SWITCHtube-downloader

A Python cli-tool to download videos from SWITCHtube. Supports full organization / folder download and cookie caching. Great for automating video downloads to study from anywhere.

Features

• Download videos from SWITCHtube.
• cli authentication with cookie caching.
• support for organization / channels and direct video download.

Future Features

• asynchronous downloads.
• interactive selection of channels / lectures in organization and channels.

Disclaimer

This software is intended strictly for educational, legal, and personal use only.

The authors and contributors of this project do not support, condone, or endorse any illegal use of this software. By using this software, you agree to the following:

1. You are solely responsible for complying with all applicable copyright laws and terms of service for the content you download or interact with.
2. This software should not be used to download, distribute, or access copyright-protected, restricted, or proprietary content without explicit permission from the content owner or provider.
3. This project and its contributors are not liable for any misuse, and no guarantees are provided regarding functionality or legal compliance.

Please use this tool responsibly and ensure that any downloads comply with relevant terms of service and copyright laws.

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NOTE: If you are uncertain about the legality of downloading specific content, please consult the terms of service for that content or seek legal advice.

Installation

Step 1: Set up a Virtual Environment

It is recommended to use a virtual environment to manage dependencies for this project. To set up a virtual environment, follow these steps:

1. Create a virtual environment by running the following command:

   python -m venv venv

2. Activate the virtual environment:

   • On Windows:

     .\venv\Scripts\activate

   • On macOS/Linux:

     source venv/bin/activate

3. For more detailed guidance on virtual environments, refer to the official Python documentation.

Step 2: Install Requirements

With the virtual environment activated, install the required packages:

pip install -r requirements.txt

This will install all necessary dependencies listed in the requirements.txt file.

Configuration (optional)

This project requires certain environment variables to be set up in a .env file to function correctly. Create a .env file in the root directory of the project and include the following information:

SCHOOL=your_school_name
USERNAME=your_username
PASSWORD=your_password

Ensure that your .env file is securely stored and not shared publicly. You may want to add .env to your .gitignore file to prevent it from being committed to version control.

Usage

This tool uses command-line arguments to specify the video or folder URL to download, as well as user credentials and configuration options. The following arguments are supported:

Arguments:

• url (required): The URL of the video or folder you want to download.
• -u, --user (optional): The username required for authentication (if the service requires login).
• -p, --password (optional): The password for the specified username. If the -u (username) argument is provided, the -p (password) argument is required.
• -s, --school (optional): The university or school name for matching. This is required if the -u (username) is provided.
• -d, --dir (optional, default: downloads): The directory where the videos will be downloaded. If not provided, the default directory is downloads.
• --debug (optional): Run the browser in non-headless mode, showing the browser window (useful for debugging).

Example Usage

To download a video or folder, run the following command with the required URL:

python main.py <url>

Example 1: Download a video with no user credentials (headless mode enabled by default):

python main.py https://example.com/video

Example 2: Download a video with user credentials provided via CLI:

python main.py https://example.com/video -u your_username -p your_password -s your_school

Example 3: Download a video with a specific directory and enabling the browser window:

python main.py https://example.com/video -d /path/to/downloads --debug

Key Notes:

• values for --user, --password and --schoolcan be set using the .env file as described above.

• --user and --password: If you provide a username using --user, you must also provide the corresponding password using --password.

• --school: This argument should be used along with --user to specify the associated university or school name for authentication.