Firefox/Feature Brainstorming:Downloads: Difference between revisions

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{{FeatureBrainstorming}}
{{FeatureBrainstorming}}
<table class="fullwidth-table">
<tr><th>Specific features</th>
<th width="30%">References</th></tr>


<tr><td>
== Download manager ==
; Multiple downloads
* Option to open the download manager as a tab instead of it's own window.
* download in progress should be the same size as a completed one. If you have multiple downloads in progress and want to remove a particular one it can move if other downloads complete. If multiple downloads complete in a very short period of time another download might come under the mouse.
* Improve file type handling - ie: always download specific filetypes to a set of default or user-specified folders (defaults: Audio, Video, Images, Zipped, Executable, etc.)
; Download control
* Allow downloaded files to be tagged both manually and automatically.
* Possibility to shut down the computer after finishing the last download or after a specific idle time / no response (Of course with the possibility of interupting the shut-down process by the user)
* Check if destination drive has enough free space before starting download.
* check if destination drive has enough free space before starting download.
* Reserving disk space at destination before starting the download
* reserving disk space at destination before starting the download
* Ability to restrict download bandwidth (aggregate or per stream)
* Dont name temporary files like '403AF..' use realnames like in IE. (very helpful when accessing Flash and Media content.)
* Use friendly cache directory and file structure, as in Offline Explorer (cache/www.site.com/folder/file.html, or friendly encoded file name), so it would be possible to remove certain files manually.
* Support Drag&drop from 'Downloads' window
* Allow an option run a downloaded setup file (in the place of "open") instead of saving it, like in Internet Explorer
* Allow an option run a downloaded setup file (in the place of "open") instead of saving it, like in Internet Explorer
* Interpret the meta tag "DownloadOptions" like Internet Explorer does
* Option to type a path to a program to open a download (more efficient than using a file selector)
* Ability to select a custom program ("other") to handle the download of an unknown file type (see [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=352142 bug 352142]
* Option to type a path where a file should be saved (more efficient than using a file selector)
* In the Download window, there should be a button to open the main ffox window if it is closed.
* Allow to configure a sound or beep for every/or last finished download.
* Option to shut down the computer after finishing the last download or after a specific idle time / no response (Of course with the possibility of interupting the shut-down process by the user)
 
== Download resume ==
* Fix download resume so it works reliably and as expected (for ex. by stopping download on Firefox exit, and restart it next time Firefox is launched, maybe with popup notice)
* Allow connection timeouts to pause the download instead of closing it. This will help people with slow or unreliable connections like [http://tor.eff.org tor] to continue downloading even if their connection fails on them.
 
== Download queue ==
* Ability to download all links
* Ability to download all links
* Ability to easily pass the url to third-party download manager to do the downloading instead of using firefox's built-in download manager
* Ability to download selected links
* Ability to download selected links
* Ability for a limitation of the download speed in the settings
* Ability to create download queues so a user can add several links to a queue then fire off a batch download session
* Ability to create download queues so a user can add several links to a queue then fire off a batch download session
* '''Fix download resume''' so it works reliably and as expected (for ex. by stopping download on Firefox exit, and restart it next time Firefox is launched, maybe with popup notice)
* Ability to schedule downloads
* Ability to 'Add' file to a download queue via URL
 
== Download dialog ==
* Simplify download pop-up. That thing hasn't been updated for ages. Maybe instead of radio buttons we have 3 buttons at the bottom: Save, Open, Cancel.
* Add a persistent option that allows a file to be automatically renamed if exists instead of "Do you want to replace it?"
 
== Download protocols/handlers ==
* Ability to select a custom program ("other") to handle the download of an unknown file type (see [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=352142 bug 352142]
* Ability to easily pass the url to third-party download manager to do the downloading instead of using firefox's built-in download manager
* Make many connections (to different or same server)
* p2p support (locating/participating)
* Bittorrent support, as in Opera 9.
* Add an FTP manager, similar to Windows Explorer tracking of previously accessed FTP sites.
* Enhance the FTP experience. Continuing downloads, uploading, binary/ascii choice, etc.
 
