Several changes:

1) allow use of unusual standard fields in get_collections. Format them appropriately
2) change metadata.book.base.format_field to handle standard fields.
3) add standard metadata access methods to metadata.book.base.

src/calibre/devices/usbms/books.py

@@ -105,21 +105,7 @@ class CollectionsBookList(BookList):
                 attr_name = ''
         elif attr_name != '':
             attr_name = '(%s)'%attr_name
-
+        cat_name = '%s %s'%(category, attr_name)
-        if attr not in cust_field_meta:
-            cat_name = '%s %s'%(category, attr_name)
-        else:
-            fm = cust_field_meta[attr]
-            if fm['datatype'] == 'bool':
-                if category:
-                    cat_name = '%s %s'%(_('Yes'), attr_name)
-                else:
-                    cat_name = '%s %s'%(_('No'), attr_name)
-            elif fm['datatype'] == 'datetime':
-                cat_name = '%s %s'%(format_date(category,
-                    fm['display'].get('date_format','dd MMM yyyy')), attr_name)
-            else:
-                cat_name = '%s %s'%(category, attr_name)
         return cat_name.strip()
 
     def get_collections(self, collection_attributes):
@@ -156,7 +142,7 @@ class CollectionsBookList(BookList):
             cust_field_meta = book.get_all_user_metadata(make_copy=False)
             for attr in attrs:
                 attr = attr.strip()
-                val = meta_vals.get(attr, None)
+                ign, val = book.format_field(attr, ignore_series_index=True)
                 if not val: continue
                 if isbytestring(val):
                     val = val.decode(preferred_encoding, 'replace')

src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/base.py

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book import SC_COPYABLE_FIELDS
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book import SC_FIELDS_COPY_NOT_NULL
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book import STANDARD_METADATA_FIELDS
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book import TOP_LEVEL_CLASSIFIERS
+from calibre.library.field_metadata import FieldMetadata
 from calibre.utils.date import isoformat, format_date
 
 
@@ -30,6 +31,8 @@ NULL_VALUES = {
                 'language'     : 'und'
 }
 
+field_metadata = FieldMetadata()
+
 class Metadata(object):
 
     '''
@@ -112,6 +115,31 @@ class Metadata(object):
         _data = object.__getattribute__(self, '_data')
         return frozenset(_data['user_metadata'].iterkeys())
 
+    def get_standard_metadata(self, field, make_copy):
+        '''
+        return field metadata from the field if it is there. Otherwise return
+        None. field is the key name, not the label. Return a copy if requested,
+        just in case the user wants to change values in the dict.
+        '''
+        if field in field_metadata and field_metadata[field]['kind'] == 'field':
+            if make_copy:
+                return copy.deepcopy(field_metadata[field])
+            return field_metadata[field]
+        return None
+
+    def get_all_standard_metadata(self, make_copy):
+        '''
+        return a dict containing all the standard field metadata associated with
+        the book.
+        '''
+        if not make_copy:
+            return field_metadata
+        res = {}
+        for k in field_metadata:
+            if field_metadata[k]['kind'] == 'field':
+                res[k] = copy.deepcopy(field_metadata[k])
+        return res
+
     def get_all_user_metadata(self, make_copy):
         '''
         return a dict containing all the custom field metadata associated with
@@ -315,24 +343,49 @@ class Metadata(object):
     def format_rating(self):
         return unicode(self.rating)
 
-    def format_custom_field(self, key):
+    def format_field(self, key, ignore_series_index=False):
+        from calibre.ebooks.metadata import authors_to_string
         '''
         returns the tuple (field_name, formatted_value)
         '''
-        cmeta = self.get_user_metadata(key, make_copy=False)
+        if key in self.user_metadata_keys:
-        name = unicode(cmeta['name'])
+            res = self.get(key, None)
-        res = self.get(key, None)
+            if res is None or res == '':
-        if res is not None:
+                return (None, None)
+            cmeta = self.get_user_metadata(key, make_copy=False)
+            name = unicode(cmeta['name'])
             datatype = cmeta['datatype']
             if datatype == 'text' and cmeta['is_multiple']:
                 res = u', '.join(res)
             elif datatype == 'series':
-                res = res + ' [%s]'%self.format_series_index(val=self.get_extra(key))
+                if not ignore_series_index:
+                    res = res + \
+                       ' [%s]'%self.format_series_index(val=self.get_extra(key))
             elif datatype == 'datetime':
                 res = format_date(res, cmeta['display'].get('date_format','dd MMM yyyy'))
             elif datatype == 'bool':
                 res = _('Yes') if res else _('No')
-        return (name, unicode(res))
+            return (name, unicode(res))
+
+        if key in field_metadata and field_metadata[key]['kind'] == 'field':
+            res = self.get(key, None)
+            if res is None or res == '':
+                return (None, None)
+            fmeta = field_metadata[key]
+            name = unicode(fmeta['name'])
+            datatype = fmeta['datatype']
+            if key == 'authors':
+                res = authors_to_string(res)
+            elif datatype == 'text' and fmeta['is_multiple']:
+                res = u', '.join(res)
+            elif datatype == 'series':
+                if not ignore_series_index:
+                    res = res + ' [%s]'%self.format_series_index()
+            elif datatype == 'datetime':
+                res = format_date(res, fmeta['display'].get('date_format','dd MMM yyyy'))
+            return (name, unicode(res))
+
+        return (None, None)
 
