[Feature Request] Integrated Kanban Board & Structured Book Notes Templates

[dmytrokosiachenko]

Problem & Context

Calibre Web Automated (CWA) excels at automatically organizing, converting, and serving digital libraries. However, managing a personal reading workflow (planning what to read next, tracking active reads, and storing key takeaways) currently forces users out of CWA and into third-party apps like Notion, Trello, or Obsidian.

Adding a native Kanban Board directly into CWA would turn it into a true all-in-one reading hub. Users could manage their active reading pipeline and record deep reflections right alongside their automated library.

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Feature Overview

Introduce a dedicated Kanban Board view mode within CWA alongside the standard grid and list views.

The board organizes books into visual pipeline columns (e.g., To Read, In Progress, Finished). Each book card acts as an interactive workspace supporting custom Markdown templates for capturing structured notes, timestamps, and key points.

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Key Requirements

1. Kanban Board Interface

• Pipeline Columns: Standard reading stages (To Read / Backlog, In Progress, Completed, On Hold / DNF).
• Rich Book Cards: Visual cards displaying the cover art, title, author, user star rating, and start/finish dates.
• Drag-and-Drop Sync: Dragging a card between columns instantly updates the reading status for that CWA user.
• Completed Column Visibility: Finished books remain visible on the board, with optional filter controls (e.g., Filter by Month/Year) to keep the board clean over time.

2. Note Templates & Card Modal

• Custom Markdown Templates: Opening a card triggers an editor powered by customizable default templates (e.g., Non-Fiction Summary, Fiction Review, Quick Thoughts).
• Structured Template Sections:
  • Timestamps: Automatic or manual entry for Started Date and Finished Date.
  • Key Takeaways & Summaries: Dedicated Markdown blocks for executive summaries or actionable lessons.
  • Thoughts & Quotes: Space for chapter notes, reflections, and memorable quotes.
• User Data Persistence: Notes and board states are tied directly to the CWA user profile and stored securely in the CWA database.

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Proposed User Workflow

1. Switch to Kanban View using the layout selector in CWA.
2. Drag a target book from To Read -> In Progress (automatically sets Started Date to today).
3. Click the card to open the note editor, pre-populated with a default Markdown template:

   # Key Points & Takeaways
   
   # Chapter Notes
   
   # Favorite Quotes