get_iplayer and Windows batch files

[Kapitano72]

I spent several weeks on exactly this problem in Windows. How to have 
several batch files, each running a Get_iPlayer command line 
instruction, called in sequence.

If you could run a batch file to call a series of batch files, waiting 
for each one to finish before moving onto the next, it would be easy. 
But unfortunately you can't.

What you can do though is have a set of batch files, called in sequence 
by an automation program. You could use a program like Shutdown Expert 
(www.zylsoft.com/shutdown.htm) to call the batch file which downloads 
Radio 4 Drama at 1am, then the one which downloads Radio 4 Comedy at 
3pm, etc.

Ideally though you want to call the batch files one after the other with 
no overlap. JitBit (http://www.jitbit.com/) make a macro recorder which 
might be able to do that. I use vTask (http://www.vtaskstudio.com/), 
which can package its macros as .EXE files.

In fact, I use Shutdown Expert to call a vTask .EXE which calls nine 
.BAT files in a row. It's a little convoluted, but it works.

This is my Radio 4 Factual batch file:
get_iplayer --type="radio" --channel="Radio 4"  --category="factual" 
--exclude-channel="Radio 4 Extra" --exclude="A Good 
Read","Analysis","Any Questions?","Any Answers","Book Club","Desert 
Island Discs","Farming Today","Feedback","File on 4","Food 
Programme","Front Row","Gardeners' Question Time","In Touch","Law in 
Action","Loose Ends","Money Box","Open Country","Pick of the 
Week","Radio 4 Appeal","Saturday Live","Saturday Review","Start the 
Week","The Bottom Line","The Film Programme","The Media Show","Thinking 
Allowed","Today in Parliament","Week in Westminster","What the Papers 
Say","Woman's Hour","You and Yours","iPM" --terse --raw --get
exit

Note that you need the 'exit' line at the end. And no, you can't have 
more than one get_iplayer call per batch file.

To sort the downloads, I call another batch file to move them to sorted 
folders:
move c:\IPDL\*.* c:\Radio_4_Factual\
exit

Sorry, I don't know anything about Linux batch files. But if you like, I 
can put together a generic .EXE to call a series of DOS batch files. 
You'll then have to find a timing scheduler program to trigger it 
periodically - unless you just want to trigger it manually whenever is 
convenient.



K






On 15/01/2012 17:55, Clive wrote:
 > I use get_iplayer at the prompt in both Windows and Linux. In 
Windows, I have tried using batch files in the past - when I wamt a 
number of d/l and want to automate them. I have found that it does not 
work. The batch file runs get_iplayer and the first item is duly d/l but 
then I am returned to the command prompt and the second and subsequent 
batch lines never run. Is there a way to use get_iplayer from batch 
files (or from the Linux equivalent) for multiple items?
 >
 > Thank you.
 >
 > Clive
 >
 >
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 >