Setting up preferences

Tools › Preferences… (Ctrl+P) has six tabs. Defaults at the bottom of the dialog puts everything back the way it came.

General

Show splash screen on startup	Turn off if you would rather the program just appeared.
Assign Book number automatically	Every new book gets the first free number in the collection.
Check for updates weekly	Looks for a new version once a week when the program starts.
Overdue debtor reminder on start	Tells you about late books when the program opens. See Lending a book.
Delete linked files upon book deletion	Deleting a book also deletes its e-book or audiobook file from disk. Off by default, and for good reason.
Compress database on exit	Compacts the collection file every time you close the program. See Compressing the database.

Automatic multilevel backup

Enable automatic backup plus Copies to store, Days between copies and Folder for backup copies. Because several dated generations are kept, you can go back further than yesterday. If a cloud folder is available on the computer, the program offers one. See Making a backup.

Display Area

Dark theme	Switches the whole program to a dark palette, book card template and charts included.
Stars rating	Stars instead of numbers.
Display original book title	Show original titles in the list rather than local ones.
Display alternative author's names	Shows the alternative spellings stored on the person's card.
Display Last name first in the list	“Le Guin, Ursula” instead of “Ursula Le Guin”.
Display book list on the top	Puts the list across the top and the book card underneath. `Ctrl`+`Z` does the same thing without opening the dialog.
Hide toolbar	More room for the collection.
Additional columns	Which extra columns the book list shows, and in what order.
Virtual shelf mode	Thumbnail size for the shelf and cover views, and Rebuild to regenerate the thumbnails.
Book list font	Typeface and size for the list.
Scale	Text size of the book card, 50–200%. Also `Ctrl`+`Num +` / `Ctrl`+`Num −` in the main window.

Language

The interface language, in 20 variants. It also decides which language this online help opens in. See Customizing the interface.

Online databases

Default database	The source used when you press `Enter` in a book card without choosing one.
Check the usable online databases	Untick the sources you never use and they disappear from the drop-down. If you have no use for Russian bookshops, take them out.
Import illustrations	Download extra images besides the cover, where the source has them.
Do not import covers at all	For people who prefer a text-only catalog.
Use proxy server	Address, and login and password if the proxy needs them.

Custom fields

Fields that All My Books does not have but your collection needs.

Text fields — free text: “bought from”, “condition”, “shelf”, “signed by”. They appear on the Custom fields tab of the book card, and they can be searched, grouped by and put into reports.
Personal marks (tags) — flags, like the built-in Wishlist and Unread. They get their own entries under Quick filter › Personal marks.
Highlight marked books gives each mark a colour in the book list. Repainting the list is slower with it on, which matters only on very large collections.

Expert options

The tab warns you not to change things here unless you know why — take it seriously, but the options themselves are straightforward.

Store all the images inside the database	Covers inside the `.amb` file instead of in a folder next to it. One file to carry, a much bigger file. Switching it converts the existing collection.
Check for duplicate titles when adding a new book	Warns you before adding a title you already have. Slows saving slightly.
Remove hyphens from the ISBN when saving a book card	Stores 9785040898114 rather than 978-5-04-089811-4.
Use a relative path for e-books and audiobooks	Store file links relative to a root folder you name. Do this and the collection survives being moved to another disk or another computer with the books alongside it.
Password protection of database changes	Read-only until you ask for write access. With Prompt for a password when trying to change the database the password dialog appears by itself. See Password protection.
Try to start reader app for FB2.zip files	Opens zipped FB2 in your reader instead of in an archiver.
Set reader apps	Choose which program opens which book format, overriding the Windows association.
Move articles to the end of title	“The Terminator” sorts as “Terminator, The”.
Renumber books	Renumbers the whole collection sequentially. A one-off cleanup, not a setting.

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