== General download UI improvements ==
* Dont name temporary files like '403AF..' use realnames like in IE. (very helpful when accessing Flash and Media content.)
* Use friendly cache directory and file structure, as in Offline Explorer (cache/www.site.com/folder/file.html, or friendly encoded file name), so it would be possible to remove certain files manually.
* Support Drag&drop from 'Downloads' window
* Integrate download status into the main browsing window
* Integrate download status into the main browsing window
** Display UI for each download somewhere in the window (in a sidebar, on a "downloads bar" either at the top or the bottom of the browsing window, etc.) so users can see the progress of their downloads without having to go to a different window
** Display UI for each download somewhere in the window (in a sidebar, on a "downloads bar" either at the top or the bottom of the browsing window, etc.) so users can see the progress of their downloads without having to go to a different window
** Alternately (or perhaps in conjunction), display a single UI element (like an icon or a throbber) that shows the status of the user's downloads (f.e. it might throb to indicate downloads in progress and display a number to indicate the number of downloads still in progress)
** Alternately (or perhaps in conjunction), display a single UI element (like an icon or a throbber) that shows the status of the user's downloads (f.e. it might throb to indicate downloads in progress and display a number to indicate the number of downloads still in progress)
* Schedule downloads
* Download in progress should be the same size as a completed one. If you have multiple downloads in progress and want to remove a particular one it can move if other downloads complete. If multiple downloads complete in a very short period of time another download might come under the mouse.
* Ability to 'Add' file to be downloaded via URL
 
* Make many connections (to different or same server)
== Download history ==
* p2p support (locating/participating)
* Be able to save the download history to a file.
* Ability to restrict download bandwidth (aggregate or per stream)
* Add descript.ion to every saved file and page with original URL (like DownloadMaster does) to allow user to return to originating site when analysing downloaded stuff. Probably description should contain also original page address where the file was downloaded from.
* Allow connection timeouts to pause the download instead of closing it. This will help people with slow or unreliable connections like [http://tor.eff.org tor] to continue downloading even if their connection fails on them.
* sort/display time and date (addtional column) of when files were downloaded
*Download Tagging. On a page where you wish to download from many links, it might be helpful to be able to to tag links for download. When you've finished tagging all the links you want, you could start a dedicated Download Manager session which would download all the links you've tagged to a specified folder, and even, perhaps, run certain actions on them like re-naming and unzipping, and other prcedures. Such features would put Firefox way ahead of the competition. Example: Scrolling through a site where you need to download a bunch of documents. You could download them normally, or you could tag them to be downloaded. Once you'd tagge everything you needed, you start the tagged Downloading Applet and it downloads all the files, one by one to the folder you specified, re-naming them according to a scheme you choose.This would be a very handy feature, especially for people who use image sites, or who need to download dependencies for open source projects. Initially, you could tag links from the same page, but eventually it might be feasible to keep a cross-site tag list. This would also be useful for people on dial up connections who need to download many large files, as it would allow them to tage the downloads during the day, and then download them at night, when they are less likely to need to use the phone.
* be able to sort/display by filetype (additional column) of downloaded files
* More control over clutter in the download history. Specifically, the abilities to select multiple completed downloads at once and remove them all with one button, remove all history items that point to files that are deleted or moved, or automatically remove history items older than X days, like with browsing history.
* Show the Filesize on a finished Download e.g. Extras->Downloads->RMB->Properties->Filesize.
* Ability to search download history
* Automatically inserting metadata such as the URL is useful for researching downloaded files
 
