Manga Downloader Project

August 16, 2013

Developing a project of one’s own: Manga Downloader


If my college had allowed us to submit application-based projects, this is something that I’d have submitted, no matter how wacky it is.
But since it’s not happening, this is my own personal crusade – developing a Manga Downloader for manga/manhwa/manhua lovers living in slow-internet-network areas like me.

Here’s a few facts about Mangas online:
1. Manga pages are basically individual images scanned from magazines (aka raws) and then translated by dedicated fans. (Hence, Scanned + Translated = Scanslated).
2. Which is, well, illegal. But unavoidable and in fact necessary for fans living outside Japan/China/(N&S)Korea and do not understand the native language.
3. These scanslated mangas can be accessed in two ways:

  • Individual pages (images) hosted by free manga-hosting sites such as Mangafox.com, Mangahere.com, etc
  • Compressed in bundles of chapters or volumes from Manga-sharing sites such as MangaTraders, and from public torrent trackers like Bakabt.

Torrents are the friendly neighbourhood saviours for internet speed victims like me. But bakabt doesn’t share many titles. And that’s when you’re in trouble.

  1. MangaTraders has almost all the files you need, but it does not allow Download Helpers. And since the compressed zip/rar files are huge, there is a chance that your network might get cut off, and then you have to start the download all over again.
  2. In those cases, reading online seems like a better choice. But if your internet speed is already slow, then the pages take a very long time to load. Especially because of the multiple advertisements littering the page.
    • In this case, it is a MUCH better idea to right-click on the manga image and choose to view image in new tab.
    • And then increment the page serial number in the address bar to view the next page. Since it’s just the manga image deviod of unnecessary elements, it is much faster to load.

My Manga Downloader project is based on the above logic. I’ve observed that the Manga-hosting sites more often than not name the uploaded images according to their page numbers (e.g. 001.jpg, 002.jpg etc.) , so applying a simple parsing logic to get the page number, and then incrementing it by one to get the next page, I can download the Manga chapter wise.

I’ve already developed to this point, and will be working on the following problems:

  1. Till now I’ve been getting the URL to the first image by opening the image in a new tab. Will try to make it more user-friendly.
  2. Will add customised folder-facilities for individual chapters and volumes.
  3. Add a compressing facility for those who would wish to save these files permanently.
  4. Oh yes, and fix the unattractive interface. (it IS a prototype right now, after all)

I hope to add these features ASAP, and then make it available free for download online very soon!

There’s however, an unavoidable disadvantage. For those who are accustomed to very high quality scans, the images downloaded by this program is definitely of lower quality since Manga-hosting sites reduce image quality to decrease size and increase loading speed…

More updates, later.

August 17, 2013

17 Aug 13 update – A peek into the Manga Downloader Project


And before you think, “Why is this crazy girl bothering with such a project”… well hey, to each her own! Like I said in my previous post, Developing a project of one’s own: Manga Downloader, I started with this project with just my convenience in my mind. Hence the logic is not really universally applicable, it’s just a tool for me right now when my internet speed sucks.

Let’s take a look at the extremely unattractive and utilitarian prototype Downloader and how it currently works:

First of all I need to launch the .jar file from command prompt:

cmd1

This launches the GUI interface of my downloader:

manga1

What I need next is the url of the first image, and the number of pages that chapter possesses. For that purpose I first have to go to the manga hosting site (let’s go with MangaFox for now):

From the mangafox page we get two values: the total number of pages (highlighted in red), and the link to first image.

mf1

Then we open the image in a new tab to verify the underlying theory behind my prototype: that the image is of the form “pageNumber.extension”

mf2

In the above case, it IS true. So I copy the url in the address bar, and the number of pages, into my Downloader and hit submit. As the download progresses, I know exactly which page is being downloaded, in the Status area.

dwld1

And when all’s done, I simply get the message  – “Downloaded” in my status.

dwld2

After the download is over, all the images can be found in the download location:

cmplt

So far, it’s been working okay. But often, I hit snags such as credit pages which do NOT come in the “pagenumber.extension” form. In those cases I have to “fast-forward” a couple of pages to determine the naming convention of that chapter and then enter the URL in the Downloader – which defeats the purpose of building it (i.e. to avoid surfing through the manga hosting sites as much as possible.

