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[Enhancement]: Ebook-specific library options #1529

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opened 2026-04-24 23:48:59 +02:00 by adam · 12 comments
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:48:59 +02:00
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Originally created by @ScyllPoesis on GitHub (Nov 16, 2023).

Describe the feature/enhancement

This is a very minor enhancement, but I figured I may as well lodge it all the same.

I got started using ABS as most, looking for a simple way to share and organize my audiobook collection. Over the past couple months however, as my friends and I have begun using it more heavily and regularly, our use has shifted pretty significantly to the ease of use in eBook sharing and tracking.

One of the little things one of my users keeps bringing up is how the eBook library says things like "Continue Listening" or has a "Narrators" tab. In the library options there is an "Audiobooks Only" setting, that handles importing filters and the like; I figure a similar setting (or mode, etc.) can be added for "eBooks Only". Then, if this setting is true, you can give a more customized view of the library when it's selected (changing "Listening" to "Reading", no need for narrators, etc.)

Again, a little flavor issue, so feel free to ignore or throw on the pile for way later, but just some feedback to pass along. Otherwise we're very happy with the support you've already given eBooks! Cheers and thanks for your hard work!

Originally created by @ScyllPoesis on GitHub (Nov 16, 2023). ### Describe the feature/enhancement This is a very minor enhancement, but I figured I may as well lodge it all the same. I got started using ABS as most, looking for a simple way to share and organize my audiobook collection. Over the past couple months however, as my friends and I have begun using it more heavily and regularly, our use has shifted pretty significantly to the ease of use in eBook sharing and tracking. One of the little things one of my users keeps bringing up is how the eBook library says things like "Continue Listening" or has a "Narrators" tab. In the library options there is an "Audiobooks Only" setting, that handles importing filters and the like; I figure a similar setting (or mode, etc.) can be added for "eBooks Only". Then, if this setting is true, you can give a more customized view of the library when it's selected (changing "Listening" to "Reading", no need for narrators, etc.) Again, a little flavor issue, so feel free to ignore or throw on the pile for way later, but just some feedback to pass along. Otherwise we're very happy with the support you've already given eBooks! Cheers and thanks for your hard work!
adam added the enhancementebooks labels 2026-04-24 23:48:59 +02:00
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:00 +02:00
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@advplyr commented on GitHub (Nov 16, 2023):

I think it makes sense to add an ebook only library setting.

The "Continue Reading" and "Read Again" shelves were added but removed in v2.3.x due to performance issues on the home page when changing databases. The original issue for that was here https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf/issues/1782

It will be easier to add those back in if we have an ebook only library setting then we don't have to do additional queries.

@advplyr commented on GitHub (Nov 16, 2023): I think it makes sense to add an ebook only library setting. The "Continue Reading" and "Read Again" shelves were added but removed in v2.3.x due to performance issues on the home page when changing databases. The original issue for that was here https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf/issues/1782 It will be easier to add those back in if we have an ebook only library setting then we don't have to do additional queries.
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:00 +02:00
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@danielb2 commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024):

ebooks are single files and do not need to be organized the same way in folders. For example, a common way to organize files is having files in subfolders in authors for epub, but not a subfolder per book. Current behavior means books are grouped together which is undesired.

Consider the difference here:

.
├── audiobooks
│  └── author
│     ├── title01
│     │  ├── chapter01.mp3
│     │  └── chapter02.mp3
│     └── title02
│        ├── chapter01.mp3
│        └── chapter02.mp3
└── ebooks
   └── author
      ├── title01.epub
      └── title02.epub

Example result current behavior:
Screenshot 2024-08-10 at 09 31 56

Clearly these should be separate books, and I think for ebooks a simple recursive search will do.

Alternatively instead of a ebooks only setting, just handle epub differently

Future Implementation (Screenshot)

Screenshot 2024-08-10 at 09 33 35

add ebooks only option here to force simple recursive scan for ebooks. I'm not sure if cbr or other formats are handled differently, but needing a folder per book for epub doesn't make so much sense

