LibraryThing App: Scan once to view in library or add
ForumRecommend Site Improvements
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1r.orrison
I suggested long ago in the introductory post about the iOS app that the app should allow you to scan a barcode and then tell you if the work is already in your library and also give you the option to add the book. At the time conceptDawg said "I think that's coming." but it hasn't happened - so I'm bumping it on its own thread.
The intent is that searching your library and adding a book would both start from the same barcode scanning screen. The work in your library would only appear if relevant, but the add to library option would always be available (so you can add a second copy if you want).
For bonus points: show me a work in my library that contains the work whose barcode was scanned. E.g. if I scan The Fellowship of the Ring and have The Lord of the Rings in my library, it should show me that.
The scenario I'm envisioning is for when I'm in a bookstore or library - I see an interesting book and just scan it. The app tells me if I have it already in some form, and gives me the option to add it. I don't want to have to scan once to see if it's in my library, then scan again to add the book.
The intent is that searching your library and adding a book would both start from the same barcode scanning screen. The work in your library would only appear if relevant, but the add to library option would always be available (so you can add a second copy if you want).
For bonus points: show me a work in my library that contains the work whose barcode was scanned. E.g. if I scan The Fellowship of the Ring and have The Lord of the Rings in my library, it should show me that.
The scenario I'm envisioning is for when I'm in a bookstore or library - I see an interesting book and just scan it. The app tells me if I have it already in some form, and gives me the option to add it. I don't want to have to scan once to see if it's in my library, then scan again to add the book.
2lorax
This would probably make me use the app.
(I don't use it because I'm terrified about accidentally deleting a book. I don't understand why they thought it would be something people would do so often as to need a quick-n-easy way to do it.)
(I don't use it because I'm terrified about accidentally deleting a book. I don't understand why they thought it would be something people would do so often as to need a quick-n-easy way to do it.)
4saltmanz
This would be a pretty keen extension of Add Books, or maybe even Site Search, app or no. (I say this as someone who's mostly moved on to digital media.) Punch in an ISBN or ASIN or scan a barcode, and LT tells you whether you have the matching work (or containing work) in addition to returning the standard add/search results.
5.Monkey.
>4 saltmanz: Yes. This would basically be an Add books revamp, which I would very much welcome. I have a lot of books, and a bunch of them are not entered. But since it would be a massive PITA to sit there and go through several hundreds of books trying to figure out what's added and what's not, they pretty much just stay unadded until it somehow comes to my attention that a particular title is not cataloged. If I could use my barcode scanner to just take piles of them, scan, see it's added, and move to the next one, it would be an absolute dream. But instead....
6r.orrison
Bump. Pretty much the same thing re-requested by another user in Talk about LibraryThing: http://www.librarything.com/topic/310276
7conceptDawg
Yes. It's on the short list for the next version. It's definitely something that I want to add to the app. I just can't give you a timeframe because of time limitations for developers. Just not enough time in the day.
8r.orrison
Thanks for the confirmation! Nice to know it's on the list, and it's obvious you're busy elsewhere at the moment.
9lorax
Thanks! Really makes me wish the app wasn't so eager to delete books - I'm really torn about whether it will be worth the risk.
10Bookmarque
Strange. I've never deleted a book using the app. I use it every time I buy books or am in the process of buying.
11conceptDawg
>9 lorax: Yeah, tell me more about this "eager to delete books" thing? I'm not sure what you mean there.
12TimSharrock
>11 conceptDawg: http://www.librarything.com/topic/255387#6017811 and onward to reply 18
13lorax
conceptDawg (#11):
It's very easy to accidentally trigger the delete if you're careless when tapping on a book - a slight leftward twitch of the finger will call it up. I haven't yet accidentally confirmed the delete, but it really seems needlessly eager - I know it's a common UI element, but most of us delete many emails a day, while we're unlikely to be looking through our catalog deleting book after book on a daily basis.
It's very easy to accidentally trigger the delete if you're careless when tapping on a book - a slight leftward twitch of the finger will call it up. I haven't yet accidentally confirmed the delete, but it really seems needlessly eager - I know it's a common UI element, but most of us delete many emails a day, while we're unlikely to be looking through our catalog deleting book after book on a daily basis.
14r.orrison
Weird. I have to swipe at least half way across the screen get get the delete button to appear and stay visible, and even then it doesn't do anything unless I actually confirm by tapping on it. Swiping less than half the screen results in it disappearing as soon as I let go. Is there some iOS option that controls how far you have to swipe?
I've never even come close to accidentally deleting a book.
I've never even come close to accidentally deleting a book.
