ManYue edition comparison: distinguish monochrome, colour and revised copies

English translation of the Chinese original, translated on 2026-10-26. Original publication dates, attribution, code and version notes are retained.

Two shelf entries with the same name may be duplicate files or genuinely different editions. Covers alone cannot distinguish colour, monochrome, revised or translated versions reliably. Compare your own files systematically, decide what to retain, and make the chosen edition recognisable when reading.

Record each copy’s provenance

Give the copies temporary labels A and B. Record filenames, source locations, language, claimed edition and approximate length, retaining publication details when available. Marketing labels such as “complete” are not verified conclusions. Back up both originals. For server books, record the connection and library because similar works across services can have distinct identities and records.

Compare contents and coverage first

Inspect contents pages, publication pages and the end of each file. Establish whether they cover the same volume and chapters or include different extras. Page-count differences can arise from blank pages, advertisements or omnibus coverage. Compare chapter starts and endings before evaluating image quality. Leave unresolved differences in the notes rather than editing them away.

Choose three representative page types

Find matching text-heavy, tonally rich and spread pages in both editions. Compare them at similar displayed sizes, looking at lettering, linework, tones or colour and cropped edges. Colour alone does not prove a revision or greater detail. Record uneven quality across the sample instead of judging the entire edition from its best page.

Label the working files clearly

Use stable short edition labels after the series and volume in working filenames. Mark uncertain copies as unverified instead of inventing publication details. Keep an old-to-new filename map and test displayed names with a small import. Use visible metadata controls where available, or rely on grouping and your inventory. Renaming a file does not guarantee existing entries update automatically.

Confirm the edition before reading

Place the editions where they remain distinguishable and verify a known page before continuing. Record which is your main reading edition and which is a reference. Check identity again when entering through history or search. Shared names do not imply shared progress. If you read the wrong edition, transfer your place using chapter and scene rather than assuming identical page numbers.

Transfer position with scene anchors

Record a chapter title, a short scene description and nearby dialogue in the old edition. Locate that scene in the target edition and inspect adjacent pages before saving a new bookmark or progress. Covers, extras and spread splitting can shift page numbers. Keep the old bookmark until the new position is verified; automatic edition-aware record merging should not be assumed.

Confirm duplication before removal

Use coverage, representative pages and provenance to establish duplication. Matching checksums establish identical bytes; differing checksums can still reflect packaging differences, so inspect the contents. Before removal, confirm backups, progress and the deletion prompt’s scope. Shelf membership, local copies and server originals are different objects. Try one pair and reopen the retained edition before proceeding.

Questions and completion criteria

Can file size identify the sharper edition? No; page count, encoding and compression also affect it. Do identically named server entries share bookmarks? Verify their actual identities rather than assuming so. Finish with a comparison inventory, distinguishable shelf entries, a verified main reading position and retained originals. Keeping both editions can be the correct outcome.

Organise ManYue shelves: to read, reading and finished; ManYue bookmarks and notes: save a page and return to the right place.

Checked on October 26, 2026: ManYue public version 2.0.3, requiring iOS / iPadOS 15.0 or later. Based on the official App Store description and Apple public version lookup. This guide describes a checking workflow; controls and permissions depend on the installed version. It does not claim that every step was tested on a physical device.