manga-dlp/docs/pages/download.md

# Download mangas

## File-structure

```txt
.
└── <download path>/
    └── <manga title>/
        └── <chapter title>/
            └── ComicInfo.xml (optional)
            └── 001.png
            └── 002.png
            └── etc.
```

**Example:**

```txt
./downloads/mangatitle/chaptertitle(.cbz)
```

## Select chapters to download

> With the option `-c "all"` you download every chapter available in the selected language

To download specific chapters you can use the option `-c` or `--chapters`. That you don't have to specify all chapters
individually, the script has some logic to fill in the blanks.

Examples:

```sh
# if you want to download chapters 1 to 5
python3 manga-dlp -u <url> -c 1-5

# if you want to download chapters 1 and 5
python3 manga-dlp -u <url> -c 1,5
```

If you use `--forcevol` it's the same, just with the volume number

```sh
# if you want to download chapters 1:1 to 1:5
python3 manga-dlp -u <url> -c 1:1-1:5

# if you want to download chapters 1:1 and 1:5
python3 manga-dlp -u <url> -c 1:1,1:5

# to download the whole volume 1
python3 manga-dlp -u <url> -c 1:
```

And a combination of all

```sh
# if you want to download chapters 1 to 5 and 9
python3 manga-dlp -u <url> -c 1-5,9

# with --forcevol
# if you want to download chapters 1:1 to 1:5 and 9, also the whole volume 4
python3 manga-dlp -u <url> -c 1:1-1:5,1:9,4:
```

## Set download path

With the option `-p/--path` you can specify a path to download the chapters to. The default path
is `<script_dir>/downloads`. Absolute and relative paths are supported.

**Example:**

`python3 manga-dlp.py <other options> --path /media/mangas`

This will save all mangas/chapters in the path `/media/mangas/<manga title>/<chapter name>`

## Set output format

> `--format` currently only works with `""`, `"pdf"`, `"zip"`, `"cbr"` and `"cbz"`.
> As it just renames the zip file with the new
> suffix (except pdf).

You can specify the output format of the manga images with the `--format` option.
The default is set to `.cbz`, so if no format is given it falls back to `<manga-name>/<chapter_name>.cbz`

For pdf creation you have to install [img2pdf](https://pypi.org/project/img2pdf/).
With the amd64 docker image it is already installed
see more in the Docker [README.md](../docker/).

**Supported format options:**

* cbz -> `--format "cbz"` **- default**
* cbr -> `--format "cbr"`
* zip -> `--format "zip"`
* pdf -> `--format "pdf"`
* _none_ -> `--format ""` - this saves the images just in a folder

**Example:**

`python3 manga-dlp.py <other options> --format "zip"`

This will download the chapter and save it as a zip archive.

## Set chapter naming format

You can specify the naming format of the downloaded chapters with the `--name-format` option.
Just be sure that you use quotation marks so that the cli parser interprets it as one string.

Available placeholders are:

- `{manga_title}` -> The name of the manga
- `{chapter_name}` -> The name of the chapter
- `{chapter_vol}` -> The volume number of the chapter
- `{chapter_num}` -> The chapter number

**Example:**

- Manga title: "Test title"
- Chapter name: "Test chapter"
- Chapter volume: 3
- Chapter number: 2

`python3 manga-dlp.py <other options> --format "cbz" --name-format "{chapter_name}-{chapter_vol}-{chapter_num}"`

This will create an archive with the name: `Test chapter-3-2.cbz`

You don't have to use all variables, but if you use an invalid placeholder, it will fall back to the default naming.

### Set empty variables

If the placeholder variables are empty, the default behaviour is to set it as an empty string. But this can be changed
with the `--name-format-none` flag.

**Example:**

- Manga title: "Test title"
- Chapter name: "Test chapter"
- Chapter volume:
- Chapter number: 2

`python3 manga-dlp.py <other options> --format "cbz" --name-format "{chapter_name}-{chapter_vol}-{chapter_num}`

This would create an archive with the name: `Test chapter--2.cbz`

So to fix this issue you need to set the `--name-format-none` flag.

`python3 manga-dlp.py <other options> --format "cbz" --name-format "{chapter_name}-{chapter_vol}-{chapter_num} --name-format-none "0"`

This will create an archive with the name: `Test chapter-0-2.cbz`

## Read links from a file

With the option `--read` you can specify a file with links to multiple mangas. They will be parsed from top to bottom
one at a time. Every link will be matched for the right api to use. It is important that you only have one link per
line, otherwise they can't be parsed.

**Example:**

```txt
# mangas.txt
link1
link2
link3
```

`python3 manga-dlp.py --read mangas.txt --list`

This will list all available chapters for link1, link2 and link3.

## Create basic cache

With the `--cache-path <cache file>` option you can let the script create a very basic json cache. Your downloaded
chapters will be
tracked there, and the script doesn't have to check on disk if you already downloaded it.

If the option is unset (default), then no caching will be done.

## Add metadata

manga-dlp supports the creation of metadata files in the downloaded chapter.
The metadata is based on the newer [ComicRack/Anansi](https://anansi-project.github.io/docs/introduction) standard.
The default option is to add the metadata in the folder/archive with the name `ComicInfo.xml`.
If you don't want metadata, you can pass the `--no-metadata` flag.

> pdf format does not support metadata at the moment