you probably need to build a command line (e.g. su /system/xbin/cp /data/data/com.bn.nook.reader.activities/databases/annotations.db blahblah/databases.db) then exec() it. exec()ing su doesn't, AFAICS, give your app the power to do anything it likes as root. Chainfire wrote a nice doc: http://su.chainfire.eu/.
If I use an adb shell to manually copy the file over, it seems to export OK. I'd suggest, though, dumping all the columns so that adding import functionality later is possible.
cowbutt said:
I've just tried this (md5sum: fc31f1bd16a95ebd5c41823cb9bbc57d) on my 1.2.1 UK Nook rooted with NookManager, and it has some problems.
When I start it, it asks for root via SuperUser and I grant it root permissions permanently. However, the attempt to copy annotations.db fails:
Code:
I/ActivityManager( 788): Starting activity: Intent { act=android.intent.action.MAIN cat=[android.intent.category.LAUNCHER] flg=0x14000000 cmp=it.stefanotranquillini.nookexporter/.TestDatabaseActivity }
I/System.out(24021): books 1here we are
W/System.err(24021): io ex
W/System.err(24021): java.io.FileNotFoundException: /data/data/com.bn.nook.reader.activities/databases/annotations.db
E/TC ( 1035): KPICollector: 1368871897842 ActivityManager background {"component":"com.harasoft.relaunch/.AllApplications"}
E/TC ( 1035): KPICollector: 1368871897875 ActivityManager foreground {"component":"it.stefanotranquillini.nookexporter/.TestDatabaseActivity"}
Needless to say, the file does exist:
I think you probably need to build a command line (e.g. su /system/xbin/cp /data/data/com.bn.nook.reader.activities/databases/annotations.db blahblah/databases.db) then exec() it. exec()ing su doesn't, AFAICS, give your app the power to do anything it likes as root. Chainfire wrote a nice doc: http://su.chainfire.eu/.
If I use an adb shell to manually copy the file over, it seems to export OK. I'd suggest, though, dumping all the columns so that adding import functionality later is possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've no idea why it fails .
anyway i'll take a look later on. if you want code is on github and you can change it and submit as a patch (or whatever they called it), then i'll merge it.
Hello,
I haven't found a solution to the original question posted on this forum but I would like to share something that I think most Kindle users will benefit from.
Amazon has made it possible for Kindle users to make notes and highlights on their favorite passages or selection and these can be accessed again on their site. However, it can take up time and be difficult to obtain sometimes.
There is an iOS app that will be released this November 2013 called Snippefy that will make it easier for Kindle users to read and share their notes and highlights all in one place. They will also be able to export these to Evernote, Dropbox and email. I'm not able to post the link to the site here but basically it's at "snippefy dot com"
I just wanted to share this with all of you as you might find it useful.
Thanks!
Two ereaders I've found that do a good job of allowing for annotations, and have good export options are Moon+ Reader (version 1.6.5b) and Mantano Reader (version 2.2.12).
They are no longer being developed in a way that supports the Android 2.1 platform, which is what the Nook runs on, so the versions I listed above are the most recent versions that will work on the Nook, you'll have to get the old APKs and sideload them if you want to use that. Their controls and interface are amazing in my opinion, perhaps Moon+Reader 1.6.5b > Mantano Reader 2.2.13, however, the display is in my opinion quite low quality and unacceptable for extended reading.
A better option to keep your eye on is Page Turner (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.nightwhistler.pageturner.ads&hl=en]). The developer is very active and mindful that a large portion of the user base uses the Nook ST, and so continues to have features support the Android 2.1 platform. The current beta version which will be released in the next weeks has just added support for highlighting, annotating and bookmarks. The plan for the next version is to allow for simple export process of these additions, so keep an eye on it.

Sync page between native B&N reader and Aldiko/Mantano?

