Librarian Pro

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For a complete product description, download links, and feature outline, visit the product page. This page is for product support only.

Contents

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I print?

There is presently no way to print in Librarian Pro directly. However, exporting to HTML and then printing through a web browser is a great temporary workaround. In the future, we will be implementing a print feature in Librarian Pro.

Introduction

Librarian Pro is intended as a home inventory solution.

When the program first launches, a clean database will be automatically created and displayed. Begin adding items by making a selection from the "New..." menu item under the File menu. Enter the item details as desired, and close the window to be prompted if the changes should be kept and applied to your database.

Items can be dragged and dropped between databases, onto borrowers, and onto regular collections. To add a new collection, click the Plus (+) icon at the bottom of the collections list. Specify a name, and hit the enter key to enact the change.

Please see the additional sections in this manual for help on reloading details from Amazon, importing, exporting, and other useful features.

Collections & Smart Collections

Collections provide a way to organize items in your library aside from the standard groupings of type.

Creating a new collection

  1. Click the plus (+) icon below the collections list, or choose & quote;New Collection" from the "File" menu to create a regular collection.
  2. Click the gear icon below the collections list, or choose "New Smart Collection" from the "File" menu to create a Smart Collection.
  3. MySQL Database Support

If you have created a regular collection, it will now appear in the collections sidebar of the main window. Type in a new name for the collection and hit enter. Then just drag and drop the items you wish to be part of that collection into it.

Smart Collections, however, are quite a bit different. Unlike traditional collections which require you to manually add your own items, Smart Collections automatically update, remove, and add items based on your criteria.

When you first choose the option of creating a new Smart Collection, you are presented with a window to specify rules for which items will be included. These rules can be changed afterward by highlighting the collection in the list, pressing the Gear icon, and choosing "Edit Collection Rules".

Loading Details from Amazon

Loading item details from Amazon is one of Librarian Pro's highlights.

  1. Create a new item via the File menu
  2. Type in the title of the item
  3. Choose "Reload Details from Amazon" from the "Item" menu
  4. Amazon will be queried for possible results and they will then be displayed in the new window which appeared.
  5. Highlight the correct result and the details will be automatically moved over into your new item (if this option is enabled in the Preferences window, which it is by default).

Alternatively, specify an ISBN, ASIN, or UPC code in the correct field to have the exact item loaded without the necessity for a search results window.

For books, it is possible to enter only the Author field instead of Title and have Amazon perform a search based on Author as well. The same is true for music items and the Artist field.

If items have been loaded once from Amazon already, or have a UPC, ISBN, or ASIN specified, they can be refreshed from Amazon all at once.

  1. Select all the desired items in the main list
  2. Choose "Reload Details from Amazon" from the "Item" menu
  3. The progress of the refresh is shown at the bottom of the main window

To include genres in the results retrieved from Amazon, enable the applicable option in the Preferences window. By default, this is turned off because of increased search times.

Adding multiple items via UPC or ISBN

For speedy item entry, it is possible to type in a list of ISBN and UPC codes for items and have Librarian Pro automatically add them to your database and query Amazon for their details.

  1. Choose "USB Barcode Scanner" from the "Item" menu
  2. Enable or disable the automatic Amazon query
  3. Enable or disable speech
  4. Choose the action to perform when a ISBN or UPC is entered -- either add items, or return items.
  5. Specify the additional options, and if applicable, the type of item to add by default.
  6. Choose the data entry mode from the selection menu either — UPC or ISBN.
  7. Type in the UPC or ISBN code in the entry field, and click the Process button. Repeat as necessary.

Querying Amazon for a large number of items may take some time. The status is shown at the bottom of the main window.

Borrowers

Librarian Pro can manage basic user accounts for recording who has borrowed which items. To begin, you will need to have created at least one borrower.

  1. Click the plus (+) icon below the borrowers list or choose "New Borrower" from the File menu.
  2. Fill in the Borrower details
  3. Close the window and click Save when prompted

Assuming you have at least one item in your library, you can assign it to the borrower by one of the following methods:

  1. Select the item in the main library list and choose "Mark as Borrowed..." from the "Item" menu. You will then be prompted to select a borrower and a checked-out date.
  2. Double click the item in the main library list to view its details, click the Additional tab, and then click the "Mark as Borrowed..." button. You will then be prompted to select a borrower and a checked-out date.
  3. Drag and drop the item from the main library list onto the borrowers name in the sidebar.

