Downloading Files

• Downloading with Custom Utilities
  • Step 1: Export File Data
  • Step 2: Download the Utility Script
  • Step 3: Run the Download Utility
    • Bash (macOS/Linux)
    • PowerShell (Windows)
  • How It Works
  • Output Structure
  • Requirements
    • Bash Script
    • PowerShell Script
• Using Alternative Download Methods
  • Preparing Your URL List
  • Option 1: Aria2 (Fastest, Recommended)
  • Option 2: Wget
  • Option 3: Persepolis Download Manager (GUI)
  • Comparison

This feature allows users to bulk download files and attachments using export data and utility scripts.

Downloading with Custom Utilities

The downloading files feature provides a way to export file metadata from the platform and then use utility scripts to download all files while preserving the directory structure.

Step 1: Export File Data

1. Navigate to Data → Import/Export → Export
2. Select the data you want to export (e.g., inspection files)
3. Choose your export format:
   • JSON (recommended) - Can be used directly with the download utility
   • Excel - If you select Excel, you must save the file as CSV after downloading before using the utility

Step 2: Download the Utility Script

Download the appropriate script for your operating system:

• Bash (macOS/Linux): download-files.sh
• PowerShell (Windows): download-files.ps1

Step 3: Run the Download Utility

Bash (macOS/Linux)

# Make the script executable (first time only)
chmod +x download-files.sh

# Run the script
./download-files.sh <input_file> <output_directory>

# Example with JSON export
./download-files.sh export.json ./downloads

# Example with CSV export
./download-files.sh export.csv ./downloads

PowerShell (Windows)

# Run the script
.\download-files.ps1 -InputFile <path> -OutputDir <path>

# Example with JSON export
.\download-files.ps1 -InputFile export.json -OutputDir .\downloads

# Example with CSV export
.\download-files.ps1 -InputFile export.csv -OutputDir .\downloads

How It Works

The utility scripts:

1. Extract URLs - Scan the input file for all download URLs using pattern matching
2. Preserve Structure - Maintain the original directory structure based on the URL paths
3. Download Files - Download each file to the appropriate subfolder in your output directory

Output Structure

Files are organized by their original path structure:

output_directory/
└── production/
    └── organization/
        └── inspection_booking_XXX/
            ├── defects_defect_1_files_/
            │   ├── image-001.jpg
            │   └── image-002.jpg
            └── checkpoint_photos_files_/
                ├── photo-001.jpg
                └── photo-002.jpg

Requirements

Bash Script

• curl - for downloading files (pre-installed on macOS/Linux)
• grep - for pattern matching (pre-installed on macOS/Linux)

PowerShell Script

• PowerShell 5.0 or later (included with Windows 10+)
• .NET Framework (included with Windows)

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Using Alternative Download Methods

If you don’t need to preserve folder structure, you can use simpler tools to download files directly from a URL list.

These alternative methods download all files into a single folder. Files with the same name will be overwritten. Use the utility scripts above if you need to preserve the original directory structure.

Preparing Your URL List

1. Open your Excel/CSV export
2. Copy the column containing the download URLs
3. Paste into a text file named urls.txt (one URL per line)

Example urls.txt:

https://example.com/file1.jpg
https://example.com/file2.jpg
https://example.com/file3.jpg

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Option 1: Aria2 (Fastest, Recommended)

Aria2 is a high-performance command-line downloader with parallel download support.

Install:

# macOS
brew install aria2

# Windows - download from https://aria2.github.io/

Download all files:

aria2c -i urls.txt -d downloads

• -i urls.txt → read list from file
• -d downloads → save into the “downloads” folder

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Option 2: Wget

Wget is a classic command-line downloader available on macOS and Windows.

Install:

# macOS
brew install wget

# Windows (via Chocolatey)
choco install wget

Download all files:

wget -i urls.txt -P downloads

• -i urls.txt → read URLs from file
• -P downloads → save into downloads folder

Note: Wget downloads sequentially (one file at a time).

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Option 3: Persepolis Download Manager (GUI)

Persepolis is a graphical download manager built on Aria2, ideal for users who prefer a visual interface.

Install:

Download from https://persepolisdm.github.io/

Import your list:

1. Open Persepolis
2. From the menu: Tasks → Add Download List
3. Select your urls.txt file
4. Choose destination folder
5. Start downloading

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Comparison

Tool	Interface	Speed	Parallel Downloads	Best For
Aria2	CLI	⭐ Fastest	Yes	Large batches
Wget	CLI	Medium	No	Simple jobs
Persepolis	GUI	⭐ Fastest	Yes (via Aria2)	Visual interface
Utility Scripts	CLI	Medium	No	Preserving folder structure