Is it possible to do this? I have both an Android phone and Android tablet and I would love to be able to sync my last-page-read between my Nook, but most of my content is from inkmesh or public domain.
I know you can run either of the mentioned readers on a rooted Touch, but I just can't give up the native reader (and partial refresh mode) to run a non-optimized, always-refreshing reader.
Where your books are from makes no difference.
Nook Reader.apk keeps track of it all.
Reading the last read page location is easy.
I'll have to see if writing it is easy too.
More later.
It's later.
The problem with syncing books is that it's not as easy as just using page numbers.
Reader.apk uses fragments to store last reading point.
For instance, in my book I'm at:
Code:
Shel_9781588369284_epub_c03_r1.htm#point(/1/4/2/2/1:0)
Even though that's page 75, you can't just say page 75.
I would be interested to know how the other readers store last point.
If it uses some form of DOM fragments then maybe it could work.
My guess is that all RMSDK-based apps (like Aldiko, Mantano Reader, and probably Nook Reader) use the same location format. So you'll probably find similar locations on Aldiko and Mantano Reader, and copy-pasting those around should work.
Oh! That's a new acronym for me: RMSDK.
In point of fact, that's what the column is called in the Nook Reader database.
I'll have to look at that stuff.

Backing up Shelves... Possiable solution

I found the database file that has all of the shelves information in them
/data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases/internal.db
You should be able to back that file up and restore it.
I'm not sure if the file changes when firmware is upgraded but i was able to ADB pull the file add 2 shelves and put books in each shelf and push the file back to the nook. after a reboot the new shelves appeared with the correct books in them.
Anyone want to experiment with changing firmwares and restoring... I don't have a microsd card with me.
persichini said:
I found the database file that has all of the shelves information in them
/data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases/internal.db
You should be able to back that file up and restore it.
I'm not sure if the file changes when firmware is upgraded but i was able to ADB pull the file add 2 shelves and put books in each shelf and push the file back to the nook. after a reboot the new shelves appeared with the correct books in them.
Anyone want to experiment with changing firmwares and restoring... I don't have a microsd card with me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was discussed before – use search.
In short:
Yes – you can back it up.
It’s easy to do autoshelving based on any field in database, like author.
Some people want to autoshelve by book genre – and optional metadata field.
There is an app for NC, but it’s not easy to port it on NST.
ApokrifX said:
It was discussed before – use search.
In short:
Yes – you can back it up.
It’s easy to do autoshelving based on any field in database, like author.
Some people want to autoshelve by book genre – and optional metadata field.
There is an app for NC, but it’s not easy to port it on NST.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I didn't search correctly because I didn't find that information... Found a lot of people asking and complaining about losing their shelves... I have 43 shelves and just lost them. I have my shelves by book series. Yes i have a lot of book.
If I was any kind of app writer I'd look into the NC app but I'm not... So I'll just have to wait until one of the wonderful developers get board and take it on.
43 shelves? Wow!
It just amazes me how differently people use their Nooks.
I just have 4 or 5 books on my Nook at any one time.
As pointed out above, internal.db is your friend.
Backing it up is a good idea if you put in a lot of manual effort to set things up.
You might want to get sqlite3 on your desktop and learn what the tables are and how to selectively restore them.
That's what I'd do if I had 43 shelves.
Code:
sqlite3 internal.db
.table
.dump shelf
.dump shelf_item
persichini said:
I guess I didn't search correctly because I didn't find that information... Found a lot of people asking and complaining about losing their shelves... I have 43 shelves and just lost them. I have my shelves by book series. Yes i have a lot of book.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"book series" == "book genre"
It is not represented as a field in NST internal database.
If you have it as a field in content.opf of epub book, it’s possible to write an app to auto-shelve.
Won’t help with PDF books anyway.
If not – you can do it manually only.
To save your shelve you can use Renate solution.
Not exactly user-friendly, but better than nothing definitely.
Looking at B&N bugs fixing progress, I have strong feeling, shelves disappearance won’t be fixed anytime soon.
Yeah i know its a lot of books.. and a lot of shelves. I like to read fiction books that are multiples in a series... Left behind book 1-12, Hellgates: London 1-3, Harry Potter 1-7.. etc so I make a shelf for each series... Granted there are a lot I've never read there on the to-do list. Having a visual list of how much i need to read helps motivate me.
i don't delete the book because my father in law seems to think he knows everything so its nice to be able to say oh really i have that book right here let me go to the section so we can see what it really says...
persichini said:
Yeah i know its a lot of books.. and a lot of shelves. I like to read fiction books that are multiples in a series... Left behind book 1-12, Hellgates: London 1-3, Harry Potter 1-7.. etc so I make a shelf for each series... Granted there are a lot I've never read there on the to-do list. Having a visual list of how much i need to read helps motivate me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're doing "serious" reading and library management on the device, you might consider dumping the B&N software and using something better. I have become very fond of Mantano Reader ($5, IIRC). It does shelving very well, and handles PDFs just fine. I went for the $20/year cloud option that also syncs book positions among 4 devices, and it's working very well, as well as backing everything (book files and library options) up. I've completely replaced the B&N Library function on my device with Mantano's home screen.