All changes related to borrowing assignments are automatic and no saving is necessary. Additionally, if an item is removed from the library that borrowers have checked out, it will first be returned and then removed.

To mark an item as returned, follow the same steps as above. The buttons and menu items will now be lablelled as "Mark as Returned".

It is also possible to checkout or return more than one item at a time. Simply select all the desired items in the main list and perform the same action as if you had only a single item selected.

Shopping Cart

The Amazon Shopping Cart within Librarian Pro maintains a user specified list of purchase items for all the major Amazon stores (Canada, France, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany).

Only items which have had their details reloaded from Amazon can be purchased using the "Add to Cart" feature under the "Item" menu.

Once the items you desire have been added to the shopping cart, choose "View Amazon Cart" from the "Item" menu. Verify the item list, click on a cell in the quantity column to change it if desired, and then click the Checkout button. Amazon will be automatically launched in your web browser and you will be prompted to login and complete your transaction.

Only items loaded from their respective sites can be added to their country's shopping cart. Perform an Amazon Search (under the "Edit" menu) for a similar item in your own country if you do not already have it listed.

Mac & Windows Databases

The database format for Librarian Pro is interchangeable between both the Mac and Windows versions without any need for updating or converting. Additionally, the feature set in both applications is identical and license codes are valid for both versions.

Importing from Delicious Library and other databases

Librarian Pro can import from Delicious Library, Bookpedia, CDpedia, DVDpedia, Gamepedia, iTunes and more!

  1. With a database window open, choose "Import Items..." from the "File" menu.
  2. Click the type of database or information you would like to import from the toolbar at the top of the window.
  3. Specify any additional options as desired and click Import!

Additionally, a Text import option is also available. This allows for easy importing from CSV, tab-delimtied, or custom flat-text file formats.

  1. Click the Text icon on the toolbar.
  2. Specify both the record and field delimiters for the file you wish to open.
  3. Click the "Open..." button and choose the file to import.
  4. If the field and record delimiters were correctly specified, the first record should now be shown in the list.
  5. Specify where each field should go by clicking on each row in the Map To column. This only needs to be done for the first record — it will carry over for all additional records.
  6. Click Import!

Creating export templates

Librarian Pro can export to both to HTML and your iPod. Creating new templates for both of these formats is relatively easy if you have experience with a text editor. Of course, creating a HTML template requires knowledge of HTML as well. Once installed, templates are stored in the Application Support (Mac OS) or Application Data (Windows) folders.

Creating a HTML Template

  1. Create a new folder on your desktop with the new name of your template.
  2. Create a basic design for the template and save it into this new folder as masterTemplate.html. Any and all required images for this design must go into a folder called "images".
  3. Rename masterTemplate.html to books.html and duplicate it five times. Rename all copies so they have the names: music.html, movies.html, pchardware.html, software.html, and videogames.html. Hereafter, these files will be referred to as "body files".
  4. Open all six body files and put a [item] and [/item] tag set around the area which will contain the template for the item details. Then, customize the item details area with any of the tags specified below.

    The content within the [item] [/item] area will be duplicated as many times as the item count per page (as specified by the user in the Export dialog). For instance, if the user is exporting 100 movies, and specifies 3 movies per page on export, the HTML that will be outputted will be in a single file containing: the top of the page, [item] content, [item] content, [item] content, and the end of the page. Additional copies of this page will be created until their entire count has been exported. In this case, 34 pages for movies will be created.
  5. In each body page, on the first lines following [item], include a [settings] and [/settings] tag set. Theorhetically, this can be placed anywhere between the [item] and [/item] tags, but for simplicity it is best to put it right after [item]. It will be removed from the final product, but will prevent the template from being loaded if it does not exist.

