HOWTO: get Podcasts without Ipodder

[mtron]

Podcasts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting) are a nice way to get periodical mp3 downloads via RSS. ( Check out Lugradio (http://www.lugradio.org/) , great show! )
I had some problems setting up Ipodder (http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/index.php) (and it seems that i'm not alone) but here is an easy & working alternative Bashpodder (http://linc.homeunix.org:8080/scripts/bashpodder/ ) . The program consists of 3 scripts, one conf file and has even a gui

Requires:
wget (comes with every standard install)
bash (comes with every standard install)
sed (comes with every standard install)
xmms (or every other mp3 player)
xdialog


open terminal & type

sudo apt-get install xdialog

now type:

mkdir bashpodder
cd bashpodder

dowload bashpodder files:

wget http://linc.homeunix.org:8080/scripts/bashpodder/user_contributed/brian_hefferan/bashpodder.shell
wget http://linc.homeunix.org:8080/scripts/bashpodder/bp.conf
wget http://linc.homeunix.org:8080/scripts/bashpodder/gui/bpgui.sh
wget http://linc.homeunix.org:8080/scripts/bashpodder/gui/convert.sh

now make the scripts executeable
chmod -R 744 bashpodder.shell
chmod -R 744 bpgui.sh
chmod -R 744 convert.sh

after that, open the configuration file
gedit bp.conf

just copy in here the links to the rss podcast feeds, or delete the example feeds you are not interrested in. Then close gedit.

run the script
./bpgui.sh

Usage:
First thing to do is mark "Re-Import Podcast List", click ok and wait a bit, then "Launch BashPodder dowload client" and the script will use wget to download the mp3s, when it's done you can launch the podcasts with xmms with the menu entry "View/Launch downloaded podcasts", if you have another player just replace xmms in the script bpgui.sh in line 24 & 36 with you favourite media player.


Readme & Pics: here (http://linc.homeunix.org:8080/scripts/bashpodder/gui/docs.html )
Author: Linc (http://linc.homeunix.org:8080/scripts/bashpodder/ )

[az]

If they released a six-hour DVD of lugradio-live! I would buy it and watch it in one sitting.


Mark Shuttleworth will be there and take part in the mass-debate!

[word_virus]

Hey, yeah! I've been using this for a couple of months... it's a nice fuss-free way to get podcasts. Never knew there was a gui. I've just been using the shell script and setting it up to run as a weekly cron job.

[MikePB]

Wow, great. I couldn;t get this installed before... thanks!

[Jarz Corp]

Maybee it would be a good idea to add lynx to the "needed before start" list, I know linux is about keeping user occupied for the missing bit but lets see if we can't cut down on that just a tad.

Sorry about the negativity but I am on a 64bit system.

[Jarz Corp]

And just for the record. This totally solved my problem and BETA ipodder as it should be called on linux, is wiped from my system. Next step is to check out some of the really nice alternative bp.conf files out there.

[Technoviking]

I use one of the contrib bashpodder shells, this one can handle bittorrent, has first only (download only the last podcast on a rss feed), and catch up.

bashpodder.shell

#!/bin/bash
# By Linc 10/1/2004
# Find the latest script at http://linc.homeunix.org:8080/scripts/bashpodder
# If you use this and have made improvements or have comments
# drop me an email at linc dot fessenden at gmail dot com
# I'd appreciate it!
#
# This revision by Brian Hefferan 2004/02/06, adding configuration options.
# No warranty. It seems to work for me, I hope it works for you.
# Questions /corrections on the additions by Brian Hefferan can be sent to
# brian at heftone dot com

#default values can be set here. Command-line flags override theses.
verbose=
wget_quiet='-q' #default is -q
wget_continue=
catchup_all=
first_only=
unix2dos=
usetorrents=
sync_disks=
fetchlist='bp.conf'

function usage
{
echo "
Usage: $0 [OPTIONS]
Options are:
-v, --verbose display verbose messages. Also enables wget's continue
option.
--catchup_all write all urls to the log file without downloading the
actual podcasts. This is useful if you want to subscribe
to some podcasts but don't want to download all the back
issues. You can edit the podcast.log file afterwards to
delete any url you still wish to download next time
bashpodder is run.
--first_only grab only the first new enclosed file found in each feed.
The --catchup_all flag won't work with this option. If
you want to download the first file and also permanently
ignore the other files, run bashpodder with this option,
and then run it again with --catchup_all.
-bt --bittorrent launch bittorrent for any .torrent files downloaded.
Bittorrent must be installed for this to work. The
the script and bittorrent process will continue running
in the foreground indefinitely. You can use ctr-c to
kill it when you want to stop participating in the
torrent.
--sync_disks run the "sync" command twice when finished. This helps
makes sure all data is written to disk. Recommended if
data is being written directly to a portable player or
other removable media.
-u, --url_list ignore bp.conf, instead use url(s) provided on the
command line. The urls should point to rss feeds.
If used, this needs to be the last option on the
command line. This can be used to quickly download just
a favorite podcast, or to take a few new podcasts for a
trial spin.
-h, --help display this help message