NST library files

Anyone knows where the files/databases are for the library to use, e.g., sorting files for recent, author and title, as well as for shelves. It seems the library module from time to time doesn't sort correctly, after adding new books. Sometimes, a book from search is not placed in the 1st in the library ( for most recent order ). So I guess there must be something wrong in related files. Any tips are appreciated.
smjohn1 said:
Anyone knows where the files/databases are for the library to use, e.g., sorting files for recent, author and title, as well as for shelves. It seems the library module from time to time doesn't sort correctly, after adding new books. Sometimes, a book from search is not placed in the 1st in the library ( for most recent order ). So I guess there must be something wrong in related files. Any tips are appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AFAIK there is nothing specifically for the Library app other than an xml file (/data/data/com.bn.nook.library/shared_prefs.xml) which I imagine is supposed to control how the various library options display when the library is accessed. I've never had any luck with changing the settings (which are obfuscated anyway) as I would like the library to open a certain way but it insists on reverting to something else no matter how many times I set it.
As for databases, there are two associated with the Reader app (/data/data/com.bn.nook.reader.activites/databases/lastreadingpoint.db and /readerlocal.db). Historically there have been issues with the databases becoming garbled and there are a couple of postings somewhere in the forum with sqlite sequences for clearing out the dross and starting over. I'll see if I can scare those up but you should search also. And you'll need a sqlite database viewer if you want to examine the databases on your PC to see what's there.
Edit: This is the main thread I was remembering: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/solved-on-the-problem-of-broken-bookmarks.1467429/
nmyshkin said:
AFAIK there is nothing specifically for the Library app other than an xml file (/data/data/com.bn.nook.library/shared_prefs.xml) which I imagine is supposed to control how the various library options display when the library is accessed. I've never had any luck with changing the settings (which are obfuscated anyway) as I would like the library to open a certain way but it insists on reverting to something else no matter how many times I set it.
As for databases, there are two associated with the Reader app (/data/data/com.bn.nook.reader.activites/databases/lastreadingpoint.db and /readerlocal.db). Historically there have been issues with the databases becoming garbled and there are a couple of postings somewhere in the forum with sqlite sequences for clearing out the dross and starting over. I'll see if I can scare those up but you should search also. And you'll need a sqlite database viewer if you want to examine the databases on your PC to see what's there.
Edit: This is the main thread I was remembering: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/solved-on-the-problem-of-broken-bookmarks.1467429/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx, I will dig a bit. Strange thing is just read books from search don't appear in library's beginning at all. On the other hand, books read from library do change order in the library. Besides database, any other possible modules that would such problems?
smjohn1 said:
Thx, I will dig a bit. Strange thing is just read books from search don't appear in library's beginning at all. On the other hand, books read from library do change order in the library. Besides database, any other possible modules that would such problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've come up empty. From examining the two Reader databases it is clear that they do not contain any information that would create placement in the Library such as shelves. That information must be somewhere but I have not been able to find it. There is another database, home.db, which is part of the bn.home app. There is minimal data there about books, but nothing helpful.
What is distressing (besides not being able to track down where this information is stored) is that there seems to be no mechanism to flush out the databases. Looking over mine I see (sideloaded) books that I have deleted a long time ago. No wonder things act funny after awhile.
Edit: Never say never. This post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/automating-shelving.1378510/ reveals the whereabouts of the information for the Library. I never would have guessed B&N would use stock Android for that!
Yeah, there used to be problems with the MediaScanner on the NST.
I got used to not relying on it.
Even now, my Library app has a fixed number of locations for books and you just hit Refresh once in a while.
The AdbSync script (makefile actually) that I use just pokes a refresh after syncing the Books directory.
nmyshkin said:
I've come up empty. From examining the two Reader databases it is clear that they do not contain any information that would create placement in the Library such as shelves. That information must be somewhere but I have not been able to find it. There is another database, home.db, which is part of the bn.home app. There is minimal data there about books, but nothing helpful.
What is distressing (besides not being able to track down where this information is stored) is that there seems to be no mechanism to flush out the databases. Looking over mine I see (sideloaded) books that I have deleted a long time ago. No wonder things act funny after awhile.
Edit: Never say never. This post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/automating-shelving.1378510/ reveals the whereabouts of the information for the Library. I never would have guessed B&N would use stock Android for that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! Thx. I need to learn sqlites to see all the contents.
Renate said:
Yeah, there used to be problems with the MediaScanner on the NST.
I got used to not relying on it.
Even now, my Library app has a fixed number of locations for books and you just hit Refresh once in a while.
The AdbSync script (makefile actually) that I use just pokes a refresh after syncing the Books directory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how tro refresh? Is there adb code for that? Thx again.
smjohn1 said:
Wow! Thx. I need to learn sqlites to see all the contents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do sqlite manipulations via ADB is you have sqlite3 installed on the NST, but for a better overall view you really need to copy the database file to a PC use a tool like this.
smjohn1 said:
How to refresh? Is there adb code for that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really.
There are ways to make the MediaScanner scan a single file.
There is no simple way to tell it to just rescan everything.
I was talking about my Library.apk which does a simple foreground scan when you:
Code:
adb shell am start -a com.temblast.library.REFRESH