    Example:
    [settings]
      [coverHeight]100[/coverHeight]
      [coverWidth]100[/coverWidth]
      [fillColor]#RRGGBB[/fillColor]
      [bigCoverHeight]400[/bigCoverHeight]
      [bigCoverWidth]400[/bigCoverWidth]
      [bigFillColor]#RRGGBB[/bigFillColor]
    [/settings]

    The top two tags are for you to specify the maximum width and height of cover art if you used a [LPItem:ProductImage] tag in the body file. If a [fillColor] (optional) is specified, the cover art will be exported and if it cannot be scaled down proportionally to fit exactly to the bounds specified, filler color will be used around the edges. Otherwise, an image of "best fit" is exported. The width and height of this image may be smaller than the [coverHeight] and [coverWidth] specified, but never larger. The "big" versions refer to [LPItem:ProductImageBig].
  6. Last, you must create a index.html page which will link to each item page. See the list of tags below for ones valid on the Index page. There must also be a [settings] tag set on the index.html page, but for other settings.

    [settings]
      [starBackgroundColor]#RRGGBB[/starBackgroundColor]
    [/settings]

    Leave [starBackgroundColor] blank to use PNGs with 8-bit masks. This is the new and modern format. This is NOT supported in Internet Explorer 6 and lower.
  7. Optionally, you can create a preview.html file to enable the template preview option in the Export window. Store images for this template in a different folder than "images". This way they will not be copied over to the final product. Also, a style.css will be copied over as well if one exists.
  8. The following files should now be created:
    • index.html — the main index page for the export which contains links to the body pages (item lists).
    • books.html, generalitems.html, music.html, movies.html, pchardware.html, software.html, videogames.html — contains template for each item type.
  9. Launch Librarian Pro and open the Export window.
  10. Click the HTML tab, and press the "Install New..." button.
  11. Choose the folder you just created for your template. It will then be added to the templates popup menu if it was created successfully.
  12. Perform an export as desired using your new template!

Creating an iPod Template

  1. Create a new folder on your desktop with the new name of your template.
  2. Open a text editor and begin with the following example:

    <?xml encoding="UTF8"?><meta name="HideAllTags" content="true">
    <TITLE>[LPItem:TITLE]</TITLE>
    YOUR CONTENT GOES HERE

  3. Duplicate this file five times rename all copies so they have the names: book.txt, generalitem.txt, music.txt, movie.txt, pchardware.txt, software.txt, and videogame.txt.
  4. Open each file individually and replace the "YOUR CONTENT GOES HERE" with your own variables (as listed in the table below). You will most likely want to include descriptors before the tag like so:

    ISBN: [ISBN]
    Rating: [RatingPersonal]
    Borrowed By: [BorrowerUID]

  5. Once all six template .html files have been created, launch Librarian Pro and open the Export window.
  6. Click the iPod tab, and press the "Install New..." button.
  7. Choose the folder you just created for your template. It will then be added to the templates popup menu if it was created successfully.
  8. Perform an export as desired using your new template!

Export Variables

The following is a list of variables which may be used in both HTML and iPod export templates. Validity defines where the tag can be used. Header and Footer define the area of the body page above the [item] tag and below the [/item] tag respectively. Body refers to any content between the [item] and [/item] tag set. Index refers to the index.html page only.

To use custom values from General Item's or from the Additional Values area, use this format: [LPItem:FieldName]. For instance, if the field name was 'Wine Year', the variable would be presented as follows: [LPItem:Wine Year].