"
}

if [ -n "$verbose" ]; then wget_quiet='';wget_continue='-c';fi
if test -f urls.temp;then rm urls.temp;fi

# Make script crontab friendly:
cd $(dirname $0)

while [ "$1" != "" ];do
case $1 in
-v|--verbose ) verbose=1
wget_continue='-c'
wget_quiet=''
;;
-u|--url_list ) shift
while [ "$1" != "" ];do
echo "$1" >> urls.temp
shift
done
if test ! -f urls.temp
then
echo "Error: -u or --url_list option specified, but no urls given on command line. quitting."
exit 1;
fi
fetchlist='urls.temp'
;;
--catchup_all ) catchup_all=1
;;
--first_only ) first_only=1
;;
--bittorrent ) usetorrents=1
;;
--sync_disks ) sync_disks=1
;;
-h|--help ) usage
exit
;;
esac
shift
done

# datadir is the directory you want podcasts saved to:
datadir=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)

# Check for and create datadir if necessary:
if test ! -d $datadir
then
mkdir $datadir
fi

if test ! -f bp.conf && test ! -f urls.temp;
then
echo "Sorry no bp.conf found, and no urls in command line. Run $0 -h for usage."
exit
fi

# Read the bp.conf file and wget any url not already in the podcast.log file:
while read podcast
do
seenfirst=
if [ -n "$verbose" ]; then echo "fetching rss $podcast...";fi;
for url in $(wget -q "$podcast" -O - | tr '\r' '\n' | tr \' \" | \
sed -n 's/.*url *= *"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p' )
do
if [ -n "$first_only" ] && [ -n "$seenfirst" ]; then break;fi
echo $url >> temp.log
if [ -n "$catchup_all" ];
then
if [ -n "$verbose" ]; then echo " catching up $url...";fi
elif ! grep "$url" podcast.log > /dev/null ;
then
if [ -n "$verbose" ]; then echo " downloading $url...";fi
wget $wget_continue $wget_quiet -P $datadir "$url"
fi
seenfirst=1
done
done < $fetchlist

if test ! -f temp.log && [ -n "$verbose" ];then echo "nothing to download.";fi

if test -f urls.temp; then rm urls.temp;fi

# Move dynamically created log file to permanent log file:
cat podcast.log >> temp.log
sort temp.log | uniq > podcast.log
rm temp.log

# Use bittorrent to download any files pointed from bittorrent files:
if [ "$usetorrents" ]
then
if ls $datadir/*.torrent 2> /dev/null
then
btlaunchmany.py $datadir
fi
fi

# Create an m3u playlist:
ls -1rc $datadir | grep -v m3u > $datadir/podcast${datadir}.m3u
if [ -n "$unix2dos" ];then unix2dos $datadir/podcast${datadir}.m3u;fi;

if [ -n "$sync_disks" ]
then
if [ -n "$verbose" ]; then echo "running sync..";fi;
sync
if [ -n "$verbose" ]; then echo "running sync again..";fi;
sync
fi

if [ -n "$verbose" ]; then echo "done.";fi;

[Jarz Corp]

Hey thanks man, it was something along those lines I was looking for, as SDR does use BT.

[danimal87]

I keep getting an error: "grep: podcast.log: No such file or directory"
do i just creat a file called podcast.log?
"vim podcast.log"

[Jarz Corp]

Well so did I, just create an empty file by that name and run again, I ran into the same problem with the new_mp3 file.

I have used one of the customized scripts from the bashpodder page for days now and it really works well.

[danimal87]

Thanks, the error went :-)

[Jarz Corp]

No problem, I know it is a "stupid" way to solve it. But I am all for trying to make linux a simple system to use, quite a bit of way before we get there, and this works so what the heck, why spend hours trying to figure out where in the scripts, what goes wrong.