15ianreads
Lorax is talking about that feeling of unease touch UIs can instill, causing fear of unintended destructive edits. It's a hard thing to get right.
Implementations of that swipe left to reveal the delete option differ subtly. In some implementations there's a "switch" at the top of the screen to enable deletion (the alarm tab of the default iOS clock app comes to mind). That causes a red minus to appear to be left of each item ("scary" in my opinion, since deletion is instant when tapped). The left swipe to reveal the delete button is disabled in that mode, but is active otherwise. If the delete button was always (as in the book view in the app) coupled to a confirmation dialog, it might make the delete function less scary?
The option to enable deletion in the app could even be hidden behind a switch in the settings? Because obviously for most of us deleting our books isn't a frequent enough task to warrant such easy access.
>14 r.orrison: Some impetuous or distracted scrolling can easily result in the delete button showing, causing one to wonder if something was accidentally deleted. Obviously the book where the button is showing hasn't been deleted, but there could have been an other. I for one, have had this happen before. Coupled to the fact there's no deletion log or trash basket feature, it's unnecessarily stressful.
Implementations of that swipe left to reveal the delete option differ subtly. In some implementations there's a "switch" at the top of the screen to enable deletion (the alarm tab of the default iOS clock app comes to mind). That causes a red minus to appear to be left of each item ("scary" in my opinion, since deletion is instant when tapped). The left swipe to reveal the delete button is disabled in that mode, but is active otherwise. If the delete button was always (as in the book view in the app) coupled to a confirmation dialog, it might make the delete function less scary?
The option to enable deletion in the app could even be hidden behind a switch in the settings? Because obviously for most of us deleting our books isn't a frequent enough task to warrant such easy access.
>14 r.orrison: Some impetuous or distracted scrolling can easily result in the delete button showing, causing one to wonder if something was accidentally deleted. Obviously the book where the button is showing hasn't been deleted, but there could have been an other. I for one, have had this happen before. Coupled to the fact there's no deletion log or trash basket feature, it's unnecessarily stressful.
16lorax
r.orrison (#14):
I use Android, rather than iOS; there's no delete button at all. If I move my finger left by maybe half a centimeter in catalog view, it brings up a "Are you sure you want to delete Title?" confirmation dialog. The "Remove" option is now off-center to the right (which I believe was a change from when I first looked at it, when it was centered), so accidentally *confirming* is unlikely - but even accidentally triggering that dialog is an "oh shit I almost deleted a book" moment of panic for me.
I use Android, rather than iOS; there's no delete button at all. If I move my finger left by maybe half a centimeter in catalog view, it brings up a "Are you sure you want to delete Title?" confirmation dialog. The "Remove" option is now off-center to the right (which I believe was a change from when I first looked at it, when it was centered), so accidentally *confirming* is unlikely - but even accidentally triggering that dialog is an "oh shit I almost deleted a book" moment of panic for me.
17r.orrison
>16 lorax: Yikes!
19conceptDawg
Well we can certainly mitigate that.
20bnielsen
>16 lorax: I have the same feeling as you. I open the LT App (Android on a Huawei P20 lite), Press Catalog, Search for "Francis Dødt" to check if I already have the book, I'm looking at in a second hand bookstore, The book is already catalogued, so I have the book. I scroll down to see the review and at the bottom of the review, I have the two buttons Delete to the left and Edit to the right.
A bit (like 2 mm) further down from Delete is the Home button.
(Since I had the book and had written a review I now wish to check if I had the physical details entered, i.e. height, length, width, #pages, .... which I don't think I can see in the App?)
Pressing Edit opens a blank page on my phone, which is probably a bug? (Maybe triggered by the recent measures to minimize spam?)
Pressing View on Librarything opens a browser and gives me the "Book details" on my book (still not the physical details, so I press "Edit your book" and "Cancel" to get the view I was hoping for.
I like TinyCat and use it from the phone once in a while.
My overall impression of the LT app is that it is very quick and useful for finding out if I have a book. I could really do without the DELETE option.
A bit (like 2 mm) further down from Delete is the Home button.
(Since I had the book and had written a review I now wish to check if I had the physical details entered, i.e. height, length, width, #pages, .... which I don't think I can see in the App?)
Pressing Edit opens a blank page on my phone, which is probably a bug? (Maybe triggered by the recent measures to minimize spam?)
Pressing View on Librarything opens a browser and gives me the "Book details" on my book (still not the physical details, so I press "Edit your book" and "Cancel" to get the view I was hoping for.
I like TinyCat and use it from the phone once in a while.
My overall impression of the LT app is that it is very quick and useful for finding out if I have a book. I could really do without the DELETE option.
