Magazine Library Type

[majora2007]

Introduce a new library type called Magazines aimed for Magazines. The library behaves in the following ways:

• Dedicated parser with a limited set of naming conventions
• PDFs will open with the image reader instead of pdf reader due to how magazines are scanned/digitized
• Due to a lack of metadata, the UI will be much thinner. No storyline tab, only Volumes/Issues
• Group based on Date (March 23) and visible as Volume Number
• Reading list mode needs to ensure image reader is choosen instead of PDF when PDF is in magazine
• Support Side-car covers?
• Supports non-pdf, but by default selects only PDF file types

After talking with users, this is the current proposal:

1. There will be a limited number of parsing configurations available
2. UK World - 2018 April -> Series: UK World, Volume 2018, Issue 4. Volumes will be the Year of the magazine. Issue will derive from Month (converted to a number) or an issue number supported by # character. Issue number will override the month.
3. PDFs will open in the image reader by default.
4. Storyline tab will be removed, but Volume and Issue will remain

Supported Parsing:

Wired/
--- US/
---------Wired Vol 2010 #1.pdf
---- UK/
---------Wired Vol 2010 #1.pdf

Output:
Series: Wired (US)
Series: Wired (UK)

Wired/
--- 2018/
Wired #1.pdf

Output:
Series: Wired

Need Feedback on:

• Should these geozones be required in the series name: Wired (US)/ and not supported from parsing filenames and trying to split there?
• Should the pdf reader be used or should the image viewer be used? (Currently trying to hack the image viewer to be used is adding significant overhead)

[bhcompy]

PDFs will open with the image reader instead of image reader

I assume one of those is some other kind of reader?

[majora2007]

PDFs will open with the image reader instead of image reader

I assume one of those is some other kind of reader?

The image reader is what you'd experience when opening archives. From what I saw with magazines, they are mainly scans and as such, the aren't going to need the full power (or limitations) of the PDF reader itself.

[Enissay]

What about the folder tree requirements ?
Many/most magazines have specials, and many others have geographical editions (WIRED US, UK, ME).
Something like this:

wired/
├── me
├── special
├── uk
└── us

Also, some naming conventions which help keeping the collection ordered:

# 91 is the issue number
Magazine.091.2024.04.pdf

#10 is the issue number
OtherMagazine.2023.01.010.pdf

[majora2007]

@Enissay I noticed different geographical editions. How would you expect them to be organized? I currently have them grouping under the issue.

Can you give me an example of Specials?

[Enissay]

@majora2007 Here are a few concrete examples:

How it works

• Regular issues: HERE
• Special issues
  • Inside The Human Body
  • Inside Your Brain
  • Understanding Habits
  • ...

All About Space

• Regular issues: HERE
• Special issues
  • Black Holes
  • Space Exploration
  • Apollo Missions
  • ...

[Enissay]

I noticed different geographical editions. How would you expect them to be organized? I currently have them grouping under the issue.

What do you mean under the issue, I am new to Kavita so forgive my ignorance xD

Anyhow, an easy way is as I showed above: all editions separated in sub-folders under the same Magazine name
So when I open a given magazine: I would have many sections/tabs: wired_me (for middle east edition), wired_us (for US edition), ...

wired/
├── me
├── special
├── uk
└── us

[majora2007]

What I'm asking is how you are consuming them and how they are named/grouped.

For example, based on what I've done so far, you'd have:
Wired (UK)
Wired (US)
Wired (ME)

as different Series. Then Volumes (representing the year) and Issues. Specials I can add support for as well.

The reason I broke it up like this is because UK and US editions of the same magazine Issue 1 will have different ISBNs, so it makes sense that they are broken up by series.

Is this aligned with your own understanding or are you suggesting something else and if so, what?

[Enissay]

Yes, that sounds reasonable enough!
Not sure if the docker nightly has any of these changes but I would be glad to test it out.
The current Manga/Comic options are not fully fitting my use case :>

[majora2007]

It's in development, but nearing the end of the first pass and there will be a nightly soon. I HIGHLY encourage feedback as I don't collect magazines and this is being made to help the community.

[Cantello]

I know that this was supposed to be exclusively for magazines, but I have some old-ish newpaper archives that are also organized like maagzines, just on a daily basis. Would this overwhelm the parser or would it be okay?

Berliner Zeitung/
├─ Berliner Zeitung - 1945-05-22.pdf
├─ Berliner Zeitung - 1945-05-23.pdf
├─ Berliner Zeitung - 1945-05-24.pdf
├─ Berliner Zeitung - 1945-05-24 (Beilage).pdf
├─ Berliner Zeitung - 1945-05-25.pdf

[TinuBE]

I have some old Magazine from Micky Maus. I have saved the Files like this:

Micky Maus Magazin
├─ 1951
├── Micky Maus Magazin -v1951 #1.cbz
├── Micky Maus Magazin -v1951 #2.cbz
├─ 1952
├── Micky Maus Magazin -v1952 #1.cbz
├── Micky Maus Magazin -v1952 #2.cbz
├─ 1953
├── Micky Maus Magazin -v1953 #1.cbz
├── Micky Maus Magazin -v1953 #2.cbz

But the Structure-Parsing does not working. I have also tested with Special (SP) instead of # . still the same.

