[GUI Plugin] FanFicFare

[JimmXinu]

The parameter adds a 'userContextId=X' to the cache key scheme, where X is a number based on which configured 'container' is being used.

If people use it a lot, I may add a configurable setting for it, but it would have to include the number. But my inclination (and the answer for now) is 'don't use container tabs'.

In theory, we could also go back to scanning the entire cache for entries with URLs we may care about, but I don't really want to.

[culytera]

I use Firefox with MAC but I don't use a container for Ao3. Firefox' site isolation is enough for me and I don't have multiple Ao3 accounts to need a container for each.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

In theory, we could also go back to scanning the entire cache for entries with URLs we may care about, but I don't really want to.

If this is done, make it configurable? I don't have much desire to go back to that old slow cache scanning either.

[JimmXinu]

Yeah, not going back for everyone. It would have to be configurable.

[Fra]

Hello,
I just started using this plugin and Calibre yesterday but I keep getting this error when I try and download off of fanfiction.net . I tried downloading off of ao3 and it works just fine. I probably either didn't configure it right or am missing something.
If someone could help me it would be appreciated.

Francesco

[JimmXinu]

See FAQ Why am I having errors downloading from fanfiction.net?

tl;dr: ffnet blocks FFF. There's a couple ways to work around it, but they require you to put in some effort.

[Fra]

Tried that with both proxies so this is my personal.ini file now for nsapa proxy, flaresolverr is the exact same with that in place of nsapa proxy.

## This is an example of what your personal configuration might look
## like. Uncomment options by removing the '#' in front of them.

Spoiler:

[defaults]
browser_cache_path:C:\Users\franc\AppData\Local\Go ogle\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache
open_pages_in_browser:true
browser_cache_age_limit:-1
## [defaults] section applies to all formats and sites but may be
## overridden at several levels. See
## https://github.com/JimmXinu/FanFicFare/wiki/INI-File for more
## details.

## Some sites also require the user to confirm they are adult for
## adult content. Uncomment by removing '#' in front of is_adult.
#is_adult:true

## Don't like the numbers at the start of chapter titles on some
## sites? You can use strip_chapter_numbers to strip them off. Just
## want to make them all look the same? Strip them off, then add them
## back on with add_chapter_numbers. Don't like the way it strips
## numbers or adds them back? See chapter_title_strip_pattern and
## chapter_title_add_pattern in defaults.ini.
#strip_chapter_numbers:true
#add_chapter_numbers:true


[epub]
## Include images from img tags in the body and summary of stories.
## Images will be converted to jpg for size if possible. Images work
## in epub format only. To get mobi or other format with images,
## download as epub and use Calibre to convert.
## true by default, uncomment and set false to not include images.
#include_images:true

## If set false, the summary will have all html stripped for safety.
## Both this and include_images must be true to get images in the
## summary.
## true by default, uncomment and set false to not keep summary html.
#keep_summary_html:true

## If set true, and there isn't a specific cover image, the first
## image found in the story will be made the cover image. If
## keep_summary_html is true, images in the summary will be before any
## in chapters.
## true by default, uncomment and set false to turn off
#make_firstimage_cover:true


## Most common, I expect will be using this to save username/passwords
## for different sites. Here are a few examples. See defaults.ini
## for the full list.

[www.twilighted.net]
#username:YourPenname
#password:YourPassword
## default is false
#collect_series: true

[www.fanfiction.net]
use_nsapa_proxy:true
use_browser_cache:true
#is_adult:true
#fail_on_password: false

[www.tthfanfic.org]
#is_adult:true
## tth is a little unusual--it doesn't require user/pass, but the site
## keeps track of which chapters you've read and won't send another
## update until it thinks you're up to date. If you set
## username/password, FFF will login to download. Then the site
## thinks you're up to date.
#username:YourName
#password:yourpassword


## This section will override anything in the system defaults or other
## sections here.
[overrides]
## default varies by site. Set true here to force all sites to
## collect series.
#collect_series: true

When I tried to use Flaresolverr I got a different error
Error Directory does not contain a known browser cache type: 'C:\Users\franc\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache'
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10728064/1/
Which I assume means that to configure flaresolverr I need to install it in a docker or with python and I don't know how to do both. (Tried the pyhton version of FFF and got to the end of the installation but wasn't able to figure out the command for starting a download from the list.)

If you could help me with the calibre plugin config further it would be appreciated.

[JimmXinu]

I would suggest using either a proxy or browser cache. You appear to be trying to use both?