[SOLVED?] The mysteries of the "now reading" button

I must have a unique way of using my devices because I've never seen this issue reported on the forum.
Firstly, I just want to say that lastreadingpoint.db seems to be something of a garbage bin. I'm working with one of my older devices right now (formerly my principal reader) and the db is filled with books that were deleted long ago. Now, perhaps, cleanup of this file is supposed to happen when books are removed via UMS since that's the only provision B&N made for removing side-loaded content, but I doubt it. Since I just use a file manager, I may be frustrating some grand design that would keep the db file tidy. NOT.
But I digress. My real beef is the unpredictability of the button. When I select a new book from the library and move along a few pages to the first chapter, I often return to the home page to deal with some other things and then set the device aside until I'm ready to start my new book. But when I do return and tap that button, I generally get the last book I just finished (at the last page....). If I have deleted that book already then I'll get some other book, maybe an anthology I frequent, wherever I left off.
Inspection of lastreadingpoint.db shows no indication that I ever selected a new book.
I have struggled with this for a long time and realize that without knowing exactly when and under what circumstances the db would actually be updated, this is really difficult to run down. I just tried another experiment and put the device to sleep manually after starting a new book (book still displayed). Then I woke it up and returned to the home screen (i.e., my launcher, not the B&N Home). The "now reading" button worked correctly! And repeatedly.
BUT...A look at lastreadingpoint.db still did not show that the new book had been opened! This helps explain why my overtures with sqlite were not having much effect.
It's a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, enclosed in a B&N box.
I just want the #$%&*% button to do what you would expect it to do without a lot of nonsense. It's easier to get it to consistently open a current Kindle book then to open an epub in the stock reader.
Why?
Edit: The next day: I accessed the book one more time this morning without any problem and copied out the database again. This time it finally showed an entry for the book with the correct access time.
Edit: 9-12-22 Nothing seems to work consistently except for one change. I have installed on my devices a little app called "NookReader". It's buried deep in the old posts of the forum and its purpose is to allow epubs to be opened via a file manager (which I never do). In effect it creates a "listener" which the stock system lacks.
Well, it seems the stock system doesn't like eavesdropping. When I uninstalled the app from the device I had been experimenting with the effect was immediate and I was able to move from selection to selection, each time returning to the most recent book correctly using the "now reading" button. Another device required an uninstall as well as a reboot in order to start behaving properly.
Moral: if you're not using it, get rid of it!
nmyshkin said:
I have struggled with this for a long time and realize that without knowing exactly when and under what circumstances the db would actually be updated, this is really difficult to run down. I just tried another experiment and put the device to sleep manually after starting a new book (book still displayed). Then I woke it up and returned to the home screen (i.e., my launcher, not the B&N Home). The "now reading" button worked correctly! And repeatedly.
BUT...A look at lastreadingpoint.db still did not show that the new book had been opened! This helps explain why my overtures with sqlite were not having much effect.
It's a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, enclosed in a B&N box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@nmyshkin ... even i've struggled with something like this ... inconsistencies of the last reading point actions ...
nmyshkin said:
Edit: 9-12-22 Nothing seems to work consistently except for one change. I have installed on my devices a little app called "NookReader". It's buried deep in the old posts of the forum and its purpose is to allow epubs to be opened via a file manager (which I never do). In effect it creates a "listener" which the stock system lacks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are you referring to the app that goes by 'dev.nookreader.apk' ? ... for now i've just renamed it to 'dev.nookreader.apk.bkp' so its as good as removed ...
some database problems i think i can report, one that i've annoyingly encountered, in this I've sometimes found the order of the books in the default library aren't displayed as they should have ... Iam referring to the 'Most Recent' sorting option where the last opened/accessed book should ideally show up at the top most ... BUT SADLY IT DOESN'T !!! ...
Most annoying is when i search a book open and read it and expect it to show up on the top or at least in the first few pages of the library ... but they don't ... search is the only option to reopen such a book ...
