Automate downloading a ton of files

Mike Danger

I just got asked at work to download a zillion files. I have a page of links that each look like this:

<td style="width:16px;"><img OnClick="window.open('/Analytics/Data/ViewResponseDetails.aspx?responseGuid=be9b4e83-cd5b-479e-a61a-7fa88b91aef8&amp;noChrome=true', 'Response', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes')" src="/Images/details16.gif" style="border-width:0px;cursor:hand;" /></td><td align="left">FILENAME.EXTENSION - 289 KB</td>

Each of those links goes to a page with a link like this:

<input type="image" style="border-width:0px;" src="/Images/data_down.gif" id="ctl00_pageContentPlace_DownloadFile3753655" name="ctl00$pageContentPlace$DownloadFile3753655">

When I click that second link, it gives me the usual Firefox "you have chosen to open...." dialog.

Is there a good way to do this with a browser extension or something? I have been trying DownThemAll/FlashGot, but they don't seem to work (or I just don't know enough about them to use them). I think that OnClick tag for the first link might be throwing it off.

electricitylikesme

Python's Mechanize library is really handy for little tasks like this, but you might want to check out jDownloader which was recommended to me for doing this sort of thing.

Apothe0sis

You could use DownThemAll (http://www.downthemall.net/) which is the best download manager plugin for Firefox. You can then right click any non object on the page and select "DownThemAll..." and you'll be able to tell it which links to download (either by selecting them, or via filters). Or you can throw caution to the wind and use DownThemAll! One Click and it will download everything it sees/whatever you did last time.

Or you could be rad as all heck and use wget (if you have the linux).

DVG

Are they all on the same page? If you don't mind installing ruby, watir webdriver could take care of that in no time