iBooks Categories Grouping

Question

Level 1

4 points

iBooks Categories Grouping

Hi all,

I am using the categories tab in iTunes to group my books. However, when I select categories in the iBooks app on the iPad it shows all the books in one long scroll list seperated by category headings.

How do I get it to show JUST the category lists e.g.

Biographies (40)

Business (60)

Horror (20)

War dramas (5)

And then be able to go into the individual category lists from there, as per iTunes functionality?

Lets say I have 250 books / pdf documents, and I want to go to the 'War Dramas' category, it seems a lot of scrolling needlessly past books in non relevant categories is required.

I am hoping that I am missing something, otherwise I really don't understand the design logic.

Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks

Coley.

p.s. the above data is hypothetical, I don't like business books that much!!

iBook, iOS 5.1

Posted on Mar 29, 2012 3:04 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Mar 29, 2012 3:12 AM in response to COLEY54321

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4059

you can organize your books into a bookshelf or list view. You can also organize your books into specific collections on a topic of your choosing. For example, you can put all your books and PDFs related to your work in a single collection. To use Collections, tap the Collections button, or the name of the collection on your iPhone or iPod touch to change or add new collections.

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Answer 2

COLEY54321 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 29, 2012 3:19 AM in response to Krzysztof Przygoda

Hi. Thank you for your reply.

I have seen the collections functionality. But this only works within the app. I want to do my file management at the 'iTunes' level. Writing tags in Calibre, for example, to the actual files so that the metadata is hardwired. Spending lots of time on 'Collections' on a single app, only to lose my ipad for example would be a lot of wasted hours.

Aside from other ways to group, and specifically talking about iBooks Category functionality - is there a way to achieve the 'category view' I am after?

If not is this something that could be added? Does anyone else think it would be a good idea?

Thanks

Coley

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Answer 3

Mar 29, 2012 3:33 AM in response to COLEY54321

No it wouldn't wasted time, if you enable iBooks to sync between devices. Then every setting, including your categories, last read page, notes etc. will stay forever with your Apple ID. If you upload your books once again, they'll go where they were last time (category), even if you buy another iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch. iBooks works in Apple ID context - not device.

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Answer 4

COLEY54321 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 29, 2012 3:40 AM in response to Krzysztof Przygoda

Thank you, I wasn't aware of that. In which case how can I see these collections in iTunes?

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Answer 5

Mar 29, 2012 3:53 AM in response to COLEY54321

You can't 😝 iTunes displays only files ID tags provided. There is no other intelligence in it.

I can't say anything positive about iTunes.

It's the worst idea (and its realisation) I've ever seen and I'm trying avoid it as much as possible. To manage my music library I use Windows Media Player.

BTW, in case of iTunes (opposite to iBooks) you could lose everything you did if your computer fail.

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Answer 6

COLEY54321 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 29, 2012 4:14 PM in response to Krzysztof Przygoda

Hi. I agree re iTunes 🙂, but that said, I'd rather use a system that works based on the metadata in the files, rather than creating metadata in iBooks. What happens if I down the line I want to use a different ebook reader?

If I have categories applied in the 'tags' section of a pdf or epub then I can take this with me elsewhere. I want iBooks to make the best use of the metadata I have written to the pdf files themselves, rather than have to organise things within iBooks and then again on some other app I may use in the future.

So, I think my request for a decent 'Category' viewer in iBooks is definitely a valid one, and something I'm suprised isn't already catered for?

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Answer 7

Mar 30, 2012 12:44 AM in response to COLEY54321

You are right. I would call it Auto category or Add category by (chosen tag).

But, once again, to be clear and summarize all together:

Your library:

Apart from Apple iDevice, You have to maintain your books library on your computer. It's obvious, because your library is a source for iDevice.
On the computer (iTunes/Calibre) you are managing your eBooks by ID tags, according to your needs.

Your iDevice(s):

Install iBooks and turn on synchronization between iDevices on your Apple ID (iBooks will ask you at first start or you can set it anytime in Settings > iBooks > Synch Collections/Synch Bookmarks).
Upload your eBooks to the iDevice.
In iBooks create categories on your own and move eBooks from Books/PDF default categories to your new ones.
That's all.

Every time you set your Apple ID on the new iDevice and intall iBooks, there will be already your categories but empty. When you upload eBook (or send by email) that have been configured in iBooks once (placed in some category) on any of your iDevices, then it will be placed where it were last time. So, you don't need iTunes for that.

PS.

I don't think there will be better app than iBooks 🙂 I've tested: Kindle app, Blufire Reader app (supporting Adobe DRM), txtr app and many more. iBooks are simply the best at any point (except store in Poland).
If you decide to left iBooks, you don't lose anything because you have your tags in eBooks, so I don't get your point here, except I'm lazy too 🙂.
If you have other questions, fell free to ask me.

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Answer 8

Mar 30, 2012 12:51 AM in response to COLEY54321

By the way, category I found most usable for me is I read.

All books I want to read ends up there and I don't have to think what's next to read 😁

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Answer 9

COLEY54321 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 30, 2012 3:46 AM in response to Krzysztof Przygoda

I think you mean "Collections" in iBooks, not "Categories". 🙂

But that's entirely my point.... if they had a decent 'category' view which groups books (as per their 'category' tag from iTunes) into selectable catgories icons to open up, rather than just have having them in one long heading seperated scrollable list there wouldn't be such a need for Collections. Having to do group them in categories in iTunes and then have to group them in Collections inside iBooks makes no sense to me... why duplicate work? Sure if people want to sync accross iDevices, but why not also keep the behaviour of managing books and catergories in iTunes and iBooks synonymous?

I just think the 'Category' view in iBooks is poor, and could easily be made better. That's all I'm saying.

Is there anywhere I can request this functionality? Do Apple employees read this?

Thanks

Coley.

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Answer 10

Demo

Level 10

166,494 points

Mar 30, 2012 4:11 AM in response to COLEY54321

Apple employees do not read this for anything other than to make sure that there is no abuse of rules of the forum.

But you can leave feedback here.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html

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Answer 11

Mar 30, 2012 5:38 AM in response to COLEY54321

COLEY54321 wrote:

I think you mean "Collections" in iBooks, not "Categories".

"Collections" of course.

According to the new functionalities... it works that way: Apple is giving us more, making small steps, that requires iOS update and I think, I don't have to say why is that 🙂

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Answer 12

Radix__

Level 1

21 points

Nov 25, 2014 3:31 PM in response to Krzysztof Przygoda

iBooks implementation with iTunes is horrible. They haven't touched it in years, but they should. Organizing PDF's is a nightmare.

They only need to extend the "Collection" feature into iTunes, and problem solved. Why they haven't done that is beyond my imagination.

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