Aren't the books that are opened using the 'Search' option of the library not supposed to show high up the library ?
I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO GET THIS ANNOYANCE RID OF ... i would love to find all the last accessed books in the topmost sorting order as its supposed to work ...
I don't even know what database records the last accessed book information ... any and all help appreciated to identify and fix this annoyance.
PS : Are "New"' books(Lend Me) installed from the B&N store supposed to show up at the topmost ?
Update : strangely the searched book shows up in the B&N Home under 'READING Now' section but its not showing in the Library as the topmost book in it ... another inconsistent DB recording ???
aiamuzz said:
Update : strangely the searched book shows up in the B&N Home under 'READING Now' section but its not showing in the Library as the topmost book in it ... another inconsistent DB recording ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, well, I can't say that I know a lot more now than when I started this thread.
What I can say is that the device seems to work with a copy of the database in RAM or else keeps variables in RAM that are not written to the database until much, much later (like during or after a nap).
I began to think about how I use the device vs. how B&N intended it to be used so I made a few tests going from the B&N Home to the Library, to a book. Then, there is really only one way to get out of the book and that is through the QuickNav buttons. I thought that maybe the trigger to the database update was somewhere in there, but I saw the same inconsistent results and delayed updating of the file as with my own sequence.
This is why I eventually abandoned the database as a source of info for my SetCover app and started relying (at least partly) on my own data. All I can say for "sure" at this point is that a good nap on the open book seems to aid in the correct information making its way into the database. Not very technical, I know.
If you are getting really spurious behavior from your lastreadingpoint.db or you find that it is full of deadwood, you can clean out the entire thing as here. Of course you will lose absolutely everything in the database if you do that, so it's a "last gasp" scenario.
For me, things seem to have calmed down if I just leave an epub open in the stock reader for awhile. And after all, what's the rush to get back to the home screen? (in general). That's not how the reader was probably meant to be used.
aiamuzz said:
Update : strangely the searched book shows up in the B&N Home under 'READING Now' section but its not showing in the Library as the topmost book in it ... another inconsistent DB recording ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you run this test ?
1. Open stock library.
2. Search for some book that is buried in the last pages of the Library.
3. Open that book from the search results.
4. Flip a few pages to emulate that you've read that book.
Ideally that book should be the Last Read (Reading Now) ... WHICH INDEED DOES WORK SO !!!
Having been a recent book that one has read ...
The Library app should also show that book on the very first page as its the most recent one ... BUT IT DOES NOT SHOW SO IN THE LIBRARY !!!
I would really like the searched and opened books to move to the front pages of the Library App and stay there and get moved down as and when other books are opened ... at worst it should be easily locatable in the first few pages of the Library App ... the 'recent' book sorting option in the Library and the place where this info is stored may have to be trouble shot ...
aiamuzz said:
Can you run this test ?
1. Open stock library.
2. Search for some book that is buried in the last pages of the Library.
3. Open that book from the search results.
4. Flip a few pages to emulate that you've read that book.
Ideally that book should be the Last Read (Reading Now) ... WHICH INDEED DOES WORK SO !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, there you are. I've never used the "search" function on the NST for anything! But I did, just to humor you, and I see that it actually turns up a "hit".
I use the Library almost exclusively in shelf format. What I personally would like is for the @%W$#% Library to remember that. Of course, it will not, because then I would not see all the nifty new books I just purchased (NOT) from B&N as they are delivered.
Any "adjustments" to the Library behavior are beyond my pay grade and you won't get you-know-who interested in that either, as she has her own Library app. I've looked at a lot of Library alternatives. There were many promising looking ones in the early days but all seem to have been abandoned at some incomplete point by their developers (except for the one mentioned above).
I just live with it. I don't have hundreds of books on my device. When I finish a book I actually delete it (gasp!) [except for something like the Bible].
But it would be nice to understand the rules or thinking behind the "reading now" business. However, since the database doesn't seem to accept input (although you can read from it), it doesn't matter much I guess.

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