     def __unicode__(self):
         from calibre.ebooks.metadata import authors_to_string
@@ -371,7 +424,7 @@ class Metadata(object):
         for key in self.user_metadata_keys:
             val = self.get(key, None)
             if val is not None:
-                (name, val) = self.format_custom_field(key)
+                (name, val) = self.format_field(key)
                 fmt(name, unicode(val))
         return u'\n'.join(ans)
 
@@ -396,7 +449,7 @@ class Metadata(object):
         for key in self.user_metadata_keys:
             val = self.get(key, None)
             if val is not None:
-                (name, val) = self.format_custom_field(key)
+                (name, val) = self.format_field(key)
                 ans += [(name, val)]
         for i, x in enumerate(ans):
             ans[i] = u'<tr><td><b>%s</b></td><td>%s</td></tr>'%x

src/calibre/gui2/library/models.py

@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ class BooksModel(QAbstractTableModel): # {{{
                     (sidx, prepare_string_for_xml(series))
         mi = self.db.get_metadata(idx)
         for key in mi.user_metadata_keys:
-            name, val = mi.format_custom_field(key)
+            name, val = mi.format_field(key)
             if val is not None:
                 data[name] = val
         return data

src/calibre/library/field_metadata.py

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ Created on 25 May 2010
 '''
 
 from calibre.utils.ordered_dict import OrderedDict
+from calibre.utils.config import tweaks
 
 class TagsIcons(dict):
     '''
@@ -213,7 +214,7 @@ class FieldMetadata(dict):
                            'datatype':'text',
                            'is_multiple':None,
                            'kind':'field',
-                           'name':None,
+                           'name':_('On Device'),
                            'search_terms':['ondevice'],
                            'is_custom':False,
                            'is_category':False}),
@@ -231,7 +232,7 @@ class FieldMetadata(dict):
                            'datatype':'datetime',
                            'is_multiple':None,
                            'kind':'field',
-                           'name':None,
+                           'name':_('Published'),
                            'search_terms':['pubdate'],
                            'is_custom':False,
                            'is_category':False}),
@@ -258,7 +259,7 @@ class FieldMetadata(dict):
                            'datatype':'float',
                            'is_multiple':None,
                            'kind':'field',
-                           'name':None,
+                           'name':_('Size (MB)'),
                            'search_terms':['size'],
                            'is_custom':False,
                            'is_category':False}),
@@ -267,7 +268,7 @@ class FieldMetadata(dict):
                            'datatype':'datetime',
                            'is_multiple':None,
                            'kind':'field',
-                           'name':None,
+                           'name':_('Date'),
                            'search_terms':['date'],
                            'is_custom':False,
                            'is_category':False}),
@@ -276,7 +277,7 @@ class FieldMetadata(dict):
                            'datatype':'text',
                            'is_multiple':None,
                            'kind':'field',
-                           'name':None,
+                           'name':_('Title'),
                            'search_terms':['title'],
                            'is_custom':False,
                            'is_category':False}),
@@ -310,6 +311,10 @@ class FieldMetadata(dict):
             self._tb_cats[k]['display'] = {}
             self._tb_cats[k]['is_editable'] = True
             self._add_search_terms_to_map(k, v['search_terms'])
+        self._tb_cats['timestamp']['display'] = {
+                        'date_format': tweaks['gui_timestamp_display_format']}
+        self._tb_cats['pubdate']['display'] = {
+                        'date_format': tweaks['gui_pubdate_display_format']}
         self.custom_field_prefix = '#'
         self.get = self._tb_cats.get
 
@@ -410,7 +415,7 @@ class FieldMetadata(dict):
         if datatype == 'series':
             key += '_index'
             self._tb_cats[key] = {'table':None,        'column':None,
-                                 'datatype':'float',   'is_multiple':False,
+                                 'datatype':'float',   'is_multiple':None,
                                  'kind':'field',       'name':'',
                                  'search_terms':[key], 'label':label+'_index',
                                  'colnum':None,        'display':{},