timborden/electron-dl

Simplified file downloads for your Electron app

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
• Shows badge count (macOS, linuxOS) and download progress. Example on macOS:

Install

$ npm install --save electron-dl

Usage

Register it for all windows

This is probably what you want for your app.

const {app, BrowserWindow} = require('electron');

require('electron-dl')();

let win;

app.on('ready', () => {
	win = new BrowserWindow();
});

Use it manually

This can be useful if you need download functionality in a reusable module.

const {app, BrowserWindow, ipcMain} = require('electron');
const {download} = require('electron-dl');

ipcMain.on('download-btn', (e, args) => {
	download(BrowserWindow.getFocusedWindow(), args.url)
		.then(dl => console.log(dl.getSavePath()))
		.catch(console.error);
});

API

electronDl([options])

electronDl.download(window, url, [options]): Promise<DownloadItem>

window

Type: BrowserWindow

Window to register the behavior on.

url

Type: string

URL to download.

options

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

Directory to save the file in.

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.

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.

onProgress

Type: Function

Optional callback that receives a number between 0 and 1 representing the progress of the current download.

openFolderWhenDone

Type: boolean
Default: false

Reveal the downloaded file in the system file manager, and if possible, select the file.

Development

To add to this library, you can manually run an instance of electron

npm start

...or you can use TDD (test driven development)

npm test
npm run test:watch

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

License

MIT © Sindre Sorhus