Date Format Not Updated

The ‘invalid type’ message has nothing to do with the date it has to do with the type field. You need to define one or more ‘types’ using the the collection type page. The collection types are used for statistics and to define the loan period (eg 3 weeks for books, 1 week for DVDs).

Thank you very much for your prompt reply.
You are right about the “type”, once I define the type for the collection, the error disappear, and the date was set correctly. I can also insert the thumbnail.

However, there is another problem, whenever I edit the single item page, the description tend to disappear. It is there when I do bulk upload, and can view it when view detail. But, once the book is EDIT in collection, the description goes blank. Even I try to put in, when you click update or submit, the the reply showing update successful, but the description is still showing blank, and disappeared.

Thank you and look forward to your reply. Thank you.

I don’t understand how the description goes blank. I cannot replicate this error.

What version of wordpress are you using?
What version of web librarian are you using?

What O/S is the server running? (If you are running a MS-Windows server, I can be of little help.)

Thank you for your reply.

WordPress running: WordPress 3.6.
This is version 3.2.9.4 of the Web Librarian.
O/S running on server: Linux web hosting, installed wordpress via Softaculos.

As for the disappear description, I found that once I enter more than a certain amount of words into the text area, it would disappear. (Under Edit Item). But if I enter a short words, it would be ok. Both does not return any error messages, but the longer description would be disappear when you click submit.

I was trying to enter this phrase:
“Conversations with God Book 1 began a series that has been changing millions of lives for more than ten years. Finally, the bestselling series is now a movie, starring Henry Czerny (The Pink Panther and Clear and Present Danger) and Ingrid Boulting (The Last Tycoon). Produced and directed by Stephen Simon (producer of Somewhere in Time and What Dreams May Come) and distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Fox Home Entertainment, the theatrical release is set for October 27, 2006. The movie is the true account of Walsch (played by Cierny), who went from an unemployed homeless man to an “accidental spiritual messenger” and author of the bestselling book”,
It will return blank description when I click submit.

But when I cut short it to:
Conversations with God Book 1 began a series that has been changing millions of lives for more than ten years. Finally, the bestselling series is now a movie, starring Henry Czerny (The Pink Panther and Clear and Present Danger) and Ingrid Boulting (The Last Tycoon). Produced and directed by Stephen Simon (producer of Somewhere in Time and What Dreams May Come) and distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Fox Home Entertainment, the theatrical release is set for October 27, 2006.

The description will successfully be entered. Though both do not return any errors.

I suppose there is a word limit for description at the code, syntax, server, PHP, web hosting?

Hope you can look into this. Once again, thank you very much for your reply.

There are no limits in the code for Web Librarian. The description field type is set to ‘text’, which I *presumed* is unlimited, but I guess it isn’t.

The long version of your description is 658 characters long and the short version is 483, so I am *guessing* the limit is 512 characters.

I wonder if I should change the description field type to longtext. OTOH, I wonder if it really makes sense to have such a long description field. It *is* possible to simply have a regular WP page or post with as long and detailed a description as you like. It is also possible to use the weblib_itemdetail short code in a page or post that contains the long and detailed description to provide a hook to the collection database for the item, such as its barcode, status (checked out, due date, etc.), call number, hold request button, etc.

Thank you very much for your reply.

What I did was to copy the description available in Amazon to insert to the website. I will be more careful on it. I presume is 512 characters too, and I will look into your suggestion on the “weblib_itemdetail”. Thank you.

On the other hand, I have finished registered the AWS, and it can do wonders in insert the fields at the collection. However, the description is entered with some “funny” fields, as below:

EAN

Manufacturer

NumberOfPages

ProductTypeName

SKU

Maybe the description is meant to be entered by ourselves instead of getting from AWS?

Thank you.

AWS returns a lot of ‘random’ information, some of which is only meaningful if you are selling the items or something. The Web Librarian lumps all of the fields it does not understand (eg has someplace else to put it) into the description field. Yes, it makes sense to go through the fields, esp. the description field, and edit what gets put there from AWS, deleting unneeded text, etc. You probably should not ‘blindly’ click submit after inserting from AWS. It is possible to ‘look up’ an item and then *selectively* insert fields rather than do a gross ‘insert item’, which populates all of the fields with all of the information AWS returns. ‘Look Up’ and selective insertion is useful if there are a few pieces of information missing and the ‘insert item’ is useful to initially fill in the fields for a new (and thus ‘blank’) item, but the ‘insert item’ function should always be followed up and the fields (esp. the description) checked and extranious text removed.

Thank you very much for your reply.

It is indeed a fantastic plugin so far. Works well. Well done!
I would close this support thread. Thank you.

One last thing, I just discovered that the Barcode is auto-generate, if you leave it blank.

I intend to use book barcode as the barcode field, so I don’t have to print additional to stick on the book. How can I disable the auto-generate?

Also, for those book which has already using the auto-generate barcode, can I edit it, or I have to go to edit in mysql?

Thank you.

To supress barcode generation, you supply a barcode when you enter the book. The barcode is only autogenerated if it is ommited (or invalid).

How to change those who has been auto-generated?

You can’t change barcodes. You have to delete and re-enter.

Warning: Using the ISBN as a barcode can be a problem if you ever have multiple copies of a given book. Each *physical* copy should have a unique (separate) barcode and ISBN’s are not unique across all physical copies. Libraries normally don’t use the ISBN barcode because of this. (The ISBN barcodes are great for a bookstore, since the ISBN can be used to looking the *price* of the book and a store does not have to keep track of each physical copy as a unique instance.)

Thank you very much for your reply, and you further comment on the Barcode for ISBN is something we never thought of. Thank you for the warning reminder.

The user manual (dated July 10, 2013) is very helpful, and it illustrate the plugin well. However, is there missing characters or links when it refers to “Section”.

For example, under “Circulation Desk”:
1. Main Circulation This is the general entry mode, and list all items in the collection with their circulation status, described in Section ..
Maybe there is something missing behind the word “Section “?

Thank you.