Automating downloads with FlexGet
Media Miner

Take the strain out of downloading content from the Internet with FlexGet. Thanks to plugins, you can customize the tool to meet your requirements.
Your *nix operating system comes with a large selection of tools (e.g., cron) for handling recurring tasks, such as launching scripts at specific times; however, a number of other specialist tools can help the user in other areas as well. The FlexGet [1] Python tool specializes in automating Torrent, Usenet, podcast, comics, movie, and series downloads. To do so, it relies on RSS feeds [2], HTML pages, and CSV file sources. A graphical user interface [3] is currently on the development roadmap, but the current offering is still fairly rudimentary.
FlexGet gets much of its functionality from plugins [4]. The software tool initially requires some fairly complex configuration work, but once you have understood the principle and automated various applications, it will save you a huge amount of time. As an example, I show you how I can download episodes of a series from the German ZDF Mediathek site.
Installation
The first step is to install FlexGet. It is a good idea to type python -V
upfront to make sure you have at least Python version 2.6 or 2.7 on your system. To set up FlexGet, you can then use the Python Pip tool, which you might also need to install (Listing 1).
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
There's a New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle is a Linux AI assistant that can work with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.
-
Bugs Found in sudo
Two critical flaws allow users to gain access to root privileges.
-
Fedora Continues 32-Bit Support
In a move that should come as a relief to some portions of the Linux community, Fedora will continue supporting 32-bit architecture.