OD-Downloader/README.md

Open Directory Downloader

Desktop GUI for browsing and downloading from open directory listings (Apache/Nginx autoindex). It works out of the box with built-in HTTP/HTTPS and can optionally use wget for faster folder pulls when available.

Features

• Remote directory browser with tree view and list view
• Local folder browser with drag-and-drop targets
• Download single files or entire folders
• Optional wget mode for recursive folder downloads
• Progress display for individual files and aggregate folder downloads
• Light/dark themes with persistence

Requirements

• Node.js (LTS recommended)
• npm (bundled with Node.js)
• Optional: wget on your PATH to enable recursive folder downloads via wget

Install

npm install

Run

npm start

Usage

1. Enter a remote URL that points to an autoindex listing (for example an "Index of" page).
2. Choose a local destination folder (prompted on first launch or via the Browse button).
3. Select a file or folder from the remote list:
   • Double-click a folder to enter it.
   • Drag a remote item onto a local folder to download there.
   • Or select an item and use "Download Selected".
4. Watch progress in the toolbar and logs in the Session Log panel.

Screenshot

Add a screenshot to show the UI. Suggested filename: docs/screenshot.png.

docs/screenshot.png

If you want to embed it:

![Open Directory Downloader UI](docs/screenshot.png)

How it works

Open Directory Downloader is an Electron app with three layers:

• Main process (src/main.js) handles HTTP/HTTPS, parsing directory listings, and performing downloads.
• Preload (src/preload.js) exposes safe IPC APIs to the renderer.
• Renderer (src/renderer.js) drives the UI, local/remote navigation, and progress display.

Remote parsing supports common Apache autoindex layouts (table and <pre> formats). Folder downloads are performed by recursively crawling the listing and downloading files, unless wget mode is enabled.

Development

• Main process: src/main.js
• Renderer: src/renderer.js
• Preload: src/preload.js
• UI markup: src/index.html
• Styling: src/styles.css

Recommended workflow:

1. Run npm start to launch the Electron app.
2. Make changes to renderer assets (src/index.html, src/renderer.js, src/styles.css).
3. Restart the app to pick up main/preload changes; renderer changes may require a manual refresh or restart depending on Electron caching.

Optional wget mode

If wget is detected on the system, the "Use wget if available" toggle is enabled.

• Folder downloads will use wget -r -np -nH -P <destDir> <url>
• File downloads still use the built-in HTTP/HTTPS client

Project scripts

npm start   # Launch the Electron app
npm run pack
npm run dist

Packaging

This project uses electron-builder for packaging.

• npm run pack builds unpacked artifacts
• npm run dist builds platform installers

See package.json for configuration defaults. You may need to add an electron-builder config if you want icons, signing, or platform-specific settings.

Limitations and notes

• The remote listing parser expects a standard autoindex HTML page.
• If a server customizes its directory listing heavily, parsing may fail.
• Aggregate progress for folder downloads requires size metadata from the listing; otherwise progress is indeterminate.
• Some servers may block recursive downloading or throttle requests.

Troubleshooting

• "HTTP 403/404": The server may block listing or direct file access.
• Empty list: Verify the URL ends with a trailing / and is an autoindex page.
• wget toggle disabled: Install wget and ensure it is on your PATH, then restart the app.

License

MIT