I think chrome cache also needs a \Cache_Data, mine is like this:

browser_cache_path:C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache\Cache_Data

[Fra]

You were right about the address of the cache of the browser, and it seems to get a bit better. Trying with both of them enabled gave me the error of the proxies not working in particular nsapa proxy wasn't available and flaresolverr wasn't started. Trying with only either of the proxies gave the same result while only using the cache and having opened the page on my browser gave the original error and did not start the job at all.
If you think something else might be wrong let me know

Thank you anyways for the fast and very helpful reply

Francesco

[JimmXinu]

It's your responsibility to download, install and run the appropriate proxy server. If that's outside your comfort zone, don't. See https://github.com/JimmXinu/FanFicFa.../ProxyFeatures

If open_pages_in_browser:true isn't working, is the Chrome who's cache you configured not your default browser? It needs to be for open_pages_in_browser:true

Honestly, if you are a new user just coming to FFF for the first time and only care about ffnet, I'd use a different tool such as WebToEpub, Fanfictiondownloader, or ffnet's own mobile app.

Downloading from ffnet is a pain now and if it wasn't one of the biggest fanfic sites around with 20+ years of stories, I wouldn't support it anymore.

[Fra]

Thank you for the explanation, at this point I don't I'm capable of running a proxy server due to one requiring another pc running linux and both of them requiring at the very least basic knowledge of python. I was interested in your plugin because it seems the only one where you can download multiple fics at once while the other ones require you to do it one at a time.
If you or anyone else knows by chance a software that allows this, even with less functionality, I could maybe try that.
Anyways I'll try and come back to this maybe next year and see if the situation has improved even if I highly doubt that it will from my understanding.
Thank you very very much for your help and I will be sure to suggest this plugin for my friends that use anything other than ff.net.

Francesco

[DirCat]

I have a question that I searched for, but might not have had the right keywords if it has been asked before.

Would it be possible to have a combined "Look for new chapters" ("Update EPUB if New Chapters") and "Look if the fic is newer than what has been downloaded" ("Overwrite if Newer") into one option? The reason I am asking is because sometimes a writer will update their works without adding chapters, and sometimes the site (at least it seems this way with AO3) will not update the date when a new chapter is added*.

*(I took a couple of links I received from email that didn't update with the "Overwrite if Newer" but DID update when I put the same links in the "Update EPUB if New Chapters" when I decided to test it out.)

It seems that combining them in one option would take care of any issues that running one of them alone would not fix.

Thanks, and love the plugin!

[JimmXinu]

Originally Posted by DirCat

Would it be possible to have a combined "Look for new chapters" ("Update EPUB if New Chapters") and "Look if the fic is newer than what has been downloaded" ("Overwrite if Newer") into one option?

Restating the two edge cases you are asking about:

1. Author updates without adding a new chapter. Could have a) changed an existing chapter, or b) replaced an existing chapter indicated by different chapter URL.
2. Author adds a chapter without dateUpdated changing.

There's two differences between Update EPUB if New Chapters and Overwrite if Newer.

• How they decide whether to run or not: Update uses increased chapter count only, Overwrite if Newer uses dateUpdated compared to the file system mtime(last modified) of the selected ebook type.
• What they do when they run: Update downloads new chapters only, Overwrite if Newer downloads all chapters again.

Comparing chapter number for Overwrite if Newer doesn't work--it's intended for non-EPUB formats and FFF can only read EPUBs for chapter number. No, a chapter column doesn't work, not everyone has one.

Looking at dateUpdated for Update EPUB if New Chapters is possible, but doesn't help in the case of author updating an existing chapter because that chapter in EPUB will not be replaced unless the chapter URL changed.

Making one mode that sometimes updates and sometimes overwrites is, IMO, a bad idea because:

1. Users expecting update will be surprised when their manual edits to existing chapters disappear or downloads take forever.
2. Users expecting overwrite will be surprised when old chapters don't reflect changes on the site.

tl;dr: If you don't trust dateUpdated or chapter number, don't you basically end up at "Overwrite Always" mode?

I am in a mood for lists today, apparently.

[Nutzer0815]

Hello,

I use Firefox 117.0.1, Caliber 6.26 FanFicFare 4.27.0
Until a few weeks ago, when I loaded stories from fanfiction.net, they came out of the cache without any problems.
Currently I am receiving
HTTP Error in FFF 'Page not found or expired in Browser Cache (see FFF setting browser_cache_age_limit)' (428)
e.g. for the page
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13679617/1/Lord-and-Ladies
Before that I loaded all chapters into the cache.

Thanks in advance

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by Nutzer0815

Hello,

I use Firefox 117.0.1, Caliber 6.26 FanFicFare 4.27.0
Until a few weeks ago, when I loaded stories from fanfiction.net, they came out of the cache without any problems.
Currently I am receiving
HTTP Error in FFF 'Page not found or expired in Browser Cache (see FFF setting browser_cache_age_limit)' (428)
e.g. for the page
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13679617/1/Lord-and-Ladies
Before that I loaded all chapters into the cache.

Thanks in advance

Are you using container tabs? As mentioned a few posts ago, there are known problems with those.