== Various ==
* Interpret the meta tag "DownloadOptions" like Internet Explorer does
* Show the MD5 Checksum of each download after its finishied.
* Show the MD5 Checksum of each download after its finishied.
* Interpret a "Checksum Attribute" in HTML like <a href="file" checksum="md5:46302164391643zfa9faq65f98a"> and compare it with the generated one.
* Interpret a "Checksum Attribute" in HTML like <a href="file" checksum="md5:46302164391643zfa9faq65f98a"> and compare it with the generated one.
* Be able to save the download history to a file.
* Add descript.ion to every saved file and page with original URL (like DownloadMaster does) to allow user to return to originating site when analysing downloaded stuff. Probably description should contain also original page address where the file was downloaded from.
* On Unix, where just about all of your programs are in /usr/bin or /usr/local/bin it's really clumsy to have to use a file selector GUI to choose a program to open a download.  There's no option to just type in the path, so I have to wait while a listing of my /usr/bin is populated and then find the program whose name I already know in an alphabetical list.  Highly inefficient.  There should be a text field as well as a "Browse..." button so I can just type in obvious names like /usr/bin/xpdf or /usr/bin/xv.  Even better would be if it searched $PATH so I could just type "xpdf".  And once you're in the browse dialog you should be able to type the program's name once you're in the right directory.  This problem also exists on Windows.
* Fix webBrowserPersist to save @import-ed stylesheets and backgrounds referenced in stylesheets. See [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2925/ Save Complete] for my work on an extension to fix this.
* Fix webBrowserPersist to save @import-ed stylesheets and backgrounds referenced in stylesheets. See [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2925/ Save Complete] for my work on an extension to fix this.
*Simplify download pop-up. That thing hasn't been updated for ages. Maybe instead of radio buttons we have 3 buttons at the bottom: Save, Open, Cancel.
*Add a persistent option that allows a file to be automatically renamed if exists instead of "Do you want to replace it?", is not nice to rename a pic and use the mouse with only one hand ;)
* Enable support for Microsoft's ClickOnce application deployment technology.
* Enable support for Microsoft's ClickOnce application deployment technology.
* In the Download window, there shouild be a button to reactivate the main ffox window. It nags me that i can close the main ffox window while a long download occurs, and then cannot reactivate it from the Download manager window
</td><td>
- [http://www.metalinker.org metalink (file distribution standard with mirrors and checksums)]


- [[User_talk:Topa#Direct_Download_Button | Ability to Add file through URL]]
== Performance ==
* While the download manager window is not responding (aka it's opening the file that had just download) Firefox should not freeze too.
 
== Backend ==
* Make the download manager take multiple download progress listeners so extensions can more easily present downloads in different ways


