Hack 94: Supercharge Your Firefox Downloads with DownThemAll!
Level Advanced
Platform All (with Firefox)
Cost Free
When it comes to heavy-duty download jobs, your web browser’s default downloads manager just doesn’t cut it. If you need closer control of multiple, large downloads, you need the DownThemAll! Firefox extension (also known as dTa). This extra-strength download manager can speed up, queue for later, and download sets of files in batches from the Web based on patterns you define in one click.
In this hack, you learn how to finely control and prioritize downloads with DownThemAll and batch-save all the MP3s from a web page in one shot. Before you start, install DownThemAll for free using Firefox at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/201.
NOTE Hack 93, “Extend Your Web Browser” covers how to install a Firefox extension such as DownThemAll. As of this writing, DownThemAll is available only for Firefox.
Download Individual Files with DownThemAll!
In DownThemAll’s most basic usage, download a particular file from a web page by following these steps:
1. Right-click it and choose Save with DownThemAll from the context menu. Depending on what you select — a video, a link to another web page, an image — this item may read Save Link with DownThemAll as well.
2. Set the destination directory for where dTa should save the files.
3. Click the Start button; dTa opens a window that displays all your downloads, their transfer progress, and several buttons that can pause, ...
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