Tag Validity Description
[LPMain:DatabaseTitle] iPod, Header, Footer, Index Title of your database
[LPMain:ItemCount] iPod, Header, Footer, Index Total items exported. If on a header or footer page, total items exported of the type.
[LPMain:HomeURL] Header, Footer, Index URL to the index page
[LPMain:BookURL] Header, Footer, Index URL to the first book page
[IfBookPage]
[ELSE]
[/IfBookPage] 		Header, Footer, Index Wrap around the entire block of HTML that should appear on the index page if there is a Book page.
[LPMain:GeneralItemURL] Header, Footer, Index URL to the first general item page
[IfGeneralItemPage]
[ELSE]
[/IfGeneralItemPage] 		Header, Footer, Index Wrap around the entire block of HTML that should appear on the index page if there is a General Items page.
[LPMain:MusicURL] Header, Footer, Index URL to the first music page
[IfMusicPage]
[ELSE]
[/IfMusicPage] 		Header, Footer, Index Wrap around the entire block of HTML that should appear on the index page if there is a Music page.
[LPMain:MovieURL] Header, Footer, Index URL to the first movie page
[IfMoviePage]
[ELSE]
[/IfMoviePage] 		Header, Footer, Index Wrap around the entire block of HTML that should appear on the index page if there is a Movie page.
[LPMain:PCHardwareURL] Header, Footer, Index URL to the first hardware page
[IfPCHardwarePage]
[ELSE]
[/IfPCHardwarePage] 		Header, Footer, Index Wrap around the entire block of HTML that should appear on the index page if there is a PC Hardware page.
[LPMain:SoftwareURL] Header, Footer, Index URL to the first software page
[IfSoftwarePage]
[ELSE]
[/IfSoftwarePage] 		Header, Footer, Index Wrap around the entire block of HTML that should appear on the index page if there is a Software page.
[LPMain:VideoGameURL] Header, Footer, Index URL to the first video game page
[IfVideoGamePage]
[ELSE]
[/IfVideoGamePage] 		Header, Footer, Index Wrap around the entire block of HTML that should appear on the page if there is a Video Game index page.
[LPMain:TotalPages] Header, Footer Total Bodys for this type
[LPMain:CurrentPage] Header, Footer Current page number
[LPMain:NextPageURL] Header, Footer URL to the next page
[IfNextPage]
[ELSE]
[/IfNextPage] 		Header, Footer Wrap around the entire block of HTML that should appear on the page if there is a next page.
[LPMain:PrevPageURL] Header, Footer URL to the previous page
[IfPrevPage]
[ELSE]
[/IfPrevPage] 		Header, Footer Wrap around the entire block of HTML that should appear on the page if there is a previous page.
[LPMain:PageType] Header, Footer Books, General Items, Movies, Music, PC Hardware, Software, Video Games
[LPItem:ProductImage] Body Covert art for the item
[LPItem:ProductImageBig] Body Larger version of the covert art for the item
[LPItem:AdditionalNotes] iPod, Body The notes field (found under the Additional tab)
[LPItem:ASIN] iPod, Body ASIN
[LPItem:Awards] iPod, Body Awards
[LPItem:BorrowedDate] iPod, Body Date the item was borrowed, if at all.
[LPItem:BorrowerUID] iPod, Body The name of the borrower
[LPItem:Collection] iPod, Body Collection ID (not the collection it exists within in Librarian Pro)
[LPItem:Condition] iPod, Body Condition
[LPItem:Country] iPod, Body Country
[LPItem:Credits] iPod, Body Credits (names and roles)
[LPItem:EAN] iPod, Body EAN
[LPItem:Genre] iPod, Body Genre
[LPItem:ISBN] iPod, Body ISBN
[LPItem:Languages] iPod, Body Languages
[LPItem:ListPrice] iPod, Body List Price
[LPItem:Location] iPod, Body Location
[LPItem:MediaFormat] iPod, Body The type of media the item comes on
[LPItem:MPN] iPod, Body MPN
[LPItem:NewValue] iPod, Body Current value of the item retail
