Search & Replace with current date

[MerlinMama]

I hope someone can help me or direct me to info that can help me (nothing I've found so far has made ANY sense to me).

When I have a new book, I put on the title page "Last Read: N/A" since I haven't read it before. After reading, I have up to six Saved Searches that I run to modify lines in my title page. It would make things quicker (simpler) if I could just add changing N/A to the current date when I run the saved searches, but I can't figure out how to do it. I've spent the past 2 hours (and that's just today's attempt) but I've given up and decided to ask for help.

[theducks]

Where are you trying to do this?
Title page implies this Q should be moved to Editor (I can do that for you. PM me)
on a per book basis

If you are using a Template: today()

[theducks]

Check the Editor Help page for REGEX functions (it is one of the Modes on the S&R section)

One of those might help

[theducks]

You might consider making a custom version of:
C:\Program Files\Calibre2\app\resources\jacket
And place it in
resources\jacket in the Configuration folder.
That location overrides the Program files version without getting replaced every update.
Then you just Embed Metadata (That updates the Jacket) and not fool around with the Editor

[lomkiri]

Search:

Last Read: \K(N/A)

mode regex-function

def replace(match, number, file_name, metadata, dictionaries, data, functions, *args, **kwargs):
    from datetime import datetime
    return datetime.now().strftime("%d/%m/%Y")

Change the format to another one to feet your needs, e.g. "%m/%d/%Y" if you prefer US date format, or "%d-%m-%y" if you want 2-digits year and dashes, etc.

[MerlinMama]

Thank you so much @lomkiri. Do you know I tried that exact code several times? But everything I read had:

from datetime import datetime before the def replace... part. No wonder I could not get it to work.

So annoying.

Again, thanks!

[lomkiri]

Very strange that it didn't work for you, because this code is working all right for me

from datetime import datetime
def replace(match, number, file_name, metadata, dictionaries, data, functions, *args, **kwargs):
    return datetime.now().strftime("%d-%m-%Y")

Maybe the problem was with the search string ?

[MerlinMama]

Actually, I just figured it was because I didn't have brackets on my search string. It's the only other thing if the placement doesn't affect it. Of course I was more focussed on figuring out the replace part. It would find it fine, but instead of putting in the date, it would rewrite "%d/%m/%Y"