[mtron]

I use one of the contrib bashpodder shells, this one can handle bittorrent, has first only (download only the last podcast on a rss feed), and catch up.

Thanks Mike!

I totally forgot about this thread, but i edited it now.

Lugradio is now also as OGGCast available! The feed:
http://www.lugradio.org/episodes.ogg.rss

[Brokenrgv]

awesome thnx for the how to, one question though how do you make it download 1 ep instead of the lot

[passonno]

So I followed the instructions to the letter, and all I can get is the gui, and no matter what I click in the gui it quickly restarts without doing anything, even to the point of only being able to be stopped by ctrl-c in a terminal.

Any ideas?

[dkitty]

I don't bother with the gui at all. It's easy to just add a feed address in bp.conf. Instructions in bashpodder.shell are pretty well explained. I threw bashpodder.shell on a cron job and also put a shortcut (to run verbose, in a terminal, so I can check progress if I wish) in my Gnome menu under Internet. Everything works like a charm.

Don't fear the terminal. Really.

[Zerocool10482]

I just use PenguinTV. It's really cool and It's not something you have to use the termial.

[dkitty]

Wait. Doesn't the latest Amarok and... er... the music player in Gnome Ubuntu that looks like iTunes. I'm drawing a blank on the name. Don't they both have podcast support? That should be hella easy.

[Zerocool10482]

Rhythmbox. It's ok but it doesn't do video. PenguinTV plays in Totem, XMMS and VLC. Amarok is ok but I like to watch DL.TV, Diggnation, Cranky Geeks and Commandn.

Amarok will download it but it won't play it. Then you have to find the file and then open it.

But for audio Amarok goes a better job than Rhythmbox. But I just don't like the GUI on Amarok. I've gotten confused by it.

[dkitty]

Right, Rhythmbox. Thanks.

I agree about Amarok's GUI. I think I've installed every stable release hoping it will get better, then removed it a day or two later. It doesn't slow down my system like Rhythmbox though.

I think I'll look at PenguinTV. Thank you for the recommendation.

[Zerocool10482]

When you install PenguinTV. Remember to put down the center bar. It look like it didn't work but you have to pull down this center little bar to show everything.

Email me if you have any problems.

[Sarisar]

OK so I went a little overboard... but I wanted to learn scripts / shell and so kinda rewrote the bashpodder one... well most of it. I picked up a few other bits from some other enhancements and added some bits from a few websites.

So it seems to work ... pretty much although a few podcasts pick up the wrong files (Daily Sonic for example but got that from the bashpodder original list)

It has some more functionality, including a debug option if you're having problems and a catchup to simply update the file and not download the podcasts. I've also renamed a few files and it should handle ctrl-c better (tidies up after itself).

Can someone let me know if this is OK or if I should read more shell scripts?

Thanks :)


#!/bin/bash

# By Iain 2006-07-04

# This is mine written almost from scratch but original idea
# Stolen^H^H^H^H^H^H Based upon bashpodder.shell
# By Linc 10/1/2004
# Find the latest script at http://linc.homeunix.org:8080/scripts/bashpodder
# Last revision 07/01/2005 - Many Contributers!
# If you use this and have made improvements or have comments
# drop me an email at linc dot fessenden at gmail dot com
# I'd appreciate it!
# Changes by Chess Griffin 12/09/2005

# Also used commands and function
# Based on http://linuxcommand.org/writing_shell_scripts.php
# Quite heavily (clean_up and command line handling from there for example)
# Hopefully my version is better, but if not I learnt how to do scripts
# (yes this is my first script, at least on linux!)


###########
#
# To Do
#
###########
#
# Download only MP3s
# http://www.thelinuxlink.net/images/techshow-slackware1.png
# Sort Daily Sonic out
# Have note of what day it ran, so check each podcast once per day?
#
#
#
###########


# Make script crontab friendly:
cd $(dirname $0)


###########
#
# Constants
#
###########

LASTUPDATE="2006-JUL-03"
TEMPDIR="1-Incoming"
PROGNAME=$(basename $0)
PODCASTLIST="podcastlist.txt"
DOWNLOADEDLIST='downloads.log'
DOWNLOADEDTEMP='temp.log'


###########
#
# Variables Defaults
#
###########

DATADIR=$TEMPDIR
DEBUG=0
VERBOSE=0
CATCHUP=0
PODCASTURL=""
PODCASTDIR=$TEMPDIR
PODCASTFILES=""
PODCASTFILEURL=""
ACTUALURL=""
TEMPURL=""
FILENAME=""