So my next short-term goal is to figure out how to circumvent this problem. That’s it for now, I’ll come up with the next update on this project next week!

Related articles

 

August 23, 2013

23 Aug 13 update – Manga Downloader now MangaFox Ripper


Last week I’d set a short term agenda in order to make the manga downloader user-friendly and remove errors present, and now I’m thrilled to state that I think I did it 😀 But I had to sacrifice one thing to achieve that – the manga downloader is no longer a universal downloader but one that would work only with MangaFox. But the happy news is that it is easy to update and I can add other sites to it later on!

So what’s different about this version of downloader, MangaFox Ripper?

1. You no longer have to open the first chapter and let the image load, and then acquire the image’s url. Nope, if you get the chapter’s url, it is definitely enough!

2. You no longer need to enter the no. of pages in the chapter (for which you would have had to open the first chapter too). MangaFox Ripper can figure out the no. of pages if you just input the chapter URL.

3. MangaFox Ripper is more intelligent. If you input an page’s url that is not from the first page but somewhere in the middle, it will just download the pages till the last chapter and will not download the pages preceding the entered one. This means if somehow an earlier download had been interrupted you can simply continue from where you’d left.

4. Hierarchical folder system – MangaFox Ripper can intelligently determine the manga’s name and chapter number, and can store the downloaded images in systematic order.

So let’s take a look at this newer version:

Save the application in the location you want your images to be downloaded (e.g. your Downloads folder)

Like before, you have to launch the application from command line from the location where you’ve stored the application (you may want to take a look at the previous post  A Peek into the Manga Downloader Project for a more detailed explanation regarding how you do that)

The command is different since the jar name is different, so you go

java.exe -jar MangaFoxRipper.jar

screen1

You then need to get the chapter’s URL; it doesn’t matter from where. You can search for the manga and then get the URL from the manga’s page in MangaFox

screen3

In my opinion, you can make the most of this program if you keep bookmarks in Mangafox so that you can keep tabs on the releases and download the new chapters as they come without navigating to the chapter.

screen2

After acquiring the chapter’s url, all you need is to enter it in the MangaFox Ripper.

screenha

After you click on submit, MangaFox Ripper automatically figures out the no. of pages it has to download and starts downloading.

schreenha

After the download is over, it flashes the message in it’s status.

screenhahaha

Once the download is over, you can click on “open” to go to the download location, and see the manga images stored in proper hierarchy.

screenhaaaaaaaaa

It now no longer matters how the images are named; if they show up on the site, they will get downloaded.

So I think I did it… The MangaFox Ripper is ready to roll! *Does a happy jig*

Now I can say what I’ve ALWAYS wanted to… which is…

I NEED BETA TESTERS! ARE YOU INTERESTED??!! *grin* 😀

 

Related articles

 

October 19, 2013

Revamped MangaFox Downloader: Now Beta Testing


The link in this post has been updated to the most recent version of MangaFox Downloader. Please view this post to check the changes and additional functionalities.

Yep, I changed the name again. “MangaFox Ripper” gave me “The Ripper” chills. #TheVampireDiariesReference 😛

So the name “MangaFox Downloader” is neat, simple and self-explanatory. Yay!

And yes, this is a momentous occasion… The tiny little program that looked like a pimply gangly high-schooler, is now a professional-looking downloader, if I may say so 😀

Now you can download multiple chapters at the same time, stop the downloader if you want, and resume at your will! Finally can I now claim it’s a full-fledged Downloader. *Dances a jig*

And yes, this version is ready for beta-testing, so I’d really appreciate your help!

You can get the tiny li’l file (about 20kBs) right here.

