Downloader

March 25, 2016

MangaCrazy v5.2 coming up soon!


Update [1 April 2016] : MC v5.2 is already out – Grab it now! And no, this ain’t an April’s Fool prank ^_^

Yes, you read that right. It’s been months since the last version, and many of you have asked me so many times when I’ll be releasing the next version. And now I can finally answer: in less than a week.

What to expect in MangaCrazy v5.2:

  1. Queued downloads. A popular demand and much needed feature, now MangaCrazy will queue the downloads in the order you add them. This will definitely reduce the pesky ‘Error’ statuses by a great deal. Finally you will truly be able to enjoy the benefits of the ‘Download All’ button.
  2. Site issues fixed. Except for Batoto, all the other site options are working perfectly now. I’m going to work on Batoto’s issues for some more time, but if it takes too long, I will remove the site option for the time being. I’m sorry, Batoto lovers, but I want to release the extensions I’ve been working on ASAP.
  3. Proxy Settings. You asked for it, and you will get it. MC v5.2 will support proxy settings.
  4. Not a very important addition, but now you will know exactly how long to wait before the download begins. No longer to stare at the ‘Verifying’ and ‘Starting’ phases, wondering if something is wrong lol.

These are stuff I’m working on at the moment. If I find the time, I may add a new site or two to the supported sites list, but I can’t guarantee that. However, know this: MC is going to be more reliable than ever 🙂

Have a Good Friday! (Pun completely intended)

Cheers

Geekista

January 20, 2016

MangaCrazy Problems


I know. I know I promised that a new MangaCrazy version would be out for Christmas, and I know you guys have been facing a lot of problems recently. There have been a lot of changes going around (Java 8, Windows 10 problems, Internet problems, you name it). My inbox is flooded with mails, both appreciation ones and panicked ones (!!), and the list of pending comments here in WordPress is overwhelming.

So I’m sorry, I just can’t reply to you all individually. I just hope that you drop by my blog again and see this, my answers to your questions.

  1. If MC is not running, PLEASE CHECK FAQ. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but there is a reason I created that page. Because. It’s got to be the MOST Frequently Asked Question here 😛
  2. Batoto. My nemesis >_< With every released version I update the code for Batoto and then it works… till it doesn’t. Right now they have thrown me a curve-ball and I have to do a lot of figuring out. If you are interested to know, here’s the basics: I fetch Manga images from the html code, but now Batoto fetches content via ajax so a lot of stuff needs to be changed.
  3. If you cannot download chapters from Mangafox and it shows unrelated error, I suggest you go to the site and open the chapter that’s failing. I noticed that some Mangas are licensed and hence not available anymore in certain regions, and that is not something MC is able to overcome at this moment. If it’s not so, I suggest you try downloading after a while, one chapter a time. It might just be a network issue.
  4. Will I add (INSERT_SITE_NAME_HERE) to MC? Well now that you posed the question, I now am aware of the site and if possible, will try and add it in a future release 🙂
  5. Similarly, will I add (INSERT_FEATURE_SUGGESTION_HERE) to MC? I have to say this, thank you for your idea(s), I really appreciate your suggestions. I may add it to MC (as I have done previously too) if it fits 🙂
  6. The link to MC v5.1 does lead to MC v5.1 even though the title says v5.0. I had released that hurriedly and forgot to change the text!

Since my classes started again and my coursework pile is growing at an alarming rate, I’m not able to give MC much time, and so changes are taking place at tortoise-pace. But, honestly, I will try to release the next version as soon as possible 🙂

Thank you for using MC, folks; and btw Geekista has had over 114,000 hits. When did THAT happen?!

Cheers,

Geekista

November 14, 2014

MangaCrazy 3.9: Little things that matter [Download link at bottom]


HI everyone! I’m sorry for this late update. I haven’t been able to find enough time to devote to improving MangaCrazy, and I was hell bent on adding spectacular features before releasing a new version.

But spectacular features require time.

And in the meanwhile, you guys were having to put up with the annoying ‘error’ messages and what not. So I have decided to release whatever I have completed as of yet, and then I’ll continue with the slow upgrading. In this version, I hope you will encounter ‘error’ less frequently. MangaCrazy now also supports compression in .cbz form. Now double clicking on a downloaded manga opens the .zip/.cbz file directly, so goodies for you if you have set default preferences to a manga reader software 😉 . All of you who had issues about Batoto, I hope you will find this version satisfactory, and I have a titbit to share: if you wish to download Manga in a different language, just copy the chapter link and drop it in the downloads bar and voila! Thanks, A. Bera for pointing this one out! And for all of you who had issues downloading from Mega, I have put up the .jar file in Google Drive for now, at least till I find a good file sharing site. One down side though: this version does not support MangaBird, which was giving the program a lot of trouble.

Last but not the least, I want to thank all of you 4500+ people who have downloaded my little program, and all you great folks who have kept sending me your suggestions and feedbacks. MangaCrazy still has a long way to go, and I hope you will bear with me. I am afraid the next update will take a while in coming – I plan to renovate MangaCrazy. And here’s a bit of what I aim to achieve: support listing of mangas in other languages (from Batoto at least). A better search algorithm that will speed things up. And support MangaStream and a few more sites. And a few more ideas I am keeping to myself for now 😉 .

So till then, enjoy MangaCrazy 3,9! And thank you so much guys, for my site has >25k hits!! \m/

Download Link: Download MangaCrazy v3.9 (Google drive’s gonna say ‘No preview available’, but that’s because it’s not a doc, pdf or image file, so it’s fine. Don’t worry!)

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!]

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

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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!

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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.