# If run with -h or unknkown option, this function is run
function FUNC_USAGE {

# Display usage message on standard error
echo ""
echo "Bash Podder, a script to download podcasts"
echo "Original idea by Linc (http://linc.homeunix.org:8080/scripts/bashpodder)"
echo "Updates done by Chess Griffin 12/09/2005"
echo "Rewritten and (hopefully) improved Iain Leggate $LASTUPDATE"
echo ""
echo "Usage:"
echo " -h, --help Shows this help file (duh)"
echo " -d, --debug Debug mode shows everything that is going on. Huge amounts of text"
echo " -v, --verbose Runs WGET without quiet mode for more information."
echo " -c, --catchup Marks all podcasts as 'read' only. Ignores current list"
echo ""
echo "Note: -d and -v do different things, -d will not show details on wget, only -v does that."
echo "You can run both options if you want debug and a non-quiet wget."
echo "Running catchup is useful if you have removed podcasts from your lists or added new ones in"
echo "as you can tidy up your podcast list without downloading everything"
echo ""

}


# This should be run when ctrl-c is pressed OR on successful completion
function FUNC_CLEAN_UP {
# Perform program exit housekeeping
# Optionally accepts an exit status
echo ""
echo "Running housekeeping..."
echo "This shouldn't take very long at all!"

# Look for the temp file and copy and sort if we find it
if [ -e "$DOWNLOADEDTEMP" ]; then
# Don't do anything as we need this file!
echo "Amalgamate $DOWNLOADEDLIST and $DOWNLOADEDTEMP"
cat $DOWNLOADEDLIST >> $DOWNLOADEDTEMP
echo "Sort the combined file removing dupes"
sort $DOWNLOADEDTEMP | uniq > $DOWNLOADEDLIST
echo "Remove temporary log file"
rm $DOWNLOADEDTEMP
fi

echo "Done"
exit $1
}


# Try to handle errors in a nice way
function FUNC_ERROR_EXIT {
# Display error message and exit
echo "${PROGNAME}: ${1:-"Unknown Error"}" 1>&2
FUNC_CLEAN_UP 1
}


# Trap the main close commands
trap FUNC_CLEAN_UP SIGHUP SIGINT SIGTERM

clear

# First up, lets see what the user passed us in the command line
while [ "$1" != "" ]; do
case $1 in
-h | --help ) FUNC_USAGE
exit
;;
-d | --debug ) DEBUG=1
;;
-v | --verbose ) VERBOSE=1
;;
-c | --catchup ) CATCHUP=1
;;
* ) FUNC_USAGE
exit 1
esac
shift
done


# Check for root and don't allow it to run!
if [ "$(id -u)" = "0" ]; then
echo "What the hell are you running this as root for? Go away!"
exit
fi


# If debug let people know what the CLPs where
if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then

echo "-d selected"

if [ "$VERBOSE" = "1" ]; then
echo "-v selected"
fi

if [ "$QUIET" = "1" ]; then
echo "-q selected"
fi

if [ "$STFU" = "1" ]; then
echo "-stfu selected"
fi

fi


if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Check for $DOWNLOADEDTEMP"
fi

# Copy temp log over if we quit shell before completion last time
# This shouldn't happen though, should have been done automatically on clean_up
if [ -e $DOWNLOADEDTEMP ]; then
echo "Found $DOWNLOADEDTEMP file. This is a bad sign as it should always remove this!"
echo "Amalgamating with $DOWNLOADEDLIST file..."
cat $DOWNLOADEDLIST >> $DOWNLOADEDTEMP
sort $DOWNLOADEDTEMP | uniq > $DOWNLOADEDLIST
rm $DOWNLOADEDTEMP
fi


# Check for podcast list file
if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Check for $PODCASTLIST"
fi

if [ -e "$PODCASTLIST" ]; then
# Don't do anything as we need this file!
echo "Found $PODCASTLIST"
else
# If we can't find the file can just exit as haven't touched any other files
echo "Failed to find $PODCASTLIST. Exiting..."
exit
fi


# Check for podcast log file
if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Check for $DOWNLOADEDLIST"
fi

if [ -e "$DOWNLOADEDLIST" ]; then
# Don't do anything as we need this file!
if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Found $DOWNLOADEDLIST"
fi
else
# If we can't find the file can just exit as haven't touched any other files
echo "Failed to find $DOWNLOADEDLIST. Creating..."
touch DOWNLOADEDLIST
fi