There is no need to install. Just save the .jar file in the location where you want your manga chapters to be stored. Then in command prompt go to that location, and type in the command:

java -jar “MangaFox Downloader.jar”

file1

Which will launch the MangaFox Downloader interface.

file2

It actually DOES look like a real downloader now, doesn’t it *grins*

Next, is to get the link of the manga chapter from the free manga-hosting website, http://mangafox.me/

You need to copy the link of the individual chapter, not the manga’s ‘home-page’.

file3

Then all you have to do next is paste the link in MangaFoxDownloader’s Download bar, and click on ‘Add Download’ and you’re all set!

file5

This version of MangaFox Downloader supports multiple downloads, so there’s no need for waiting for a chapter to finish downloading before you download others!

file6

Hope you all enjoy!

Once again, you can find the downloader here: http://www.4shared.com/file/vlF4bcCK/MangaFox_Downloader.html

The Downloader needs no installing. However, you WILL need to have JRE installed. If you don’t, you’re missing out a lot of fun! You can get it for free right here: http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp

I’d appreciate your feedback!

If you want to know more about how this project came to being, check this out: Developing a project of one’s own: Manga Downloader

Related articles
November 1, 2013

MangaFox Downloader v2.0’s here! [Post Updated 01/24]


Updated on 24 Jan: The next version is out! Check out the the release blog post here to see what is new… and I assure you a LOT is! I am removing the download link in this page. However, if you still want this version, it’s available in the archives page.

Original Post:

I got a few suggestions regarding the previous version of MangaFox Downloader, and now here’s a levelled-up version for you!

Download the latest version, MangaFox Downloader v2 here. (P.s. link updated! You don’t need to register in 4shared to nab the file now.)

In addition to all the functionalities previously present in the first version (Find out here), MangaFoxDownloader v2 can now get your chapter links for you by itself!

Things that have changed:

Now , if you want, you no longer need to search and enter the link to the manga chapter you want. Now you can just enter the Manga’s name in the text field.

1

And if the manga is present in MangaFox’s directory then voila! It’ll fetch the list of chapters available.

2

And then you can download all the chapters you need! However, you will need to make sure you’ve spelled the name correctly… I haven’t added a “closest hit” functionality yet, but it IS in the to-do list!

3

MangaFox Downloader v2 permits multiple selection, so it makes the downloader even more user friendly.

Finally, I’ve modified the naming pattern of the folders by incorporating not just the chapter name but volume name too. This is because I realised sometimes chapters names are redundant while present in separate volumes. In such a case, the previous version would have just overwritten the first occurring chapter.

So MangaFox Downloader is now much improved, and is still improving. I’d love to get more ideas so that it becomes the best one out there! 😀

And yes, it is a MangaFox Downloader for now, but very soon we will do away with the “Fox” in the name… Ambition ambition!

Related articles
January 15, 2014

The latest version coming up! [Updated]


Like I promised, I’ve been working on the manga downloader on the quiet for quite a while, and it’s ready! Well, almost. This one-woman-team cannot possibly detect all bugs errors but I’m continuously testing the poor thing 😀

And I promise it’ll be up by Sunday!

Why download it again when you already have the previous version?
1. It’s size is in 20-30 kBs, so what’s the harm?
2. It’s gotten better and better, so why miss out on the new features?!

What to look forward to? Here’s one hint: think Batoto. Yep, the little thing is no longer just a MangaFox Downloader! There are many more added features and I hope you all will look forward to them!

There is another issue though… I’ve been oscillating between calling the program Manga Downloader and MangaFox Downloader, and now that it’s become a full fledged manga downloader (supporting >1 sites), it needs a name. I’m thinking of calling it MangaCrazy (yeah, really innovative 😛 But hey, it drives home the right message, eh?) Any suggestions? 😀

See you all on 19th Jan then! 🙂

************************************************************************

Updated on 20 Jan:

I had to break my promise… I had these stupid class tests that I had thought would be easy… and boy was I wrong… So there is going to be a slight delay in the release. I’m testing the very final test cases, and if I’m not wrong, I’m going to release VERY VERY soon… And I already have ideas about what to go on with next!

************************************************************************

Updated on 24 Jan:

Well, the new version is up! Check out my post here for further details: http://wp.me/p3PgFh-2R

January 25, 2014

Unveiling MangaCrazy v2.5!


Update 20 Aug 2014: The program has really levelled up. Please note that the current version includes all the functionalities mentioned down below and much more too.