@danielb2 commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024): ebooks are single files and do not need to be organized the same way in folders. For example, a common way to organize files is having files in subfolders in authors for epub, but not a subfolder per book. Current behavior means books are grouped together which is undesired. Consider the difference here: ```plaintext . ├── audiobooks │ └── author │ ├── title01 │ │ ├── chapter01.mp3 │ │ └── chapter02.mp3 │ └── title02 │ ├── chapter01.mp3 │ └── chapter02.mp3 └── ebooks └── author ├── title01.epub └── title02.epub ``` Example result current behavior: <img width="1027" alt="Screenshot 2024-08-10 at 09 31 56" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4c36f80c-a63f-4b43-80b1-1862659064fc"> Clearly these should be separate books, and I think for ebooks a simple recursive search will do. <mark>Alternatively instead of a ebooks only setting, just handle epub differently</mark> ### Future Implementation (Screenshot) <img width="695" alt="Screenshot 2024-08-10 at 09 33 35" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/958cc036-5b06-4dbf-9aea-41633b164191"> add ebooks only option here to force simple recursive scan for ebooks. I'm not sure if cbr or other formats are handled differently, but needing a folder per book for epub doesn't make so much sense
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:01 +02:00
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@advplyr commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024):

There are a bunch of other factors to consider that make it difficult to simply handle epub files differently. I would like to support more folder structure options in the future.

@advplyr commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024): There are a bunch of other factors to consider that make it difficult to simply handle epub files differently. I would like to support more folder structure options in the future.
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:01 +02:00
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@danielb2 commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024):

There are a bunch of other factors to consider that make it difficult to simply handle epub files differently. I would like to support more folder structure options in the future.

What are some of the concerns?

@danielb2 commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024): > There are a bunch of other factors to consider that make it difficult to simply handle epub files differently. I would like to support more folder structure options in the future. What are some of the concerns?
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:02 +02:00
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@advplyr commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024):

Storing metadata/covers with books.
Ebook file in a subfolder that also has subfolders with other ebook or audio files.
Subfolders that have audio file(s) and multiple ebook files.

@advplyr commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024): Storing metadata/covers with books. Ebook file in a subfolder that also has subfolders with other ebook or audio files. Subfolders that have audio file(s) and multiple ebook files.
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:02 +02:00
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@danielb2 commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024):

Storing metadata/covers with books. Ebook file in a subfolder that also has subfolders with other ebook or audio files. Subfolders that have audio file(s) and multiple ebook files.

I'll just throw some ideas out there...

Seems it's using the embedded image file now. You mean as a secondary source ? Naming convention can be same filename but different extension (which is a common convention). i.e title1.epub and title1.jpg, title2.epub, title2.jpg. but I believe most ePub has it embedded anyway.

The app could also support embedding so the user can set their own cover.

@danielb2 commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024): > Storing metadata/covers with books. Ebook file in a subfolder that also has subfolders with other ebook or audio files. Subfolders that have audio file(s) and multiple ebook files. I'll just throw some ideas out there... Seems it's using the embedded image file now. You mean as a secondary source ? Naming convention can be same filename but different extension (which is a common convention). i.e title1.epub and title1.jpg, title2.epub, title2.jpg. but I believe most ePub has it embedded anyway. The app could also support embedding so the user can set their own cover.
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:03 +02:00
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@advplyr commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024):

Abs supports fetching covers from external sources and you can choose if you want to store that cover with the item in the same folder. Also store metadata.json file with the item.

If all epub are treated as a separate book than that would be removing the feature of allowing audiobook and ebook to be the same item in Abs. It would also remove the feature of having supplementary ebook files alongside of audiobooks/ebooks.

@advplyr commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2024): Abs supports fetching covers from external sources and you can choose if you want to store that cover with the item in the same folder. Also store metadata.json file with the item. If all epub are treated as a separate book than that would be removing the feature of allowing audiobook and ebook to be the same item in Abs. It would also remove the feature of having supplementary ebook files alongside of audiobooks/ebooks.
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:04 +02:00
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@danielb2 commented on GitHub (Aug 11, 2024):

Abs supports fetching covers from external sources and you can choose if you want to store that cover with the item in the same folder. Also store metadata.json file with the item.

If all epub are treated as a separate book than that would be removing the feature of allowing audiobook and ebook to be the same item in Abs. It would also remove the feature of having supplementary ebook files alongside of audiobooks/ebooks.

would that be acceptable behavior for when a Ebook only switch is toggled for a library?

@danielb2 commented on GitHub (Aug 11, 2024): > Abs supports fetching covers from external sources and you can choose if you want to store that cover with the item in the same folder. Also store metadata.json file with the item. > > If all epub are treated as a separate book than that would be removing the feature of allowing audiobook and ebook to be the same item in Abs. It would also remove the feature of having supplementary ebook files alongside of audiobooks/ebooks. would that be acceptable behavior for when a `Ebook only` switch is toggled for a library?
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:04 +02:00
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@petruut commented on GitHub (Aug 15, 2024):

seems like a good idea to make Ebooks a first-class feature

@petruut commented on GitHub (Aug 15, 2024): seems like a good idea to make Ebooks a first-class feature
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:05 +02:00
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@LadyHaywood commented on GitHub (Jan 29, 2025):

I was just looking if audiobookshelf could do exactly this. I wanted to make two separate libraries (one for audiobooks and the other for ebooks) but have them both in the same author folder.

