Windows Shortcut to open a book using URL?

[nixsee]

Is there a way to create a Windows shortcut that can open a book in Calibre Viewer by using its Calibre URL? When I paste the URL into a shortcut, it asks me which app/browser I want to use to open it.

[theducks]

You could make the system default FILE HANDLER ebook-viewer.exe for the file-type (IMHO avoid standard type that normally want a different handler: HTML, PDF)

or use the CLI
( remember to quote the path argument)

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/generated/en/ebook-viewer.html

[BetterRed]

This will open the selected format in that format's default viewer for a specific book.

1. Copy the book's calibre: protocol format link to the clipboard from the Book Details panel (right click white space), viz:
   
   
   
   You can use a keyboard shortcut of you prefer, placeholders are in Preferences->Shortcuts->Edit Metadata
   
   
2. Create a new shortcut via desktop right click, select New->Shortcut
   
   Paste the clipboard into the new shortcut popup
   
   
   
   
3. Click Next and type a name
   
   
   
   
4. Click Finish

You can paste the calibre://view-book link into any app that can handle urls, e.g. a note taking app. Even another book in another calibre library.

BR

[nixsee]

Thanks, I had already tried all of this. When I open the shortcut, it asks me which app to use.



I selected ebook-viewer.exe and then it opens the viewer with an error



Also, I'd prefer not to make ebook-viewer the default handler for .url files, so any other suggestions (perhaps a way of specifying the app as a parameter in the url section of the windows shortcut path?) would be appreciated.

[BetterRed]

@nixsee - the default handler for url files is Windows itself, what it does with them is defined by the protocol e.g. http://, ftp://, file://… calibre:// etc

Can you post a screen shot of the Properties of the shortcut you created with the method I posted before, I would expect to see something like this:



When that shortcut is clicked Windows sends a message to calibre.exe telling it to: view the EPUB of book 697 in the Test (hex 54 65 73 74) library. If calibre isn't already running Windows will start it.

BR

[nixsee]

Strange, all your extra tabs aside, mine is very different. Windows is recognizing yours as more of a link, whereas mine seems to recognize mine as a link-less "url" file. I'm on Windows 10 build 19043 and calibre 5.17 64bit, if that's helpful.

[BetterRed]

My bad - I forget what Windows provides and what's my gadgets provide - what's in the Details tab, should be something like:



BR

[nixsee]

Problem solved. I had to set url files to open with "Internet Browser". A variety of shortcuts that I made to actual websites, other apps etc... all then automatically recognized their app and the icon changed.



Hopefully this will help someone else in the future who might have the same problem.

Whether its even a useful thing to do is another question... It'll be more useful if i can figure out how to get it pinned to the taskbar.

[nixsee]

That problem is solved now as well - when you drag the shortcut to pin to taskbar, the book shortcut gets combined with the existing calibre shortcut. You can access the book one by right clicking.

[BetterRed]

Great, back in the day when they thought MSN and NetBIOS over Frame Relay would run the world the μsoft-brains trust conflated urls and shortcuts and painted themselves into another legacy corner

BR