List of proposed changes to MacYTDL - as at 31/7/24

[section83]

This is a list of features that might be added in the future. It is not in priority order. If you would like one of these or any other feature added to MacYTDL, please post an issue or discussion, or send an email (address is in the "About" dialog.

1. Look at whether “--merge-output-format” is a useful option to add.
   • Only if merging video and audio files.
2. Add settings for Adobe Pass credentials, video password and .netrc credentials.
3. Redesign Help as a Wiki published on GitHub.
4. Add settings for “--autonumber-start” and “--output-na-placeholder”.
5. Redesign save/restore settings.
6. Provide a scheduling facility.
7. Enable user to save one or more set of login credentials – could use KeyChain.
8. Provide UI for config file functionality – could have more than one switchable config.
9. Provide a macOS "Shortcut" to replace/supplement the current "Send-URL-to_MacYTDL" Service.
10. Option on installation to add shortcut to Dock.
    • Involves killing the Dock process (which usually restarts) so that change to a plist file is implemented.
11. Organising downloads by uploader/downloader
    • Is this of any benefit ?
12. Facility to get cookies from current browser.
13. Add option to control downloads according to date ?
14. Add "Archives" functionality.
15. Facility to search log files.
16. Combine the separate Monitor dialogs into a single dialog that can be hidden and repositioned – probably by developing the Monitor as an AppleScript applet.
17. Option to turn off the Monitor notifications when downloads started (Monitor) and finished (Alert).
18. Add option to choose playlist items for download – currently always downloads entire list.
19. Add option to choose downloads from batch file – currently always downloads entire batch.
20. Enable download of duplicates – perhaps with an index to differentiate files.
21. Add option to store YTDL settings with each URL in a batch – would enable different settings for each download.
    • Could have one set of settings for each batch list.
22. Facility to create more than one batch list and choose which to download.
23. Add facility to recode codecs inside a container perhaps with warning on slow Macs.
24. Provide a file count for playlists, batches and multiple downloads with progress e.g. "2 of 6 files completed".
25. Add an abort on error setting – on/off.
26. Provide for use of the yt-dlp command "-exec".
27. Convert Help from PDF to Wiki.
28. Facility for searching log files e.g. for details of past downloads.
29. Update translations for changes since 2021.

[zxzzz8]

about ''24. Add option to delete URLs from batch file after download.''

as i understand, currently it deletes all of them if all the batch succeeded,
and doesn't remove anything at all, if even 1 of them failed / interrupted due to internet disconnect etc'....
i think the best default behavement is that it removes only the links of the successful downloads, while leaving these that failed / had issues / weren't downloaded.... if its not too troublesome to implement?

[zxzzz8]

also about ''27. Add function to reset all settings to default.''
if you add something like that, then please..
make sure if you click this option, it gives a warning window with ''are you sure?'' and that 'cancel' is the default selected option for that window....
as such an option scares me XD especially when i can't export a backup of the settings i guess? lol
actually does backing up and restoring 'MacYTDL.plist' serve as a settings backup?

[section83]

Zxzzz8, many thanks for all that feedback. It really does help.

i think the best default behavement is that it removes only the links of the successful downloads, while leaving these that failed / had issues / weren't downloaded.

Yes, that would be best. It will take a fair amount of code crunching to follow each download. It will be difficult as the output from YT/YT-DLP is different depending on how much FFmpeg is used. The change would work in combination with idea 25 perhaps.

It ties in with idea 3 which I think is a priority.

about ''27. Add function to reset all settings to default.'' if you add something like that, then please..make sure if you click this option, it gives a warning window with ''are you sure?'' and that 'cancel' is the default selected option for that window.

Can do.

does backing up and restoring 'MacYTDL.plist' serve as a settings backup?

Yes, but, "MacYTDL.plist" is the only settings file currently used. So, you can manually rename it and a new plist file will be created on next startup. You can manage the various plists using their names (e.g. "MacYTDL-youtube.plist") and rename the one you want active to "MacYTDL.plist". I could add a function that does that. Just beware that removing or renaming "MacYTDL.plist" while MacYTDL is running will cause a crash (at present).

Cheers.

[zxzzz8]

actually i was worried that mby im bothering you too much XD
but i guess i assumed i don't need to feel that way with how you respond? ^^

oh and about ''3. Provide for downloads to be paused and continued – possibly by adding "Keep files" option to the "Stop" function.''

can that also include the ability to not break the file when there is an internet disconnect?
i have quite an unstable internet recently in the past few years, and on top of that, its standard where i live to have dynamic ip, so that also breaks a file when that happens....

[section83]

Not sure what you mean by "break the file". Both youtube-dl and YT-DLP will continue a partial download. I have tested that and it works well. You will possibly see files with ".part" extension. That's a partial download. But the file is possibly not playable until complete.

Cheers.

[zxzzz8]

i see, it gave me that impression, sense when i downloaded a batch, after a disconnect, it did not try to continue the partial file it stopped in the middle, but instead leave it like that and move to the next....

then i guess what i ask is that after a disconnect when using the batch tool, it will not move to the next file after a disconnect [or finish the process if its the last file], but instead retry to continue the file it stopped first....

[section83]

I have very little control over how youtube-dl/YT-DLP handle batches. I can't interrupt the Python process and force it to go back and try again. Also, there can be many causes of errors which youtube-dl/YT-DLP don't trap.

Nonetheless, I can monitor a batch download and when finished get MacYTDL to go back, find any errors and try again. However, it's tricky to test as my Internet connection does not disconnect – maybe I can test it by unplugging my Ethernet cable during a batch download !

There is an option to "abort-on-error" which might be what you're after. I'll add that as an option in "Settings". MacYTDL does already report that there were error(s) in a download. Abort-on-error will prevent the youtube-dl/YT-DLP process from continuing when there are problems such as flakey Internet connections.

[zxzzz8]

section83--''Nonetheless, I can monitor a batch download and when finished get MacYTDL to go back, find any errors and try again....''

if you can do that^, then that might be the best solution for me, if it can check the broken files and finish downloading them, after finishing the main batch....

btw if you do that solution, do you think there is a chance that it will lose a few seconds part of the video where it brute-stopped due to internet loss?

[section83]

btw if you do that solution, do you think there is a chance that it will lose a few seconds part of the video where it brute-stopped due to internet loss?

youtube-dl/YT-DLP continue downloading from the point in the file at which it stopped. It doesn't matter how long the time is between downloading being stopped and being continued as long as the "part" file is available.

[zxzzz8]

so the brute-stop won't corrupt some data if i understand correctly?

[section83]

Correct - including if the download process is killed, such as by the “Stop” function in MacYTDL.

…

On 30 Nov 2021, at 7:51 pm, zx ***@***.***> wrote:  so the brute-stop won't corrupt some data if i understand correctly? — You are receiving this because you were assigned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. Triage notifications on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS or Android.

[nottooloud]

re 17 Enable finer choices on codecs ?

Is there way to output YT's webm as something that works with quicklook?