@LadyHaywood commented on GitHub (Jan 29, 2025): I was just looking if audiobookshelf could do exactly this. I wanted to make two separate libraries (one for audiobooks and the other for ebooks) but have them both in the same author folder.
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:06 +02:00
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@Timo-1979 commented on GitHub (May 8, 2025):

Maybe it would be good to handle .epub and .mp3 in the same way and allow single files (epub/mp3) in the Authors-Folder ord Series Folder as separate books. Like the diretory structure at the end.

This would be great for storing epub in the same directory as the audiobooks, without the need to have directories for just one file. And it would also enable to store singele file books also directly into the authors/series folder.

And with the naming convention (same base-name, but different extension) - it would also be possible to store some addtional file alongside the book.

Maybe this could be configureable scanner-settings (files in authors and series folders are separate books). (A Series folder is located in a Authors-Folder and contains at least one sub-folder (that's not matching "(CD|Disc|Disk)\n+"))

With this directory-structure support, there shouldn't be any problem to add the filter-option: ebook-only.

audiobooks
   +-- Author
       +-- Book_01
       |   +-- chapter01.mp3
       |   +-- chapter02.mp3
       |    
       +-- Book_02
       |   +-- chapter01.mp3
       |   +-- chapter02.mp3
       |   +-- Book_02.epub
       |    
       +-- Book_03.mp3
       +-- Book_04.mp3
       +-- Book_04.epub
       |    
       +-- BookSeries_A
           +-- Series_Book_01
           |   +-- chapter01.mp3
           |   +-- chapter02.mp3
           | 
           +-- Book_02
           |   +-- chapter01.mp3
           |   +-- chapter02.mp3
           |   +-- Book_02.epub
           |    
           +-- Series_Book_03.mp3
           +-- Series_Book_04.mp3
           +-- Series_Book_04.epub
@Timo-1979 commented on GitHub (May 8, 2025): Maybe it would be good to handle .epub and .mp3 in the same way and allow single files (epub/mp3) in the Authors-Folder ord Series Folder as separate books. Like the diretory structure at the end. This would be great for storing epub in the same directory as the audiobooks, without the need to have directories for just one file. And it would also enable to store singele file books also directly into the authors/series folder. And with the naming convention (same base-name, but different extension) - it would also be possible to store some addtional file alongside the book. Maybe this could be configureable scanner-settings (files in authors and series folders are separate books). (A Series folder is located in a Authors-Folder and contains at least one sub-folder (that's not matching "(CD|Disc|Disk)\n+")) With this directory-structure support, there shouldn't be any problem to add the filter-option: ebook-only. ``` audiobooks +-- Author +-- Book_01 | +-- chapter01.mp3 | +-- chapter02.mp3 | +-- Book_02 | +-- chapter01.mp3 | +-- chapter02.mp3 | +-- Book_02.epub | +-- Book_03.mp3 +-- Book_04.mp3 +-- Book_04.epub | +-- BookSeries_A +-- Series_Book_01 | +-- chapter01.mp3 | +-- chapter02.mp3 | +-- Book_02 | +-- chapter01.mp3 | +-- chapter02.mp3 | +-- Book_02.epub | +-- Series_Book_03.mp3 +-- Series_Book_04.mp3 +-- Series_Book_04.epub ```
adam commented 2026-04-24 23:49:07 +02:00
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@Timo-1979 commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2025):

With the structure proposed by me in the last comment. It would be possible to include metadata for authors and series. In folders for authors the „metadata.json“ could contain metadata about the author. A file „portrait.png“ will hold the photo of the author.

In a series folder a metadata.json could hold metadata about the series (maybe a short general description of the series) and an image(s) for the series.

Metadata for single-file-books could be hold in a .json file with the same base name (i.e.: Book_4.json and )
Series_Book_04.json).

@Timo-1979 commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2025): With the structure proposed by me in the last comment. It would be possible to include metadata for authors and series. In folders for authors the „metadata.json“ could contain metadata about the author. A file „portrait.png“ will hold the photo of the author. In a series folder a metadata.json could hold metadata about the series (maybe a short general description of the series) and an image(s) for the series. Metadata for single-file-books could be hold in a .json file with the same base name (i.e.: Book_4.json and ) Series_Book_04.json).
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Reference: starred/audiobookshelf#1529
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