Here it is – the version 2.5 of my full fledged Manga Downloader, and now it has a name too! Behold MangaCrazy – the free Manga Downloader that supports both Batoto as well as Mangafox! (Update 05-Apr-2014: This strike-through is very temporary, I’m working to reclaim the lost territory! For the meanwhile, please set the search site as “Mangafox”. For further details, please check out https://bakshree.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/i-heard-there-is-a-bug/. Sorry for the inconvenience! )

Grab it for free here: This is an older version. Please download the latest version from the sidebar or from the main downloads page! You can still find this version in the archives, though.

This version is rich with features, and I hope you would like them! I have included a manga-tracking functionality that helps you remember what chapters you have already downloaded. You can also decide how the mangas are stored, chapter-wise or volume wise (if volume numbers are available, that is. Some, like webtoons, usually don’t come as volumes so they would automatically be stored chapter-wise).

When more than one sites are supported, it means that you can not only enter MangaFox or Batoto links to get the manga, but you can also merely type just the manga’s name and the program will find it for you. So this means you need to decide which site would be your first preference in search. So this version lets you decide that.

I have included one final option in the preferences – whether or not to compress the final file. Many of us read the mangas using softwares like CDisplay or Comical which support rar/zip/cbr/cbz files. MangaCrazy can, now, convert the downloaded manga into .zip files if the option is selected. It will also delete the original downloaded chapter/folder in order to save space. If you want to, you can always unzip the .zip file to get it back =)

Apart from these major changes, I have played with the GUI for a bit. A preference button beside the “Add Download” button, and having icons instead of text on buttons is just some of them. The download list is now sortable, and hopefully less error-prone. Check out the details provided in the screenshots below.

However, being a one-woman team, of course there must be some facets I must have overlooked. And I’d be extremely grateful if anybody could help me and pointed them out! I AM really grateful to the positive feedback I received from some of you folks. It drives home the realisation that my effort isn’t just whimsical and that it indeed helped someone else . So thank you for using my Manga Downloader, henceforth MangaCrazy – the free Manga Downloader =)

Just a heads up, the .jar file is a bit larger than the previous version. It is… wait for it… 102 kBs large. I hope you guys will forgive me 😛

So here’s what’s different:

scr1

You must have noticed – my little program not only has its own name (MangaCrazy) but also its own symbol/logo! What else is different? The user interface is even more intuitive, with icons present instead of text on buttons. As previously mentioned, a manga tracking option, if selected, keeps track of the mangas you download and displays the previously downloaded chapters in green so that you don’t download them again by mistake (but if you want to do intentionally, it won’t stop you!). And of course, the other new feature is that Batoto is supported. More about that later.

The gear button present next to the “Add Download” button launches the Preferences Dialog.

scr2

The Preferences dialog lets you customize MangaCrazy as per your requirement. You can select your download location, the manner in which the mangas are stored as well as choose whether or not to enable tracking.

scr3

Like I said earlier, MangaCrazy currently supports two sites – Batoto and Mangafox. So you can select which site you would prefer to download from. However, if the manga cannot be found in the preferred site, the program continues to search for it in the other site. About choosing which to set as the preferred site – while Batoto is scanslator friendly and provides better quality of scans/images, Mangafox is more structured and there are no redundant chapters (Just a brief comparison).

scr4

Many manga reader softwares like CDisplay open files in compressed form. So if you choose to, you can get your manga ready in compressed form =).

And finally, a message from this developer:

scr5

So, if you’re already here, do drop a line!!

I hope you guys enjoy this =)

Cheers!

April 5, 2014

I heard there is a BUG!


See, it seems there is a problem. TWO, in fact! *Oh God*

First – Batoto.net did something. They changed their site’s format or something, I haven’t really investigated what, but MangaCrazy is able to extract only first few chapters of a manga, and that too incompletely… Argh! Good news is, Mangafox is still accessible. Mangafox is currently making some manga titles (once they are licensed) inaccessible in certain countries, but fear not. MangaCrazy can still download them!