[LPItem:NumberInSeries] iPod, Body Number of the item in the series
[LPItem:PriceCurrency] iPod, Body Currency of the List Price
[LPItem:PurchasedDate] iPod, Body When the item was purchased
[LPItem:PurchasedFrom] iPod, Body Where the item was purchased
[LPItem:PurchasePrice] iPod, Body The amount the item was purchased for
[LPItem:Quantity] iPod, Body Quantity
[LPItem:RatingAmazon] iPod, Body Amazon rating (out of 5)
[LPItem:RatingPersonal] iPod, Body Personal rating (out of 5)
[LPItem:RecordType] iPod, Body Book, General Item, Music, Movie, PC Hardware, etc.
[LPItem:Rental] iPod, Body Rental
[LPItem:SaleStatus] iPod, Body Sale Status
[LPItem:SalePrice] iPod, Body Sale Price
[LPItem:SaleLocation] iPod, Body Sale Location
[LPItem:SaleTransactionID] iPod, Body Transaction ID
[LPItem:SaleBuyerName] iPod, Body Buyer Name
[LPItem:SaleBuyerPhone] iPod, Body Buyer Phone
[LPItem:SaleDate] iPod, Body Sale Date
[LPItem:SaleBuyerEMail] iPod, Body Buyer E-Mail
[LPItem:SaleBuyerAddress] iPod, Body Buyer Address
[LPItem:SaleURL] iPod, Body Sale URL
[LPItem:Series] iPod, Body Series
[LPItem:SerialNumber] iPod, Body Serial Number
[LPItem:SKU] iPod, Body SKU
[LPItem:Summary] iPod, Body Summary
[LPItem:Title] iPod, Body Title
[LPItem:UniqueID] iPod, Body Unique ID number for this item
[LPItem:UPC] iPod, Body UPC
[LPItem:UsedValue] iPod, Body Current value of the item used
[LPItem:z_BookAuthor] iPod, Body Author
[LPItem:z_BookCopyright] iPod, Body Copyright
[LPItem:z_BookCurrentPage] iPod, Body Current Page
[LPItem:z_BookDeweyDecimal] iPod, Body Dewey Decimal
[LPItem:z_BookEdition] iPod, Body Edition
[LPItem:z_BookEditor] iPod, Body Editor
[LPItem:z_BookFirstRead] iPod, Body Date when the book was first read
[LPItem:z_BookIllustrator] iPod, Body Illustrator
[LPItem:z_BookLCCN] iPod, Body Library of Congress Control Number
[LPItem:z_BookPages] iPod, Body Page Count
[LPItem:z_BookPlacePublished] iPod, Body Place Published
[LPItem:z_BookPublisher] iPod, Body Publisher
[LPItem:z_BookReadingLevel] iPod, Body Reading Level
[LPItem:z_BookReleasePublication] iPod, Body Original Release Date
[LPItem:z_BookSigned] iPod, Body Yes/No (is the book signed or not)
[LPItem:z_BookTranslator] iPod, Body Translator
[LPItem:z_GeneralItemsReleased] iPod, Body Release Date
[LPItem:z_HardwareBrand] iPod, Body Brand
[LPItem:z_HardwareDimHeight] iPod, Body Hardware Height
[LPItem:z_HardwareDimLength] iPod, Body Hardware Length
[LPItem:z_HardwareDimWeight] iPod, Body Hardware Weight
[LPItem:z_HardwareDimWidth] iPod, Body Hardware Width
[LPItem:z_HardwareFeatures] iPod, Body Features
[LPItem:z_HardwareMainColor] iPod, Body Main Color
[LPItem:z_HardwareManufacturer] iPod, Body Manufacturer
[LPItem:z_HardwarePlatform] iPod, Body Platform
[LPItem:z_HardwareReleased] iPod, Body Release Date
[LPItem:z_HardwareWarranty] iPod, Body Warranty
[LPItem:z_MovieAspectRatio] iPod, Body Aspect Ratio
[LPItem:z_MovieAudioFormat] iPod, Body Audio Format
[LPItem:z_MovieCinematographer] iPod, Body Cinematographer
[LPItem:z_MovieComposer] iPod, Body Composer
[LPItem:z_MovieContentRating] iPod, Body Content Rating
[LPItem:z_MovieDirector] iPod, Body Director
[LPItem:z_MovieDiscCount] iPod, Body Disc Count
[LPItem:z_MovieDuration] iPod, Body Duration
[LPItem:z_MovieFeatures] iPod, Body Features
[LPItem:z_MoviePictureFormat] iPod, Body Picture Format
[LPItem:z_MovieRegionCode] iPod, Body Region Code
[LPItem:z_MovieReleaseHome] iPod, Body Released to Home Media Date
[LPItem:z_MovieReleaseTheatre] iPod, Body Theatrical Release
[LPItem:z_MovieStars] iPod, Body Stars