== Uploads ==
* Allow Upload functionality similar to the Download Manager (especially: show, how much has been uploaded already, not only a progress bar)
* Should allow for Upload Resume
* You should be able to Upload a Folder and multiple files, rather than a single file at a time.
* You should have a option to compressing the upload (zip/gz) within the upload dialog
* Allow uploading of files via Drag and Drop into the Browser window - support a file upload event - important for web-based document management systems, webmail applications (attaching files), software version control systems (eg. websvn) and the like.
* Allow cut & paste of binary content (eg a screenshots) in HTML files
== References ==
* [http://www.metalinker.org metalink (file distribution standard with mirrors and checksums)]
* [[User_talk:Topa#Direct_Download_Button | Ability to Add file through URL]]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=292481 bug 292481]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=292481 bug 292481]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=258496 bug 258496]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=258496 bug 258496]
Line 55: Line 89:
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=298252 bug 298252]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=298252 bug 298252]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=270736 bug 270736]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=270736 bug 270736]
</td></tr>
<tr><td>
; Download manager
* Bittorrent support, as in Opera 9.
* Add an FTP manager, similar to Windows Explorer tracking of previously accessed FTP sites.
* Enhance the FTP experience. Continuing downloads, uploading, binary/ascii choice, etc.
* While the download manager window is not responding (aka it's opening the file that had just download) Firefox should not freeze too.
* Option to move the download manager into a tab instead of it's own window.
* Improved file type handling - ie: always download specific filetypes to a set of default or user-specified folders (defaults: Audio, Video, Images, Zipped, Executable, etc.)
* Speedy choice of downloading behaviour: sometimes I like to listen to an mp3 stream (clicking link), sometimes I want to download and save it without having to edit the settings (shift-clicking link, as it was in Mozilla)
* Make the download manager take multiple download progress listeners so extensions can more easily present downloads in different ways
* sort/display time and date (addtional column) of when files were downloaded
* be able to sort/display by filetype (additional column) of downloaded files
* Implement Categories, each category will have its own folder, so the downloads will be saved there.
* Allow the user to select a Category for each download.
* More control over clutter in the download history. Specifically, the abilities to select multiple completed downloads at once and remove them all with one button, remove all history items that point to files that are deleted or moved, or automatically remove history items older than X days, like with browsing history.
* Show the Filesize on a finished Download e.g. Extras->Downloads->RMB->Properties->Filesize.
* Allow to configure a sound or beep for every/or last finished download.
* SeaMonkey's Downloadmanager is very clean and easy to use. It looks native, has no strange empty spaces like our current download manager and allows multiple selections and sorting and it has a detailed progress window. I would whish firefox had it, too...
*Automatically inserting metadata such as the URL is useful for researching downloaded files
</td><td>
[http://home.arcor.de/jonha/mockup.png Seamonkey's Downloadmanager]
</td></tr>
<tr><th colspan="2">General tasks</th></tr>
<tr><td>
* Download history UI improvements
* Content-disposition fixes
* Option for turning computer off after downloads finish
</td><td>
n/a
</td></tr>
<tr><th colspan="2">Upload Improvements</th></tr>
<tr><td>
* Allow Upload Functionality Similar to the Download Manager (especially: show, how much has been uploaded already, not only a progress bar)
* Should allow for Upload Resume
* You should be able to Upload a Folder and multiple files, rather than a single file at a time.
* You should have a option to compressing the upload (zip/gz) within the upload dialog
* Allow uploading of files via Drag and Drop into the Browser window - support a file upload event - important for web-based document management systems, webmail applications (attaching files), software version control systems (eg. websvn) and the like.
* Allow cut & paste of binary content (eg a screenshots) in HTML files
</td><td>
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=253105 Bug #253105]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=253105 Bug #253105]
* [http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=200759&cid=16438433 Interesting description of drag and drop file uploads for AJAX applications]
* [http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=200759&cid=16438433 drag and drop file uploads for AJAX applications]
</td></tr>
</table>

Revision as of 19:32, 23 October 2006

« Firefox/Feature Brainstorming

Download manager

  • Option to open the download manager as a tab instead of it's own window.
  • Improve file type handling - ie: always download specific filetypes to a set of default or user-specified folders (defaults: Audio, Video, Images, Zipped, Executable, etc.)
  • Allow downloaded files to be tagged both manually and automatically.
  • Check if destination drive has enough free space before starting download.
  • Reserving disk space at destination before starting the download
  • Ability to restrict download bandwidth (aggregate or per stream)
  • Allow an option run a downloaded setup file (in the place of "open") instead of saving it, like in Internet Explorer
  • Option to type a path to a program to open a download (more efficient than using a file selector)
  • Option to type a path where a file should be saved (more efficient than using a file selector)
  • In the Download window, there should be a button to open the main ffox window if it is closed.
  • Allow to configure a sound or beep for every/or last finished download.
  • Option to shut down the computer after finishing the last download or after a specific idle time / no response (Of course with the possibility of interupting the shut-down process by the user)

Download resume

  • Fix download resume so it works reliably and as expected (for ex. by stopping download on Firefox exit, and restart it next time Firefox is launched, maybe with popup notice)
  • Allow connection timeouts to pause the download instead of closing it. This will help people with slow or unreliable connections like tor to continue downloading even if their connection fails on them.

Download queue

  • Ability to download all links
  • Ability to download selected links
  • Ability to create download queues so a user can add several links to a queue then fire off a batch download session
  • Ability to schedule downloads
  • Ability to 'Add' file to a download queue via URL

Download dialog

  • Simplify download pop-up. That thing hasn't been updated for ages. Maybe instead of radio buttons we have 3 buttons at the bottom: Save, Open, Cancel.
  • Add a persistent option that allows a file to be automatically renamed if exists instead of "Do you want to replace it?"