# Check temp directory exists
if [ -d "$TEMPDIR" ]; then
echo "Found temporary directory $TEMPDIR"
else
echo "Creating temporary directory $TEMPDIR"
mkdir $TEMPDIR
fi


# Read podcast list
if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Reading $PODCASTLIST files"
fi

while read PODCASTURL PODCASTDIR
do

# Check for # at start
if echo $PODCASTURL | grep '^#' > /dev/null
then
# If we have then ignore line
if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Ignoring comment: $PODCASTURL"
fi
else
# If not lets see if we can download it
if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Read in line:$PODCASTURL"
fi

# Otherwise we want to check there is a directory for the podcast
if test ! $PODCASTDIR ; then
# If it isn't there error
echo "No directory listed for $PODCASTURL"
else
# We have found the directory name, lets see if it exists
if [ -d $PODCASTDIR ] ; then
# If it does we don't want to do anything
if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Found directory: $PODCASTDIR"
fi
else
# If it doesn't we need to make it
echo "Creating $PODCASTDIR directory"
mkdir $PODCASTDIR
fi

# Now we know we have a URL, a DIR and the DIR exists we can get the podcast list
echo "Getting podcast list from $PODCASTDIR ($PODCASTURL)"

# OK this is stolen from bashpodder.shell as I don't get it entirely :(
PODCASTFILES=$(wget -q $PODCASTURL -O - | xsltproc parse_enclosure.xsl - 2> /dev/null) || PODCASTFILES=$(wget -q $PODCASTURL -O - | tr '\r' '\n' | tr \' \" | sed -n 's/.*url="\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p')

if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Podcast Files are: $PODCASTFILES"
fi

# For each podcast
for PODCASTFILEURL in $PODCASTFILES
do

# This is also from the bashpodder.shell
#the realurl fix for dynamically generated feeds (from Huw Lynes and James Stone)
ACTUALURL=`curl -s -I -L -w %{url_effective} --url $PODCASTFILEURL | tail -n 1`
#short url (i.e. filename!) from James Stone
TEMPURL=`echo $ACTUALURL|awk -F / '{print $NF}'`
FILENAME=`echo $TEMPURL|awk -F ? '{print $1}'`

if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Actual URL: $ACTUALURL"
echo "Temp URL: $TEMPURL"
echo "FileName: $FILENAME"
fi


# See if we have downloaded it already
if grep "$FILENAME" $DOWNLOADEDLIST > /dev/null
then
# If we have tell user if debug mode
if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Already downloaded $FILENAME"
fi
else
# If we haven't then download it unless running catchup
if [ "$CATCHUP" = "1" ]; then

if [ "$DEBUG" = "1" ]; then
echo "Running catchup, skipping download of $FILENAME"
fi

else
echo "Downloading $ACTUALURL..."

# If we have verbose then show the wgets
if [ "$VERBOSE" = "1" ]; then
wget -c -P $TEMPDIR "$ACTUALURL"
else
wget -q -c -P $TEMPDIR "$ACTUALURL"
fi

# Move it into the relevant directory when it's done
mv $TEMPDIR/$FILENAME* $PODCASTDIR/$FILENAME

fi

# And add the filename onto the bottom of the temp download list
echo $FILENAME >> $DOWNLOADEDTEMP

fi

done

fi

fi


done < $PODCASTLIST

FUNC_CLEAN_UP

[bountonw]

I have been six months without a podcast every since switching to Linux. Finally grabbed a few minutes to try and get connected again. Followed through the steps and got bashpodder installed. I tried to reimport podcast list, and got the following error in the terminal

convert.sh: line 5: lynx: command not found
convert.sh: line 5: lynx: command not found

I looked in convert.sh and found line 5 and the word lynx and that is the limit of my ability. What do I do now?

[Sarisar]

Someone mentions this further up, but you need to install lynx. Strangely enough it's 'lynx' under synaptic package manager :)

[Psy-Krow]

update: linc is hosting bash podder at a different site now.

http://lincgeek.org/bashpodder/

[minchina]

I don't know if this is still a live tread, but I am having a problem with bashpodder. Everything is install and works, and I even have it running in cron. The problem is that bashpodder creates a daily folder (e.g. 2009-11-14), but in that folder there is only an empty file called "podcast.m3u" - no mp3. I am trying to download the podcast from here: http://feeds.kcrw.com/kcrw/tu. It works great for other feeds - any ideas?