How to Auto Download Module Manuals from Casio

[geogecko]

I found this little guide over at G-PeopleLand.com today, however, I had some issues with this method.

1. The GetRight program that is used, is not free, although there is a trial, in the future, after the trail expires, I may want to do this again, and I'm out of luck, unless I pay for the software.

2. Depending on where you install the software, you may need admin rights, and secondly, we have a internet proxy, which is a configuration script, which hardly any third-party programs (including GetRight) support.


So, I ventured on my own, to find a solution to this problem, and this is what I came up with.


First, you need to be using Firefox browser.


Second, you need to go to the Tools>>Add-ons, and click the little "Get Extensions" link near the bottom right of the window. Do a search for "Batch Download" and you should see the Batch Download add-on by Peter Pan.

Once you restart Firefox after installing the add-on, it's a bit tricky to get the Batch Downloader Task window to show up, and then get it configured. Here are some steps.


1. Browse to a web site (basically anywhere) that has images on it.
2. Right click any image, and select "Batch Download."
3. Replace the Base URL with your destination URL, such as: "http://ftp.casio.co.jp/pub/world_manual/wat/en/qw(*).pdf" without the quotes (or "http://ftp.casio.co.jp/pub/manual/ww/qw(*).pdf" for Japan manuals, helpful to find new models coming out in Japan)
Notice, the wildcard character is (*), not just *, and there is no need to put multiple characters here (you'll see why in the next step).


4. Then fill out the Numbers: section. From: 3000 To: 5000 Wildcard bytes: 4 (this is how many numbers to substitute for the single wild character).
This will get files qw3000.pdf to qw5000.pdf. You should see example files shown in the viewing window, which should give you an idea if you have it setup correctly.


5. Browse to a folder to download your files to, and check "Leave origin" if you want the file names to remain the same (likely).
6. Hit Start, and you're good to go.


I'll warn you now, that your internet connection will be taxed until this is finished, so take that into consideration when hitting Start, as you might not be able to browse at all during the downloading.


Well, that's about it. From this point, open your download folder, and sort by file size, and select all the 1Kbyte files, and delete. The rest contain actual manuals that you will have to open and determine if it is the file you are looking for. Have fun, my first contribution to Watchuseek.