[LPItem:z_MovieStudio] iPod, Body Studio
[LPItem:z_MovieSubtitleLanguages] iPod, Body Subtitle Languages
[LPItem:z_MovieVideoFormat] iPod, Body NTSC or PAL
[LPItem:z_MusicArtist] iPod, Body Artist
[LPItem:z_MusicAudioFormat] iPod, Body Audio Format
[LPItem:z_MusicComposer] iPod, Body Composer
[LPItem:z_MusicConductor] iPod, Body Conductor
[LPItem:z_MusicDiscCount] iPod, Body Disc Count
[LPItem:z_MusicDuration] iPod, Body Duration
[LPItem:z_MusicLabel] iPod, Body Music Label
[LPItem:z_MusicMixer] iPod, Body Mixer
[LPItem:z_MusicProducer] iPod, Body Producer
[LPItem:z_MusicReleaseAgain] iPod, Body Rerelease Date
[LPItem:z_MusicReleaseOriginal] iPod, Body Original Release Date
[LPItem:z_MusicSpecialRemarks] iPod, Body Special Remarks
[LPItem:z_MusicTracks] iPod, Body Artist - Title (Duration, Disc: #, Track: #)
[LPItem:z_SoftwareASR] iPod, Body Additional System Requirements
[LPItem:z_SoftwareDeveloper] iPod, Body Developer
[LPItem:z_SoftwareDeveloperEMail] iPod, Body Developer E-Mail
[LPItem:z_SoftwareDeveloperURL] iPod, Body Developer URL
[LPItem:z_SoftwareFeatures] iPod, Body Features
[LPItem:z_SoftwareLicenseKey] iPod, Body License Key
[LPItem:z_SoftwareLicenseType] iPod, Body License Type
[LPItem:z_SoftwarePlatform] iPod, Body Platform
[LPItem:z_SoftwarePublisher] iPod, Body Publisher
[LPItem:z_SoftwareReleased] iPod, Body Release Date
[LPItem:z_VideoGameAchievements] iPod, Body Achievements
[LPItem:z_VideoGameASR] iPod, Body Additional System Requirements
[LPItem:z_VideoGameBestTime] iPod, Body Best Time
[LPItem:z_VideoGameCheats] iPod, Body Cheats, Codes, Walkthroughs
[LPItem:z_VideoGameCompleted] iPod, Body Completed (Yes/No)
[LPItem:z_VideoGameDeveloper] iPod, Body Developer
[LPItem:z_VideoGameDeveloperEMail] iPod, Body Developer E-Mail
[LPItem:z_VideoGameDeveloperURL] iPod, Body Developer URL
[LPItem:z_VideoGameDifficulty] iPod, Body Difficulty
[LPItem:z_VideoGameESRB] iPod, Body ESRB Rating
[LPItem:z_VideoGameFeatures] iPod, Body Features
[LPItem:z_VideoGameHighScore] iPod, Body High Score
[LPItem:z_VideoGameLicenseKey] iPod, Body License Key
[LPItem:z_VideoGameLicenseType] iPod, Body License Type
[LPItem:z_VideoGameMultiplayerMode] iPod, Body Multiplayer Details/Mode
[LPItem:z_VideoGameNowPlaying] iPod, Body Now Playing (Yes/No)
[LPItem:z_VideoGameNumberPlayers] iPod, Body Number of Players
[LPItem:z_VideoGamePlatform] iPod, Body Platform
[LPItem:z_VideoGamePublisher] iPod, Body Publisher
[LPItem:z_VideoGameReleased] iPod, Body Release Date
[LPItem:z_VideoGameSpecialEdition] iPod, Body Special Edition (Yes/No)

Feature Requests

  1. When opening a Librarian Pro file have the option to automatically open a new item window to add that library, and also the option to auto open a new item window on save of previous item.
  2. MySQL support.
  3. FrontRow plugin.
  4. Ability to Print.
  5. Ability to create barcodes.
  6. Ability to export to EndNote.
  7. The addition of a button to the toolbar that retrieves info from Amazon and another for saving what was just entered, closing and moving on to the next entry.
  8. Ability to change item type.
  9. Bulk add "Additional Fields" values.
  10. Batch change fields.
  11. Send e-mail/text message/GROWL/iCal reminders.
  12. Add a feature that gives the total price value of everything in the database or collection.
  13. Save import/export settings.
  14. Direct export to Data Guardian for iPhone
  15. Support for Amazon.cn

Known Issues

  1. General Items do not export to HTML as the template is missing/invalid.
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