Download protocols/handlers

  • Ability to select a custom program ("other") to handle the download of an unknown file type (see bug 352142
  • Ability to easily pass the url to third-party download manager to do the downloading instead of using firefox's built-in download manager
  • Make many connections (to different or same server)
  • p2p support (locating/participating)
  • Bittorrent support, as in Opera 9.
  • Add an FTP manager, similar to Windows Explorer tracking of previously accessed FTP sites.
  • Enhance the FTP experience. Continuing downloads, uploading, binary/ascii choice, etc.

General download UI improvements

  • Dont name temporary files like '403AF..' use realnames like in IE. (very helpful when accessing Flash and Media content.)
  • Use friendly cache directory and file structure, as in Offline Explorer (cache/www.site.com/folder/file.html, or friendly encoded file name), so it would be possible to remove certain files manually.
  • Support Drag&drop from 'Downloads' window
  • Integrate download status into the main browsing window
    • Display UI for each download somewhere in the window (in a sidebar, on a "downloads bar" either at the top or the bottom of the browsing window, etc.) so users can see the progress of their downloads without having to go to a different window
    • Alternately (or perhaps in conjunction), display a single UI element (like an icon or a throbber) that shows the status of the user's downloads (f.e. it might throb to indicate downloads in progress and display a number to indicate the number of downloads still in progress)
  • Download in progress should be the same size as a completed one. If you have multiple downloads in progress and want to remove a particular one it can move if other downloads complete. If multiple downloads complete in a very short period of time another download might come under the mouse.

Download history

  • Be able to save the download history to a file.
  • Add descript.ion to every saved file and page with original URL (like DownloadMaster does) to allow user to return to originating site when analysing downloaded stuff. Probably description should contain also original page address where the file was downloaded from.
  • sort/display time and date (addtional column) of when files were downloaded
  • be able to sort/display by filetype (additional column) of downloaded files
  • More control over clutter in the download history. Specifically, the abilities to select multiple completed downloads at once and remove them all with one button, remove all history items that point to files that are deleted or moved, or automatically remove history items older than X days, like with browsing history.
  • Show the Filesize on a finished Download e.g. Extras->Downloads->RMB->Properties->Filesize.
  • Ability to search download history
  • Automatically inserting metadata such as the URL is useful for researching downloaded files

Various

  • Interpret the meta tag "DownloadOptions" like Internet Explorer does
  • Show the MD5 Checksum of each download after its finishied.
  • Interpret a "Checksum Attribute" in HTML like <a href="file" checksum="md5:46302164391643zfa9faq65f98a"> and compare it with the generated one.
  • Fix webBrowserPersist to save @import-ed stylesheets and backgrounds referenced in stylesheets. See Save Complete for my work on an extension to fix this.
  • Enable support for Microsoft's ClickOnce application deployment technology.

Performance

  • While the download manager window is not responding (aka it's opening the file that had just download) Firefox should not freeze too.

Backend

  • Make the download manager take multiple download progress listeners so extensions can more easily present downloads in different ways

Uploads

  • Allow Upload functionality similar to the Download Manager (especially: show, how much has been uploaded already, not only a progress bar)
  • Should allow for Upload Resume
  • You should be able to Upload a Folder and multiple files, rather than a single file at a time.
  • You should have a option to compressing the upload (zip/gz) within the upload dialog
  • Allow uploading of files via Drag and Drop into the Browser window - support a file upload event - important for web-based document management systems, webmail applications (attaching files), software version control systems (eg. websvn) and the like.
  • Allow cut & paste of binary content (eg a screenshots) in HTML files

References

Retrieved from "https://wiki.mozilla.org/index.php?title=Firefox/Feature_Brainstorming:Downloads&oldid=38967"