YouTube downloader - example script

[S0mbre]

Hi! For some reason, I wasn't able to post this example in the 'Examples' forum (the posting button is inactive for me...) Still, I just wanted to share this little sample with everyone on the forums.

I wrote this script simply because I (like many others, I'm sure) sometimes want to have copies of videoclips posted on YouTube on my computer to view them when I want. It's hardly any secret that the videos, before being played back online, are first 'cached', i.e. downloaded to a temp folder (for IE it's 'Temporary Internet Files'), and the section of the video that has been downloaded is then being played. So, in fact, nothing legally prohibits having the videos on your local machine. Actually, there are tons of software on the Internet (much of which is free) that implements this idea too. But this AU3 script is just to show that there are quite simple ways of doing things, since there are features and possibilities that may be hidden from most users and too tedious to access manually for pros. Anyways, here it is - 'YouTuber' - a script to automate video downloading from YouTube.

Like many simpler programs of the same objective (saving online videos), this one implies opening the browser (in this case, it must be IE) and waiting till the video has been cached (it's not necessary to actually watch the video to the end). Then the user indicates the save folder (Desktop is by default) and just presses one button to copy any videos found in the cache folder to the target folder. That's it. Simple and stupid Not so stupid, probably, 'cos the script can do something (like, i.e., renaming files if there is a filename coincidence in the source and target folders, and attaching the proper extension to video files cached with no extension - a propos, this is '.flv').

Hope you enjoy it!

Edited November 5, 2013 by Melba23
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[GerrOrneq]

FYI:

I have just tried out you script on Win 7 Home premium and it does axactly what it says on the tin.

I am sure that I have seen somewhere on this forum other scripts to perform this task but I have to say your's is one of the best examples of the KISS principle I have seen in a long time.

Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing.

DeMo.

[S0mbre]

Yeah, thanks man! I've just stumbled on one *VERY* good script called L|M|TER YouTube! Center 5.4.0 posted <snip> by LIMITER, one of the forum's veteran members. This one far surpasses mine in functionality, since it does all the downloading AND viewing instead of the browser... But I just thought that since everyone on Windows OS has IE, this might be a simpler alternative

Edited November 5, 2013 by Melba23
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[S0mbre]

Here! Script upgraded!

* ADDED: When copying video files from the temp folder, the script will now scan for the existing FLV's in the target folder. If the extensions and file times of the source file and any of the FLV's found should coincide, the user will be warned if he/she wants to skip this file (since it's probably the same as the one already existing) or copy it with a new name. Any other files will be copied and, if need be, renamed to evade file name conflicts.

This new feature helps a lot if you are in no habit of cleaning your IE temp folder regularly and if you _are_ in the habit of saving all videos into one and the same folder (as I do).

Edited November 5, 2013 by Melba23
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