So folks, make sure that the site you’re searching is Mangafox in the Options/preferences… Currently Batoto is the default site. I’ll fix this ASAP. (Sorry for the inconvenience! 😦 )

Second – MangaCrazy didn’t run well on Windows 8! I do NOT have Win8, so I had no way of checking on that platform and just blindly trusted omnipotent JRE. But then I wanted to show off my little program to my cousin who downloaded it on HIS Win 8… Guess what? Didn’t work -_- I’m not sure it was just his system, or is this true for all Windows 8 systems? I would be eternally grateful if you guys could just give the program a trial on whatever platform you use and let me know if you faced any problems. (The link is on the sidebar)

 

Going crazy,

Geekista.

 

May 26, 2014

Behold MangaCrazy v3.0!


I’m very sorry for the very long wait! It definitely took me longer than I thought to finish my other responsibilities before I could get down to work on my poor Downloader – and honestly a lot of other stuff is still pending. I got a job (yay) and I have tons of paperwork to complete before I leave, but still I somehow did manage to sneak some time for my pet project 😀 So behold the new version! And here’s a treat: MangaCrazy v3.0 now supports Mangareader.net and Mangabird.com!! ^_^ Just select the site you want to search in, enter the manga’s name and voilà! new I worked on fixing the Batoto part too, but there wasn’t much I had to do. I realised what was wrong only now: Batoto does not host many licensed mangas. So while the chapters would show up using the other sites, Batoto would fail… And I thought it was a bug in my program 🙂 #phew I have fixed some issues with the compression, so hopefully now the errors would be more infrequent. The chapter/volume storage needed a bit of tweaking too, and now it’s done. I had planned v3.0 really ambitiously, had aimed to add much more sites, but sadly I ran out of site names! These are the sites I frequent the most. If you guys visit/prefer some other sites, please, do mention them in comments so that I can add them too! And for those who are newbies and don’t have any preference, here are a few tips:

  1. If you want your manga to be stored in really systematic manner, go for MangaFox
  2. If you want your scans/images to be of high(er) quality,goforBatoto. Of course, accordingly the image size would be larger (not too much though))
    1. However, some licensed mangas are unavailable in Batoto
    2. Batoto being scanslator-friendly, the naming might be a bit off, but I have made it to be as systematic as possible
  3. Between MangaReader and MangaBird, I have no preferences. Sometimes MangaReader loads faster, and sometimes MangaBird uploads the raws (aka spoilers), so if you can’t wait for the translations…!

I wish to thank all you people who took some time to leave behind your comments. And I hope you would like this one too. And naturally, being a sort of airhead, I might have overlooked some test-cases and situations. So if you run into any problems or find any bugs, please let me know!

Geekista 🙂

Download MangaCrazy v3.0! [Size ~ 108 kB]  The file has been moved to archives. Please download the latest version from the main MangaCrazy Downloads page, or from the sidebar. Thank you!

 

August 18, 2014

Mangacrazy v3.5 – A fresh UI, and revamped algorithm


Lo and behold, version 3.5 is here! I’m sorry for the late update… Not sure if you know, but I am 2 months into my new (and first) job, away from home, and working for almost 12 hours ( 😥 ). Gone are the carefree college days. There is one perk though: I’m spending my time coding; I’m getting paid for something I love to do. So Geekista is mollified.

Back to the topic, this upgrade is very, very essential. There was a major assumption in my search algorithm, which sometimes selected the wrong manga. It’s fixed now, let me assure you. Thanks, Nahla, for pointing it out! I also want to thank all the others who left such wonderful, encouraging comments and took time to mail me, and mentioned me on Twitter! They really make my day.

I have also played with the UI a bit. I have not changed the color/theme in order to keep the interface familiar, but hopefully it will feel smoother now. So if you use MangaCrazy, thank you so much, but please get this latest version!

As usual, the file size is ~110KB. The download link is present in the main download page, and on the sidebar. Happy Manga downloading!

[Note: After seeing that some of you are interested, I have enabled elaborate error messages in the console. So if you run the application from there, you would be able to find out exactly what went wrong. And I’ll be extremely grateful if you reported those messages to me so that I’ll be able to fix them too. Thank you!]