[jvmeijeren]

I have some books as pdf that are over 100 pages (some even 500+), most of which songs consist of only a few pages. I think it works best in MobileSheets to import each song as a separate pdf. But when I split the original pdf, the individual files are almost as large as the original. I have read that this probably has to do with fonts and other overhead returning in each file.
Am I doing the right thing to split these types of files before importing or does this make the MS database unnecessarily large?

[Zubersoft]

I think it's fine to do what you are doing. Having said that, one thing you can consider is waiting for the next update where I'm adding a completely new page ordering UI. In this UI, you can pick the pages you want, then tap the three dots at the top right and tap "Save as New PDF". MobileSheets will then produce a new PDF from those few pages you selected. Whether or not the PDF that is generated by MobileSheets will be smaller than the PDFs you are currently generating is something that you will have to check.

As far as file sizes go, this has no impact on the MobileSheets database or library. It just consumes more of your disk space, but it doesn't impact MobileSheets in any other way (other than the time it takes to load each individual PDF if you select that song).

Mike

[mdavej]

Space and performance aside, splitting PDFs is entirely unnecessary and a waste of time. Each song file can simply point to appropriate page(s) in the pdf.

[Lawrie]

I may be missing a point here, but wouldn't it be better to create a CSV file for bookmarking and leave the PDF as a single file?

Some info here, I don't yet know the forum well enough to point you to a better spot:
https://www.zubersoft.com/mobilesheets/f...um-29.html

Also check out Page 17 of the manual - the "Import" dot point, and more importantly, the bottom of page 36 to the end of page 38.

Of course, if I'm trying to "teach grandma how to suck eggs" then I apologise.  I'm a new convert to MSP and keep finding new features to enjoy.

[Zubersoft]

There are pros and cons to each approach. Using a CSV and sharing the same PDF over all the songs has benefits in terms of disk space, but due to some existing shortcomings in the CSV import, this can cause issues for some users, as the original PDF will be duplicated as the directory it is copied to is based on the title of the first selected song in the CSV import dialog. If you import all of the songs you need at once through the CSV import, then you get the maximum benefit, but if you import the same csv multiple times in a row, and select different songs each time, the original PDF is going to be duplicated, taking up additional disk space. I plan to address this by detecting if the original PDF is already in use in the library, and using the existing file in the library if possible instead of copying the file to a new location. 

If you instead split off the PDF into many smaller pieces, each piece is truly independent of the others, which can nice in some scenarios (like if you want to embed annotations without impacting other songs in the library that might share the same PDF). It just depends on how the library is setup and what features are needed

Mike

[Lawrie]

<snip> but due to some existing shortcomings in the CSV import, this can cause issues for some users, as the original PDF will be duplicated as the directory it is copied to is based on the title of the first selected song in the CSV import dialog.<snip>

(Bold italics mine)

Ahh, interesting.  Does this still apply if you turn off "Let MobileSheets Manage My Files"?

[jvmeijeren]

Thanks for all your replies, it would even be much easier leaving those PDF's as single file.
Doing this, is it still possible to create a playlist pointing to the song files within that large PDF?

[Lawrie]

<snip>
Doing this, is it still possible to create a playlist pointing to the song files within that large PDF?

Yup, that's the point of bookmarking using the csv file.

I've used some csv files created by others, but I haven't yet created my own.  Doesn't look too difficult, but might be a little tedious.

[Geoff Bacon]

Using a csv file means that you have a single physical file (book) with multiple entries pointing at the individual songs within it.
You can use these entries within set lists and collections.

My advice is:

1. Use a csv when you know that "book" will not change e.g. it is published material.
   
2. Split the book into separate songs when you know it is subject to change (especially if by someone else)  - this preserves any annotations you have made when the book needs updating.
   

When creating a .csv file, it is a good idea to put all the files into a single collection (and also to include an entry that covers the whole book. This makes it easier to remove all the files should the book need re-importing using an amended .csv file

The .csv format has to be just right so look for examples on the site and experiment with just a couple of entries to see how it all  works.

Finally, you can't apply a .csv file to a previously imported book - it has to be available when the book is imported.

Cheers
Geoff

[Zubersoft]

<snip> but due to some existing shortcomings in the CSV import, this can cause issues for some users, as the original PDF will be duplicated as the directory it is copied to is based on the title of the first selected song in the CSV import dialog.<snip>

(Bold italics mine)

Ahh, interesting.  Does this still apply if you turn off "Let MobileSheets Manage My Files"?

No, it does not apply in that situation as MobileSheets uses the original PDF location.