Bookpedia-Getting full data for an imported collctn of ISBNs

ScottH · Post by **ScottH** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 9:47 pm

I've got a database of partial, manually-entered information that includes ISBNs. I imported the database as tab-delmited text as a collection, bringing over just the ISBNs and a few custom fields, but not the basics like title, author, etc. I'd like to have Bookpedia pull those from Amazon. I can't seem to find a way to get the existing books to refresh & pull that data in. Is that possible, or do I have to add all of them separately?

Thanks.

Post by **Nora** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 5:41 am

To pull in the information from Amazon, select all the entries and choose 'Get advanced info for selection' from the Advanced menu. (You can select which Amazon site to use from the same menu listing.)
If that doesn't work for some reason, try importing the database again but this time map the ISBN field to the ASIN field. Then re-do the advanced search described above.

Nora

ScottH · Post by **ScottH** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:12 am

I did try the "Get Advanced Info". It gives me the status bar that it's checking Amazon US, and then it finishes, and no fields have been changed. I also re-imported mapping ISBN over to ASIN, and "Get Advanced Info" still did not work.

By the way, if I type any of these ISBN numbers into the "Add Book" window, the full data comes right up from Amazon US, so they're valid ISBNs.

EDIT: I've registered Bookpedia now, and the problem is still the same.

ScottH · Post by **ScottH** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 11:52 am

I figured out the problem--I had the ISBNs in there with dashes, as in "0-679-74365-0". When I enter that in the "Add Book" window, Bookpedia removes them, and does a successful search. But If I try "Get Advanced Info", the dashes must screw it up. I know this because if I edit the ISBN first to remove the dashes, then run "Get Advanced Info", it successfully fills in the rest of the fields.

Is there any way the program could error-check the ISBN when you run "Get Advanced Info" to remove the dashes before it runs the search?

I guess if I have to I can probably get the data edited outside Bookpedia and re-import it, but since it's over 600 books, it's a pretty big project.

ScottH · Post by **ScottH** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 2:19 pm

You can consider that question from my last posting as more of a feature request than a support issue. I pulled my tab-delimited text file into Excel, converted the ISBNs to text (trial-and-error showed I had to keep the all-important leading zeros), used the Replace in there to yank out the dashes in the ISBN, exported it back out to tab-delimited text, and then re-imported into Bookpedia. Then, PRESTO, like magic, the "Get Advanced Info" command worked beautifully, and filled in my 600+ book library.

Beautiful! I love this program!

teacher24_70 · Post by **teacher24_70** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:07 am

The problem that I'm having with "get advanced info" is that it doesn't seem to give me the option of which version for it to add. I've already checked and I DIDN'T check the "add first search result automatically". The majority of my books (imported via tab-delimited file) don't have an ISBN #, so I should get multiple version options to choose from for many of my books.

P.S. It appears that if I do "get advanced info" from the advanced menu, I don't get to choose versions--and only see changes/new information when I open up the edit window. However, if I open the edit window first, then choose the advanced info. search from the advanced tab, then I do get to choose versions. At least that's how it worked on one of my searches.

Is this a purposeful limitation of doing it directly from the advanced menu list?

Post by **Conor** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 10:22 am

Scott: Thank you for the information, we will look into adding a dash clean up to the ISBN into the import function.

Teacher: Although both advance info commands work the same way, the limitation in the menu command is on purpose to allow you to run advance info on a scary number of books, say 2000, and walk away from your computer or use another programs while Bookpedia works its magic and tries to guess the right entry.

If you want to be prompted for each entry use the edit window. This task is simpler if you keep in mind the keyboard shortcuts. Command-shift-A for amazon US search and Command-G for Library of Congress. Also command-[ and command-] to change between tabs and command-right arrow and command-left arrow to change between books.

However I always find it easier for more than 30 books to use the automated method and then browse the results and weed out the bad assumptions and add them anew. It's all a question of preference.