Downloading Files with Electron

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As a developer, you might encounter situations where you need to download files from the web or remote sources in your Electron application․ In this article, we’ll explore the various ways to download files with Electron, including using the `will-download` event, `electron-dl`, and `electron-download-manager`․

Using the `will-download` Event

The `will-download` event is fired when an item is about to be downloaded․ You can use this event to set the save path of the download item․ Here’s an example⁚

session․on('will-download', (event, item, webContents) => {
 item․setSavePath('/path/to/save/location');
});

In this example, we set the save path to `/path/to/save/location`․ If the path doesn’t exist, Electron will try to create the directory recursively․

Using `electron-dl`

`electron-dl` is a popular library for downloading files in Electron․ It provides a simple and easy-to-use API for downloading files from URLs․ Here’s an example⁚

const { dl } = require('electron-dl');
dl({
 url⁚ 'https://example․com/file․zip',
 directory⁚ '/path/to/save/location',
 filename⁚ 'file․zip'
});

In this example, we download a file from `https://example;com/file․zip` and save it to `/path/to/save/location` with the filename `file․zip`․

Using `electron-download-manager`

`electron-download-manager` is another popular library for downloading files in Electron․ It provides a more advanced API for managing downloads, including support for pause and resume․ Here’s an example⁚

const { DownloadManager } = require('electron-download-manager');

const dm = new DownloadManager({
 // Set the download directory
 directory⁚ '/path/to/save/location'
});

dm․download({
 url⁚ 'https://example․com/file․zip',
 filename⁚ 'file․zip'
});

In this example, we create a new `DownloadManager` instance and set the download directory to `/path/to/save/location`․ We then download a file from `https://example․com/file․zip` and save it to the specified directory․

Tracking Download Progress

When downloading files, it’s often useful to track the download progress․ Electron provides a `onProgress` event that can be used to track the download progress․ Here’s an example⁚

item․onProgress((progress) => {
 console․log(`Received ${progress․receivedBytes} bytes of ${progress․totalBytes}`);
});

In this example, we log the received bytes and total bytes to the console as the download progresses․

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve explored the various ways to download files with Electron, including using the `will-download` event, `electron-dl`, and `electron-download-manager`․ We’ve also covered how to track download progress using the `onProgress` event․

By following the examples and guidelines in this article, you should be able to download files with ease in your Electron application․