Feature requests: download queue stuff

[Nazo]

First of all, it's very useful the way one can set download priorities. However, since often I end up having to queue up a large number of files that I want to get as in order as is possible, it would be very nice if there were a larger number of priority settings. It occured to me that you could just simply have a number system. I first thought you might have something like a selection bar that sets 1-100, but now I think it might be easiest of all to just have a text box where the user can enter any valid number. I think it looks like this would be a pretty minimal and easy change to DC++ so I hope you will consider it.

Another idea I had is that it would be nice if there were some sort of way you could tell it that if it successfully gets one file, then it shouldn't get another file or files. This comes in handy when one has to pick multiple sources that have multiple versions of the same thing (happens rather often with video files especially.) If it finishes one copy, then it shouldn't waste space, bandwidth, download slots, and time on the other (not to mention that one might have the next one in the series queued after that from the same source, so they wouldn't get the next one until they either manually removed the download or the unnecessary file finished. I hope you will consider this one as I run into this problem all the time.

[Soap]

I second the request for a larger selection of download priorities. I was thinking 1-10 would even be a big help, but I will settle for a setting allowing the selection of any real number!

I also second the request for some way to "link" downloads, i.e. automaticly canceling download X if/when download Y completes. If it would be easier to implement into the program, I would really prefer some sort of basic scripting available for this feature, to allow a multiple of conditions to affect a download.

Thanks!

?Soap?

[Boxie]

I would also like to suggest something... basically make DC++ prioritise files that it has started downloading higher than the ones that it has nothing of.

eg
You are getting 3 files off User X
File 1: Test1.dat
File 2: Test2.dat
File 3: Test3.dat

each are 30 meg in size...

you start downloading File 1... then 10 meg into the file User X goes offline...

Currenlty DC++ will randomly (? seems like it) pick a file to download from User X and download it...

It would be nice if it finished the first file before moving onto the next files...

[Nazo]

Yeah, the higher priority level thing would handle that somewhat, but, to begin with, it could maybe pick which one to get in which order by a little bit of just looking at teh filename. Such as for file01.ext, file02.ext, and file03.ext, regardless of their size, it seems likely that of those files that all fit the criteria file0?.ext, the proper order to get them is likely 1,2,3. Of course, this wouldn't be 100% perfect since there tend to be many different filenames for the same things sometimes. This would be especially handy since the primary things I'm downloading do come in series, but I suppose it wouldn't help me much since I'm having to just download as much as 5 different filenames of the same single part sometimes. Anyway, being able to adjust priorities more should probably do since it would at least let you manually do that.

It occured to me that cancelling might not be such a great idea necessarily sometimes. Every now and then I get something that doesnt' work right (just last night even) and have to get another source of it. Rather than having to track down a source for the same file(s) that I already have part of, it would be easier if the automatic thing merely paused instead of cancelling so that I can remove the sources from the download queue or unpause at my leisure. I suppose if it used any valid integer or whatever then 0 would be paused.

BTW, I suppose it's been proposed before, but I think what we really need is some kind of scripting system kind of like the way mIRC does. I can't even begin to comprehend the kind of work it would take for that (though I know it's mindnumbingly painful amounts) but I think that if such a system were to be created, it would be just absolutely wonderful for the DC community. Many of the ideas that people request, likely even mind, could likely be handled with just a little scripting if it were done right. For example, in mIRC I wanted joins/parts out of the chat, but still visible easily, so I moved all of them into a seperate small window I made just for them all with a script that could be reduced to a single line without too much removal of white space. The idea is simple, but it would still be a bit of a pain to implement by coding it into the application itself, however a script can potentially do it with ease. This, of course, all depends on the nature of whatever scripting language you came up with and how exactly it worked with the client.

I'm sure that idea has been mentioned before, but, just in case I wanted to add it.

[Boxie]

Yeah, the higher priority level thing would handle that somewhat, but, to begin with, it could maybe pick which one to get in which order by a little bit of just looking at teh filename.

You mean Alphanumerical Order?? that in itself is rather easy...

and a good idea

[Wjierd]

Another feature that I think would be useful is the capability to specify download-priority by file-type. Available file-types could be the same as those currently used in the search window to avoid confusion.
Here's one example of the benefit of this feature: Say one day you really want to DL some music, but you have a ton of non-music already in your queue. So, you simply crank up music to highest priority and away you go. Alternately, the next day you have plenty of music for the time being and you really want to get those compressed files out of the way... you get the idea. ^_^

[Nazo]

You mean Alphanumerical Order?? that in itself is rather easy...

and a good idea

The only thing is that if you have something such as "File - 01.fil" and another that is "File 02.fil" presumably they are part of the same thing (in most cases anyway), but when you directly compare the two strings together, they don't seem to be the same, so the one that is alphanumerically first would go first there. In this case, I believe 0 would come before - so the second file would start before the first. Of course, the whole purpose of that would just be a default order for starting downloads. So it probably doesn't really matter that much anyway.