electron-dl
Simplified file downloads for your Electron app
Why?
- One function call instead of having to manually implement a lot of boilerplate.
- Saves the file to the users Downloads directory instead of prompting.
- Bounces the Downloads directory in the dock when done. (macOS)
- Handles multiple downloads.
- Support for
BrowserWindowandBrowserView. - Shows badge count (macOS & Linux only) and download progress. Example on macOS:
Install
$ npm install electron-dl
Requires Electron 7 or later.
Usage
Register it for all windows
This is probably what you want for your app.
const {app, BrowserWindow} = require('electron');
const electronDl = require('electron-dl');
electronDl();
let win;
(async () => {
await app.whenReady();
win = new BrowserWindow();
})();Use it manually
This can be useful if you need download functionality in a reusable module.
const {BrowserWindow, ipcMain} = require('electron');
const {download} = require('electron-dl');
ipcMain.on('download-button', async (event, {url}) => {
const win = BrowserWindow.getFocusedWindow();
console.log(await download(win, url));
});API
It can only be used in the main process.
electronDl(options?)
electronDl.download(window, url, options?): Promise<DownloadItem>
window
Type: BrowserWindow | BrowserView
Window to register the behavior on. Alternatively, a BrowserView can be passed.
url
Type: string
URL to download.
options
Type: object
saveAs
Type: boolean
Default: false
Show a Save As… dialog instead of downloading immediately.
Note: Only use this option when strictly necessary. Downloading directly without a prompt is a much better user experience.
directory
Type: string
Default: User's downloads directory
The directory to save the file in.
Must be an absolute path.
filename
Type: string
Default: downloadItem.getFilename()
Name of the saved file.
This option only makes sense for electronDl.download().
errorTitle
Type: string
Default: 'Download Error'
Title of the error dialog. Can be customized for localization.
Note: Error dialog will not be shown in electronDl.download(). Please handle error manually.
errorMessage
Type: string
Default: 'The download of {filename} was interrupted'
Message of the error dialog. {filename} is replaced with the name of the actual file. Can be customized for localization.
Note: Error dialog will not be shown in electronDl.download(). Please handle error manually.
onStarted
Type: Function
Optional callback that receives the download item.
You can use this for advanced handling such as canceling the item like item.cancel().
onProgress
Type: Function
Optional callback that receives an object containing information about the progress of the current download item.
{
percent: 0.1,
transferredBytes: 100,
totalBytes: 1000
}onTotalProgress
Type: Function
Optional callback that receives an object containing information about the combined progress of all download items done within any registered window.
Each time a new download is started, the next callback will include it. The progress percentage could therefore become smaller again. This callback provides the same data that is used for the progress bar on the app icon.
{
percent: 0.1,
transferredBytes: 100,
totalBytes: 1000
}onCancel
Type: Function
Optional callback that receives the download item for which the download has been cancelled.
onCompleted
Type: Function
Optional callback that receives an object with information about an item that has been completed. It is called for each completed item.
{
filename: 'file.zip',
path: '/path/file.zip',
fileSize: 503320,
mimeType: 'application/zip',
url: 'https://example.com/file.zip'
}openFolderWhenDone
Type: boolean
Default: false
Reveal the downloaded file in the system file manager, and if possible, select the file.
showBadge
Type: boolean
Default: true
Show a file count badge on the macOS/Linux dock/taskbar icon when a download is in progress.
showProgressBar
Type: boolean
Default: true
Show a progress bar on the dock/taskbar icon when a download is in progress.
overwrite
Type: boolean
Default: false
Allow downloaded files to overwrite files with the same name in the directory they are saved to.
The default behavior is to append a number to the filename.
dialogOptions
Type: SaveDialogOptions
Default: {}
Customize the save dialog.
If defaultPath is not explicity defined, a default value is assigned based on the file path.
Development
After making changes, run the automated tests:
$ npm test
And before submitting a pull request, run the manual tests to manually verify that everything works:
npm start
Related
- electron-debug - Adds useful debug features to your Electron app
- electron-context-menu - Context menu for your Electron app
- electron-store - Save and load data like user preferences, app state, cache, etc
- electron-unhandled - Catch unhandled errors and promise rejections in your Electron app