[Enissay]

I know that this was supposed to be exclusively for magazines, but I have some old-ish newpaper archives that are also organized like maagzines, just on a daily basis. Would this overwhelm the parser or would it be okay?

Berliner Zeitung/
├─ Berliner Zeitung - 1945-05-22.pdf
├─ Berliner Zeitung - 1945-05-23.pdf
├─ Berliner Zeitung - 1945-05-24.pdf
├─ Berliner Zeitung - 1945-05-24 (Beilage).pdf
├─ Berliner Zeitung - 1945-05-25.pdf

I think this is similar to: #2541

[nodecentral]

Having a Magazine structure in Kavita would be amazing, I’ve not imported mine yet as I’ve not got a folder structure fully sorted for them yet (I have 100s) , plus as it’s not a fully supported feature, I’m prepared to wait a bit longer.

My planned (partially implemented) folder structure is theme based, so “Sport & Leisure”, “Cooking”, “Health & Fitness” etc. and I’m considering a level below e.g Entertainment / Movies

├─ Magazines
       ├─ Sport & Leisure 
              ├─ FIFA World Cup - March 2024.pdf

[idij]

I noticed that when magazines (pdf) are organized like this then the specific volume does not show a count of issues in the volume:

• Title/Title Vol. 2024/Title Vol. 2024 #01
• Title/Title Vol. 2024/Title Vol. 2024 #02

Whereas when named like either of these, it does show the count on the volume, but not all issues are shown when clicking on the volume or even under the issues tab. Only first issue in each volume, get shown, and so all but the first issue in a volume is inaccessible.

• Title/Title Vol. 2024/Title Vol. 2024 ch01
• Title/Title Vol. 2024/Title Vol. 2024 01

Also, items in Title/Title Vol. 2024/Specials don't seem to stand out in any way, and are just listed as regular issues.

Thanks for an awesome project by the way!

[svnikolaev]

If this will be helpful, here's what my magazine collection looks like:

magazines
├── Awesome magazine
│    ├── 2023
│    │    ├── Awesome magazine 2023 01 (230).pdf
│    │    ├── Awesome magazine 2023 02 (231).pdf
...
│    │    ├── Awesome magazine 2023 11 (240).pdf
│    │    └── Awesome magazine 2023 12 (241).pdf
│    ├── 2024
│    │    ├── Awesome magazine 2024 01 (242).pdf
│    │    ├── Awesome magazine 2024 02 (243).pdf
...
│    │    ├── Awesome magazine 2024 10 (251).pdf
│    │    └── Awesome magazine 2024 11 (252).pdf
│    ├── Posters
│    │    ├── 2023
│    │    │    ├── 01.2023 a.png
│    │    │    ├── 01.2023 b.png
...
│    │    │    ├── 12.2023 a.png
│    │    │    └── 12.2023 b.png
│    │    └── 2024
│    │        ├── 01.2024 a.png
│    │        ├── 01.2024 b.png
...
│    │        ├── 11.2024 a.png
│    │        └── 11.2024 b.png
│    └── Additional Issues
│        ├── Literary - Return of the Creator. 20 Years Later.pdf
│        ├── №01 - 100 Main Science Fiction Books.pdf
│        ├── №02 - 150 Science Fiction Films Worth Watching.pdf
...
│        ├── №14 - Fantastic Music.pdf
│        ├── №15 - Best Fantasy Anime.pdf
│        └── Awesome Magazine 2003 01(01) Remaster.pdf
└── Anothercoolmag
    ├── 2018
    │    ├── Anothercoolmag 2018 01-02(227).pdf
    │    ├── Anothercoolmag 2018 03(228).pdf
...
    │    ├── Anothercoolmag 2018 11(236).pdf
    │    └── Anothercoolmag 2018 12(237).pdf
    ├── 2019
    │    ├── Anothercoolmag 2019 01(238).pdf
    │    ├── Anothercoolmag 2019 02(239).pdf
...
    │    ├── Anothercoolmag 2019 11(248).pdf
    │    └── Anothercoolmag 2019 12(249).pdf
    └── 2020
        └── Anothercoolmag 2020 01(250).pdf

[Dapalol]

chiming in here because I am currently struggeling getting the magazines into the right format both in terms of folders and naming so they are properly recognized. I am willing to do a lot of renaming and structuring but so far the grouping fails for me - either not grouping at all (when I have the running number as suffix) or grouping correct when I don't have the (nnn) as running suffix number but then ignoring magazines when there where two in one month (naming structure is "magazine yyyy mm dd (nnn).pdf

//edit: I am trying as a manga library right now

[Enissay]

@majora2007 is this implemented already? I've been waiting since so I can test it and provide feedback

[majora2007]

Unfortunately not. I made a lot of progress, but haven't gotten back around to it.

One of the biggest hurdles was trying to use the image reader for the PDFs, which at this point I think I'll have to abandon.

I'll try and see if I can get some progress out on it this year, at least in a canary.

[darylf]

I'm really looking forward to this feature! Is there a recommended folder structure and naming convention that we should follow to ensure compatibility? I’d love to start preparing my collection ahead of time.

[majora2007]

This got lost in the never-ending work that Kavita is. I'm doing some scanner work in v0.8.6 and will see if I have some time to get something preliminary out. The code is 90% complete already.