BookDB
Source code and releases for a book database application.
The purpose is specifically to allow me, and any other users, to continue to maintain book data from the Readerware Books application — which is no longer maintained since the developer passed.
Getting started
- Download the application (WinGet / Github Releases)
- Decide on the collections you want (Lookups | Collections)
- Import Readerware backups into your collections (File | Import ...)
- Or, but this depends on the availability of the JRE and HSQLDB from a Readerware 4 installation on your platform, import from a Readerware database.
Installing and starting via winget (Windows)
winget install cadwal.BookDB
The winget package is a portable install, so no Start Menu entry is created. To start the
application, open a new terminal (winget adds the install folder to your user PATH, and
already-open terminals don't see the update) and run:
BookDB.Desktop
Once the application is running, open Settings → Application access to create Start Menu
and desktop shortcuts, so future launches don't need the terminal.
Installing the companion app (Android)
The companion is an APK on the release page, not a Play Store listing:
BookDB-Companion-vX.Y.Z.apk under Releases. Download it on the
phone or tablet and open it; Android will ask once for permission to install apps from that source. It needs
Android 8.0 or later.
The companion does nothing on its own — it talks only to your own computer, over your own network. Turn it on
in Settings → Companion on the desktop, then pair the device from Tools → Maintenance → Devices; the
desktop's Help has a Companion topic covering pairing and firewalls.
> Keep the app updated from the same source. Android ties an installed app to the key it was signed with, so
> an APK from anywhere else cannot update this one.
What it does
With this application you can maintain a book database. It supports:
- ISBN-based cataloguing via metadata sources
- Print support
- Statistics and searching
- Import from a Readerware Books backup — preserving all data from the final version
- An Android companion app for cataloguing away from the desk: scan a book's barcode, photograph its
covers, and send the batch to your computer over your own network — plus a read-only browse of the library
to settle "do I already own this?" in a shop
The application uses a SQLite3 database by default, so tooling exists in almost any programming language on almost any platform to let you use the data in any form you like. Optionally, it can keep the library on a PostgreSQL server instead, so the same catalog is reachable from more than one machine — SQLite stays the default and needs no setup, and you can move the library between the two in either direction. A PostgreSQL backend requires PostgreSQL 12 or later.
What it does not do
- A standalone mobile app — the companion is a companion: it holds no library of its own and needs your
computer to be reachable for anything but scanning
- No cloud, no account, no sync service — the companion talks to your computer directly, over your own network
- No telemetry, analytics, or "phone-home" — see Privacy
Compared to Readerware, the metadata sources supported are limited.
Translations
Translations are available for a small set of languages. None of them especially good, I assume.
Contributions
PRs, comments, and feature ideas are welcome — but the amount of time and effort available is limited. The core goal was to let me keep maintaining my own database.
Platform notes
As a Windows user, the backup import has been tested against what the Windows version of Readerware generated. It should work with other platforms since Readerware was a Java application, but this has not been verified. Also the import from database is only tested on Windows.
The macOS version is of the "it builds, ship it" variety — I do not have a Mac to test with.
The companion app is Android only. It is built to work on tablets as well as phones, but it has been tested
on rather few devices.
Privacy
BookDB runs entirely on your machine, has no telemetry, and collects nothing about
you. It only reaches the internet when you explicitly look up a book or cover by ISBN.
Full details: Privacy Policy.
Behind the scenes