Comics can be converted to another format

[mcpierce]

As a library owner, I would like to be able to convert comics in my library to other archive formats.

Preconditions

1. I have admin rights to the library.
2. I have selected one or more comics.

User Story:

1. The context menu includes an option to convert the selected comics to any of the available archive types.
   1. Alternative: a toolbar option exists to convert comics.
   2. Alternative: a menubar option exists to convert comics.
2. On selecting the convert option, a confirmation box is displayed.

Postconditions:

1. If the user confirms the action, then a set of tasks are created in the database.
   1. Each task represents converting a single comic.
2. As each task executes:
   1. a new archive is created with the contents of the existing comic.
   2. the new comic filename matches the original comic's filename, and the extension matches the new format.
3. On successful conversion:
   1. a new comic is created in the database.

[bareheiny]

Couple of thoughts on this one - should blocked or deleted images be included in the new file?

What happens if the new format = old format?

[mcpierce]

@bareheiny This is a good topic for discussion in the user mailing list. That way we can get a consensus from other users.

[bareheiny]

Just read the steps you’ve detailed properly - for step 3, delete old archive, should the user be asked first?

I’d imagine some users may want to keep the original archive as well.

[mcpierce]

@bareheiny Right now, I've got things to the point of doing all but the delete. I suppose I could leave it at that. Then the user can decide later to delete the old comic if they so choose. I was thinking of how CR does things now with exporting comics replacing the source with the newly created comic.

[bareheiny]

I’m likely mistaken, but I thought CR gave you the option to replace?

For sure there are advanced options for conversion if you bypass the basic zip/rar options - these include conversion to webp and excluding images marked for deletion.

[mcpierce]

It was as configurable option with the default being "Export to: Same Folder and replace in Library". And then there were a lot of extended options to control that process, far beyond the scope of what is being added with this feature. We can add those additional behaviors and options later, but I'm can't boil the ocean today. ;)

[bareheiny]

Fair call!

I only recently looked past the default export options - usually I would just conver to cbz, delete and replace.

But it's nice to know one has the option to not delete the comics - some people would likely get tetchy about that sort of thing.

[mcpierce]

@bareheiny No doubt. 😄

So as it stands, I'm going to put up a PR for this and let it add the new comic to the library without deleting the source comic. I've created #184 to let the admin choose explicitly to delete the source comics on conversion, as well as #185 to opt-in to delete blocked pages as well.