pid-recursive in options file, bug or feature?

[Vangelis forthnet]

On Thu May 4 21:38:13 BST 2017, Doug Faunt wrote:

> I just noticed that if I have --pid-cursive in the command line,
> gip will cheerfully pickup a single episode program.
> Bug or feature?

(I'm sure you meant "--pid-recursive" rather than "--pid-cursive"...)
Well, just to humour you, I did try:

get_iplayer --pid=b05nt1vb --pid-recursive --modes=worst --force --verbose

and that failed to start a download:

WARNING: Failed to fetch episode PIDs from 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05nt
1vb/episodes/player?page=1

What is indeed interesting is that if I include
--type=radio in the command:

get_iplayer --type=radio --pid=b05nt1vb --pid-recursive --modes=worst --force 
 --verbose

I do get a download:

INFO: Trying daflow1 mode to record radio: Drama - Far Side of the Moore

 Further tests on my setup show the same results
irrespective of how the  --pid-recursive switch is
being loaded onto GiP (via CLI or via options).

 As I said, I don't think a bug lies here in GiP; --pid-recursive
is meant to be only used together with a brand/series PID,
and that brand/series PID could be either TV or radio.

 I can't comment on the status quo ante when the XML feeds
were alive, but in GiP 3.00, when you supply an episode
pid with --pid-recursive, you should expect a failure...

The reason I succeeded with

--type=radio --pid=b05nt1vb --pid-recursive

is probably because --type=radio shortcircuits
 --pid-recursive, as it instructs GiP to search
for that PID inside the radio.cache

 I could hazard a thought here that if you supply GiP 3.00
with a TV (not Radio) episode PID and also include
--pid-recursive, you MAY begin a download; by default,
GiP first queries tv.cache for that PID, so again
--pid-recursive is being shortcircuited; it's not the same
with a radio PID, though (without --type=radio); such a
radio PID won't be found inside tv.cahe, radio.cache
won't be searched and then  --pid-recursive will come into
effect; GiP will try to scrape an invalid "brand/series" PID
page and fall over...

 I think I have exhausted my expertise (!) here,
if you feel you have a genuine issue/feature request,
be free to pursue this further in the support forums!

Best regards